Lucien approached next. He tried so hard to look calm, his posture straight like his father's, but the closer he came, the more his composure wavered. When he finally reached her, he hugged her from the side, breathing shakily. "Teacher…" he whispered, his voice barely holding steady. "I will miss you every single day."
Alina closed her eyes for a moment, overwhelmed by the sweetness of three tiny bodies clinging to her. She held all of them close, her arms wrapped around their small frames, and she felt their breaths warm against her collarbone. "Oh my babies… you're going to make me cry," she whispered with a laugh that wobbled a little.
Boo floated forward slowly, his wings drooping, his eyes wide with heartbreak. "Teacher…" he said in a tiny dramatic voice, "Boo's heart is breaking like glass… very fragile, very dramatic glass."
