The female teacher was named Melanie Sutton. She had married into a family in Xavier Village and came from a solid background. Her husband's family name was Gu, a prominent surname in the village—much like the Thorne family on Millstone Peak, they were a local powerhouse. Although Melanie was only a community-run teacher, she held considerable sway at the school. Even the principal had to show her some respect.
Logically, Melanie should have been the one to secure a permanent position last year; it was supposed to be a sure thing. But somehow, Phoenix Golding had managed to pull some strings with the district's education leadership. In the end, it was Phoenix—an incompetent substitute who had only been teaching for a year—who got the permanent post, while Melanie's own promotion was nowhere in sight.
