Saving Amy

Sophia starts Preschool

2005

Sophia was now two years old, and she had started speaking. Her first word had been "Grandad". She was living with her grandad Mitchell, because Amy was always touring, performing, and going to award shows. Sophia knew she had a mum, everyone had a mum, but she didn't really know who she was. She had an Australian nanny called Isla looking after her during the day, and she sometimes stayed overnight. Isla was the closest thing Sophia had to a mum and they loved each other the way a mother and daughter do. Isla took Sophia shopping, to the park, dressed her up in princess costumes, brushed her hair with a baby hairbrush, sang her songs and read her stories whenever she wanted them. She was patient, kind and loving, she seemed to never get tired of playing. She always smelled like flowers and peppermint and the scents comforted Sophia.

Now, it was Sophia's first day at preschool, and it was Isla who was taking her. Mitchell had hugged her goodbye and wished her good luck on her first day before leaving. Isla brushed Sophia's dark curls and helped her get her arms through the straps of her backpack. She'd dressed her in a white t-shirt and a small pair of pink dungarees with little pink trainers. In the pocket of her dungarees was the little A charm that hung from her crib. "A?" Sophia had asked when she saw it. "I think it means Amy." Mitchell had told her. "Amy?" Sophia repeated, asking who Amy was. "A friend." Mitchell had said.

Isla was 22, so she could drive. She lifted Sophia into her car seat and buckled her in. Sophia clapped her hands, excited. When they arrived at the preschool, Isla lifted Sophia out of the car, held her hand, and walked her to the door where the teacher, Miss Michaels, was waiting for her and smiling. "Hello!" She said. She was very young and smiley. Sophia liked her instantly. "This must be Sophia. Hello, sweetie! Aren't you cute! Well, come with me and you can meet everyone else." She crouched down and held her hand out to Sophia, who took it.

As Miss Mitchell led her into the classroom Sophia turned and waved to Isla. "Bye sweetheart!" Isla called and waved to her, before walking back to her car.

Sophia loved her first day at preschool. By the end of the day, she was friends with every little girl in the class. Eva, Isabella, Rosa, Gabrielle, Jasmine, Aurora, Brooke, Melissa, Lauren, Maya, Mia, Alessia, and Stella. And she was friends with some of the boys too. Miss Michaels was already under Sophia's spell, admiring her energetic personality and the colour of her eyes against her tanned skin.

The other children's parents came to collect them, and Mitchell came for Sophia. When she saw him she ran to him, and he hugged her. Miss Michaels saw him, and walked over to him. "Are you Sophia's father?" She asked. Mitchell sent Sophia to wait for him on a bench not far away from them. "No, I'm her grandad. Why?" He asked. "Is something wrong? Did something happen to her?" Miss Michaels shook her head. "No, she's fine, we all loved her today. It's just, there was an...incident, so to speak, with Elijah, one of our little boys. Sophia accidentally tripped over his foot, and Eli said he was sorry but when she tripped, Sophia said...a bad word."

"What did she say?" Mitchell asked. Miss Michaels whispered it in his ear, she was a proper, well spoken lady and didn't believe in saying such words out loud. "Oh, I'm sorry." Mitchell said. "I don't know where she would have learned...Amy." He sighed the name. "Amy?" A confused Miss Michaels asked. "Her mum. My daughter. Amy isn't around much anymore, but Sophia must have heard her use that word and remembered it. I'm sorry about that."
Miss Michaels smiled. "No harm done. Just make sure you tell her not to use that word again." Mitchell promised he would. He said goodbye, and picked Sophia up.

Sophia giggled when he lifted her up and looked directly at her. "Sophia, I know you said a bad word today. You mustn't say that, okay?" Sophia giggled again. "Okay!"
"Promise, Sophia." She saw he wasn't smiling, so she stopped smiling. "I promise."