CHAPTER 5

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“No!”

I begged Miss Haley.

“I can’t show you right now. Teacher, I’m really sorry. I’ll definitely let you know later, so please.”

I didn’t want Theo, who was already hurt by an adult, to suffer any further.

I liked and believed in Miss Haley, but I didn’t want to risk it – just as a precaution.

Miss Haleynodded slightly as she looked at me.

“Alright. But a kid should not play with medicine. If the wound is severe, I need to check on it after first aid, okay?

“Yes, thank you. Oh, and…”

I hesitated. It was because I wondered if Miss Haley would think the question was strange once she heard it.

“What’s wrong?”

“Where do you think of when you want to hide?”

“…”

Miss Haley looked at me for a long time as if trying to grasp my intentions.

“Well, behind the nursery is a forest where people rarely visit, so I would go there if I want to be alone.”

But she sincerely told me her thoughts and gently touched my cheek.

“Iris. I don’t know what’s going on, but let’s calm down first. Wouldn’t the child in hiding be more anxious when he sees you now?”

“Yes.”

I nodded at her words. Without a doubt, I was nervous.

“It’s going to be dark out soon, so come back as soon as possible. If it’s too late, I’ll go search for you at once.”

“Thank you, teacher.”

With the kindness of the teacher, I was able to calm down.

Having received medicine from Miss Haley, I headed straight to the place behind the nursery.

It was a small hill that was embarrassing to say it was a mountain, but it was a place where a dense forest was located.

‘I’m sure you’re really scared.’

Thinking of Theo hiding all alone in a dark place made my heart ache.

How far did he wander in the forest? After traversing for a while, I finally discovered a rock cave. In front of it, small footprints and bloodstains were connected like a road.

“Theo…”

I tried to get rid of any signs of agitation.

There was a lot of grass on my hair and clothes, but it was inevitable.

As I walked slowly into the cave, the sun completely set and a round moon rose above my head.

“Theo.”

As expected, Theo was crouched down in the small cave.

When he heard my voice, he flinched in surprise.

“I’m here to pick you up”.

Theo slowly looked up at those words.

Theo’s face under the moonlight unmistakably had traces of tears.

My heart was throbbing at the sight, but I smiled as brightly as possible. Holding this smile, I crouched down in front of him to wipe away his tears.

“Hey, how can you believe that standard is wrong?” Theo asked.

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