Alina’s heart lted a little.
"Vlad Jr., that is very thoughtful."
He looked down, a faint pink appearing on his ears.
"...I just think it is better that way."
Luna wandered over, pretending she hadn’t been listening the whole ti.
"Teams are fine," she said casually. "But I am still the fastest runner."
Drake wasn’t there to argue with her.
She looked slightly disappointed about that.
Vlad Jr. made a note.
"Running race individual. Team gas separate."
Felix raised his hand from across the room.
"What are the team gas?"
Vlad Jr. looked at Alina.
She smiled. "We can decide together. What do you all like?"
The classroom imdiately erupted into suggestions.
"Tug of war!" Luna shouted.
"Relay race!" Kelpie splashed.
"Sothing with throwing!" Boo floated excitedly.
"Obstacle course!" Sable bounced.
"Sothing quiet," Felix muttered.
"No one wants quiet," Boo argued.
"I want quiet."
"You are the minority."
Alina laughed and held up her hands.
"One at a ti! We will write down all the ideas and then choose."
Vlad Jr. already had his pencil ready.
"I will record them," he said seriously. "We will vote later. Democratic process."
Lucien looked at him with quiet respect.
"That is very organized."
Vlad Jr. nodded.
"Organization prevents chaos."
Boo floated down and patted his head.
"You are my favorite organizer."
Vlad Jr. ducked slightly but smiled.
"You seem to have planned very well, Vlad Jr.," Alina said warmly, looking over the neat list he had written. His handwriting was impeccable, each point clearly numbered and organized by category. "But the class representatives and teachers from other classes are also helping with the whole planning, so we will put those points together and also hear their ideas, okay?"
Vlad Jr. looked up at her, his expression serious but accepting.
"Yes, Teacher. That is fair," he said calmly. "Different classes have different needs. We should consider everyone."
Alina smiled.
"That is very mature thinking."
Vlad Jr. nodded once, acknowledging the complint without letting it distract him.
"So when will we have the eting?" he asked, his pencil poised over his paper, ready to add the date to his schedule.
Alina tilted her head thoughtfully.
"I am not sure yet, sweetheart," she admitted. "But I guess soon. Since next week is plantation and Sports Day, we don’t have much ti."
Vlad Jr. nodded seriously.
"Ti managent is important," he said. "We should et tomorrow or the day after. Delay causes problems."
Alina chuckled.
"You are very right about that."
Vlad Jr. looked down at his notes, reviewing everything he had written.
"Should I prepare sothing to present?" he asked. "For the other representatives?"
"That would be very helpful," Alina said. "You can share the ideas from our class, and they will share theirs."
Vlad Jr. nodded, already thinking.
"I will organize it neatly. With categories. Plantation section and Sports Day section. Maybe bullet points."
"That sounds perfect."
Vlad Jr. paused.
"Will there be other class representatives there? From Class A, B, and C?"
"Yes," Alina said. "Each class will send one or two representatives. And the teachers will be there too."
Vlad Jr. considered this.
"How many people total?"
"I think around ten or twelve, I guess."
Vlad Jr. nodded, ntally calculating.
"That is manageable. Small eting. Efficient."
Alina smiled at his serious little face.
"You seem excited about this."
Vlad Jr. looked down at his hands.
"...I like etings," he admitted quietly. "When things are organized, when everyone knows what to do... it feels good."
Alina reached out and gently touched his shoulder.
"Then you will do very well."
Vlad Jr. looked up at her, his eyes bright.
"I will try my best, Teacher."
From across the room, Boo floated closer, unable to resist.
"What are you two whispering about?" he asked suspiciously. "Is it a secret? Is it gossip?"
"eting plans," Vlad Jr. said.
Boo’s eyes widened. "eting? When? Where? Can a ghost co?"
"Class representatives and teachers only," Alina said gently.
Boo’s face fell dramatically.
"Discrimination! Ghost exclusion! I will protest!"
Vlad Jr. looked at him calmly.
"I will share everything after the eting."
Boo perked up slightly.
"...Everything?"
"Everything important."
Boo considered this. Then he nodded seriously.
"Acceptable. I will wait for debrief."
Felix looked up from his book. "You don’t even know what debrief ans."
"I know it ans information!" Boo declared. "And I want information!"
Luna wandered over, pretending she hadn’t been listening.
"So Vlad Jr. is going to the eting?" she asked.
"Yes," Vlad Jr. said.
"With other class reps?"
"Yes."
Luna nodded slowly.
"You better represent Class D well," she said seriously. "We are the best class."
Vlad Jr. straightened.
"I will."
Kelpie splashed over. "Tell them about our water ideas!"
"And stone ideas," Rocky added quietly.
Vlad Jr. looked at all of them, his small chest swelling with importance.
"I will tell them everything," he promised.
Boo floated in circles around him.
"Our class representative! Very fancy! Very official!"
Vlad Jr. smiled slightly, trying to look composed, but the happiness was obvious on his face.
The next day felt empty without Drake.
The classroom was quiet in a way it had never been before. Boo floated near the window instead of his usual chaotic zooming, his tail swishing slowly, his face unusually thoughtful. He wasn’t spinning, wasn’t gossiping, wasn’t dramatically declaring anything.
He just... floated.
Luna noticed imdiately.
"You are quiet," she said flatly.
Boo glanced at her.
"...Yes."
"That is weird."
"I know."
"Why?"
Boo shrugged. "Missing my cri partner."
Luna blinked.
"Cri partner?"
"Snack cris. Biscuit theft. Chaos coordination." Boo sighed dramatically. "Drake understands my thods."
Luna stared at him for a mont.
Then she walked away.
But even she seed quieter. Her usual fierce energy was dialed down, and when Felix tried to argue with her about sothing small, she just shrugged and turned away.
Felix looked genuinely concerned.
"She didn’t argue back," he muttered to Lucien.
Lucien nodded. "I noticed."
"This is concerning."
"Yes."
Kelpie tried to cheer everyone up by splashing water in pretty patterns, but even his splashes seed smaller than usual. Rocky held his polished stone and stared at Drake’s empty desk.
Vlad Jr. kept checking his notes, but his attention kept drifting.
Sable leaned against Lucien.
"Class is sad today," he whispered.
Lucien nodded.
"Yes."
Alina watched them all from her desk, her heart heavy.
She missed Drake too.
The way he would burst through the door with too much energy. The way he would argue with Luna about nothing. The way he would ask a million questions about snacks. The way his wings would flap when he got excited.
Without him, the classroom felt like a song missing its loudest instrunt.
But then—
The next day, Boo didn’t co at all.
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