Rue’s POV

The first time I stood at the front of Blue’s classroom, chalk in hand, I felt like my plan was silently falling into place. Tiny chairs formed a semicircle before me, each occupied by a child whose legs dangled several inches above the floor, swinging with unspent energy.

Children smelled different from adults. Their emotions were immediate and unfiltered, excitement, boredom, curiosity, frustration; all of it flickering openly across their faces without ...