Alina felt an unexpected warmth bloom in her chest. It was such a simple thing, but it had been so long since soone had truly listened to her. In her past, even when she’d had friends, she’d been the one to lend her ear, to nod and encourage, to rember their smallest details. But when it ca to her turn, people often lost interest halfway through, their eyes darting away, their minds elsewhere. They’d get bored.
She felt sothing she hadn’t realized she’d been missing—soone who wanted to hear her. And it made her words feel lighter, warr, as though they mattered.
After lunch, Gabriel left a little earlier for his class, while Alina strolled into the staffroom, humming softly to herself. She was about to pour herself so water when she noticed Professor Hobb sitting in the corner, his brows furrowed so tightly it looked like they might permanently stick that way.
"Sir, are you okay?" Alina asked gently, deciding it was better to check than ignore his stormy expression.
He snapped his head up, grumpy as ever. "Go away."
Alina blinked, then rolled her eyes. She had only asked out of kindness. If he wanted to stew in his own bad mood, fine by her. She turned on her heel—only for his voice to stop her.
"Wait—"
She turned back, confused. "Yes, sir?"
He squinted at her as if studying so strange riddle. "Are you... woman?"
Alina froze. "Sir, what exactly are you asking?" she said, already feeling a little offended.
He waved his hand impatiently. "I an—you won know about this kind of thing. Today is my wedding anniversary. What should I gift my wife? Last ti I gave her a pen, and she got angry! So annoying!"
Alina’s lips twitched. Of course she had gotten angry. Who gifts a pen on their wedding anniversary? She almost laughed but held it back. Poor woman, she thought.
Still, looking at Professor Hobb, who seed on the verge of pulling his hair out, she decided to take pity on him. "Sir, you should get your wife pretty flowers," she said kindly. "And maybe a nice dress or so jewellery. Buy dessert too—and make her feel special."
He nodded seriously, as though she had just revealed so secret spell. Alina smiled to herself and quietly went to her chair, already imagining the poor wife’s reaction if he actually followed her advice.
***
Next class was art class, and Alina noticed with hidden amusent that her little students still hadn’t realized their schedule had changed. Their innocent faces looked at her expectantly, as if this was just another ordinary day of scribbles and colors.
"Art Class," she wrote neatly on the chalkboard, turning back to face them. To no one’s surprise, most of them looked as if they were about to fall asleep sitting up. Well, that was bound to happen after you stuffed tiny tummies full of food. The post-lunch slump was real. She almost burst out laughing when she saw Rocky’s head dipping lower and lower, only for him to jerk it back up at the last second, and Boo twirling slowly in the air as though gravity itself was boring him. Her eyes lingered on Boo a mont longer, rembering his strange ability earlier, though she quickly shook her head. Later. For now, she had a classroom to handle.
Clap, clap!
She clapped her hands sharply, snapping them out of their dreamland. "Everyone, it’s art ti!!!" she declared with exaggerated cheer.
A chorus of dramatic complaints followed almost instantly.
"Teacher, my hands huuurts from writing all morning!!" Drake whined loudly, holding up his little palm like he’d just fought a war. His golden-red hair flopped into his eyes, making his pout extra pitiful.
"Yes, yes!!" Luna barked in agreent, her wolf ears flicking furiously as she crossed her arms like a tiny rebel.
Sable, poor thing, nodded sadly, staring down at his tiny hands as though they were about to fall off any second.
Felix nodded furiously as if the world itself was against him, and even Lucien, who usually acted so calm and collected, gave the faintest nod of disapproval, clearly not in the mood to paint or draw.
"Teacher, can we go play instead??" Vlad Jr. asked in his princely, hopeful tone, like maybe charm alone could get him permission.
"No!" Alina said firmly, watching Rocky’s and Kelpie’s faces collapse into sadness as if she had just crushed their dreams. She quickly rescued the mont. "Everyone, make a circle!"
Groans filled the room, but the mont she pulled out a huge card sheet, bottles of glue, and—most importantly—bottles of glitter, their little eyes began to sparkle. Boo, unable to resist the siren call of glitter, zipped forward instantly, his little body bobbing in excitent.
"Alright, we’re not doing painting today," Alina said as she placed the card in the center, "but we are going to do sothing fun."
"Fun??" Boo leaned close, squinting at the card like he didn’t trust her.
"Yes, fun," she repeated with a smile. "Does anyone have a pencil?"
Luna, ever resourceful, reached up and pulled one out of her pigtail. She handed it over with the seriousness of a knight offering her sword. Alina chuckled and kissed the top of her head lightly. "Thanks, sweetheart."
She bent down and began to draw on the card. With smooth lines, she sketched a giant flower with nine big petals, filling so with smaller shapes and patterns inside. The children leaned closer, watching curiously, their earlier boredom forgotten.
"So, here’s the ga," she explained. "Whoever answers my questions correctly will get to decorate one of the little shapes inside the petals with glitter."
The babies gasped.
"Like THIS," she demonstrated, rubbing glue in the center of the flower and sprinkling shiny blue glitter over it. The mont it sparkled under the light, nine sets of eyes widened in wonder. Boo let out a heavenly gasp and spun in a circle like a disco ball.
"Mine will be the most beautiful!!" Drake shouted, fists pumping in the air.
"Hehehe, let’s see about that!!" Boo cackled, floating higher like a warrior preparing for battle.
"Everyone ready?" Alina asked, trying not to laugh at their dead-serious faces.
"Yesss!!" they chorused, voices filled with a strange mixture of determination and chaos.
She pointed at the flower. "Each petal belongs to one of you. Only you can decorate yours."
Even Lucien leaned forward now, his usual calm replaced with the faintest glimr of competitiveness. Felix muttered sothing about cheating already, and Rocky clinked his rocky hands nervously.
She then told them which petal was theirs, assigning each one based on where they were sitting.
Reviews
All reviews (0)