She glanced at Luna, who still hadn’t spoken much since Capi’s visit. At Felix, who was doodling slowly, his eyes half-lidded. At Rocky, who’d been quiet as usual.
She continued, her tone steady and kind. "Sotis, when we hold things in, they grow bigger and heavier inside our hearts. But if you share it with soone who cares, it becos lighter. You can feel better."
Sable blinked up from his page.
Kelpie tilted his head.
Boo floated closer, upside down, but listening.
"You don’t have to explain everything if you’re not ready," she said, "but even just saying, ’Teacher, I feel weird today’ is enough. I’ll understand."
Her voice softened, just a little more. "Because that’s what I’m here for, okay? Not just for math and language... but for you."
There was a long, quiet pause.
Then Boo suddenly floated back up and announced, "I feel weird every day, but in a cute way!"
A few giggles filled the room, the mood slowly lifting.
****
Alina let out a long breath as she leaned against her desk. The lesson had gone better than expected. She’d managed to keep their attention, sneak in a little life advice.
"Alright, sweethearts," she smiled, stretching her arms gently, "ten-minute break before our next class. Go to the bathroom, drink water, stretch your legs... but no flying into walls, okay?"
There was a chorus of small cheers as the babies scattered like a handful of marbles thrown across the room.
Alina sat back down, letting her shoulders relax. She unlocked her phone and began scrolling through a few bookmarked articles — things like "10 Gentle Ways to Calm Kindergarteners" and "Creative and Fun Learning Ideas for Kindergarten Students"
Honestly, she thought, they’re not so hard.
She had worked as a substitute teacher once at a regular kindergarten before this job. Compared to that chaos — the crying, biting, and even sock-chewing — her supernatural monster babies were surprisingly manageable.
They’re good kids, she smiled proudly, scrolling on.
But then—
"WOAAAHHH!!"
Drake flew past her head like a small fireball cot.
She jumped up, startled. "Drake?!"
"I’m a FIRE DRAGON!" he shouted, spinning midair. "I BREATHE FLAS!"
"No don’t breath fla—!"
"RAAAHHH!" He blew out a breath with full dramatic effort, no flas, but a sprinkle of glitter flew from his claw. "SPARKLE BOMB!"
Behind him, Luna was charging in full-speed, chasing Felix with a wild look in her eyes.
"STAY STILL, COWARD!" she barked. "I’m not done growling at you!"
"Teacher!! I just said she looked soft today, and now she’s trying to kill !!" Felix yelped, skidding behind desks.
Vlad Jr. sat rigid at his table, lips pressed in a tight line, arms crossed as if this chaos was beneath him.
"I don’t understand," he muttered. "Why can’t he sit still for even a few minutes..."
anwhile, Boo had happily stuffed himself into his favorite cabinet and was now surrounded by a collection of crayons and glitter shakers.
"I’m painting my cave!" he squeaked, sprinkling glitter over himself. "Teacher, I’m decorating my coffin! It’s fashionable!"
Alina blinked. "It’s... a cabinet, Boo."
"Coffin," he corrected sweetly. "Let have this mont."
Rocky had turned into a small boulder near the corner and was trying to roll across the floor using only tiny wiggles.
Kelpie, anwhile, stood near the wall, fingers dripping water again as Lucian leaned closer to whisper sothing. Every ti Kelpie nodded, more droplets splashed to the floor.
Alright... maybe I jinxed it, Alina thought, slipping her phone back into her bag.
She stepped forward, ready to calm things down— when a sudden loud—
CRACK!
The floor trembled.
Glitter flew into the air.
And a shriek echoed from the cabinet.
"TEACHER!! THE COFFIN IS ALIVE!!!"
Boo burst out, spinning in circles. "Sothing’s under the cabinet! IT MOVED! It growled at !!"
"What?!" Alina rushed forward just as the floor near the bookshelf gave a soft, unnatural rumble beneath her feet like a slow, heavy breathing sound.
Lucian stood still, his baby eyes sharp and calm. "That’s not normal."
Luna had frozen mid-chase, her hands curled like claws.
Drake hovered near the ceiling. "Uh oh."
The floor rumbled again.
This ti, louder.
And then—
CRACK!
A piece of the tile burst up slightly at the edge of the wall.
Everyone went silent.
Just as Alina was stepping toward the strange crack in the floor, a soft ding rang from above — the classroom announcent crystal lit up with a faint red glow.
Then ca the voice.
Calm. Cold. Clear.
"Attention, all classrooms. Please remain calm and listen carefully."
It was Dante.
"There is an issue underway. All classrooms are instructed to imdiately lock doors and windows. Stay inside and remain with your assigned staff. Security asures are being raised to prevent intrusion. This is not a drill."
Then — silence.
The crack in the floor smoothed over in an instant, the wall seeming to seal itself shut with a faint magical hum.
But Alina didn’t breathe.
For a mont, everything felt still — too still. And then her chest squeezed sharply, her breath caught, and her heart began pounding so loud she could hear it in her ears.
No... no no no...
She turned quickly, her hands slightly shaking. "Everyone! Co here — now. Please."
The babies froze where they were. Even Luna, who had been mid-sulking, snapped to attention at the tone in her voice.
"Teacher?" Boo whispered, floating closer. "W-what’s wrong...?"
Alina bent down, trying hard to keep her voice steady. "There’s just a small situation. Nothing to worry about, okay? But I need everyone to co close. Stay near ."
One by one, they hurried toward her.
She counted them without thinking.
Drake. Luna. Boo. Rocky. Vlad Jr. Kelpie. Lucian. Sable. Felix.
All here. All safe.
She quickly moved to the door, her fingers fumbling with the lock before it clicked. Then the windows — one, two, three — she shut and latched them tight, drawing down the thick curtains.
When she turned back to her babies, they were all gathered in a tight little group, eyes wide, so confused, so scared.
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