Nathan was the president of the student council. Back when Elowen had still been a member, he had liked her. Now, seeing her so badly injured, the concern in his eyes overflowed, impossible to hide.
An icy chill instantly spread from Lucien's body. He looked at Nathan as if he were already dead. The moment Nathan reached out to touch Elowen, Lucien pulled her into his arms and said coldly, "Elowen has me. You should go do the job that belongs to you."
When he finished speaking, Lucien wrapped an arm around Elowen's shoulders and moved to leave. Nathan hurriedly stopped them, looked at her, then said, "I'll take you to the infirmary to disinfect the wound."
Her shoulder was gripped tightly. Elowen endured the pain and answered in a trembling voice, "No need. I... I want to go back to the classroom."
After that, she lowered her head to hide the fear in her heart. She was afraid Lucien would do something terrible, so she went along with him and did not dare to resist.
Her answer pleased Lucien. He smiled at Nathan, then held her and led her out of the hall.
Nathan watched their retreating figures, his expression suppressing his anger, his hand clenched tightly into a fist.
As for Vanessa, malice was written all over her face. If looks could turn into knives, Elowen would have already been riddled through by Vanessa's glare.
She tilted her chin, signaling to a female attendant. The girl immediately understood and followed after Elowen and Lucien. It was recess, the schoolyard was crowded, and Elowen's shirt was torn, barely covered by Lucien's jacket. As long as that girl found a chance to yank the jacket away, the entire school would see Elowen's disheveled state.
Adrian noticed her malicious intent and quickly glanced around. Spotting a skateboard in the corner, an idea flashed through his mind. He lightly pushed the board, sending it rolling forward.
Just as the girl was about to pull the jacket down, her foot suddenly slipped, followed by a loud crash. She fell face first onto the stone pavement.
"Ahhh! Blood! My teeth!"
Four of her front teeth fell out along with blood. She wailed hysterically, sending everyone into a panic as they rushed over.
Elowen was startled as well. She grabbed the jacket that was about to slip off, then looked at the person who had tried to harm her, and then at the skateboard that had appeared out of nowhere. She hurriedly looked around.
Had the ghost helped her again?
"What are you looking at?"
Lucien's voice rang out, making Elowen jump. She hurriedly shook her head and stammered, "N No nothing."
He narrowed his eyes at her, sensing that something about her was strange, but he did not expose it. He only said, "Go wait for me in the restroom. I'll go to the administration office and buy you a new uniform."
Elowen nodded repeatedly, and the two of them split up.
After entering the restroom and making sure no one was there, Elowen asked softly, "The ghost, are you following me?"
After asking, she waited nervously, but no reply came for a long time. She drooped her shoulders and sighed in disappointment, completely unaware that Adrian was staring at her with wide eyes.
"This little girl can sense my existence? How did she know?"
Then his eyes lit up.
"If she knows I exist, then I can find a way to ask her to take me to the hospital!"
With that thought, Adrian raised his hand and lightly touched the back of Elowen's hand. A fleeting chill made her shiver, then she was instantly overjoyed.
"So you really exist! I'm not hallucinating!"
Elowen jumped up in excitement, accidentally tugging at her wound and grimacing in pain. Adrian grew anxious and gently touched her face, as if asking whether she was all right.
Elowen understood, but blushed shyly and shook her head. "I'm fine. I'm used to it."
Adrian: ...
At that moment, he truly wanted to enter a body as soon as possible and demand justice for this little girl. She was really too pitiful, and far too obedient.
Elowen had not even had time to feel happy about having her suspicion confirmed when she heard Lucien calling from outside the women restroom. "Hurry up and come out to get your uniform."
She shrank back, her heart pounding as if it might burst out of her chest. The cramped space and the sharp smell of disinfectant suddenly felt suffocating and hostile. She wished she could simply disappear.
"I will count to three," Lucien voice rang out, cold and threatening. "One."
Elowen stammered in fear. "Why are you in here? This is the women restroom."
"Two." The counting continued without hesitation.
She clutched her jacket tightly. The place was deserted, and she had no idea what Lucien might do to her.
Standing outside, Lucien was running out of patience. He ground his teeth and said, "If you do not open the door right now, I will wait for someone else to come in and show them how you are doing 'adult things' with me in here."
Those words truly terrified Elowen. For Lucien, even if a sexual scandal happened at student age, he could easily walk away thanks to his wealthy family and excellent academic record. She was not like him. No one would protect her from the rumors. She wanted to graduate, wanted to go to college, so she absolutely could not do anything that would get her disciplined by the school.
"Three." As soon as the word fell, the stall door shook violently from a hard kick outside. The flimsy lock looked like it would not survive another blow. Panicking, Elowen hands trembled as she reached for the latch.
After a fierce struggle in her mind, she finally cracked the door open. Lucien tossed a white shirt at her and said, "Change."
Elowen took the uniform and was about to close the door when Lucien grabbed it firmly. "Change it in front of me."
"No…" Elowen stepped back, her back hitting the icy wall of the stall. "Please…"