I Became a Kindergarten Teacher for Monster Babies!

Chapter 654 654: Trip (12)

"I miss my daddy," Boo said again, hugging his knees. "He reads me stories at night. And he lets me float through the pages. And he doesn't even get mad when I accidentally haunt his tea."

Felix raised an eyebrow. "Accidentally?"

Boo nodded. "Mostly accidentally."

"You can't accidentally haunt tea."

Boo grinned. "You can if you're me."

The others nodded. They had learned not to question Boo's logic.

Kelpie said softly, "I miss my mom. She sings to the waves, and the waves sing back."

Luna said, "I miss my mom too. She tells the best stories."

Vlad Jr. added, "My mom makes the best tea. And my dad pretends not to like it, but he drinks three cups every evening."

Felix's ears drooped. "My mom reads my mind. She always knows what I'm thinking. It's annoying, but I miss it."

Drake's wings sagged. "My mom yells at me when I set things on fire. I thought it was annoying, but now I miss being yelled at."

Vlad Jr. said, "That's called growth."

Drake shook his head. "That's called homesickness."

"Same thing," Vlad Jr. replied.

Lilith had been quiet, sitting on Lucien's lap, her small hands wrapped around her bunny. She looked up at her brother, her crimson eyes wide.

"Wiwwy miss Mama," she said. "And Daddy. And the castle. And my woom. And my toys. And the big window where I watch the birds."

Lucien kissed the top of her head. "We'll be home soon."

"Tomowwow?"

"Tomorrow."

Lilith pouted. "Dat too wong."

Lucien smiled softly. "I know."

Sable leaned against Lucien's shoulder. "I miss Mom's hugs. And Dad's voice. And the way the castle smells in the morning when Mom makes healthy breakfast early in the morning," he said.

Lucien nodded. "I miss the quiet. When everyone is asleep and the halls are empty and you can hear the wind through the windows."

Boo floated up from his chair and drifted toward the window. "I miss Sir Santo's garden. There's a bench there under the big tree. We sit together and watch the sunset. He doesn't talk much. He just sits. But it's nice. It's peaceful."

He pressed his translucent hand against the glass. "He told me that when I get my body, when I'm real and solid and not a ghost anymore, he's going to take me to the ocean. He said we'll build sandcastles and fly kites and eat ice cream until we're sick."

Kelpie said softly, "That's beautiful."

Boo smiled. "It's a promise. And he keeps his promises."

The room was quiet for a moment.

Then Rocky spoke. "Boo?"

Boo turned from the window. "Yes?"

"Your dad is a priest, right?"

"Yes."

Rocky hesitated. "But I heard priests can't have children?"

Boo's silver eyes stayed bright. "He wasn't always a priest. Before, he was just a dad. My dad."

Rocky nodded slowly. "Then he's always been your dad."

Boo's voice was soft. "Even when I didn't know it?"

Rocky's stone face was gentle. "Even then."

Boo smiled. His translucent cheeks somehow looked pink. "Yeah. Even then."

The children sat together, eating their rice and eggs and peaches, talking about home and family and the things they missed.

****

The morning came too quickly, as mornings always do when you're not ready to leave.

The cottage was filled with the sounds of packing: zippers zipping, blankets folding, small footsteps running back and forth to make sure nothing was forgotten. Lilith's bunny was found under the bed. Rocky's extra stones were retrieved from the windowsill. Drake's scale collection, which he had somehow accumulated over three days, filled an entire bag.

Vlad Jr. held up a particularly large scale. "Where did you even find these?"

Drake shrugged. "Fell off. They're mine. I'm keeping them."

"You're keeping your own fallen scales?"

"For memories."

Vlad Jr. frowned. "That's disgusting."

Drake grinned. "That's sentimental."

Vlad Jr. put the scale back in the bag.

The children gathered outside the cottage, their bags piled by the door, their eyes fixed on the road where the carriages would appear. The morning sun was warm, the peach blossoms still drifting through the air, the stream still singing its quiet song.

Kelpie said softly, "I'm going to miss this place."

Rocky agreed. "Me too. But I miss home more."

"Same," Kelpie said.

The first carriage appeared over the hill, sleek and black, pulled by horses with shadows in their manes. Dante's crest gleamed on the side.

Sable waved. "Ours!"

Lucien lifted Lilith onto his hip. "Time to go."

Lilith waved at the cottage, at the trees, at the stream. "Bye, mou'ains. Bye, peach twee. Bye, wabbits."

Sable smiled. "Bye, rabbits."

The other carriages arrived one by one. Felix's, with its warm wooden panels and curtains that looked like autumn leaves. Luna's, sleek and silver, with wolves painted on the sides. Drake's, large and sturdy, built to accommodate wings. Vlad Jr.'s, elegant and dark, with red velvet seats. Rocky's, carved from stone, pulled by stone spirit horses that moved with surprising grace. Kelpie's, blue and shimmering, with waves painted along the sides.

And Boo's.

Boo's carriage was small and white, pulled by horses with feathered wings. Sir Santo sat in the driver's seat, his golden hair bright in the morning light.

"Dad!" Boo shouted, zooming through the air.

Sir Santo caught him, or tried to. Boo's translucent body passed through his arms, but Sir Santo smiled anyway.

"I missed you," Boo said.

Sir Santo's voice was warm. "I missed you too."

They settled into the carriage together, Boo floating beside his father, already talking about the waterfall, the meadow, the cave, the rice, the eggs, and the bird.

The children hugged each other goodbye.

Boo held up his pinky. Lilith wrapped her tiny pinky around his. Their fingers passed through each other, but the promise was sealed.

Lucien and Sable hugged everyone twice. Then they climbed into their carriage, settling onto the velvet seats, waving through the windows as the horses began to move.

The carriages rolled away, one by one, carrying the children back to their homes, back to their families, back to the lives waiting for them.

Kelpie sat in his blue carriage, watching the mountains grow smaller through the window. The stream disappeared. The meadow disappeared. The cottage disappeared.

He sighed.

Then something caught his eye.

A pink bird perched on a tree branch near the road. Watching.

Kelpie pressed his face against the glass. "Peach?"

The bird tilted its head. Then it flew.

Kelpie watched until she was just a speck in the sky.