Chapter 69: Chapter 69 Cutest grumblers

For a heartbeat, there was only silence– the hush of the breeze, the tiny splashes of ripples. Then Drake’s voice rang out, loud and proud. "My fire boat is fastest!!" he shouted, chest puffed, tail wagging.

Boo, not to be outdone, spun around and pointed at his own messy boat. "Nuh-uh! Boo’s ghost boat will haunt yours! Look — it’s floating backwards!"

Kelpie squeaked a little laugh, his fingers tapping the water. "It’s so pretty... so pretty..." he murmured, his eyes wide with wonder as he watched all the little boats drifting.

Alina lowered eyes for a moment, her smile so bright it made her eyes sting. Goodness, she thought, her heart so full it almost hurt. What did I ever do to deserve such precious little ones?

After the little boats drifted far across the lake, dancing like tiny paper wishes in the morning sun, Alina carefully picked up her phone, tapping the screen with a soft smile. She peeked at the short video she’d captured — nine small babies crouched together, boats bobbing away on the sparkling water. Their laughter echoed even through her phone’s tiny speaker.

Goodness, she thought, pressing her hand to her chest as she watched Kelpie’s awed face and Boo’s upside-down grin. They really are the sweetest.

She clapped her hands lightly, her voice gentle yet bright. "Alright, my loves — back to class, come on!" she said, herding her tiny ducklings back along the leafy path. They trailed after her, some chattering about whose boat was fastest (Drake insisted his still was), some just bouncing with leftover excitement.

Once everyone was settled again in their room and the breakfast bell rang through the hallway, Alina patted her skirt, took a breath, and slipped in to the staffroom.

She settled at an empty desk and pulled an old file box closer. She flipped carefully through each page, hoping to find something — a list of emergency numbers, any record of each baby’s family. I need to be prepared, she thought, frowning slightly. .com

But the files were thin, some so old they looked like they hadn’t been touched in years. Her fingertips paused on blank lines where phone numbers should be, her brows knitting together.

She sat back, tapping the folder with her pen. I’ll have to ask Principal Nightshade, she decided with a small sigh. Better to be safe.

She closed the file softly, her heart swelling with warmth and worry all at once.

When the bell rang and the babies gathered back in their colorful little room, Alina caught Boo’s big pout right away, his tiny ghost cheeks puffed out like an angry marshmallow. He floated just above his desk, arms crossed over his chest, eyes narrowed at her.

She bit back a smile. Cute, he looks like he might explode if he doesn’t share whatever he’s been saving all morning, she thought fondly, but for now she only gave him a soft wink as if to say, Later, little troublemaker.

"Alright, sweethearts," she said warmly, her voice soft but clear as the sunlight on their tiny desks. "Now it’s time for our next class — math!"

At once, a chorus of tiny groans rose up, mostly from Drake, who slumped dramatically forward, and Boo, who crossed his little ghostly arms and flopped down face-first on his desk with a muffled, "Boring..."

Alina hid a laugh behind her fingers. Haaha, they really are the cutest grumblers, she thought, fighting a smile. She walked closer and crouched at Boo’s level, tapping his little shoulder. "It won’t be boring — promise."

Boo peeked out from under his hair, glaring dramatically but the corner of his mouth twitched up.

Straightening, Alina turned back to the whole class. "Today, we’re going to use our own notebooks for math. So everyone — take out your notebooks and pencils, please!"

Little hands rustled around in tiny bags. Drake almost dropped his notebook twice before catching it with his tail. Kelpie hugged his close like it was his favorite treasure. Sable placed his gently on the desk and peeked at her, as if asking for silent praise — which she gave with a soft nod.

She wrote a few numbers and shapes on the board, turning back to see them watching. "You see, math is part of everything!" she explained sweetly. "When you count your toys, or when you share your snacks, or when you make sure you have the same number of cookies as your friend..."

Vlad Jr. cleared his throat, glancing at Boo, who stuck out his tongue — clearly they’d fought over cookies before.

Alina giggled and pointed at the chalkboard. "Let’s try this together. Write the number one — right here, like Teacher. Good! Now two... and three..."

Tiny pencils scratched on paper. Drake’s tongue peeked out, his cheeks puffed as he concentrated on each number. Boo sighed after every digit, as if he was sacrificing his ghostly soul for the cause. Lucian, serious and quiet, kept his numbers neat and sharp, glancing at her once– she caught it and gave him the warmest smile.

Luna scribbled her numbers so fiercely her pencil almost broke, but Alina could see the pride in her tiny growl when she got them right. Rocky’s numbers were big and clumsy, but he looked so shyly proud she wanted to hug him then and there.

Walking slowly between their desks, Alina leaned over each tiny shoulder, her soft voice encouraging: "Good job, Kelpie... That’s perfect, Sable... Well done, Felix — make sure your tail doesn’t swipe your page this time."

Seeing their little books fill with shaky but honest numbers, Alina felt her chest swell with something warm and bright. They’re trying so hard, she thought, her eyes misty as she caught Boo glancing up at her, clearly itching to tell his secret gossip. freew\ebno\vel..(c)om

Once every tiny notebook page was filled with wobbly numbers– some big, some small, some so shaky they almost looked like doodles.

Alina stood up at the front of the classroom, her hands clasped behind her back.

"Alright, my loves," she said, her voice soft but clear. "Now we’ll read our numbers together. Let’s make sure we all know them, okay?"

Tiny heads lifted, little paws pressed down on notebooks. Luna crossed her arms with her chin up like a tiny queen, Vlad Jr. tilted his head proudly, and Drake bounced on his seat like he was about to shout the answers before anyone else.

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