As Alina continued her quiet walk around the room, she reached the desk by the window where Kelpie sat, hunched over his worksheet with intense focus.
His pale little hands gripped the pencil carefully, and his tongue peeked out between his lips as he slowly tried to copy each number with all the concentration in the world.
His royal blue eyes narrowed at the page, and his hair swayed slightly every time he leaned closer. Alina smiled, touched by his effort until she noticed something odd.
The paper beneath his pencil was starting to… glisten. Little drops of moisture pooled on the edge of the page, and the corner had started curling in a soggy, wet fold.
A tiny rivulet of water had begun running toward the number six, which now looked like it had been washed by a tiny waterfall. Kelpie didn't seem to notice. He was sweating—literally. Being made of water, even his stress leaked gently.
