The next day, Melanie begged her aunt to let her stay home from school. She came up with every excuse in the book.
"I'm sick!"
"But you don't have a fever."
"I'm tired."
"You went to bed early last night."
"I'm… I…"
"Ran out of excuses?"
"…Yes…"
Nessa exhaled. "Melanie, I think that it is for the best that you go to school today."
Melanie gave up. She knew that she should have asked Glinda. "Okay. But what if they pour green paint on my again?"
"Then pour pink paint on them!" giggled Glinda as she entered the room.
"Glinda! You know that getting even is not the answer," scolded Nessa.
"Okay," said Glinda as she sat on the bed next to Melanie.
"It's going to be alright, Melanie. Just remember who you are and everything else will turn out fine," Glinda said as she ended her pep talk.
"I'll do that! Thank you!" Melanie said as she hugged her aunt and Glinda.
Once Melanie was at school, she did what her aunt and Glinda advised her to do. She held her head up high and thought to herself, If my mother and be brave and courageous, so can I. Thinking that got her through the day.
At recess, Melanie walked around the ground, looking for Luciana. She finally found her and ran up to her. "Luciana!" she called out to her friends as she ran. Luciana turned and smiled at Melanie. "Hi, Mel-" she fell forward. Something had hit her in the back of the head. Melanie ran faster.
"Luciana!" she shouted as she shook her best friend. Luciana didn't move. Melanie screamed. Madame Adornus ran out with a fellow teacher, whom Melanie didn't know. "Send for the ambulance," ordered Madame Adornus to the teacher. "Yes, Madame," and she ran inside.
Melanie began to cry. Please don't die, Luciana. Please don't leave me here by myself, Melanie thought.
The ambulance came very quickly. Melanie begged the principal to let her go with Luciana. At first the principal was skeptical, but Melanie through a fit until she gave in. Melanie climbed into the ambulance and sat next to the unconscious Luciana.
"Everything is going to be alright," she told her friend. She held Luciana's hand. It was very cold. Melanie rubbed Luciana's hand in her own to make it warmer. It barley helped.
At the hospital, Melanie was told that she had to wait in the waiting room. A few hours later, a doctor emerged. "Who are the parents of Luciana Dothmart?" he called. Melanie stepped forward. "Her parent's aren't here yet. I'm her friend." Just then, a man and a woman, whom Melanie assumed were Luciana's parents, came running through the door. "Is our Luciana all right?" asked Luciana's mother.
"She's alive, but I think that you and your husband should come with me," said the doctor.
The couple followed and a few seconds later, a piercing scream filled the air. Oh, no! thought Melanie. The couple came out of the room, with Mrs. Dothmart in tears. Melanie gingerly approached them.
"Hello, my name is Melanie. I am a friend of Luciana. And I was just wondering if she is okay," she politely asked.
Mrs. Dothmart chocked and said, "She's blind. A rock hit her on the back of the head, causing pressure in her brain," she said, breaking into a sob.
"She will be able to see again when the pressure goes down," said the doctor, trying to put Mrs. Dothmart's mind at ease. "I can't tell you when that will happen, though." I could be week, months, or even years." He shouldn't have said years, because as soon as he did, Mrs. Dothmart started balling. Melanie bit her bottom lip, thinking that it was better if she didn't cry in front of Luciana's mother.
"May we please go in and see her?" asked Luciana's father.
"Sure," said the doctor.
They started to go in. A few minutes later, they came out and Mr. Dothmart said to Melanie, "Melanie, Luciana wishes to speak to you," he said in a quiet voice.
Melanie stood up and walked to the door. She pushed it open and there was a long hallway. "All the way down the hall and to the right," instructed the doctor.
Melanie followed the instructions and found Luciana, lying on her back, staring at the ceiling. Melanie knocked very lightly.
"Melanie?" asked Luciana, slightly turning her head towards the door.
"I'm here," said Melanie as she slowly walked towards Luciana and gave her a hug. "I'm so sorry this happened to you! This is all my fault! If I hadn't –" she was cut off my Luciana covering her mouth with her hand. "Nothing is your fault, Melanie," she said looking directly at her. She patted the bed, motioning for Melanie to sit down next to her. Luciana, wanted Melanie to stop worrying about her, tried to change the subject and talk about happier things. Melanie's tone told her that she was about to cry. The doctor came in. "I'm sorry, girls, but Luciana has to get some rest now. You can visit her again tomorrow," he said as he escorted Melanie out of the room. She gave Luciana one last hug and left.
One thing was for certain, though. Melanie didn't want to go back to school if Luciana wasn't going to be there. Not even if her aunt made her. She would just to into the flower field and stay there until someone noticed her. She was not going back to that school without Luciana.
