Chapter 6

Four years later, Laura Parent strolled hand in hand with Patricia up the path to Elmtree Elementary School. Patricia was the spitting image of her father: blonde hair, blue eyes, and skin so fair it seemed almost translucent. At just four years old, she was already a bright little spark, reading fluently and crunching numbers like a pro. She adored ice skating and riding her pony, Teddy.

But on Patricia's first day of school, Laura was summoned to the office. The teacher was livid because Patricia had been calling her classmates "idiots" when they couldn't answer questions correctly.

"Math!" Laura exclaimed.

"Yes," the teacher confirmed.

Laura sighed. "Well, there's only one solution to that. Test her and figure out which class she belongs in. Otherwise, you're in for a long year."

After multiple rounds of testing and even a visit from a psychologist, they finally placed Patricia in fourth gra