Hope enters her 3rd grade classroom as her classmates chatter lively. The teacher calms down her class as she approaches her desk.
The kids easily take their seats while Hope climbs up her seat with a book placed on it, ready to sit on it. She sits at the very front of the class so she can see the blackboard.
The teacher, Ms. Chip, perks up her students and asks,
"Alright, class. Who wants to answer the board?"
Today, during math class, the lesson is "Division", with four questions displayed ready on the blackboard.
No one raises their hands to answer, except Hope, who eagerly tries to get the teacher's attention. Hope can barely place her chin on her desk as she raises her wiggly hand.
Ms. Chip spots Hope's little hand and calls,
"Oh, Ms. Hopeget, go right ahead."
Hope perks up and jumps off her elevated seat and approaches the board.
Ms. Chip already goes ahead and stacks a couple of books on the already tall step-up stool, which are meant for Chip's students to reach the board.
Hope is given a piece of chalk from the teacher and climbs up the tall step-up stool. She is so focused on the questions that she sticks her tongue out while she answers.
She finishes her answers on the board in just a few seconds.
Ms. Chip analyzes the four questions and makes a big smile,
"All correct! Well done, Ms. Hopeget!"
Hope humbly smiles. All her classmates are amazed, saying things like 'Cool', 'Awesome', 'Wow', 'Amazing', and 'Whoa'.
All except one.
A 9-year-old, well-dressed, and well-groomed little boy with short, dark brown hair stares with irritation at Hope getting all the praise from the teacher and the class.
Later that day, Ms. Chip gives back quiz scores to her students.
Almost all of them have excellent to passing scores, but Hope, on the other hand has another perfect score on her quiz.
An A+ on her paper.
Ms. Chip looks impressed. Athletics, academics, creativity, values-witnessing, and even playing games; Hope never fails to get high marks.
If she keeps up the good work, this gifted child will soon join an honors program.
"Good job as always, Ms. Hopeget" Ms. Chip says, returning her quiz paper.
"Thank you, Ms. Chip!" Hope says humbly.
As Ms. Chip moves on, the other kids next to Hope are amazed and jealous of Hope's knowledge.
But then, Ms. Chip approaches the well-dressed little boy next with his quiz score.
The boy, Norbert Belstrom, looks bored with his hands behind his head as the teacher comes with his paper.
He receives an F- on his paper.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Belstrom, but you'll have to retake the quiz. It'll give you plenty of time to study more and cheat less." Ms. Chip says with disappointment as she moves on to the next student.
Norbert grumbles at his grade. His annoyance gets worse when his classmates swarm around Hope like pesky flies with their muttering praises.
"Wow! I'm so jealous. I couldn't answer that question."
"Me too! You're so smart, Hope!"
"Can you teach me how you did it, please?"
Hope blushes from all the attention and tries her best to reply to all of them, but Norbert observes her with boiling bitterness,
"That red-haired commoner…! She makes me look dumb like the others. I'll make her pay…!"
In a tight fist, Norbert strangles his quiz paper as he glares at Hope.
--- 2 HOURS LATER---
It's recess time and all the children dash outside to the playground.
Hope, on the other hand, rushes under a tree and carefully pulls out her favorite book along with her wooden sword, which she'll use to reenact a scene from the book later.
She delicately opens her book under a warm light that shines through the leaves.
She turns a page to a beautiful portrait of a woman.
This woman has short, dark hair, at least that's how her hair is sketched. She wears an outdoorsy outfit, and has a distinct radiant jewel around her neck, making the page practically shine.
The portrait has the title below it,
'The Princess of Peace: St. Diana McBride'
This human woman was a legendary hero of Size-Terra. A peaceful warrior who befriended mystical creatures of all sizes, both friendly and dangerous.
Diana also had a unique fighting style when face-to-face with an opponent.
She studied her opponent's moves and then used her wits to overcome them. She also only used her weapon as a utility.
She would tire them and subdue them down with powerful rope without harming them.
Hope's hero was also known by another name, 'Prayer Warrior'.
Before the start of every challenge or battle, she would pray with all her heart that she and her opponent would have no harm done to them.
Then, after battle, she would heal her opponent from any wounds they may have suffered with the power of her sacramental jewel around her neck, gifted to her by the Creator God of Size-Terra.
Hope dreams of adventure, discovery, and friendship, big and small.
Is Size-Terra really that wonderous as the book describes?
Hope yearns to discover for herself how incredible the world of Size-Terra and its diverse race of people really are.
To one day travel like her hero.
Hope is so caught up in her book that she doesn't perceive someone fast approaching.
She snaps out of her thoughts as someone swipes her book right out of her hands.
It's none other than her worst classmate, Norbert.
"Hey, Little Bookworm, what are ya reading this time?" Norbert asks, teasingly, while he dangles her book with only one hand in front of her.
Hope immediately gets up on her feet, shouting,
"Hey! Give me back my book, Norbert!"
Norbert grins as he raises the book high above Hope, as she jumps to reach for it, he only lifts the book even higher.
Norbert is taller than Hope. He is about 4 feet tall while she is only 3 feet tall.
It feels so good for him to be the dominant one around here. This redhead know-it-all hogs all the attention and makes a fool out of him.
He's gonna teach her a lesson not to upstage the king of his castle.
"Aw wat's wong, baby showt legs? Way too high to weach youw wittle book?" Norbert mocks her with his baby talk.
Hope is panting with her hands on her knees from her effort to retrieve her book.
"This isn't funny, Norbert…! Please give me back my book…! And be careful, it's a precious relic!" Hope begs.
"Geez, are these books you read getting bigger or you're just getting smaller?" Norbert laughs.
Hope continues panting until she hears Norbert "turn" a page.
Norbert clutches and rips three pages of her book very easily as he says,
"Wow…! This book is filthy, old, and boring. There's no pictures…Well except one…"
After he tears one more page, he tosses Hope's entire book behind him like it's garbage, causing the pages to fly in all directions from the impact on the ground.
Hope's tears build up at the disbelief of her favorite book being destroyed.
"'Diana McBride'…? Hey, Redhead, who the heck is she…?" Norbert asks rudely.
Hope tries to wipe her tears, but glares at Norbert as she answers,
"If you must know, she's my hero! She was an amazing warrior that could take on opponents as big as you!"
Norbert lifts an eyebrow and contemplates before he makes a brief realization,
"Oh! Now I remember! That so-called "Princess of Peace" who brought creatures of all sizes together with some legendary jewel, right?"
A slight smirk appears on Norbert's face as he laughs,
"I remember that old commoner's story of that traitorous old lady who made friends with monsters than with her own kind. And seriously, she's a warrior?! What warrior doesn't kill bad guys and then become friends with them?! Talk about a weak made-up character!"
"NO SHE'S NOT! She's a real, kind, strong, and faithful person!" Hope furiously responds back.
The other kids on the playground stop playing for a moment when they hear their argument. Never have they seen Hope get this angry.
Others excitedly call their friends to come and witness the argument.
The smallest kid in school takes on the biggest bully in school.
The children slowly surround Hope and Norbert to watch the show unfold.
"When I grow-up, I want to be just like Diana McBride! I want to travel the world! Make all kinds of new friends big and small!" Hope exclaims with built-up tears. But Norbert waves his hand dismissively and says,
"Pfft! Seriously?! Who wants to be friends with freaks like the Giants?!"
Norbert then shares a matter-of-fact logic of their world, as if to bring Hope back to reality,
"Besides, size determines your power! That's always been the rules of Size-Terra. Only the biggest and meanest can survive! You're like the littlest one in our school. You'll be the very first to be gobbled up."
"That's not true! It's the size of your heart that matters. Mommy said so! Diana McBride herself taught Mommy that!" Hope defended.
The children murmur amongst themselves on what Hope just said. Some are in awe, some are in whoa of this fact, while others are confused.
For some of them, they have barely heard of who Diana McBride is or if she's even real.
"Wait, what!? You're saying Diana McBride…met your Mom…?" Norbert says sounding a bit surprised, but also sarcastic as he continues,
"Also, 'the size of your heart'? That's the corniest thing I ever heard in my entire life!" Norbert says looking down at Hope as he switches to a new target for his insults,
"Face it! Your Mom made-up this 'Diana McBride' just to look cool for once…! Makes sense since she runs a boring old library filled with outdated books. She keeps going on and on about equality and prayers…"
Hope scrunches her eyes as she clutches her fists, trying to prevent herself from crying, but Norbert says something that makes Hope burst,
"…It's no wonder why your Dad left her."
Hope's eyes shoot open.
Meanwhile, the teacher, Ms. Chip, is about to ring the bell that recess is over, but then notices a commotion and a group of children surrounding something as they cheer "fight! fight! fight!"
Ms. Chip rushes towards the crowd and scoots some children aside to get through.
The teacher hears a frantic knock of wood being smacked hard...like really hard.
She spots Hope with her wooden sword. She screams "Take that back!" constantly as she swings with concentrated fury. While Norbert is on the ground, shielding his face as Hope smacks him around.
"Take that back! Take that back!!!" Hope shouts.
"What are you doing!?" Ms. Chip yells.
Hope hears the shouts from her teacher and immediately stops.
Norbert lies on the ground, covered in bruises, and cries loud enough for the whole school to hear.
--- LATE IN THE DAY ---
Ina receives a troubled call from Ms. Chip about an incident at school and comes immediately.
She can't recall most of it, but it involves Hope being the cause. Her little one, is she okay? It's unlike her to be the reason for any kind of predicament.
When Ina gets there, her daughter waits outside with Ms. Chip.
Hope looks down at her feet in shame. She's also holding the now damaged book that was once the "McBride Journal" in her arms.
Ina approaches her daughter with worry. Hope looks up as her Mommy kneels and places her hands on her daughter's shoulders,
"Hope, my love, are you okay…?"
Ina notices the book in her arms and is shocked as she asks Hope,
"Oh no! Sweetie, what happened to your book!?"
"…Norbert…hurt my book…" Hope sniffles.
Ina rubs Hope's back and places her head to her chest to listen to her heartbeat to comfort her.
"HOPEGET!!!"
Ina consoles her daughter until a distant shrill shatters their moment.
Oh no, it had to be her.
Karen Belstrom, the mother of Norbert.
The woman is elegantly dressed with her expensive taste in accessories and wears so much make-up that she looks sharp as a knife, with an equally sharp tongue.
The enraged classy woman approaches Ina and Hope with Norbert by her side.
Norbert's face is covered with bandages, bruises, a black eye, and a swollen cheek.
"Hopeget! How dare your daughter attack my precious Norbert?! Just look at what she did to my son's handsome face! It's ruined! RUINED I SAY!!!" Karen growls.
Hope hugs her Mommy's skirt closely from the woman's outburst.
Norbert's Mom has always been a cranky grown-up who gloats.
She would brag about how great her family is and what they accomplish in their business. She often demands a compliment for how she looks.
Ms. Karen wears some potent perfume which Hope recognizes miles away before she is even announced.
Karen stomps closer, almost to Ina's face. Her overwhelming perfume gives Ina a slight headache.
"You should be ashamed for having a brute of a daughter! Brats like her should be locked up in her room like the little beast she is!"
Hope still clutches her Mommy's skirt. Ina wipes the spit sprayed on her face, but still stands her ground. Ina responds back, calmly, but firmly to Karen,
"I'm sorry about what happened today, and say what you want about me, but I won't stand by and hear you insult my child."
"You're at fault too! Your daughter would have learned better discipline if you weren't a single mother always busy at the library. Your husband left you right? Why haven't you remarried yet!?" Karen says bluntly.
Hope is frightened of this woman; no wonder grown-ups nickname her "Banshee Woman".
She got that nickname for her powerful lungs. She speaks more volume than the Town Crier and loves to talk about herself and the stuff she buys. Grown-ups are usually bored to death by her, and somehow, she still has breath left to complain if they ignore her.
As Hope observes Mrs. Belstrom being mean to her Mommy, she courageously steps forward facing the Banshee Woman.
"Leave Mommy alone! It's all Norbert's fault!" Hope yells back at Mrs. Belstrom. But Ina interferes and says to Hope,
"Sweetie, please."
"Disrespectful little mouth! Ina, how could your own daughter tell such lies!" Karen shouts at Hope, but Ina will not stand for it,
"My daughter's not a liar! Besides, look at her book! Your son ruined this book that's property of the library!"
"HOW DARE YOU!? I'll make you pay for making false accusations, Hopeget!!!!!" Karen says venomously.
Ms. Chip watches this undesirable tension in worry.
Ina doesn't know what the Belstrom family is capable of. If this keeps going on, things could turn unbelievably ugly.
She must do something.
Chip quickly comes between Ina and Karen.
The teacher faces Ina and says to her in a serious, professional tone,
"I'm sorry Ms. Hopeget, but due to the actions of your daughter for assaulting the Mayor's son, Hope is here by officially expelled from this school immediately."
Hope is shocked. Ina was just as shocked when she heard it.
Ms. Chip grasps Ina's hand with an unsteady hold, both of her hands trembling with something fierce. She doesn't even dare look straight into Ina's eyes.
Chip stammers her words to Ina, like she's about to weep,
"Please, Ina…Accept and leave the school…I know it's hard…it's hard for me too…to lose someone so bright…But facing the Mayor's family in court? You'll lose your library, your home....Or most worrying, you'll lose your daughter to child services..."
Why of all people, should Chip be the one who has to break this news to her? She has to do it because a higher rank threatens her job.
"Please…! For your sake…and for your daughter's…don't make this harder than it already is…"
Ina watches with great pity, but she shows more empathy for Ms. Chip than frustration, because she knows deeply of her current situation.
She glances at Chip and then to Karen, who is seething, cross armed, tapping her foot impatiently for a response.
Ina lets go of Chip's hands and gently nudges her aside to face Karen.
With a soft, firm look in Ina's eyes, she holds her hands together and bows her head to Karen apologetically,
"On behalf of my daughter, I sincerely apologize for what happened to your son, Mrs. Belstrom. I hope you forgive us and forget the charges. I'll accept and let my daughter be expelled."
Hope looks on and listens sadly.
She wants to object, but looking at her Mommy's saddened face, Hope has no choice but to do the same as her Mommy.
She bows her head as low as possible, holding back the frustration.
"I'm…very sorry…for hurting Norbert. Please forgive me."
Ina looks to her side at her daughter's actions. She smiles proudly. It must be so hard to give in like this, but her child is strong enough to swallow her pride.
"Ah, you really know your place. Alright, I'll forgive you this time. I'm so glad that justice is served." Karen smirks out of satisfaction. She then looks at her son and says,
"We must be on our way. And let this be a lesson, my son, don't ever be like that ill-mannered commoner or you'll have no future."
"Of course, Mother, I'll always remember that your love will protect me." Norbert agrees, smiling with satisfaction as much as she is.
Then, both Norbert and his mother leave the school.
Ina and Hope lift their heads up as soon as they leave, but looking to the side, now it's Ms. Chip who bows her head low to Ina with guilt.
On the verge of tears, Chip says,
"Ina! I'm so sorry, please forgive me!!! I really didn't want to do this, but I had no choice! Norbert's father is in charge of the school, and he was gonna fire me for letting this happened to his son and--!"
Ina places her hands on Chip's shoulders, preventing her from saying anything else.
Chip lifts her face up in distress at Ina, but Ina says,
"Chip, my friend, I understand. You really need this job to provide for your sick father. I also wanted to thank you for stopping this argument from getting any worse."
"You're too kind, Ina. Thank you…" Chip says gratefully and continues,
"…If anything, Hope is one of the brightest and nicest students I ever had the pleasure to teach.…I'll miss her dearly." Chip looks at Hope with a smile.
Hope expresses her gratitude to her teacher by lifting her arms up and says,
"I'll miss you dearly too, Ms. Chip. You're like the bestest teacher ever—OW!"
Hope cringes in pain from the soreness of her arms. Ina is concerned and says to her daughter,
"My dear girl, you're hurt. We must get home and heal those wounds."
Ina and Hope proceed to return home.
But unbeknownst to them or the entire town, someone from a great distance is observing the people closely through the lens of binoculars.
Three shadowy male figures are hiding low under what looks like large bushes. Their "Boss" grins, looking through a pair of binoculars and then looks up from them,
a deep, male voice asks while he examines every single person,
"There it is…You sure this is the right place…?"
"My research is sound, Boss, this is it. The town hidden behind a mountain of a small valley."
"Good, then we're moving tonight…I can already smell the gold pieces…"
"Hey boss, all I can smell are delicious townspeople. It's driving me crazy not to have eaten anything all day since we came to this backwater of a Territory." A third male says.
"Idiot! Don't eat the merchandise. We'll have our fill soon, and more importantly…"
Then, suddenly, three full-grown men in dark hooded cloaks emerge out of these 'large bushes'.
A frantic flock of birds fly away from the area.
Their giant leader stomps his boot on top of a 'tall' bush and squashes it.
Which later reveals the 'large bushes' are actually a forest of 'tall' trees that are almost up to the shins of the three gigantic, hooded men.
With an arrogant, wide grin under his hood, he licks his lips with a weird-looking piercing on his tongue and finishes,
"…We'll be rich!"