Chapter 31 Grumpy little storm cloud
After the uniform distribution had ended surprisingly well.
Alina glanced at the class schedule tucked between her fingers. Her lips twitched. First period: Literature. She had hoped to warm the kids up with something simple, like coloring or gentle physical playtime.
Alina sighed softly as she stood up and walked to the front of the room, watching as tiny heads turned to look at her. Some were curious. Some distracted. One of them (Boo) had already begun whispering dramatic theories to his pencil.
She cleared her throat gently and smiled. "Alright, everyone... it’s story time." Her voice was warm but calm, carrying a gentle excitement she didn’t quite feel yet. She glanced at the bookshelf near the corner of the classroom, full of both magical and non-magical titles. For a moment, she thought of picking something safe, simple... but then she noticed little Kelpie adjusting his seat quietly, Lucian flipping the page of his notebook without looking up, and Luna narrowing her eyes like she was judging the quality of whatever tale Alina dared to tell.
"It would’ve been much easier if this was the last class," she thought dryly. But orders were orders. This was her schedule and she was their teacher. So, she picked a book, took a breath, and smiled again. "Today, I’ll tell you a story about a very brave little girl... who tricked a mountain witch and saved her forest."
Alina opened the book and began reading softly, her voice gentle and full of warmth. "Once upon a time, in the valley of frost, there lived a brave little girl who—"
Before she could finish the sentence, she noticed it.
Silence.
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But not the good kind.
Boo was spinning his pencil in midair. Drake was picking at a thread on his sleeve. Luna had already laid her head on her desk with her arms crossed. Rocky was chewing his sleeve again. Even little Sable had blinked three times and gone still—his version of bored. Kelpie, meanwhile, seemed busy in his own small world.
And worst of all, Lucian looked mildly annoyed.
Which, for Lucian, might as well have been throwing a tantrum.