Lucien’s eyes flickered thoughtfully.
Sable smiled faintly.
Even Felix opened one eye more than usual.
"Today," Alina said, picking up a book, "we will start with a short story. And after that, I want each of you to tell one new word you learned and one feeling you felt while listening. There is no wrong answer."
Boo slowly raised his hand.
"Yes, Boo?" she asked patiently.
"If I feel hungry while listening... is that also a feeling?"
The class burst into laughter.
Alina pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh too. "Yes, Boo. That is also a feeling. But please don’t eat the book."
"I make no promises," Boo said seriously.
Drake leaned over and whispered loudly, "He tried once."
"I was curious!" Boo defended dramatically.
Alina shook her head, smiling helplessly, then opened the book and began reading, her voice calm and gentle, slowly filling the classroom.
Even though so babies fidgeted, and so secretly doodled, and Boo tried to act spooky behind his notebook, every single one of them listened.
The mont Alina closed the literature book and turned toward the board again, a strange shift passed through the room, like tiny animals sensing danger before a storm. A few babies straightened. A few slowly sank into their chairs. One or two stared at the ceiling as if hoping to beco invisible.
Alina picked up the chalk and wrote one word.
Math.
A collective, dramatic suffering filled the classroom.
"Teacher..." Drake said imdiately, his voice heavy with betrayal, his little face scrunching into the most tragic pout possible. "Can we skip it today?"
Boo clutched his chest. "Yes. My ghost ancestors also request rcy."
Felix slowly slid lower in his chair like he did not want to face math.
Luna groaned. "Numbers are suspicious. They multiply when you are not looking."
Kelpie poked a water bubble sadly. "Math does not even have feelings."
Rocky looked conflicted, like he wanted to be responsible but also wanted to run.
Vlad Jr. sat straight, composed, but internally preparing for suffering.
Lucien simply watched Alina calmly.
Sable looked worried for Drake’s safety.
Alina turned slowly, hands on hips, trying very hard not to smile.
"No skipping," she said gently, her voice calm but firm, the kind that ant negotiations were over. "But we are not doing normal math today."
That alone made a few heads lift.
Drake’s tail stopped drooping. Boo floated a little higher. Even Felix opened both eyes properly, which already ant progress.
"We are doing moving math," she continued, folding her arms loosely. "Which ans you will solve questions using real things around you, not just writing."
Now they were fully alert.
"Stand up," she said.
Chairs scraped softly as they stood, so curious, so suspicious, so already excited.
"Okay," she said, walking slowly between them. "If I say a number, you have to make that number using sothing in the classroom."
They blinked.
Drake raised his hand imdiately. "Like... how?"
"Example," she said, picking three chalk pieces and holding them up. "If I say three, you can show three pencils, three books, three steps, three claps. Anything."
"Ohhh," Kelpie said, eyes lighting up.
"Ready?" she asked.
They nodded.
"Five."
Instant chaos.
Drake grabbed five crayons from the desk and held them like trophies.
Boo clapped five tis but forgot to count and did seven, then panicked and restarted.
Luna dragged five notebooks into a stack aggressively like she was proving dominance over math itself.
Rocky quietly lined up five pebbles very carefully.
Felix flicked five tails lazily. "Done."
"Show off," Boo muttered.
"Two," Alina said.
Sable imdiately grabbed Lucien’s hand and then his own. "Two," he said proudly.
Alina’s heart lted, but she kept her teacher face.
"Eight."
Drake ran and did eight jumping jacks and almost fell.
Kelpie made eight water drops float in the air, then lost count and added two more and pretended it was intentional.
Vlad Jr. arranged eight pencils in perfect symtry like a museum display.
Lucien tapped the desk eight tis exactly, precise and calm.
"Very good," she said warmly.
Then she paused, eyes twinkling slightly.
"Now... tricky one. Ten."
They froze.
Boo floated slowly toward the window like he might escape education itself.
Then suddenly Rocky raised both hands and both feet and said quietly, "Ten... fingers and toes..."
Silence.
Then a collective gasp.
"ROCKY IS A GENIUS," Drake announced loudly.
Rocky’s cheeks turned a deep, embarrassed pink, his small fingers fidgeting together as if he wished he could fold himself behind his desk and disappear.
Around him, however, the mood had shifted completely. What had started as reluctant participation had turned into full excitent.
Alina pressed her lips together for a second, holding back a laugh as Drake nearly crashed into Boo while trying to show "six" using crayons, his tail, and his wings all at once.
By the end of the ga, they were all breathing heavily, little chests rising and falling fast, but every single face carried a bright, satisfied smile. The kind that ca from running hard and winning sothing small but important. The classroom slled faintly of chalk, paper, and the sweet juice Kelpie had spilled earlier, and it all felt strangely perfect.
Luna walked toward her desk like a tiny exhausted warrior, grabbing her water bottle. She planted one hand firmly on her waist, still trying to catch her breath, then tilted her head back and gulped water in big, ssy swallows, so of it escaping the corner of her mouth and running down her chin. When she finished, she wiped her mouth with the back of her sleeve, exhaling loudly like she had just finished battlefield training.
"That... was actually fun," she muttered, trying to sound cool, though her tail was wagging lazily behind her.
Drake dropped onto the floor dramatically, spreading his arms. "Math almost killed ," he declared, though he was grinning like he had just discovered a new favorite ga.
Boo floated upside down, spinning slowly. "I am tired but spiritually fulfilled," he announced proudly.
Felix leaned back in his chair, seven tails spread lazily behind him. "If all math is like this," he said dryly, "I may consider not hating it."
Sable sat beside Lucien, cheeks pink, hair ssy from running, still holding two pencils like he had forgotten to put them down. Lucien gently took one from his hand and placed it back on the desk, calm as ever, though his eyes were bright in that quiet way that ant he had enjoyed himself too.
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