Little Fae

Millie sidled slowly from the parking lot to the front doors of the elementary school. She carried her car keys in one hand and a little purple windbreaker in the other. She moved slowly but with conviction. Years of standing on her feet, tending bar and serving tables took its physical toll on her hips and knees. She made it a habit to leave five minutes early for any appointment, giving herself ample time to walk to her destination without the risk of being late. Just as she leaned on the brick wall to rest next to the heavy double doors, a teacher threw them open allowing the flood of children to flee from the confines of their classrooms. They spilled down the hallway, through the opening like a river flowing into an ocean. The thunderous sounds of chatter, laughter and quickening footsteps hit Millie all at once. It was a pleasant sound, however deafening; what could be better than the sound of happy children? She spotted her great granddaughter and held out the purple jacket. The little girl took it and flung it over her right shoulder. “I’m ok Millie.” she said, taking her hand. As they began the trek to the car, the child’s kindergarten teacher hurried to catch up.

 “Mrs. Miller!” she called. Millie didn’t respond. No one called her by her proper name and it sounded so unfamiliar, she kept walking. Again, the teacher tried for her attention; this time a bit louder, “Excuse me, Mrs. Miller!” The little girl tugged at her great grandmother’s hand, “Millie, my teacher is calling for you.” Millie turned to see a red-faced woman waving her hands and smiling at her. “Hello, yes, may I speak to you Mrs. Miller?” 

Millie stepped toward her, “I’m so sorry Miss Jane, I’m not used to being called Mrs. Miller, everyone just calls me Millie. Please forgive me. What can I do for you?” she asked.

 Miss Jane caught her breath, “If it’s not too much of an inconvenience, I’d like to invite Mr. and Mrs. Keenan as well as yourself to speak with me and our principal tomorrow afternoon. Let’s say right after school; around 3:15?” 

Millie furrowed her brow, “Is everything ok?” she asked, rather surprised.

“Yes, yes, everything is fine, I do have a few things I’d like to discuss regarding our girl.” she said as she placed her hands on the child’s shoulders. The little girl looked up at her teacher and scowled. 

“I’m not in trouble.” the child declared as she climbed into the back seat of Millie’s car. 

“I know my love, now buckle your belt.” Millie directed as she started the ignition. 

“Mommy will think I’m in trouble. She won’t believe us. She thinks I’m weird, you know.”

“You let me take care of talking to your mother.” Millie assured her. “And you’re not weird, you know that, right?”

“I know, but other people think I’m weird too, but I really don’t mind if they call me weird; there are worse words to be called. You know who doesn’t think I’m weird?”

“Who, honey?”

“Miss Crystal.”

“Who is that honey?”

“Oh, she’s our new teacher. She helps Miss Jane, but I know her secret, Millie.”

“Her secret?” Millie was momentarily concerned.

“Yes,” Delaney stated, “Crystal came here to help me.” 

Millie speculated but decided not to press Delaney for details. If there were anything to worry about, she had to trust that the Fae community already knew and set a plan in motion to protect the coveted child. 

Miss Jane returned to her classroom and began to gather her belongings, still mulling over her motives behind having Delaney tested. She had suspected for some time that the child was in fact, otherworldly. Jane contemplated sharing her suspicions with principal Walker, but given the sensitivity of her reasoning, she decided to wait. Verifying Delaney’s probable abilities under the guise of a standard I.Q test seemed brilliant to Jane. She swelled with pride as she reflected on her own deceptive acumen. Tomorrow would prove to be entirely satisfying and profitable for Jane as surrendering Fae to the authorities brought a fair reward, especially one so young with an exceptional level of power. Arrogance and greed kept Miss Jane from ever suspecting the actual reason for Crystal's sudden appearance in her classroom. The satisfaction of having an assistant assigned to her to learn about early education only fed her ego. 

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Mildred McMillan Miller paced her tiny kitchen waiting for her granddaughter Sheila to show up and accompany her to their meeting with Delaney’s teacher and principal. She didn’t want to be late, but this meeting did nothing more than frustrate Sheila who was hesitant to agree to attending. “I’ll lose time at work, which means my pay will be docked; I can’t afford that.” she protested when Millie relayed the message from Miss Jane. “She’s five, for God’s sake! What could she have possibly done to warrant the parents being summoned into the school?”  Her emphatic protest had nothing to do with Delaney’s well-being but her own inconvenience. With three minutes to spare, Sheila pulled into the driveway and honked the horn continuously until she saw Millie wave through the kitchen window. Millie grabbed her handbag and sweater and headed out the door. She knew it was best to accompany Sheila to this meeting to keep things positive, productive and professional. 

“You know, Mil, they’re going to blame me for whatever Delaney did. They always blame the mother.” Sheila obsessively checked her reflection in the rear-view mirror as she drove the mere four miles to the elementary school. 

“Eyes on the road, Love.” Millie reminded her, hoping to end Sheila’s self-absorbed rant before it consumed the entire ride. Millie feared Sheila ever finding out about her own daughter. Sadly, she couldn’t guarantee the child’s safety even from her own mother. She knew Sheila was a necessity, intentionally chosen by the clever Fae to couple with Ben and usher the extraordinary child into the world. Her role was significant, not only as Delaney’s mother, but for her unsuspecting nature. Millie recalled the very day they brought Delaney home from the hospital. It was the same day Ben entrusted Millie with his secret; one he immediately knew he bestowed upon his newborn daughter. Millie loved Ben as if he were blood and vowed to forever remain loyal to him, his exceptional family and all the gifts Delaney had inherited, even if it meant her disloyalty to her own granddaughter. 

Sheila waved her off with her right hand while repositioning her left at the bottom of her steering wheel. ‘She’s just a little kid with a big imagination. How can we possibly expect her to be normal when she spends all her time with an old lady? No offense Millie, but she acts just like you.” 

Millie and Sheila walked in silence to the heavy double doors now propped open allowing the students to once again spill out across the apron. The children ran in every direction; some toward the buses and others into the arms of their awaiting parents and guardians. Millie and Sheila waited for an opening and made their move against the flow of children to enter the school. The kindergarten classrooms were toward the back of the building, closest to the doors leading out to the playground. As they progressed down the halls, Millie smiled and waved to the teachers and faculty strategically posted along the corridors to assist in the daily dismissal routine. Sheila checked her watch and quickened her pace. "Let’s get this over with.” 

Miss Jane and the principal, Mr. Walker were already engaged in discussion while Delaney played quietly by herself on a carpeted area in the back of the classroom. Upon seeing her mother and Millie at the door, the little girl jumped to her feet and ran over to greet them. Mr. Walker made a mental note of the fact that Delaney acknowledged Millie before her own mother, hugging her tightly around her hips. “I’m not in trouble.” the girl said cheerily as she attempted to hug Sheila. Her mother responded with an obligatory pat on her back, “Go sit down honey.” 

Delaney’s teacher greeted the women warmly and introduced Mr. Walker, “I don’t think either of you have met our principal, Will Walker. He’s new to us this year and has been such an asset to our little school.” She smiled slyly as she thought of the reward money for identifying someone with Fae powers. If she could only keep her mouth shut, there needn't be a reason to share the accolades or monetary compensation. Delaney was her discovery, and hers alone, or so she believed. 

Principal Walker peered over his wire-rimmed glasses and nodded. “It’s very nice to meet you both,” he began. “Will Mr. Keenan be joining us?”

Sheila sighed loudly, “I left him a message, but I have no idea if he got it. I doubt either way he’ll show.” She flipped her hair, “we’re newly divorced. Ben has been avoiding me. I think it bothers him that I have already moved on.” Miss Jane and Principal Walker smiled politely but were visibly confused. Millie wanted to crawl under Miss Jane’s desk and hide. 

Mr. Walker cleared his throat, “Let’s get started then, shall we?” He glanced over to Miss Jane who happily took the lead. “As I am certain you both know, our little Delaney is an exceptional student. Honestly, she receives no benefit by being in my class. I spend a lot of my time creating educational challenges just for her, so she doesn’t get bored while she’s here. Last week my teaching assistant, Crystal worked one on one with Delaney and administered an actual IQ test orally. We told Delaney it was a game, and she was eager to participate. We realized that if the test had been scored and recorded, Delaney’s IQ would register in the genius range.” Miss Jane intentionally paused to accommodate any reaction from Sheila or Millie, but after a few moments of awkward silence she continued. “Anyway, we have concluded that it would be in Delaney’s best interest to advance to first grade. We are only a little more than a month into the school year, and I am confident she will not only be able to catch up, but be challenged academically, resulting in a better experience for her while she’s in a classroom. There is nothing more important to us than providing the best quality of education for our students.” 

Miss Jane glanced over to Delaney who was now sitting at her desk reading a book far too advanced for most five-year-olds. “The book she’s reading was a gift from my teaching assistant. It was one of her favorites when she was twice Delaney’s age. Without an official evaluation, we have determined Delaney’s reading level is equivalent to children in the fourth to fifth grade. Truthfully, she may be equally as bored in first grade as she’s been here in kindergarten, but it is worth a try.”

Sheila mistook the praise for dismissal. “Wow, this isn’t about my daughter at all, is it?” She fired directly at Miss Jane, “This about you, not having the foggiest idea as to how to teach my child, which is literally your job.”

Millie involuntarily gasped and Miss Jane just stood still with her eyes widened. Her arrogance accounted for many possible reactions to her suggestion, but it never occurred to her, she’d be blamed for being an incompetent educator. Her intentional deception was getting rather complicated. “Eyes on the prize.”  she reminded herself. 

 “I’m her mother and no one wants what’s best for Delaney more than me. I think she is just fine where she is. If we let her skip a grade, the other kids will call her a freak and she will never have friends. Kids need friends.” she declared with conviction. “Delaney, honey, it’s time to go home.”

Sheila stood and gathered her sweater and handbag without a word. As she began to walk toward the doorway, Ben appeared. “I’m so sorry I’m late.” He flashed his signature smile at everyone and held out his arms for Delaney who was skipping across the classroom to greet her father. “Daddy!” she squealed. 

Ben scooped the child in his arms and kissed her forehead. Miss Jane slid a manilla folder off of her desk and approached Ben. Somehow, she had herself convinced she could easily manipulate Ben Keenan with her feminine wiles. Jane batted her eyelashes and flashed her best smile, however disingenuous. 

Ben Keenan carefully set his daughter back on her feet and turned to Sheila who was poised in the doorway ready to make a dramatic exit. “Hey Sheila, nice to see you.” 

 “I’m leaving. I was here on time and received the information. Now, I’m sure Miss Jane will be happy to reiterate for you as well as I am sure you’ll do what you want without considering my decision.” She turned on her heels and walked out of the classroom. There were a few moments of awkward silence before Ben piped up.

 “Hey Millie, don’t worry. Delaney and I will be happy to drive you home.” Ben loved Millie, not only for her devotion to his daughter but because she was genuinely a good soul, accepting and compassionate. The Millers were historically known for their allegiance to the Fae community. 

Miss Jane cleared her throat, “The IQ test should only take an hour or less, we can do it now if you all have the time.” Clearly Jane was pressing the issue, believing she had Millie and Ben on board. “Simple minds.” she thought to herself, still confident in her plan to expose Delaney as Fae. 

Ben looked to Millie and with a single glance, conveyed his trepidation. Millie reached over and patted his hand. “Have faith.” she whispered. 

Ben smiled; he knew he had to redirect quickly before Miss Jane began to suspect him as well. “This lady right here is the reason Delaney is so advanced. She devotes her time to teaching our girl everything from manners to math. Delaney was reading on her own before she could tie her shoes.”

Mr. Walker laughed, “Mr. Keenan, most kids her age can’t tie their shoes yet, either. You have no idea how much of a head start Delaney has in life. I am so curious to see her IQ score. Oh, speaking of the score, it will take a week or so to receive the official number. We can “guestimate” by her answers, but the test gets sent away for third party scoring to ensure accuracy.” 

“We understand.” Ben began, “So, Delaney will continue to report to Miss Jane’s classroom until then?” Ben recognized Mr. Walker’s ignorance in regard to Jane’s motives. He felt slightly relieved knowing Jane was alone in this ruse. 

Crystal asked, “Are you ready sweetie?” as she gently guided Delaney through the door. Delaney turned to her father and Millie and waved. “See you in a bit.” she called. “Oh, and Daddy, you don’t have anything to worry about.” She and Crystal exchanged sly smiles as they entered the hallway. 

Thirty-five minutes later, Delaney skipped through the doorway into Mr. Walker’s office, followed closely by her teaching assistant, Crystal. “That was fun!” she exclaimed as she climbed into Ben’s lap. Delaney touched her father’s cheek, lovingly and let out an adorable giggle. “Poor Miss Jane.” she said, giving Ben a wink. 

Ben thanked Crystal, Miss Jane and Mr. Walker. “I appreciate you all for recognizing Delaney’s potential. Here’s my card, please let me know when you have her results.” He stood, still cradling his daughter in his right arm as she sat on his hip. “Ready girls?” Ben reached for Millie’s hand, “Dinner is on me tonight; we have a lot to celebrate.”

Exiting through the main doors of Delaney’s elementary school, Ben turned to see Crystal standing a few feet behind them. He motioned for her to approach. “Thank you. I don’t know how to begin to repay you for your discretion, but I’d like to start with a dinner invitation. Would you care to join us?” 

Crystal blushed, “I’d love to. Just give me a moment to get my coat and purse. Oh, and Mr. Keenan, if you haven’t guessed, Delaney and I have a lot in common. It’s been my honor to work with Delaney. I do believe we have much to discuss about her future.” 

Ben nodded, “I’m looking forward to that conversation.”