fair to the last people into the room. So I’m going to pass out slips of paper, and I want you all to write down whom you’d like to sit next to. Maybe we can make everyone happy.”
Unable to resist, Michelle glanced over her shoulder. Susan Peterson had a smug smile on her face.
Corinne began passing out paper, and for the next few minutes the room was quiet. Corinne gathered up the papers and studied them briefly. Then she began working on her seating chart while the children whispered among themselves, predicting the results.
The rearranging began. When it was over, Michelle found herself seated between Sally and Jeff, with Susan on Jeff’s other side. Silently, Michelle sent a message of thanks to Miss Hatcher.
As the last bell sounded, Tim Hartwick stepped out of the office that was reserved for his use at the Paradise Point school. He leaned comfortably against the corridor wall and watched the children swirl past him in their rush to escape into the warm late-summer afternoon. It didn’t take him long to spot the face he had been looking for. Michelle Pendleton hurried down the hall with another girl, whom he recognized as Sally Carstairs, and glanced at him timidly as she passed. As she left the building, he could see her whispering to her friend.
His expression thoughtful, Tim went back into his office, picked up a folder, put it in his filing cabinet, then locked the office door behind him before proceeding down to Corinne Hatcher’s classroom.
“And so it begins,” he intoned. “Another year of young minds to mold, futures to shape …”
“Oh, stop it,” Corinne laughed. “Help me clean up, so we can get out of here.”
Tim started toward the front of the room, then stopped short as he saw the seating chart, still propped against the blackboard.
“What’s this?” he said, his voice faintly mocking. “A seating chart in the classroom of Corinne Hatcher, champion of freedom of choice? Another illusion shattered.”
Corinne sighed. “There was a problem today. We have a new student this year, and it looked as though she was about to get off on the wrong foot. So I tried to straighten out the situation before things got out of hand.” She gave him the details of what had happened that morning.
“I saw her just now,” he said when she was finished.
“Did you?” Corinne began stacking the papers on her desk, talking as she worked. “Pretty, isn’t she? And she seems to be bright, eager-to-please, and friendly, too. Not what you’d expect to be coming out of Boston these days.” Suddenly she frowned, and looked at Tim curiously. “What do you mean, you just saw her? How do you know what she looks like?”
“I found a folder on my desk this morning—Michelle Pendleton’s records. Want to take a look?”
“No way,” Corinne replied. “I try never to look at the records till there’s some reason to.”
She thought Tim would drop the subject, but he didn’t.
“She’s almost too good to be true,” he said. “Not a single black mark anywhere.”
Corinne wondered what he was getting at.
“Is that so strange? I can think of any number of students here who have spotless records.”
Tim nodded. “But this is Paradise Point, not Boston. It’s almost as though Michelle Pendleton has been living her life unaware of her surroundings.” He paused, then: “Did you know she’s adopted?”
Corinne closed her desk drawers. “Should I have?” What was he getting at?
“Not really. But she is. She knows it, too.”
“Is that unusual?”
“Somewhat. But what is definitely unusual is that apparently she’s never had any reaction to it at all. As far as her teachers could tell, she’s always accepted it as a simple fact of life.”
“Well, good for her,” Corinne said, her voice showing a trace of the annoyance she was beginning to feel. What on earth was Tim trying to get at? The answer came almost immediately.
“I think you should keep an eye on her,” Tim said.
Unable to resist, Michelle glanced over her shoulder. Susan Peterson had a smug smile on her face.
Corinne began passing out paper, and for the next few minutes the room was quiet. Corinne gathered up the papers and studied them briefly. Then she began working on her seating chart while the children whispered among themselves, predicting the results.
The rearranging began. When it was over, Michelle found herself seated between Sally and Jeff, with Susan on Jeff’s other side. Silently, Michelle sent a message of thanks to Miss Hatcher.
As the last bell sounded, Tim Hartwick stepped out of the office that was reserved for his use at the Paradise Point school. He leaned comfortably against the corridor wall and watched the children swirl past him in their rush to escape into the warm late-summer afternoon. It didn’t take him long to spot the face he had been looking for. Michelle Pendleton hurried down the hall with another girl, whom he recognized as Sally Carstairs, and glanced at him timidly as she passed. As she left the building, he could see her whispering to her friend.
His expression thoughtful, Tim went back into his office, picked up a folder, put it in his filing cabinet, then locked the office door behind him before proceeding down to Corinne Hatcher’s classroom.
“And so it begins,” he intoned. “Another year of young minds to mold, futures to shape …”
“Oh, stop it,” Corinne laughed. “Help me clean up, so we can get out of here.”
Tim started toward the front of the room, then stopped short as he saw the seating chart, still propped against the blackboard.
“What’s this?” he said, his voice faintly mocking. “A seating chart in the classroom of Corinne Hatcher, champion of freedom of choice? Another illusion shattered.”
Corinne sighed. “There was a problem today. We have a new student this year, and it looked as though she was about to get off on the wrong foot. So I tried to straighten out the situation before things got out of hand.” She gave him the details of what had happened that morning.
“I saw her just now,” he said when she was finished.
“Did you?” Corinne began stacking the papers on her desk, talking as she worked. “Pretty, isn’t she? And she seems to be bright, eager-to-please, and friendly, too. Not what you’d expect to be coming out of Boston these days.” Suddenly she frowned, and looked at Tim curiously. “What do you mean, you just saw her? How do you know what she looks like?”
“I found a folder on my desk this morning—Michelle Pendleton’s records. Want to take a look?”
“No way,” Corinne replied. “I try never to look at the records till there’s some reason to.”
She thought Tim would drop the subject, but he didn’t.
“She’s almost too good to be true,” he said. “Not a single black mark anywhere.”
Corinne wondered what he was getting at.
“Is that so strange? I can think of any number of students here who have spotless records.”
Tim nodded. “But this is Paradise Point, not Boston. It’s almost as though Michelle Pendleton has been living her life unaware of her surroundings.” He paused, then: “Did you know she’s adopted?”
Corinne closed her desk drawers. “Should I have?” What was he getting at?
“Not really. But she is. She knows it, too.”
“Is that unusual?”
“Somewhat. But what is definitely unusual is that apparently she’s never had any reaction to it at all. As far as her teachers could tell, she’s always accepted it as a simple fact of life.”
“Well, good for her,” Corinne said, her voice showing a trace of the annoyance she was beginning to feel. What on earth was Tim trying to get at? The answer came almost immediately.
“I think you should keep an eye on her,” Tim said.
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