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She looked down and saw Alice’s solemn dark eyes. “Yes, Alice?”

“I think we’d better ask my mum for help, don’t you?”

Ava closed her eyes and sighed. What other choice was there? “Yes, Alice,” she said. “I think we’d better.”

Chapter Nine

Hope looked up to see a host of literally multi-colored children walking down the hallway. As they got closer, Alice waved, and Hope could see that the pupils were absolutely covered in paint.

She stood up and came to meet them all in the corridor in order to prevent them touching anything with paint-covered hands.

The small group stopped when they got to her, twelve bright faces smiling up at her, their teeth white against the colored paint. Only Alice looked vaguely uncomfortable. Well, Alice and Ava Stanford, who was standing at the back of the group with an embarrassed look on her face.

Hope examined them all, one by one. Paint not only on their faces, but in their hair, on their clothes, everywhere.

“Ms. Perkins,” Ava Stanford began.

Hope held up a hand. “Before Ms. Stanford says anything, would any of you like to tell me what the problem is here?” She glared at the line of children.

“We’ve got paint on us,” Nathan Jackson said.

“Even on our clothes,” added Daniel Monroe.

Alice sighed. “We didn’t wear our painting aprons,” she said.

Hope nodded. “Ms. Stanford is new here and doesn’t know the way we do things. But you aren’t new, are you?”

Twelve heads shook simultaneously.

“So next time, perhaps one of you could help our new person learn the rules. Like that we wear our painting aprons when we paint.”

“Yes, miss,” said a bunch of sad voices.

Ms. Stanford coughed. “Do you perhaps have a solution for us, Ms. Perkins?” she asked, quite politely Hope thought.

Hope held up a finger to indicate they should all wait and then went quickly to her computer to check the class schedules. She gave a satisfied nod and went back to the corridor.

“It’s just as well that you all have PE this afternoon. Does everyone have their PE kit?”

“Yes, miss,” said twelve voices.

“Good,” said Hope. “First, we’re all going to go into the nurse’s office and I’m going to give each of you a plastic bag to put your dirty clothes in. You will get undressed, you will put your clothes in your bag, and you will wash your hands and faces in the big sink there. Ms. Stanford and I will be in to help you momentarily. First, she and I will go and get your gym kits so that you have something to change into.”

“Yes, miss,” chorused the class.

“Any questions?”

“No, miss,” they all said.

“Alright, I’m going to get Mr. Lowell and he’ll supervise until Ms. Stanford and I get back.”

Once Jake was escorting the children to the nurse’s office and they were all well out of ear-shot, Hope finally turned to Ms. Stanford.

“What on earth were you thinking?” she said. “Letting them at the paints without aprons on?”

“I… I didn’t know.” The woman at least had the grace to blush.

“You didn’t know?” screeched Hope. “What kind of teacher are you? You don’t let a bunch of six-year-olds paint without protecting their clothes. It doesn’t take a genius to work that out.”