I Became a Kindergarten Teacher for Monster Babies!

Alina felt her chest tighten as he spoke. She wanted to look away but she couldn’t. His eyes flicked to her, just for a breath, enough to make her lips part and her breath catch in her throat.

"And that," he said, his final words cold but wrapped in that strange, velvet heat, "is why you do not choose lightly. Your teacher now is your first step into the life you will build. So decide."

He fell silent, the last word lingering in the air like a hush before a storm. The babies sat frozen, wide-eyed with tiny shoulders stiff. Boo clutched Lucian’s arm so tightly that Lucian had to shake him off.

Gabriel clapped his hands once, his bright smile breaking the heavy quiet like sunlight through clouds. "Well," he said, his warm voice like a hug, "you heard your principal. Now... what do you say?"

The babies all turned back to Alina, each little face holding its own spark of hope and mischief. Alina felt her throat tighten, her hands shaking where they gripped her skirt.

First step, she thought, the echo of that cold, low voice curling around her heart like a secret promise. My first step too.

For a moment, the room was so quiet Alina could hear the faint creak of the windows and her own heartbeat thumping in her ears. She held her breath, her eyes wide, her hands twisting together.

Then, with a soft swish of cool air, Boo floated forward. He hovered just in front of her, big ghost eyes blinking back shiny little tears. He stretched out his tiny arms and pressed his chilly body against her cheek in a wobbly, brave hug.

"Boo chooses Teacher Alina," he squeaked, his tiny voice trembling like a whispering breeze. "Boo wants Teacher forever. Boo doesn’t care if she pulls ear. Boo likes Teacher’s warm hand best."

Alina’s breath caught. She pressed her hand to her mouth, her eyes stinging with tears she didn’t want to let fall. Carefully, she cupped Boo’s soft little body, letting his chill seep through her fingers as if he were her own baby. "Oh, Boo," she whispered, her voice cracking. "Teacher chooses you too, sweetheart."