Chapter 203: Chapter 203 Heart (1)
"Yes, because you deserve it," Alina replied firmly, narrowing her eyes as she walked closer to his desk. She bent down just enough to meet his eyes. "And Drake... shift fully into human form, right now. No wings in class."
Drake’s face scrunched up as if she had just asked him to give away his birthday cake. "But teacher..." he whined, his wings twitching rebelliously before slowly melting away. He pouted even harder, cheeks puffed, but at least he obeyed.
"Good," Alina said, straightening with a satisfied nod before turning her gaze to Boo. "And Boo, no more hiding under desks when the principal walks in. Do you understand?"
Boo gasped as if she had accused him of a crime. "Teacher, Boo was not hiding! Boo was... um... checking for spiders!" he said quickly, waving his hands about.
The classroom erupted in giggles, and Alina sighed, shaking her head with a helpless smile tugging at her lips. "Alright, enough excuses. Everyone settle down—it’s time for attendance."
**
Alina adjusted her papers and cleared her throat. "Alright, let’s take attendance now. Everyone, answer when your name is called."
She scanned the list and began.
"Boo?"
"Present... but invisible!" Boo shouted, covering his face with his hands as if no one could see him. The class giggled, and Alina shook her head fondly.
"Drake?"
"Present and huuuungry!" Drake declared dramatically, rubbing his tummy with both hands.
"Luna?"
The little wolf pup straightened immediately. "Present!"
"Vlad Jr.?"
The vampire prince raised his chin. "Present, and still the most elegant in class," he answered smoothly, dabbing at his lips with his handkerchief like he had just come from a royal banquet.
"Rocky?"
"P-present!" Rocky squeaked, his cheeks pink. Then—poof!—he nervously turned into a small stone on his chair for a second before shifting back. The room roared with laughter, and Alina quickly gave him a reassuring smile.
"Kelpie?"
"Present, teacher," Kelpie said shyly, water droplets splashing on the desk as he fiddled with his fingers. "Also... my hair is not wet today!" he added quickly, making Luna snicker.
"Felix?"
The fox boy stood up. "Present!"
"Lucien?"
The birthday boy from yesterday looked up quietly, his dark eyes shining. "Present," he said softly, and the corners of his lips lifted in the tiniest smile.
"Sable?"
"P-present!"
Finally, Alina lowered the paper and clapped her hands. "Good! Everyone is here and accounted for. Now let’s start the day properly."
The first class of the morning was language. Alina patiently went over the basics with them again, making sure the little ones didn’t forget what they had already learned. She clapped her hands lightly whenever someone answered correctly, and their cheerful voices repeating after her made her feel proud.
When that lesson wrapped up, she picked up her chalk and wrote in neat letters on the board: Science.
"Alright," she said with a mysterious little smile, turning to face them. "Today we are going to learn about the heart."
At first, the word itself made them blink curiously, and Boo tilted his head as though trying to picture what a "heart" looked like inside him. Alina chuckled softly to herself. "But before I explain," she continued, "we’re going to do a small activity."
The room immediately buzzed. To the babies, the word activity always sounded suspiciously like "play time."
"Everyone," she said clearly, "you have to run one lap in the garden and then come back. Only one lap, understand?"
The moment the word run left her lips, their eyes lit up.
"Play time!!!" Drake shouted, his wings twitching excitedly as he jumped to his feet.
Luna’s golden-brown eyes gleamed, her tail flicking as she shifted halfway, fur bristling with energy. "Luna will beat everyone!" she growled, ready to spring.
Drake puffed out his chest, refusing to back down. "No way! I will beat Luna!!"
Alina held back a laugh at their competitive little faces. "Alright, alright," she said, raising her hand like a signal flag. "Everyone can go now—just one lap and then come straight back to class."
The instant the words left her mouth, the children exploded into motion. Tiny feet pounded against the floor, wings flapped, tails wagged, and Boo spun gleefully through the air upside down as they all charged out of the classroom in a rush of laughter and squeals.
Alina remained standing by the door, her hand pressed gently to her lips as she watched them disappear into the garden.
Luna silver-gray fur shining as she sprinted ahead, tail raised proudly. "No one can catch Luna!!" she barked happily.
"Ha! Watch me!!" Drake roared, shifting into his little dragon form mid-run, his wings flapping fastly as he tried to keep up. He nearly tripped over his own claws but stubbornly kept chasing Luna.
Boo floated after them, spinning upside down as if running wasn’t dramatic enough. "Booo is flying the lap! Flying is faster than running!" he declared proudly.
"That’s cheating!!" Luna growled mid-sprint, not even slowing down.
Vlad Jr., of course, refused to join the chaos. He strolled elegantly, one hand behind his back, his little shoes clicking neatly against the stone path. "A prince doesn’t run like a barbarian," he sniffed. But his sharp eyes still flicked toward Sable to make sure the shy boy didn’t fall behind.
Sable tried his best, his short legs pumping fast. "I-I’m running! Teacher said one lap!" he muttered to himself, determined not to disappoint.
Kelpie splashed as he went, little droplets flying from his arms and hair with every step. "Run like water, run like wave!" he sang, giggling.
Meanwhile, Rocky had transformed into a rolling pebble, bouncing and tumbling down the path. "Wait for meeee!" his muffled voice came as he rolled past a surprised Felix.
Minutes later, one by one, they tumbled back into the classroom—panting, giggling, some collapsing dramatically on their desks. Boo pretended to faint. "Teacher... Boo’s ghost heart... it’s beating too fast! Boom-boom-boom like drum!!"
"That’s the point, Boo," Alina chuckled, her voice gentle. She looked around at their flushed faces, some still catching their breath. "Do you all feel your chest going thump-thump? That’s your heart. And your heart beats faster when you run or play."
Drake slapped his chest with his chubby hand. "Yes!! Teacher, mine is like BOOM BOOM BOOM!! Maybe I have two hearts like dragon??"