Kelpie froze. His wide eyes filled with panic, his little mouth trembling. "I… I'm sorry…" His voice cracked, as though he were about to burst into tears.
Alina immediately crouched slightly to meet his eyes. "It's fine, it's fine. Carry on!" she said warmly, her smile steady.
Kelpie's lips quivered before he nodded quickly. Taking a small breath, he wiped the board with his sleeve and carefully began to solve the problem again. When he finally wrote the correct answer, his whole face lit up in shy pride.
"Wonderful job, Kelpie!" Alina clapped her hands, beaming.
Meanwhile, Drake had his chubby cheeks puffed out as he leaned toward Boo, who was floating upside down near him. "We should've sent Kelpie first," he whispered in a conspiratorial tone. "That way, he'd splash the board and Teacher would be too distracted to make us do anything."
