A Million Mistakes

Chapter 30

I leaned against the doorframe to the school room and watched as Kendallyn interacted with the room around her. The small school consisting of one teacher, being Silvia, and one student, being my daughter, had increased to 3. Little Kile Woodwork now sat next to my daughter as they completed their worksheets side by side. Silvia had explained the new curriculum to me. During the day Kile and Kenny would be going over the academic portions of learning, like math and English. And then at 2, Marlee would pick up Kile and I would join Kenny for a round of etiquette lessons and other Princess things.

So today I start school.

"America," Silvia greeted. Kendallyn's head flicked up to look at me but she quickly turned back to her paper and wrote faster. Her tongue poked through her mouth at the corner in the habit she did when she was truly concentrating. Her little hand sped across the paper and she gave me no sign that she even knew I was here.

"Done!" She yelled, pushing her paper away from her and throwing her hands in the air. It fluttered to the floor.

"No!" Kile growled, dropping dramatically onto the table over his paper.

"No yelling, you two," Silvia sniped, plucking her paper off the table and examining it. Her face softened. "Very very good, Kendal." Kendal? "Number 3 and 11 are incorrect but the rest are all right."

Kendallyn squealed. She ran over to me and handed me the paper. "Look Mommy. I got almost 100% on my test and I finished first."

Silvia walked slowly over to us, all grace and ease. "Maybe if the two of you were not racing then you may have gotten all of them correct."

"But that's not as fun," Kenny grinned.

Kile nodded his head in agreement.

"Am I late?"

Marlee appeared at my side.

"No, they just finished," I replied.

Kile handed his paper to Silvia and she examined it, unconsciously walking around the table. Silvia's walk always mesmerized me. It was slow and deliberate, and she did this thing where she almost dragged her feet behind her. It was the kind of walk where you wanted to just tell her to go faster but than again the walk was normal in the palace. Queen Amberley and others do the same because I suppose they have nowhere they have to be. I think my own walk has even slowed down to match theirs.

"Very good Kile. You only got 1 wrong," Silvia eventually said.

"Ha!" He exclaimed. "I win."

"No," Kendallyn argued. "I finished faster."

"But I got more right," Kile said. He stuck his tongue out at her.

Kendallyn's nose scrunched up and her ears tinged a familiar pink. Not familiar because I see it on her but familiar because I see it on myself. 

"Well," Silvia interjected, handing them each their papers back. "You both got number 11 wrong so why don't you sit down for a few minutes and look at what you may have done wrong."

Silvia turned around and smiled at Marlee and I as Kendal and Kile sat back down at the table.

"How is Kile doing?" Marlee asked.