"Aunt, you have to believe me," Alina said desperately. "Look, I even have photos of the kids!" She quickly unlocked her phone and pulled up the pictures she had taken in class. She showed Lyla the images—babies proudly holding the glittered flower art they had made, their faces glowing with joy.
"See? This is Class D. Look at them. They're just little kids. We even had a costume party and They made this pretty flower by answering questions together!" Alina pushed the phone closer, her voice trembling with urgency. She had made up the part about the costume party, hoping it would explain away the horns and unusual hair colours in the pictures. "Maybe the kindergarten isn't showing up in the business listings online because it's still new. That doesn't mean it isn't real!"
Lyla stared at the photos, her lips trembling. "Are you… telling the truth?" she whispered. But then her eyes hardened again, clinging to the doubt in her chest. "Then what about that tall man??"
