Chapter 1 First Meeting

2002, First Day of School

Grant Elementary, 8:05 a.m.

Sadé’s Point of View

“Mom, I don’t want to go to school today. Can I please just go back home?”

I tugged at my mom’s sleeve, my small fingers trembling, the nervous knot in my chest growing tighter. The building loomed ahead, much bigger than I imagined, and it felt like the doors might swallow me whole. My mom, Melody, knelt down in front of me, her warm hands on my shoulders, her voice the only thing keeping me from completely breaking down.

“Sweetheart, you’re going to be just fine,” she said softly. “School is where you’ll make new friends and learn so many things. You’ll love it.”

But I didn’t feel like I was going to love it. The whole school was too big, the kids were too many, and the thought of leaving my parents behind made my stomach turn. What if they didn’t like me? What if I didn’t belong?

My older sister, Madison, stood next to Mom, looking all grown up with her neat braids and sparkly backpack. Her bright pink Powerpuff Girls backpack had Bubbles, Blossom, and Buttercup smiling from the front, and it made her seem like she could take on the world. At 7, she seemed ready for anything. “Don’t worry, Sadé,” she teased with a grin. “It’s going to be so much fun. You’ll make tons of new friends! I’m in second grade, so I’ll show you around.”

I glanced up at my older brother, Eric. He was 10 and always acted like he was too cool for all the first-day jitters. His Spider-Man jacket was his favorite—it was bright red with a bold black web design on the back. His backpack had Spider-Man’s face on it, and I could see him secretly trying to act like a superhero in front of the other kids. He offered me a quick, almost impersonal wave, like he had things under control.

“Come on, Sadé,” Dad said, his deep voice always making me feel safer. He adjusted the strap of his own bag and put his arm around my mom’s shoulder. “We’re going to walk in together. You’re going to do great.”

Mom gave me a reassuring smile, though her eyes were a little sad. “We’re all in this together, sweetie. You’ve been strong since the day you were born. You’re going to make new friends, I promise.”

I nodded, but my feet still felt heavy, like they were stuck to the sidewalk. Madison skipped ahead, looking back only to make sure I was still following. Eric walked ahead of us, his stride purposeful and calm, like he had no worries at all.

“Let’s go, kiddo,” Dad said with a grin, nudging me forward. We all walked side by side toward the entrance of Grant Elementary, the big doors swinging open as we approached.

As we entered the building, I took a deep breath, the cool air inside almost making everything feel more real. We passed other kids and parents, some laughing, some looking just as nervous as I felt. I squeezed Mom’s hand, and she gave me a soft, knowing squeeze back.

“I’m right here,” she whispered. “We’ll get you to your class, and then we’ll see you at the end of the day.”

Before I could say anything, Eric shot ahead of us, grinning. “I’ll catch you guys later. There go my friends. Oh, there go my crew!” he yelled, looking back at us with a wink. He ran ahead, giving high fives to a group of kids who had been waiting by the lockers.

I watched him disappear into the crowd, a little envious of how easily he fit in. Madison squeezed my hand. “See? It’s not so bad.”

And then, through the crowd, I saw her—a girl standing alone near a group of kids, clutching her backpack like it might be a lifeline. She wore a blue Fairly Oddparents T-shirt with Timmy and Cosmo grinning on the front. She looked just as lost as I felt, and in that moment, I thought maybe, just maybe, this wouldn’t be so bad after all.