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Chapter 3

The First Encounter

In the clinic room's surroundings, a deep silence prevailed. Sally's head was bent in concentration as she firmly held Farah's wrist. The teenage girl winced in pain as her wounds were being sterilized and bandaged with care. There were no deep wounds, all superficial, but they were, after all, inflicted by a sharp instrument. Sally's heart trembled violently, barely able to control the nerves in her hands since seeing Farah, that sixteen-year-old girl harming herself with a surgical scalpel! Why would she do that? Was she contemplating suicide? Was she depressed or going through psychological issues? Thoughts and pressing questions swirled in Sally's mind, which felt like it would explode from thinking, and in the end, she found no comforting answer. All she could deduce now was the reason behind the clinic's open door; this girl had sneaked in and stolen a surgical scalpel. Her heart leaped as she imagined if Farah had pressed harder on her wrist, they would now be in a real calamity. Sally did not speak while taking emergency measures, nor did she even raise her head, but she could feel Farah's piercing gaze upon her, the girl was tense, in addition to the pain from Sally's grip that was tightening on her delicate wrist, anticipating the reaction to come, no doubt. Thus, she preempted and spoke in a soft voice:

"Doctor..."

Sally did not respond to her, so the girl fell silent and did not repeat the call again until the doctor finished her work and released her wrist. The two sat facing each other, Sally staring at her with a cold calm, interlocking her trembling hands so Farah wouldn't notice her tension, and Farah bowed her face to the ground in shame and anxiety, until Sally's voice broke the eerie silence in the room:

"Speak."

Silence reigned again, and Farah, holding her wrist, did not answer. Sally also did not repeat her words, and after a few seconds, the girl spoke with a stutter:

"Don't get me wrong, I... I wasn't trying to commit suicide."

Sally did not answer her, so the girl continued with tension and hesitation:

"Believe me... Please, doctor, don't tell mom."

Sally asked her suspiciously:

"If this wasn't a suicide attempt, then what was it?"

The girl fell silent and did not answer the direct question. Sally was in the utmost state of anger, but she restrained herself from exploding at the girl, sighing and saying:

"Well, Farah, since you don't have an answer to my question, in this case, I will have to inform Mrs. Anisa, and she will uncover the reason herself."

Farah's face turned pale, and she shuddered:

"No! I'll tell you the reason, but please don't tell mom, I beg you!"

Sally waited silently for the reason, and Farah spoke, her eyes shifting between Sally and the ground:

"My friends at school... I learned it from them."

Sally was astonished by the answer:

"Your friends? And why do they do that?"

Farah intertwined her fingers nervously:

"They say that this act gives them psychological relief."