Page 22 of Hunted

She marched across the playground suddenly, approaching one of the bullies at the school, Tad. He watched as she stood before Tad, and told him off for bullying Isolde, firmly holding her ground.

It was so rare for teachers to put their feet down with these children anymore. The pay was so meager they often only did the bare minimum.

It was terrible because they were such an important part of these children’s lives. But it was financially taxing and parents rarely saw how much their teachers gave back. This made Dominic’s final decision click.

As Tad gave back Isolde’s hair clip, and Abigail moved back to the bench, Dominic approached.

“Dominic… hi!”

As he approached, she could see her wincing. It made him upset that she wasn’t taking better care of herself.

“I know how I look,” Dominic began. “And I’m not mad.”

“I’m so sorry,” Abigail winced. “I needed to step out for some fresh air.”

“It’s completely fine,” Dominic said, before correcting himself mid-thought. He couldn’t encourage her to go out and do this kind of thing with so many potential dangers. “Well, not really,” Dominic added. “If you ever feel cabin fever setting in, you need to tell me. This is really dangerous.”

“I thought I was fine, but you were right.” Abigail sighed. “I shouldn’t have left home without telling you. My stomach is killing me.”

“Can you bring the children here?” Dominic asked. “I’d like to ask them a question.”

Abigail hesitated. “You mean Gavin, Isolde, and Samara?”

“Yeah. Could you get them?”

She seemed really reluctant before subtly rounding them up with a fewcome herewaves.

“Hi, kids,” Dominic said. He could feel himself cringing. Why was he so awkward around children? “I wanted to ask you a question.”

“What?” Gavin asked, clearly bothered about being dragged from playtime.

“Did you like learning from Miss Abby?”

The children were thoughtful for a moment.

“Well, she was really good at explaining fractions to me, which my teachers have never been able to do.” Samara finally spoke up.

“She’s the best!” Isolde jumped in. Dominic kept waiting for her to elaborate, but she just stood there instead, a grin stretching from ear to ear.

Gavin looked thoughtful. Abigail just looked kind of confused but proud. She didn’t know where any of this was leading.

“What do you think, Gavin?” Dominic pressed the little boy.

“I like her.” Gavin touched his index finger to his lips. Dominic couldn’t help but think of all the germs on his hand. “She listens to me and doesn’t say my ideas are bad.”

“Do your teachers tell you your ideas are bad, Gavin?” Abigail asked. She looked very concerned.

“No.”

Abigail just kept looking at him, waiting for more words that never came. He looked at the ground and kicked the dirt.

Dominic thanked the children and sent them on their way, noting Abigail’s concern for Gavin. He had always worried about the kid, too. He was exceptionally bright for a five-year-old. He just didn’t have the support he needed at home right now. But the fact that Abigail had gotten him to open up, even a little, was a real miracle.

“Can we go home?” Abigail must have been in a lot of pain if she was more concerned about heading back than asking what Dominic’s questions had been about. She looked incredibly worn out, even if she seemed a lot happier than when she was at home.

They were heading back to the car.

“I got you some breakfast,” Dominic said, as she climbed in. “Sorry. It’s been sitting in the car a bit, but it should still be fine.”

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