Tia never had "the talk." Her parents, not wanting to terrify their daughter with a fate she'd be too weak to resist, simply chose not to explain the food chain or her position at the bottom. Her bashful mother couldn't even bring herself to explain the birds and the bees, hoping she would learn in middle school. (She didn't: she was out sick.)

Still, it's hard to say Tia isn't blissful in her ignorance. The little mouse is happy with her life and mercifully unaware of its likely brevity; cheerful, friendly, and entirely absent the usual nervous skittishness of her species, she's the favorite of several first-year friend groups. Though peripherally aware of the attention she receives from hungry, hormonal classmates, she doesn't understand why she draws looks and therefore doesn't know to dissuade them. Instead the mouse has a tendency to mistake flirtation for friendliness and react accordingly. Nowhere is this more pronounced than in the photography club, where her peers have been pleasantly surprised by her willingness to pose in progressively skimpier outfits. To Tia, it's just a game of dress-up...but the club's leering followers don't always play nice with dolls.

In middle school, Tia's innocence was harmless, even endearing. But high school is different, and despite the Academy's record of safety, it's only a matter of time before someone takes advantage of her naivety or misinterprets her friendliness as consent. When that happens, her parents' good intentions will have only paved their daughter's path to pain.