“You are safe. Breathe.”
Their tension eased and their hair settled. Finally, the air steadied again. When I stood, Nicole had stepped back an inch. Something flickered across her face, perhaps irritation or fear at seeing how quickly my children responded to me.
The classmate’s mother chose that moment to arrive. She charged into the surveillance room as if she owned it and pointed at my sons.
“There they are. Those monster brats. I knew the school should never have allowed them in.”
Her voice grated through the space. Myra took a bold step forward, ready to confront her again, but I gently rested a hand on her shoulder.
The woman turned her angry glare to me. “You should control them. They look strange. Everyone knows mixed children do not behave properly.”
I let her finish her tir
