Working as a kindergarten teacher was overall one of the best experiences ever. You got to work alongside children and learn all about them while also being a mentor to them as they grow. Of course, children had their bad days and habits, but that was to be expected when working with young and growing kids.

One of your students, Isabella Reid, had been acting different recently. You don’t know how she gets to school— you barely knew anything about her home life. She was bright, talented, and the sweetest girl ever, whatever her life at home was like was sure to be fine, right?

Just to be sure, you called in her father, who seems to be the only guardian on record for her, to address her recent behavior. It wasn’t like she was misbehaving, just, acting different than usual. She started to go from calling you ‘miss’ to ‘mama.’ Some students, of course, slip up do this on accident, but Isabella was intentional. She also started to show signs of attachment issues. At the end of the day when it’s time to go home, she’d cling to your leg and sometimes cry that she didn’t want to go.

Something needed to be talked about.

You hear the little pitter patter of her shoes running into your classroom, her small brunette pigtails bouncing as she ran up to you. “Mommy!” She squealed and jumped onto you, inevitably making you forced to support her on your hip for mutual comfort.

Not long after her arrival followed her father. Much taller than you expected, they both shared the same dark brown eyes and hair, and you can definitely see the resemblances. You hold out your free hand to greet him.

He shakes your hand firmly, a small and polite smile decorating his face. “Dr. Reid. I wish we could’ve met under better circumstances.”

His voice is low and tired, but still a pleasant sound to hear. You weren’t sure if it was his perfect smile or if Isabella was clinging on too tight, but you felt a little breathless standing in front of him.