"Obviously," Cole whispered back, and then glanced at Imani as if she might grade his loyalty.
Class proceeded. Imani answered two questions when called on and did not volunteer. She felt watched in a new way—not as the girl who might not keep up, but as the girl who might tip the room. Being watched for threat was different from being watched for deficit. Both hurt. They hurt in different rooms of the same house.
At recess—Halberd called it "unstructured interval," which made children roll their eyes—Lila Chen found Imani near the oak that dropped sticky buds onto the courtyard stones.
"My brother texted," Lila said. "He says Ellery used to put 'challenge locks' on quizzes for the top track. Problems with a missing constraint. If you noticed, you got a quiet gold star. If you didn't, you were 'still growing.'"
"That's messed up," Imani said.
"My brother thought it was elite," Lila said. "Then he failed one and decided it was sadism with a thesaurus."
Imani almost laughed. Almost. "Dean Wexler emailed my mom."
Lila's face tightened. "About climate?"
"About channeling."
"Same animal, different collar," Lila said, and then softened. "For what it's worth, I think you did the brave thing. Brave things here get meetings."
Imani wanted to ask whether Lila would say that in front of teachers. She didn't. Friendship at Halberd often came with location settings.
In English class they discussed a story about a girl who told the truth and lost a kingdom. The teacher, Ms. Orth, asked what the story valued more: honesty or survival. Hands went up for survival. Imani kept hers down. She already knew what she valued. She did not yet know what it would cost.
Between periods she overheard two eighth graders by the water fountain.
"—the sixth grader who corrected Ellery—"
"—my cousin said she's on aid—"
"—doesn't mean she can—"
Imani walked past without turning her head. Heat climbed her neck. She was not on financial aid; Rhea's salary and a grandparent trust covered tuition in a tight, careful weave. The rumor did not need to be true to do work. It needed only to travel.
She texted her mother from a bathroom stall, against school policy and according to necessity:
People are saying things.
Rhea replied at once: