The silence lasted for three seconds
The new boy was grabbing Melanie's arm
He pulled her up from the ground
He even brushed off some of the sand from her dress
The bully started crying
Obviously, he had blood all over his face
The new boy seemed untouched
Melanie stared at him in confusion
Would he hit her too?
But he didn't hit her
He just observed the crying child
He stared without guilt or remorse
"Who's the crybaby now?"
He jerked Melanie's arm, as if he wanted her to accomany him
She did
Together they walked away from the bullies
They stared at them in shock
Melanie was too overwhelmed to react differently
At least she had stopped crying
The new boy let go of her arm when they were out of sight
"Where were you heading?" he asked
Once again his voice was as sweet as cotton candy
"The forest," Melanie merely whispered
"I love the forest," the new boy admitted
Melanie smiled slightly
"Then follow me"
He looked at her
He looked tired
As if he hadn't been sleeping since he came out of the uterus
"I already am"