8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVmolLsGXwg"Come in, Dravena," said Ms. Hollendaire when she noticed me, giving a slight nod, "But try to come earlier tomorrow."
I quickly nodded as I rushed to sit down next to my friend, Lilith.
She wasn't really a true friend—she just wanted to be friends with me because she couldn't find anyone else. But I had tried staying alone before, and that felt worse.
I could never figure out what was right...
Having no friends was lonely—but all the friends I ever got were fake.
"What did I miss?" I whispered to her, "What are we studying?"
What if the teacher had explained something important that would be on the exam?
What if I failed because of it?
But Lilith didn't answer.
She just stared at my hand with an unreadable expression. I turned to look at what she was so interested in, but all I saw was a strange silver mark on my wrist.
But that could have just been drawn by someone without me noticing.
After a moment of silence, she whispered, "What's that on your wrist?"
I lifted my arm to look properly.
She really was talking about the mark.
"Well, that's strange. It can't be a prank or something." I said sarcastically.
But Lilith shook her head ominously, "No pen can make a mark like that. One day I saw my neighbour had a similar mark, and my parents completely freaked out. When they saw me watching, they told me to go to my room. I think you need to tell a teacher." She looked different from usual—quiet, concerned.
"But..." I was an introvert, and I barely answered the teachers' question. How was I supposed to walk forward and say this?
She would laugh at me, or say it was a prank...
"I know this is important. You have to tell her," Lilith said firmly.
Now, I knew Lilith would keep pushing until I agreed, "I'll tell her after the lesson."
Lilith nodded. I tried to listen to the rest of the lesson but I couldn't take my eyes off the mark.
Lilith kept looking at me too, and it was all just so annoying!
My heart sank as the bell finally rang.
Ms. Hollendaire said goodbye to the class and turned to leave.
Lilith gently pushed me to my feet, and my legs felt unsteady as I walked toward the teacher.
I felt my face flame, and I knew it had to be redder than a tomato.
"Do you need something, Dravena?" Ms. Hollendaire asked as I approached.
I nodded, my eyes fixed on the mark, "I actually found this mark on my wrist. I knew it had to be some sort of prank, but-"
Ms. Hollendaire gasped and suddenly grabbed my wrist.
"Come with me..."
Her voice was barely a whisper, but I still felt the fear and confusion that came with it.
My heart began to thump.
But... It was just a mark.
My hands trembled, but her firm grip didn't let me pull away.
I lifted my face to look up at Ms. Hollendaire's expression, and I saw her face was twisted with thousands of different emotions.
The worst was the dread...
"Did you tell anyone?" she asked suddenly, as if she had been snapped back to reality from some deep thoughts.
"Only Lilith."
She nodded, "If she asks, tell her it was from a marker. And don't tell anyone else."8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeneh0qYx8s
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