»»>𝐂𝐡 𝟑 - 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐎𝐟 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐢𝐚<««
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Risa felt a strange tightness in her chest as she looked at Melly. Suddenly, she imagined a scenario of a virus spreading, just like in the movies—not far from Odin’s explanation. Risa took a short breath, then forced herself to move closer to Melly. She stepped forward until she stood right in front of the girl.
She leaned down and grabbed Melly’s wrist without permission, pulling it toward her. Melly tried to hold back, but Risa was stronger and pulled her hand firmly. Melly gave up. On her wrist, Risa saw a long wound—it looked like a deep scratch or a claw mark.
The wound was still wet, as if it had just happened. Risa frowned, feeling suspicious. She looked at Melly, who was staring back with pure fear. Neither of them said a word. Slowly, Risa let go of Melly’s hand.
Risa was about to ask what happened, but Odin suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He shouted, looking shocked when he saw the wound.
"Oh my God! What happened to your hand? That's a huge scratch!"
He was so loud that Risa jumped. She stood up and turned to face him. She glanced at Melly, who was still silent, then looked back at Odin. Even though she was hesitant, she explained the situation.
"I don't know... I haven't asked her yet. But it looks like a scratch or a claw mark. I can't tell for sure because it's still fresh and messy," Risa said.
Then, she looked back at Melly, who looked very nervous. Feeling Risa's gaze, Melly finally spoke in a low voice.
"I... I was moving a desk earlier, and I cut my hand..."
Odin looked closely at the wound. He thought for a moment, then asked, "If that’s from a desk... why isn't there any blood on the floor here? Are you... lying to us, Melly?"
The question hit Melly hard. Finally, she stood up and stopped hiding it. She looked down and spoke quietly.
"Actually... I got this while I was running to the school. I saw something horrible in an alley and ran as fast as I could. When I got to class, I was so scared that I just sat there. While we were building the barricade, I saw a small gap in the door. I tried to fix it, but a tongue slipped through the crack. Its saliva dripped right onto my wound. I didn't think it was a big deal, so I just closed the gap. The creature must have realized and pulled its tongue back before it got stuck..."
Melly explained, hugging her own arm. Odin and Risa looked at each other. Risa walked back to Melly’s side, looked at Odin, and whispered.
"Odin, go tell Mr. Edward about this. Be quiet, don't let the others hear. I’ll stay here with Melly, okay?"
Odin nodded and went to talk to Mr. Edward. From across the room, Risa saw them talking and looking over at Melly. Risa gently told Melly to sit down. While they waited, Risa asked another question.
"Is that why you were so scared to show us?"
Melly looked up at Risa with tears in her eyes. She nodded and answered.