You Are My Sunshine

Chapter Seven

Sam's POV

As Kinley's guardians, Emily and I had the task of getting her enrolled in school. She was in first grade, since she was turning seven in January. I wasn't sure how much time she'd missed since her mother's death and her move here, but I definitely didn't want her missing any more than she already had. So Kinley, Emily, and I packed into my truck and rode on over to La Push Elementary School. Kinley still hadn't spoken - which was something we were worried about regarding school. How would the teacher know if something was wrong? Would Kinley be made uncomfortable or get bullied because of her silence? God, I hoped not. The last thing she needed was more negativity in her life. She deserved so much better.

Her face gave nothing away as we drove over, just staring ahead and watching the road along with me as she sat in between Em and me. I kept an eye on her the entire way there, and then walking into the school, and I knew Emily was doing the same. At what point would all of this become too much? She'd been handling everything well, considering the circumstances.

In the school's main office, the receptionist asked us to take a seat while she gathered all the necessary paperwork, so Emily and I chose a couple of chairs while I pulled Kinley onto my lap. The little girl sat tense. It was the only sign she was feeling anything about this trip.

"You okay?" I whispered, leaning around so she could easily turn her head and meet my eyes.

She blinked down at the floor before glancing over at me and nodding.

"You don't have to be nervous," I told her. "We'll make sure you're okay."

She nodded again, this time focusing on her hands in her lap.

The receptionist got our attention and handed the papers on a clipboard to Emily with a pen. My imprint got to filling out what she could, but that wasn't much. So I took over, putting the clipboard on Kinley's lap. "Hold this while I write?" I asked, hoping enlisting her help would aid in keeping her calm.

I filled in most of where Emily couldn't, though there was still some places blank. I hated that. We were her guardians now, this was stuff we were supposed to know.

After taking the papers back to the receptionist, she told us she'd input the information and get Kinley enrolled, contacting her previous school for transcripts. Luckily, technology made the wait for that small, so we stuck around until that was sorted and a class could be assigned to Kinley.

"Alright," the lady said, "she's in Mrs. Pearlman's class. If you'd like, you can go visit the classroom and meet her teacher real quick. It'd have to be a short meeting, since school is still in session, but I'm sure a hello would be fine."

She had barely finished offering before Emily was nodding enthusiastically. "We'd love to."

We were given visitor badges and directions to room 103. Emily led the way, a woman on a mission, while Kinley and I followed behind hand in hand. Her tiny fingers clutched mine tight enough I started to feel a little pinch, but I didn't mention it. She could squeeze the life out of my hand all she wanted if it helped her get through this.

Outside of room 103, Emily paused. The door was open, and a friendly voice could be heard inside, talking about numbers. After a second, Em shrugged and stepped into the doorway, knocking lightly on the open door. The voice inside stopped, and then said, "Hello."

"Hi," Emily greeted with a smile. "I'm Emily Uley, and this is my husband Sam." She motioned for me and Kinley to step into sight. "And this is Kinley. She's starting in your class tomorrow and we just wanted to say a quick hello."

I took a quick look at the teacher, a kind-faced woman with light brown hair who was now smiling softly at my little sister. Then I focused on Kinley, who was doing her best to monkey cling to my leg. Sensing her unease, I reached down and lifted her up. Her clinging switched from my leg to my neck, but at least she was peeking over at the teacher. That was a hopeful sign, right?