"...I overstretched," Boo muttered weakly, his head hanging. "I got too ambitious."
Luna imdiately burst into laughter, the sound echoing off the walls.
Felix shook his head with the weariness of soone who had seen too much. "This is why ghosts should not attempt physical fitness. So activities are off-limits for the incorporeal."
Kelpie giggled, water droplets spraying everywhere.
Rocky rushed toward Alina, his small stone feet pattering against the floor. "Teacher, are you okay? Are you hurt? Did Boo damage you?"
Alina adjusted her hair, smoothing her dress, and then looked at Boo with a mixture of exasperation and deep, undeniable amusent.
"I leave you alone for one eting," she said slowly, drawing out each word. "One eting. And you inflate."
Boo lowered his head dramatically, his body drooping. "I was participating. I just wanted to be part of stretching ti."
Drake, still seated but grinning widely now, said, "He was a majestic cloud, though. For a few seconds, very majestic."
"That is not helping," Felix replied flatly.
Alina finally sighed, but there was a smile tugging at her lips that she could not hide.
"Alright," she said, brushing invisible dust off her sleeve even though there was none. "New classroom rule. No more aura stretching without supervision. Rule number fifty-eight."
Boo nodded quickly, his head bobbing. "Yes, teacher. Understood, teacher. Will not happen again, teacher."
Then he added quietly, unable to help himself,
"...But it was impressive, right? For a mont there, I was magnificent?"
Drake raised a weak but sincere thumb from his spot on the floor. "Very. Best accidental cloud attack I have seen."
Then Alina noticed Rocky still hovering nearby, his small body shifting nervously. She walked over to him and knelt down, bringing herself to his level.
"Thank you for checking on , sweetheart," she said warmly.
She reached out and patted his head gently, her fingers brushing carefully over his soft hair, and she felt him lean slightly into the touch.
"I am perfectly fine," she assured him. "Boo is very soft, rember? Like a pillow."
Rocky blinked once, then twice. His cheeks took on the faintest dusty pink shade, which on him looked almost like a warm tint in granite, a blush that was barely visible but absolutely there. He nodded quickly, trying to look composed, but the shy happiness radiating from him was unmistakable.
"I was... just checking," he mumbled, looking down at his feet. "Making sure you were okay."
"I know," she smiled, giving his head one more gentle pat before standing up. "And I appreciate it very much."
Rocky’s blush deepened, and he quickly shuffled back toward his spot, pretending to be very interested in his pebble collection.
Behind them, Boo floated lower, looking dramatically guilty with his head hung and his tail drooping.
"I did not an to cloud-attack teacher," he said solemnly, his voice heavy with remorse. "It was an accident. Pure accident. No malice involved."
"You did cloud-attack the teacher," Felix corrected calmly, not letting him off the hook. "That is an objective fact."
"It was accidental clouding," Boo insisted, holding up one finger. "There is a difference. Intent matters in a court of law."
Luna folded her arms, still half-laughing despite trying to look stern. "You turned into a balloon. You were round. You lost control. You attacked the teacher with your roundness."
"I was round with dignity," Boo muttered defensively.
"There is no dignity in being round," Felix replied.
"There is if you are majestically round," Drake contributed, still grinning.
Alina shook her head slowly, looking at all of them with that special expression teachers get when they are pretending to be exasperated but are actually incredibly fond of every single chaotic person in front of them.
"Alright, everyone find your spots," she said, clapping her hands softly. "We have actual stretching to do properly now. And Boo?"
Boo snapped to attention. "Yes, teacher?"
"You can stretch your aura, but stay near the ground. No ceiling flights. Ground only."
Boo nodded seriously. "Ground only. Understood. I am a grounded ghost."
"That is not what that ans," Felix muttered.
But Boo was already floating toward his spot, looking pleased with himself despite everything.
During the entire practice session, Alina could not ignore it anymore.
Drake was quiet.
Not just slightly quieter, not just taking a break from being loud, but truly quiet. The kind of quiet that felt wrong, like a clock that had stopped ticking or a fire that had forgotten how to crackle.
Usually, during elental training, he would be the loudest one in the room by a significant margin. Fire sparks would jump higher than necessary, singeing the air with dramatic flair. He would comnt on everything. He would compete with Luna without even being asked, turning every exercise into an unofficial championship. He would argue that his fla was brighter or hotter or more artistic, and he would provide multiple examples to prove his point.
But today—
His fire barely flickered.
He was sitting in his position, his wings folded close to his back instead of spread wide like usual. His palms faced upward as she had instructed, but his eyes, while focused, looked distant. When she asked them to summon a small controlled spark, his fla appeared obediently, but it was softer than usual. Smaller. Less impatient. It sat in his palm like a well-behaved pet instead of a wild creature wanting to escape.
She watched him for a few seconds longer than she intended to, her teacher instincts tingling.
Then she stepped closer.
"Drake," she said gently, her voice soft but direct.
His eyes opened imdiately, snapping to attention.
"Yes, teacher."
The response was quick.
She tilted her head slightly, studying his face. "What is wrong with you?"
For a mont, every single baby in the room went completely still.
Luna, who had been focused on her hands, stiffened mid-motion like a statue.
Kelpie’s tiny water spiral, which had been spinning happily, flattened instantly into a puddle.
Rocky stopped mid-murmur to the small stone he had been levitating, his lips frozen open.
Boo froze mid-hover, his body not moving even a little.
Felix straightened from his relaxed position, his eyes sharp.
Lucien’s shadow dimd slightly.
Sable’s hands dropped from his shadow practice, his dark eyes wide.
And Vlad Jr., who had been maintaining a steady aura pulse with perfect posture and concentration, paused for half a breath before continuing like nothing had happened. But the pause was there. Alina noticed it.
She looked around the room slowly.
Why do they all look alert? Why do they all look like they know sothing?
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