The Beautiful Monster

Melina let her smile slightly come out. It was nice of Professor Samson to not just blindly believe Octavia and the others. At least she got to tell her side of the story.

"I was walking to class and they confronted me about Blair," she said.

"Because she's missing. Do you know anything about that?" Professor Samson asked her as she crossed his arms over his chest.

Melina didn't want to lie. She liked Professor Samson, but it would be safer for her to lie and act like she didn't know anything.

"No, I don't. I wish I did. She's my friend too," she sighed, forcing a frown onto her face as she looked down at the ground. She hoped that Blair never came back, but she doubted that her wish would come true. She hadn't had the best luck this semester.

Professor Samson nodded, giving her a sympathetic look.

"What happened next?" he asked her, needing to know the full situation to be able to judge it properly.

"They blamed me for her disappearance and then attacked me. I defended myself," Melina said simply. That was all there was to the story. She was attacked, and she stood up for herself. It was a great feeling, even if it was just school bullies. Maybe she could apply this to scarier experiences. Maybe she could become as brave as Tyler.

"I'm guessing that you made their cups explode," Professor Samson commented as he saw the remains of the tea and broken cups on the floor.

A sheepish look filled Melina's face as she nodded subtly.

"They were about to attack me too," she defended herself. She didn't go out of her way to attack them. If she could've, she would've avoided the attack, but that wasn't how things ended up playing out. She just reacted.

"You're not in trouble. I'm glad you used what you learned, but let's try not to fight our classmates, okay?" Professor Samson sighed, trying to fight off a grin as he peered at Melina.

Melina could've hugged him. It was nice to have him on her side, especially since people usually took Octavia and her friends' side.

She was gradually feeling less and less alone lately, which was a relieving feeling. She hated feeling so outcasted.

"Of course," she said with a nod.

"You remind me of Lily," Professor Samson chuckled as he lifted an eyebrow at her.

Melina looked at him in shock.

"Really?" she asked. Since Lily was a beloved student and powerful witch, that was probably one of the best compliments that she could receive. It warmed her to her very core, and she hoped that she could become half the witch that Lily was. "Thank you."

Professor Samson smiled and motioned for her to come into the classroom.

"Class is about to start," he told her.

Melina nodded and walked inside, taking her seat and smiling to herself as people looked over at her and whispered among themselves. Usually, that made her insecure. This time, it just made her amused and proud.

She stood her ground and kicked ass. That was what she needed to do whenever any threat came her way. Feeling stronger and more optimistic for the future than ever, she leaned back in her seat and prepared to take on the rest of the day.

******

Melina wasn't sure how many hours she had spent in the library today. All that she knew was that she was tired, hungry, and in desperate need of a break. She rubbed her eyes as they burned slightly, grimacing at the ache.

She still had plenty left to study, but she could stand to take a break for a few hours to let her brain have a break. She was looking forward to her final examinations just so that she could get them over with and finally graduate.

She gathered her things and walked out of the library, feeling her stomach growl as she headed tired of the games.

"Don't you dare hurt him!" she snapped. She didn't want anything to happen to Benjamin. He didn't toward the cafeteria. She wished that she could see Tyler, but he was in the school's gym, preparing for his own classes.

They had planned to see each other tonight, which she couldn't wait for. They were going to have dinner and sneak off to one of their dorms.

Melina was certain that she was in love with Tyler. There was no other explanation for how she felt, and she had already almost told him a few times when things were heated or passionate.

She was ready to tell him, even if it made her a little nervous. She wasn't sure if he felt the same way about her, but she needed to tell him how she felt before she exploded. That meant telling him tonight.

Before she reached the cafeteria, she felt her phone buzz continuously in her pocket. Someone was calling her. She stopped walking and took her phone out, seeing that Benjamin was calling her.

She smiled a little and answered, figuring that he wanted to check in on her. He had been doing that a lot lately, but she hadn't minded. Things were good between them now, which she was grateful for.

"Hey," she answered cheerfully.

"Long time, no see," a chillingly familiar voice answered. It wasn't Benjamin, though.

"Blair," Melina breathed out, her sense of panic spiking. Since Blair had Benjamin's phone, she could only guess that something terrible happened to Benjamin.

The thought made her stomach churn almost painfully, nausea rising in her throat.

"Your adoptive father says hi," Blair laughed into the phone.

Melina narrowed her eyes, now feeling angry. She hated how Blair was playing with her, and she hated that Blair went after Benjamin instead of going after her. It was a cowardly, low move.

She would rather have Blair face off with her so that they could get this rivalry over with. She was tired of the games.

"Don't you dare hurt him!" she snapped. She didn't want anything to happen to Benjamin. He didn't deserve to get caught up in all of this.

"Oops, too late," Blair giggled. "Anyway, that's not the reason that I called."

"What do you want?" Melina snapped, not wanting to play around. If there was a chance for her to save Benjamin, then she was going to do it. She owed that to him.

He had taken care of her for years, always making sure that she was safe and where she needed to be. Now, it was her turn to try to take care of him.

"I want you to meet someone special," Blair replied.