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Fortunately for Melanie, her mom wasn't home. It's been several days since she last saw her but she learnt not to worry about it. She's definitely somewhere gambling away all her money again.

—No, girl, you should absolutely be concerned. She's probably contracting a massive debt that'll fall upon you. I wanted to stop her from contracting this debt but i have no clue where she disappears to. Dotti, can't you track her ?—

—Do i look like a GPS ?—

—You act like an almighty system and you can even do that ? What a useless lizard—

—I'm not a lizard and who are you calling useless?—

Sei ran to the bathroom to avoid a tail whipping. She showered quickly and stood in front of her closet. Melanie's clothes consisted of jeans and t-shirts which screamed practicality and comfiness.

—This is not bad but it's not enough for me to get laid.—

—Seriously, do you only think about that?—

—Yes, I do. Do you have a problem with that? I'm a young woman Burning with passion.—

—Well, I warn you enough about the fact that they are underage. I will not repeat it anymore. Do what you want.—

—Are you mad? Dotty. I'm sorry, I was joking. Obviously. I won't do anything . . . Too risky? Oh, time is passing. I must get dressed quickly.—

After going through her clothes, she chose a light pink tight-fitted shirt. It got long sleeves and a slight V-neck. She paired it with straight dark baggy pants and white sneakers. Usually, she wore her hair in a low ponytail but went for a high ponytail.

"So original Melanie" Sei said while she was doing her hair. She completed her look by wearing a necklace that had a key on it. It was a key to a safe where Melanie kept her money. She used to hide her money in what she thought was a safe place in the house, hoping that her mom wouldn't find it but one day the money was gone. She complained to her mom but what she received were flying empty bottles. She tried putting a padlock on the box she used but her mom freaking cut it. Her last resort was a little sturdy safe she thrifted by chance. All she had to do now was to keep the key with her all the time. So far it seemed like it worked as a mom had not found a way to open it.

She finished dressing and took her jacket and bag but as she opened the door, she found her mom standing on the other side. Her mum eyed her outfit and asked.

"Where are you going all dressed up like this?"

"It doesn't concern you." Melanie said while getting past her. Natalie turned around and grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Okay, whatever, I'm not here for that. I want you to lend me some money. I'll give it back, I promise."

"Yeah, I'll actually believe you when you'll pay back all the money you stole from me. Until then, you won't get any penny from me" Melanie scoffed and yanked her arm from Natalie's grasp.

"Why are you like this ? I said I would pay you back ! I really need this money !"

Natalie tried to grab her again but Melanie stepped back. She still managed to grab her jacket, pulling on the sleeve. The shirt was pulled too and it ended up revealing the necklace with the key. Melanie saw the realization in her mom's eyes as she saw the key around her neck. She tried to leave immediately but Natalie aimed for her neck immediately. Melanie grabbed her wrists and tried to push her. Natalie had more strength than Melanie taught as she was desperate to grab the key. She was making Melanie step back and as the latter was trying to maintain a balance, Natalie started clawing at her chest and neck leaving scratch marks. She even reached her face.

Melanie used all her might to push her. Natalie lost balance and felt on the ground. Melanie then ran through the hallway towards the stairs.

"You bitch! How dare you do that to me ?" Natalie screamed hysterically while getting up and chasing her. Melanie got to the stairs and tried to climb down but Natalie grabbed her hair from the back. Melanie screamed from the pain and tried to stop Natalie but she tripped and started falling down, dragging the other woman down. The latter, realizing that she was falling too, grabbed the stairs' rail and let go of Melanie's hair. Melanie rolled down the stairs and ended up at the bottom with a loud thump. There was a loud silence contrasting with the noisy fight that took place just moments ago as Natalie was looking at Melanie's inert body.

"Melanie?" She asked carefully, still sitting on top of the stairs, not moving. She started climbing down as she got no response and approached Melanie. She was laying on her back and blood started pooling near her head. Natalie paled thinking that she had killed her but her attention was drawn to the key around Melanie's neck. She saw this as an opportunity and took it by breaking it from her neck.

She climbed back the stairs to Melanie's room to retrieve the safe. She already knew where it was as she had searched through the room before. She opened the closet and crouched down towards the safe on the ground. She tried the key with trembling hands and sighed when the safe opened. She took the money inside without even counting it and went back to the living room. She stopped in her tracks when she came across Melanie again. She briefly thought about calling an ambulance but then took her bag and head promptly for the door, even leaving it open.

"What should I do ? I'm not supposed to intervene but I can't let her like this " Dotti said, appearing next to Melanie and starting circling around her. As she was flailing around, looking for a solution, she heard a notification sound coming from Melanie's phone which fell off her jacket. It was laying next to her and Dotti looked at the light up screen. Dotti got an idea. She couldn't do anything that could reveal her presence, like calling the emergency but she could get someone to do it for her.

She hacked the phone and called Gayle. The phone barely rang before he picked up the call.

"Hi, Mel, are you ready?" He said enthusiastically. ". . .Melanie? Are you there ?. . . Is this a mistake?" He asked, not understanding why it was so silent on the other side. Dotti thought that he was going to hang up and looked for a way to make a loud noise. Her gaze landed on the opened door. She floated towards the door and pushed hard enough for it to close with a loud bang.

"What was this sound ? Is everything fine, Melanie? Please answer!" Gayle said, starting to get worried. When he was met with another silence, he decided to hang up and call her back. If it was a mistake and didn't notice the ongoing call, she would at least notice if he called her back. Hoping that she'll answer, he still started walking fastly towards the bus station where Melanie usually took her bus. He was glad that he arrived much earlier at their meeting point, which wasn't far from the bus stop.

As he arrived there, he had already called her three times without success. Now he was panicking. Something definitely happened to her. All kinds of scenarios were going through his head while anxiously waiting for the bus to arrive. Also he was wondering how he was going to find her house. He knew the neighborhood she lived in but not the precise address. He then remembered that Ben drove her home quite a few times, maybe he could know. He entered the bus that just arrived and dialed Ben's number.

"Hello, Gayle. You never called me before, what's the occasion?" Ben answered, intrigued.

"Do you know Melanie's address? I think there is something wrong with her."

"Something's wrong with her ? What do you mean?"

"She called me but wouldn't answer when I talked to her. I heard a loud noise in the background and tried to call her back but she didn't pick any of my calls. I'm going to her house now so I really need the address"

"Wait, aren't you overreacting a bit over background noise and a few missed calls?" Ben tried to call him down.

"Maybe I'm but rather be safe than sorry so do you know her address or not ?" Gayle spat, starting to get impatient.

"Yes I do. I'll text you" Ben sighed, thinking that he was not wrong. Soon enough, Gayle received the address and looked it up on the maps app on his phone. Thankfully, her house was a 10 min walk from the bus stop he was supposed to get off at. There was still a 30 min ride until there and he kept on calling her, praying she'll answer. She didn't so when Gayle arrived at the stop, he basically ran to the house. He knocked furiously at the door, while also ringing the doorbell but nobody answered. He tried the door handle without much thought and was surprised when it opened. He didn't think twice about why it was open and barged in.

"Melanie are you here?!" He screamed while looking frantically around him. He went to the kitchen and returned to the living room again, having found nothing. He noticed the stairs leading upstairs in the back and as he was getting close, he noticed a hand on the ground.

His heart missed a beat and he stopped in his tracks. He then started walking slowly towards it, his heart beating loudly in his ears.

His nightmare became real when he confirmed that it was Melanie that was lying unconscious on the ground with so much blood around her head. He plodded down next to her in great shock. His mind was blank which was comical since not even a minute before, it was brimming with worried thoughts. He still managed to reach for her neck with trembling hands, to check her pulse. He sighed with relief upon sensing the familiar thumping. He also noticed the nail marks and realized with horror that she was attacked. While wanting to check where else she was injured, he held himself back and called the emergency. He briefly explained the situation and after confirming that they were coming, he grabbed her hand, praying for her to be okay and wake up soon.