31 Future Genius

Lisa's P.O.V.

"I know she's been through a lot before she was placed with you, but we do not tolerate violence in this school. You need to have a serious talk with Calliope about her behavior. We can only be so understanding."

It took everything in me not to yell at this woman before me. She called herself the headmistress, but I would call her a warden with the way she treats the children. She doesn't deserve to hold the title of principle.

"We'll talk to her, Mrs. Vinx. We appreciate your understanding and will take her home for today. Thank you," Davis answered.

Davis surprised me with the way he was calmly handling this. He stood, and I followed, seeing he was ready to leave even though Mrs. Vinx seemed anything but done. I followed him out of the office, seeing Calliope with tear-streaked cheeks on a small chair beside the door.

"Let's go," Davis told her, walking right past her.

She hurriedly followed, not taking my hand when I offered it. I don't know what Mrs. Vinx said to her, but I could tell it affected her. That phone call this morning made no sense. According to the pompous woman, Calliope just hit a student for no reason. I don't believe it for a second.

I would defend her even from Davis if I had to, because I knew Calliope hated violence. She wouldn't hit anyone, and if she ever did, it wouldn't be for no reason. It would be for an amazing reason, a life and death one, probably.

It didn't take long for us to get home from the school. Davis pointed to the couch without a word for Calliope to take a seat. I was getting mad at Davis for seeming so furious at Calliope for this. He should know better than to believe Mrs. Vinx.

"Calliope soon-to-be-Havard!" His voice was stern as he called her name.

The tagged last name made my heart swell with joy for a moment before remembering the situation. I would fight him about this. I know my girl, and this was not like her.

"What is rule number four?" He asked her with his arms crossed and his face unreadable. Calliope hung her head under his gaze, staring at her hands on her lap as she mumbled her answer.

"Tell you or Mommy if I am having any problems about anything."

"That's right! So why didn't you tell me that Mrs. Vinx has been picking on you?"

I was so shocked, not expecting this turn of events at all. He didn't believe the so-called headmistress. No, he was upset that Calliope hadn't spoken to us about it. She didn't follow the rules we had established for her. I had been so focused on defending her. I hadn't even thought about it. Davis was right.

"She's the principal. I didn't think you would believe me," she whispered, refusing to look up at either of us.

"Calliope, look at me," Davis said, kneeling before her. "We will always believe you. You are an honest girl, and we trust you. There's no way you hit another girl today. I know that, and I'm sure Mommy does, too." I nodded my head in confirmation as Davis continued. "So start talking, little lady, because I want to know what this woman has done that I am not aware of."

And so Calliope spoke. She told us about how Mrs. Vinx had placed her in the lowest class in the school. I guess even in a gifted school, there was a class slower than the rest. Mrs. Vinx would accuse her of cheating anytime she got a hundred on a test or even on homework. Apparently, she believes that Calliope was not intelligent in the least. Davis and I were seething by the end, wanting that woman's head on a platter.

"You're not going back," Davis and I said in unison.

"But I like my teacher and my new friends. I don't want to go to a new school." She frowned, breaking my heart.

"I don't like how Mrs. Vinx is treating you, and I don't want her to keep doing it. It would be best if you went to another private school, but I won't force you if your friends mean that much to you."

I didn't want to tear her away from any new bonds she may have been forming. Her therapist told me to make sure she was creating and nurturing new bonds, caring for them the same way she would care for a blooming flower.

"I want to keep going there, if it's okay with you and Daddy? I know you will help me with Mrs. Vinx now."

She was putting her faith in us, which both surprised me and swelled me with pride. I had no idea that she had felt so secure with us. At the beginning she would barely talk, now she will tell us her problems when we ask. She was sure of our ability to help her with them without us asking.

"I'm glad you're trusting us with this, but remember there may be times that Mommy and I can't fix your problems. Sometimes all we'll be able to do is help you solve them on your own. This isn't one of those times, but I just wanted you to keep that in mind," Davis said with a small smile, grabbing her hand, making it seem smaller than it was. "Now, you broke a rule, so you are grounded for today. I want you to write an apology letter to Mommy and I for not following our rule and how you plan to make sure it does not happen again. Got it?"

Calliope nodded her head, looking down, but understanding. She didn't throw a fit, whine or cry, getting up and going right to the table. She fished a piece of paper out of her little pink backpack and wrote silently.

Davis was an amazing father.

"Was I too harsh?" he whispered to me as we both stared at Calliope's hunched over self.

"No, I think you handled that very well. Better than me. Davis, I hadn't even thought about our rules. All I could think about was that damn woman behind her desk spreading lies about our girl. She made me so furious."

"I could tell. Your inner warrior was loud in your eyes. She may not have seen it, but I certainly did. We'll fix this for her."

I agreed, watching Calliope as she wrote away. She would pause every once in a while, tap her chin, and then continue again. It was very adorable.

I think we're doing well with her. I just hope she feels the same way.

"Are you nervous?" I asked Calliope, feeling her squeeze my hand subconsciously as we stepped through the courtroom doors.

Today was the day we would adopt Calliope. She would officially be my daughter legally, even though she had been my daughter since the day I found her. Calliope quietly nodded her head, reverting to that shy girl I had found in the woods. Anytime we were in an unfamiliar place, Calliope would cling to me like saran wrap, and grow quiet.

"The judge is going to swear us all in and then he'll ask each of you some questions. Just answer them as best you can," our lawyer instructed us as we took our spots.

The swearing in wasn't hard and didn't take very long. The judge asked some legal questions to our lawyer and then he turned to Davis and I. I was sweating like a pig with a big ball of nerves in my stomach. What if I say something wrong?

"Miss Porter, why were you wanting to adopt Calliope?" He asked me a question so simple, yet so hard to answer.

"For many reasons, Your Honor. To name a few, I would say because of who she is. She is a bright and beautiful young girl with such a loving heart. We share a similar history, one I can relate to, and help her heal from. It is unsafe for me to carry children of my own, but I don't want to adopt Calliope because of that. I want to adopt her because I fell in love with her the moment I spotted her in those woods. She stole my heart the moment her hand grabbed mine. I could never let her go, not with the amount of love I have for her. I hope to give her a happy and loving home, and help her grow into a wonderful and strong woman."

"Mr. Havard, what about you? Why do you want to adopt Calliope?"

"Your Honor, I want to adopt Calliope because I believe that every child deserves a loving and stable home. When I found her abandoned in the park, I knew that I had to step up and give her the care and support she needed. I wanted to keep her safe and fight away any darkness in her life. As a father to my nineteen-year-old daughter, I understand the challenges and joys of raising a child. Calliope will receive the same love and guidance that I have given my daughter. I learned a lot from raising my first child and I'll be taking those lessons into account while raising Calliope. I believe that I can offer her a safe and nurturing environment where she can grow and thrive, and I will do whatever it takes to ensure that she has a bright and happy future. There is no greater honor than to have the opportunity to become Calliope's father, and I promise to always put her needs first and provide her with the love and support she deserves. My future wife and I both do, because Calliope is more than just a little girl we found and fell in love with. She's a little angel sent from heaven just for us."

Sometimes I forget that Davis used to be a lawyer. He knows how to word things just right, whereas I feel I fumble to string coherent sentences under pressure. The tears in my eyes spoke volumes about the way this man's words could touch your heart.

"Nicely spoken, Mr. Havard. Calliope, sweetheart, what about you? Are you happy with these two being your new parents? Do you fully understand what this means?" Calliope shyly nodded her head at him as he looked down at her from his stand. "My dear, you are going to have to speak."

"I want them to be my mommy and daddy. They make me feel very loved." Calliope's voice was quiet, but it held a deep conviction, one that filled me with unbridled happiness. She loves us too, and it thrills me to know that we're doing a good enough job of making her feel loved.

"It says here you're having trouble at school. Is that correct, Calliope?"

"That's a complete l-" I went to say, but the judge held his hand up, cutting me off.

"Calliope will answer. Thank you, Miss Porter."

Fat ass.

I met Calliope's eyes and could see her fear so easily. She wasn't sure what to do. She didn't want to lie, but I could tell she wasn't sure the judge would believe her. I squeezed her hand, giving her a small smile and nodding my head for her to answer. Hopefully she'd understand that I want her to be honest.

"No, Sir. I follow the rules and do my work. I broke one rule, but it wasn't the school's rule, it was Daddy's and Mommy's rule," Calliope answered, unable to look the judge in the eyes.

"Remember Calliope, you are sworn in, that means you have promised to tell the truth. Do you want to stick with what you've said already?" He asked, making my blood boil. I wanted to defend her so badly, but didn't need this judge to be upset with me. Calliope nodded her head. "Very well then, what rule of your parents did you break?"

"Rule number four. I am supposed to tell Mommy or Daddy, or both of them, if I am having any problems at all."

"I see, so we're having problems in school then." He thought he caught her in a lie, but I smirked, knowing my Calliope would prove him wrong.

"Yes, sir. Mrs. Vinx likes to pick on me and accuse me of cheating because she thinks I am not smart."

The judge questioned her further about the matter, obviously having a hard time believing that a principal would pick on a child. Eventually, he let Davis and I speak on the matter and the judge seemed to believe us all.

"It appears that you have established a great relationship with Calliope already. Her grades are good and I'll be sure to ignore Mrs. Vinx's remarks. I do suggest you switch her schools and lodge a complaint. Private schools have their own board members that take care of these sorts of problems. It pleases me to see a healthy family sit before me. You've been through a lot, Miss Calliope, and I am happy to say you are now officially adopted by Lisa Porter and Davis Havard. Congratulations!"

Oh, the tears that rained out of me when he said those words. I felt such immense happiness, one I never thought I would feel. She was mine and I was hers always and forever.

My sweet daughter.

Davis' P.O.V.

"I swear to God if she's got the teacher on her side too, I'm setting this school on fire," Lisa said with a rage in her eyes as we approached the school's front doors.

I loved seeing how protective she was of our daughter. Our daughter. I loved being able to say that. To know that Lisa and I now had a child together. Yes, it wasn't the conventional way, but it was even better than that. If only this school could see our daughter for how amazing she is.

Her teacher had called us this morning, asking us to come in and speak to her about Calliope. She wasn't specific about the why, just that it was important. She has concerns apparently, although about what she wouldn't say over the phone.

"I'll bring the matches."

Lisa smirked that wicked little smirk of hers as we entered the building. She had grown so strong and wild now. Her warrior was always out on the surface unless she was caring for Calliope. Now she has a beast that she unleashes whenever it comes to defending our daughter. I quite like it.

"Thank you for meeting with me today on such short notice." Mrs. Lyle greeted us with a warm smile when we stepped into her room.

"What's this about?" Lisa got right to the point, skipping pleasantries, obviously annoyed.

"As you know, I teach the students that need a little extra help in instruction to get where they need to be. Mrs. Vinx placed Calliope in my class, obviously by mistake. I knew she was intelligent, but I suspected she may even be at a genius level. Throughout last week and this week, I gave her different assignments than the other students. I started with work from the second grade and moved up every day. Today she was in twelfth-grade work."

I was listening so intently, wondering how our Calliope did. It wouldn't surprise me. I noticed how bright she was when she could fully read and understand the manual to Lisa's BMW in her car.

"She needed very little guidance to understand the material. Here it is. As you can see, she got most everything correct." She showed us the papers with very few pen marks on her part. Calliope had answered questions on a variety of topics, from Math to English, from Science to Reading. She even answered some Spanish questions.

"That's our girl." Lisa smiled proudly as she pored over the papers.

"What do we do?" I asked her, unsure of what exactly you do with a genius child. I mean, Izzy was smart, but not at this level of smart. Izzy got top grades and always thought outside of the box, but she never skipped a grade or anything.

"Honestly, this school can't provide her with what she needs, even if Mrs. Vinx wasn't such a bitch. Pardon my language."

"Oh no, go right ahead." Lisa nodded, obviously feeling the same way.

"You should switch her to a school for gifted children. They just opened up. Spots are hard to get, but I'll write a great letter of recommendation. I would pull on any connections you may have to get her in. They would help her flourish and meet her needs academically. They would challenge her and work outside of the standard curriculum that public and private schools must enforce. She would also be offered fine arts and extracurriculars that would help her become well rounded. Who knows, maybe she's a musical genius as well. At home, I would speak to her using a larger vocabulary, but honestly treat her like the beautiful little girl she is. Just bear in mind, she knows more than she lets on." Mrs. Lyle laughed at that. "You guys have a beautiful daughter, and I will miss having her in my class, but she needs more than I can give her, sadly."

"Thank you so much for letting us know, and for doing this for her. You are an amazing teacher and Calliope is very lucky to have had you," I said, extending my hand for her to shake.

With a firm shake, we left, ready to enroll our little prodigy into this new school.

My little genius.

"Thank you for your help, Gerald." I shook his hand, thankful I kept in touch with the old DA. He had great connections still and could help us get Calliope enrolled in the school for the gifted.

"It was my pleasure, Davis. You know, we could really use a man like you again. If you ever want your old job back, just say the word." He gripped my hand tightly with his political smile back.

"That ship's long gone. After Grace, I won't be going back into that world. Sorry to disappoint."

"I understand. I'm still terribly sorry about what happened to her." He shook his head at the memory. The one that still kills me inside when I think about it for too long.

"Well, thank you again for your help. I really appreciate it, and I'll be sure to keep in touch." I let his hand go, pushing past the memory before it swallowed me whole.

"Of course."

I hurried home to my girls, seeing them curled up on the couch together with a large wedding binder across their laps. Calliope has been helping Lisa plan the ceremony. We had decided on Lamb's Hill as our venue, but these two were having fun picking out cakes and flowers and pulling me along for the ride. I loved watching them bond and their love grow.

Calliope and I would have our own bonding sessions in which I would teach her to throw a punch. She would never be defenseless again. She was not one for violence, so it took a while to get her to want to learn, but she warmed up to the idea when I told her it would make me feel better. This sweet girl will do a lot for Lisa and me, if she thought it would make us happy. We were really blessed with a little angel.

"What are my girls up to?" I asked, closing the door behind me.

"Trying to decide if we really want to stick with blue and gold for our wedding. Calli here thinks we should add pink." Lisa laughed, but Calliope suddenly went still, cutting her laughter short. "What's the matter?"

"Daddy used to call me Calli. I don't like it." Calliope frowned, ready to cry.

"Oh, sweetheart. I am so sorry, I will never call you that again." Lisa wrapped her arms around her so fast, pulling her into her bosom. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

"It's okay, Mommy, you didn't know."

"We'll think of a better nickname," I told her. "Although, to me, you'll always just be a princess."

She giggled, making Lisa feel a million times better already. I took my spot on the couch beside my little princess, stretching my arm over the back of it so that my fingers grazed the top of Lisa's shoulder. She smiled at me, beamed really, before she looked back down at that binder.

"I say add some pink. I would rock a salmon pink." They both laughed at my comment, making me smile, because who didn't love to hear their loved ones be happy?

"I could see that," Lisa winked.

"Yay! We can have pink flowers with these white ones. I think that would look pretty." Calliope nodded her little head as she pointed to some flowers in the book.

"I agree."

This moment was perfect.

"Um, where's my little sister? You realize half the reason I said yes to coming here was because I thought I would see her," Izzy complained when she realized I didn't have Calliope with me. I just rolled my eyes at her, giving her a hug that she did not deny.

"I half expected to see Jared. You two seem attached to the hip."

"Whatever, we are not." She blushed, which I never really see her do.

"Sure."

"What are we doing here, anyway?" she asked, looking around the place she had clearly forgotten.

This was the spot I would take her and her mother to get ice cream from. It was close to her favorite park, but both things were gone now. The ice cream cart was long gone, and the park had been torn down and made anew a few years back. No wonder she didn't remember it.

"I wanted to ask you a question, and take you to our favorite spot."

I pulled out the small pint of her favorite ice cream from the bag. I got it on the way here so it wouldn't melt. Her favorite ice cream was still the same as her mother's, salted caramel. She smirked real big at me as she took the pint from my hand.

"Ask away, Pops."

She dug right in, not waiting for me to hand her the spoon, licking the lid like she was a kid. I let out a small laugh as I handed her the utensil.

"Maybe use a spoon."

"That might be helpful."

"It's probably odd, or maybe stupid, but I wanted to ask you to be my Best Man. I need you up there with me, Izzy, right by my side. I need to know that you really accept Lisa and Calliope and not just-" She jabbed me right in the stomach, stopping my sentence short.

"Didn't I already tell you I accept them both? They aren't just words. I mean what I say." She took a bite of her ice cream, pulling the spoon out of her mouth and pointing it at me like a weapon. "Besides, what about Carter?"

"He's a groomsman. I want you to be my Best Man, but I get it if that's too weird for you."

"Are you kidding? I would much rather wear a suit than a dress, anyway. I'll be up there with you." She nodded, taking another bite of her ice cream. "You can stop worrying now."

"Thanks, Iz."

I felt great at this moment, knowing she really accepted Lisa and Calliope. I had worried that she would think I was replacing her or something, but she seemed just fine. She kept eating her ice cream quietly, making me see her as my little girl again. That sweet ten-year-old I once knew, only now she was almost twenty, and she was falling in love. I could tell by the way she walked and talked now. She had gotten nicer.

My little Izzy stopped being little, long ago.