Chapter 47 Flowers
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.