Chapter 164

#Chapter 164: New Horizons Moana When we were finished with the tour, we stopped in the downstairs foyer. Headmistress Hawkins smiled at us, her brown eyes radiating with kindness.

“Well?” she asked. “What do you think?”

I looked over at Edrick expectantly. He was fairly quiet throughout the entire tour, only occasionally asking questions. I was a bit worried that he wouldn’t like it and that he would make up some excuse to say no, but much to my surprise, he looked down at Ella with a gentle smile.

“It’s up to you, Ella,” he said. “Do you like this school?”

Ella nodded excitedly. “I really like it here!” she said, squeezing Edrick’s hand tightly. “I really want to go to school here!”

Edrick smiled and looked up at the headmistress. “Well, I guess that’s that,” he said with a bit of a chuckle.

Headmistress Hawkins grinned. “Perfect,” she replied. “Let’s get you enrolled.”

…

That day, we got Ella enrolled in school. The school year would begin in just a few short weeks, which was fairly short notice, but I knew that Edrick would make sure that Ella was prepared.

Later that evening, as I was getting ready for bed I simply couldn’t stop beaming over the fact that Edrick was going to let Ella start going to school. Ella hadn’t stopped talking about it all day, and even getting her to sleep was a battle because she was so excited. It made me feel warm inside to see her get so excited over school, and I was glad that Edrick had made the right decision after all. Even though I knew that this would be difficult for him, I was certain that it would be the best thing for everybody in the long run.

However, that wasn’t the only thing that was on my mind.

I couldn’t stop thinking about that empty art classroom. It was important for any child to have access to a good art program in school, and it made me sad to think that the children at that school had been without a proper art program for years since the last art teacher passed away. Ella loved that school and wanted to go there so badly, and it was the perfect place for her to go, but it made me uneasy to think that she would be without a proper art class for the foreseeable future. Sure, I could give her some art lessons and make sure that she had time to be creative when she was home, but it wasn’t fair for the other students to not have that luxury.

And when I came out of the bathroom after my shower, drying my hair with a towel, I could tell instantly from the thoughtful look on Edrick’s face that he was dealing with an internal dilemma as well. He was leaning on the balcony railing and looking out over the city, and when I came out, he looked over his shoulder at me with a strange expression on his face.

“You’re thinking about something,” I said, walking up to him. “What is it?”

Edrick shrugged and didn’t answer for a few moments. But I knew what he was thinking about: he was worried about Ella. He didn’t like the idea of sending her to school every day.

“You’re worried about her.”

Edrick nodded hesitantly. “I guess so,” he replied, almost as though he didn’t want to admit that he actually had a soft side.

I sighed and leaned on the balcony railing next to him. The city was bustling as always, and it would never stop. Even though the walk to Ella’s new school wasn’t very far and was a nice walk in a safe neighborhood, it was still the city, after all. Anything could happen, and I understood why Edrick was scared. Even the paparazzi alone were bad enough, not including the danger of cars and people with bad intentions.

Ella was still little, and she would of course need to be chaperoned both two and from school until she was at least a few years older. But I also knew that having her away from the penthouse during the day, when anything could happen, was terrifying for a father who had always kept his daughter cooped up.

“She’s smart,” I said gently. “You don’t need to worry so much. And it’s in a safe neighborhood, and she’ll be surrounded by teachers and staff all day.”

Edrick was silent for a few moments before licking his lips and answering. “Teachers and staff can be dangerous, too,” he replied. His words made my heart sink; he wasn’t wrong. Bad things happened in schools all of the time, but it didn’t mean that he should spend the rest of his life worrying. For all we knew, someone could have walked into the penthouse right then and there and killed all of us.

I thought back to the open art teacher position once more. I did, after all, have a degree in early childhood education with a concentration in art therapy. I did also have some teaching experience thanks to the orphanage.

“Maybe I should apply,” I said. “Then I can be with Ella all day in case something happens. You won’t need to worry anymore.”

Edrick froze, then slowly turned to look at me. I knew that he had been thinking the same thing when we were touring the school together earlier that day, but it seemed as though he didn’t think that I would actually be serious about applying.

“Are you sure?” he asked, gesturing lightly toward my growing belly. “Won’t it be too much for you, especially later on in the pregnancy?”

I shrugged. “The baby is strong,” I replied, thinking back to everything that happened with the Rogues.

“I’m not worried. I might need a little extra help at home since I’ll be working every day, but it’s not like taking care of Ella is a chore in the slightest. Besides… With Ella at school, I won’t have much to do during the day anymore. I’ve always wanted to be an art teacher.”

“What about when the baby comes?” he asked. “Won’t it be stressful to start working and then have to take maternity leave just a few months later?”

I shook my head. “I’m not worried. I have Selina, and the maids, and I have you. And don’t forget that they do have a daycare center.”

Edrick chewed his lip for a moment. “I guess you’re right. I’m… sorry if it seems like I’m trying to talk you out of it. I’m just worried about… you.”

Without thinking, I reached over on the railing and touched Edrick’s hand. He didn’t pull away, and instead wrapped his fingers around mine gently. I couldn’t tell if it was intentional on his part or not, but it made my heart race a bit either way.

“If it would make you happy, I think you should do it,” Edrick said quietly, his steely blue eyes meeting mine.

…

I slept on it that night, thinking that I should take my time to make my decision before I jumped into anything. But when I woke up the next morning, I simply couldn’t get it off of my mind. Edrick went to work, and finally I couldn’t contain it anymore.

So, after asking Selina to keep an eye on Ella for a while, I printed out a copy of my resume and marched down to the school. I swallowed the nervous knot in my throat as I knocked on the door to Headmistress Hawkins’ office.

“Oh! Moana!” she said with a beaming smile when she saw me. “Is that…” She pointed at the resume in my hand.

I nodded and held it out for her. “I’d like to apply for the position after all,” I said with a smile.

Headmistress Hawkins took the papers. I felt my heart start to race as she looked over it, the inner voice in my head telling me that she wouldn’t hire me because she thought that I was a human…

But, much to my surprise, she looked up at me and grinned.

“I’ll call your reference today,” she said. “I’m so glad you decided to apply.”

That day, I went home with a big smile on my face.