The following year, 2001, my parents became very concerned about me because I had not been talking yet. I would speak in gibberish, but not in full sentences. Knowing that they had to do something about this, they enrolled me in a speech therapy school. To their surprise, after only one class, I was finally speaking properly and almost flawlessly! As a result, they decided to terminate the rest of my enrollment because they knew that I was just going to be bored. They were also quite amazed that I could speak English very fluently, even at a really young age. I also developed an interest in reading books. In 2002, we started travelling again. This time, we had our first trip to Thailand, Cebu, and Bohol. The latter two were located within my country. We also went back to the United States. This year was also groundbreaking for my mother, as she graduated after finishing her PHD. I wasn't present, though, because I might get overwhelmed by the crowd and loud noises. Oh, and a funny moment happened during one of our trips. While we were waiting for the ferry going back to Cebu from Bohol, I wanted to explore the pier. My mother told my aunt to come with me so that I won't get lost. It was all cool, however, after several minutes, she noticed me having a conversation with one of the tourists! I was telling him about how I've been to a lot of countries already, which was not entirely true yet at that time. After I went back to my seat, the tourist asked my mother, "Has she really been to all those countries?" She replied, "No, not yet. I think she just got those from reading her books." You see, even at such a young age, I wasn't afraid to talk to other people at all!
Although the rumor had cooled down some, there were still some people who believed the rumor. Totally dispelling the rumor wasn't going to be easy. Madison and Connor continued to shield Alexandria from bullies. One day, Connor was unable to come to school, for he was battling a nasty cold. Madison was able to shield Alexandria from bullies, but it wasn't as easy without having Connor as a backup. Madison said, "It was actually terrifying to stand up to those bullies alone." Alexandria said, "I'm sure it was." Madison said, "I haven't had to do that in so long. I miss Connor." Alexandria said, "I miss him, too. I can't wait until he's better." A few days after the incident, Connor said, "I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you two." Madison said, "It's okay, Connor. You needed to rest and get well." Alexandria said, "That's right. I do hope you're feeling better now." He said, "I am." Pretty soon, Connor was back in school, helping Madison shield Alexandria from bullies.