Alina moved around their little circle, her long skirt brushing the floor as she leaned down to peek at everyone's paper flowers. She made sure each baby had enough scissors and glue, gently tapping Felix's hand when he tried to steal an extra glitter pot just for himself.
When she reached Sable, her heart melted on the spot. He was sitting so still, tiny shoulders hunched forward, his small fingers pressing on a pale pink paper flower. The edges were a bit uneven, and the folds weren't perfect — but he was trying so hard to make his flower look like hers.
He peeked up shyly when he felt her standing close, his big dark eyes flicking to her face and then quickly back to his paper. His cheeks turned a faint pink, and his tiny mouth pressed into a nervous line. He squeezed the paper tighter, as if afraid she'd say he'd done it wrong.
But Alina just knelt down beside him, her voice as gentle as a soft blanket. "That's beautiful, sweetheart. You're doing so well," she whispered, careful not to speak too loud so he wouldn't feel shy.
Sable blinked, then lowered his head even more but his tiny lips curved up just the tiniest bit. He pressed the paper with even more focus, his little shadow hands working so carefully it almost made her tear up.
She gave his hair the lightest pat before moving on.
Drake, on the other hand, was a little ball of chaos in a red uniform. He was hunched over his blue paper, chubby cheeks puffed out like a squirrel's. His tiny tail flicked under his shirt as he made squiggly folds that definitely didn't look like petals.
Alina laughed under her breath, crouching down and taking his warm, stubby little hands into her own. "Here, let teacher help you, hmm?"
Drake looked up with wide Amber eyes, then grinned so chubby his cheeks squished even more. "Okay, Teacher!"
She guided his small fingers gently, pressing the folds down together, her own hands almost completely covering his. He giggled every time her hair brushed his face.
"There! See? Now it's starting to look like a flower, not a crumpled sock," she teased softly.
Drake gasped dramatically. "You said I made a sock!"
Alina laughed, giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze. "A very cute sock, but now it's a flower."
All around the circle, little giggles bubbled up as Boo sprinkled too much glitter on his, Kelpie shyly copied Luna's neat petals, and Vlad Jr. delicately pinched each fold like a tiny old prince making royal roses.
Goodness… they're so precious, Alina thought, her heart growing bigger by the second.
As Alina finished helping Drake — who now proudly held up his very crooked but very cute flower. She heard a tiny, serious voice behind her.
"Teacher."
She turned and saw Lucian sitting stiffly, tiny hands clutching his sad little paper mess. His tiny eyebrows were scrunched together so hard they nearly touched. His small lips were pressed into a deep frown, and his red eyes were practically glaring at the crumpled petals in his palm.
He looked utterly offended.
"Oh, Lucian." Alina bit her lip to stop herself from smiling too wide. She walked over and knelt down, careful to keep her voice calm and gentle so he wouldn't feel teased. "What's wrong, sweetheart?"
Lucian held up the pitiful paper. It looked more like a wrinkled ghost than a flower. "It's ugly," he declared, dead serious. "Mine is the worst."
Alina peeked at it, then peeked at his scrunched-up, little face. He looked like a tiny grumpy king ready to declare war on craft paper.
She held back a giggle. "Hmm… well, Teacher thinks you tried very hard. And that's good enough."
Lucian scowled deeper, clearly unconvinced. "But Drake's looks better," he muttered. He shot a glare at Drake, who was already showing off his flower to Boo.
"It's okay, Lucian," Alina said, her voice warm as she gently patted his shoulder. "You're really good at reading and numbers, right?"
Lucian nodded reluctantly, still glaring at his "flower."
"Well, you can't be perfect at everything on the first try, can you?" Alina chuckled. "Teacher will help you."
She sat cross-legged right there beside him and placed her hands over his small ones, carefully showing him how to fold the new piece. "Look — just bend here, and press here. Slow and steady. It's not a math problem, so don't be so angry with the paper."
Lucian peeked at her from under his lashes, cheeks puffed out. Then, quietly, he whispered, "Okay."
From the side, Drake poked Rocky with his pencil. "Look, our little boss is learning flowers," he whispered loudly.
Lucian's ears turned pink but he focused hard on the fold, refusing to look at anyone else.
Alina smiled. Goodness… they really do break my heart every five minutes, she thought, helping Lucian flatten out the new petals. And when she glanced up, she noticed even Felix had paused to peek at them, his eyes soft for just a heartbeat before he quickly turned away.
They're all trying so hard, she thought, a warm pride blooming bigger than any paper flower in her hands.
"Teacher! Boo is trying to eat glitter!" Drake suddenly yelled, his voice echoing around the room like a tiny gossip reporter. He was grinning from ear to ear, clearly proud of his important announcement.
Boo, who had been sitting with the glitter bottle clutched in both his small ghostly hands, snapped his head toward Drake and shot him the meanest glare his face could muster. "Did not!" he hissed, puffing his cheeks out like an angry kitten.
Alina blinked, her heartbeat skipping. Oh goodness, please no. She quickly shuffled over and sat right next to Boo, lowering herself until she was eye level with him. She gently pried the glitter bottle from his sticky fingers and set it aside.
"Sweetheart…" she said softly but firmly, brushing his fluffy hair away from his forehead. "Did you try to eat the glitter?"
Boo crossed his tiny arms with dramatic flair. "Did NOT!" he repeated, pouting so hard his lips looked like a duck's beak.