CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Adult InterventionHana accepted a seat opposite the desk’s owner at the start of school the following day. She fixed a smile on her lips and refused to allow the tiny chair to make her feel inferior, though it set her lower than the teacher. The woman opposite dropped the hard look from her face and she blinked in quick succession. “Call me Bernice,” she said with a sigh. A deep furrow lined her brow and the slope of her shoulders betrayed extreme defeat.
Hana smiled and nodded. Her gaze flicked to Bernice’s hands and she noticed she’d bitten her nails. The chill of unease settled over her as she sensed their conversation mattered as much to the teacher as it did to her. She leaned forward and her knees tensed, ready to propel her away if she needed them to. “You sta
