"Look, the Gilberts have nothing on you," Catherine said firmly. "Don''t let them push you around just because of your grandma."


    Mirabe nodded quietly, her eyes drifting to the car window, lost in thought.


    After a few more minutes of video chatting, she urged Catherine to hang up and head home. The cold had turned her cheeks pale.


    Leo, sitting beside her, turned and asked, "So, Catherine said your foster mom''s trying to patch things up again?"


    The call had been on speaker, so he''d heard everything.


    Leaning back, Mirabe''s eyes sparkled with a cold rity as she shrugged. "Who knows."


    Leo had never paid much mind to the Gilbert drama, but he remembered their snobby attitude when they showed up after the baby mix-up. It was unforgettable.


    "Anyway," he said after a pause, "if any of the Gilbertse around, just ignore them. And if they get nasty, tell me. I''ll handle it."


    Despite his nickname for her, "Little Princess," he was fiercely protective when it came to his sister.


    Mirabe gave him a half-hearted "okay" and looked away.


    By the time they got back to the Davis estate, it was past eight. With school the next day, Mirabe washed up and went to bed early.


    The next day at school, Mirabe''s math teacher had given her two tough problems to solve over the weekend, with a deadline of Friday. But her homeroom teacher had called her in, so she decided to hand them in early.


    Her math teacher, getting the paper with her detailed solutions, looked more surprised than anything. "You solved these over the weekend?"


    Mirabe nodded modestly, not mentioning she''d squeezed them in during her spare moments.


    Impressed yet envious, the teacher thought of Vincent, who still hadn''t cracked the problems. He bent over the paper, verifying the answers, while Mirabe joined her homeroom teacher at her desk.


    Ate pulled out a stack of books from her drawer and handed them to Mirabe. "These will help with your English. They should improve your reading and writing. Take a look when you can."


    Mirabe eyed the ssical literature books with dread and didn''t reach for them. "I think my reading and writing are fine, teacher."


    Ate''s heart sank. "You barely pass my English tests while acing everything else. Have you ever thought about how that makes me feel?"


    Mirabe coughed awkwardly.


    "The SATS are just a few months away. If you buckle down now, there''s still time to improve. Don''t you want to be valedictorian?" Ate asked, trying to entice her.


    Mirabe''s struggle with English had been a sore point for Mr. Hammond, who had urged Ate to help her improve. With near-perfect scores in her other subjects, Mirabe was a top candidate for valedictorian-if English didn''t hold her back.


    Mr. Hammond''s words echoed in Ate''s mind, nearly driving her mad. It felt like it wasn''t just Englishgging behind, but Ate herself as the teacher.