...

Crap... crap, crap, crap...

So... hi, Cherri here, and uhm... so is Hippo Dad. And the school principal. And also some random grown up weasel in a track suit. Makeup Weasel's dad and mom, too.

Gumi isn't here, neither is the Makeup Weasel. It's just the five of us.

And we are in the principal's office.

"... Mister, uhm, Mayflower, was it?"

"Yes. Hudson Mayflower."

"Interesting name... now, you're probably wondering why I called you here."

"I am, yes..."

Just so you're aware... Hudson Mayflower is Hippo Dad's full name. My mom didn't take his last name, and he- I guess he respected that. We already went with our mom's last name too, Kusuri, instead of Cherri Mayflower and Gumi Mayflower. I guess that's a cool thing about Hippo Dad, I guess, he lets us keep our objectively cooler last name.

American History nuts are probably seething at my dad's name, though. Hudson Mayflower. The Mayflower was that boat that the pilgrims were on when they were coming to America, and they planned to like- settle at the mouth of the Hudson River or something. Hippo Dad's own hippo dad had to have been passionate about history to go so far as to make that joke. Wouldn't be surprised if my grandparents are named John and London Mayflower.

Moving on, as the adults talk. Now, last you saw of me, Mr. California, there was this rampant girl going about terrorizing the heck out of me and Gumi. Just going about, starting some nasty crap, trying to make us social losers and loners.

So then she tried to shove Gumi's face into her lunch for funny haha laughs, and, uhm. Now we're here.

"So... young lady, could you tell Brittany's parents here what happened?"

... okay. Sigh. Guess I'll tell them what happened this entire day. Though, because of what actually happened, I'm going to have to make up something that doesn't raise eyebrows, so I'm just gonna try to make something up while I tell you what really happened. Lucky you, getting to know the truth and all while I'm feigning innocence.

"... s-so, what happened at the cafeteria was.... was, s... she was being mean and pushed Gumi's face into her lunch," I innocently responded, after explaining the magic-free version of events. "She's been bullying us ever since homeroom, and-"

"My little angel would never do such a thing!" exclaims Makeup Weasel's mom. "Her father and I have raised her to be an excellent student. She got all A's from her old middle school, you know!"

Okay, one of these parents.

Anyway, back to speaking with you, Mr. California.

So like, when the haha funny laughs happened, I completely blanked out when I saw Makeup Weasel just taunting me while shoving Gumi's face into her lunch. Complete and total mind silence. Could not think a single thing. My telepathic diary probably cut off at some point because I just- I just completely zoned out and spaced out. Thoughts too frantic and hectic to even say anything to you (or write this down in my mind or whatever this is blah blah blah not the time).

It just- it filled me with a ton of anger and hate, and I think a ton of people thought I was lashing out, thought I was being unnecessarily violent towards Makeup Weasel. Wouldn't blame them, I think I pretty much hit my breaking point at that moment.

I, however, know full well I'm better than beating up some dolled up prissy lil' weasel. Harassing me and Gumi isn't cool, but like, I wouldn't resort to punching Makeup Weasel in her overly painted face or hitting her anywhere with a lunch tray or something.

... I wouldn't!

Geez. What do you take me for?

All I did was grab the girl's wrist, forcibly pull it away from Gumi's head, and kept holding it tightly. Very tightly, as the- the skin, the fur on her hand even, all of it was burning off. Sizzling like crazy, her hand not meant to deal with venomous acid, and I had to take care of it quickly!

...

You probably either had to read that a second time, or needed to process that I just told you her hand was burning.

Okay. So like, way far back into this diary, remember that random, random detail I mentioned about my mom being a blood sorceress and how we inherited her magic blood?

Yeah, okay, so that. That's what was happening when Makeup Weasel shoved my sister's face into her lunch. Blood magic, a type of blood magic that burns anthropomorphic weasel hands.

Just know that you're getting the in detail explanation, the truthful one with no bullcrap whatsoever. However, whenever I get around to explaining this part of my story to the adults in this room, I'm omitting all of the blood magic details because- well, no way am I going to sound sane if I mentioned "haha, magic blood burned a girl's hand!" to a principal and a girl's parents.

Anyone would already consider me clinically insane if I tried to tell them about the people in this room alone. Like, my stepdad is a large hippo, the principal is a giant shaved walrus with thick neck fat and bulging gold tusks sticking out of his mouth, and these parents were two long necked winter weasels dressed in "flowery tennis mom and boxer barfly dad" attire.

... anyway, so, uhm, like... magic blood. Gumi and I have magic blood.

What caused Makeup Weasel's hand to burn, as I am claiming, is specifically Gumi's. I think the stress of the moment is what caused Gumi to accidentally use hers like crazy. The blood flow to her brain - don't worry, she's resistant to her own blood, doctors have confirmed her brain and her veins are still very much in tact - just built up a strong defense against Makeup Weasel's hand, and acted as some weasel holds the back of her head and all.

See, Gumi's blood is like... venomous.

Well, more like, acidic. To mostly everything around her. One time, she got a nose bleed and wiped it off with tissues, and the tissues just completely dissolved to bits and pieces. The blood even dripped onto the couch, and slowly burned some holes in it- and, well, yeah. Direct contact with her active blood, the closer it is to her brain, can aggressively burn into your skin.

It doesn't stop there. If Gumi concentrates too heavily, this effect can actually spread through just skin contact. Clothing can defensively get in the way of it as long as it's not direct blood contact, but- someone's bare hands touching Gumi's bare skin? A biiiit of sizzling and dissolving.

And that's what I saw.

Because of this... pause of silence as I stared at Makeup Weasel's hand, I could see the bottom of her hand just faintly burning. Sizzling. The slightest trail of rotting, decaying skin cells between her fingers and Gumi's head. Gumi was too panicked to hold herself back, and- well, the girl's hand was just touching the embodiment of a literal puddle of acid.

If I left things alone, Gumi could be blamed for burning a girl's hand off. Poor, gentle Gumi who would never intentionally hurt a fly, being accused of burning a girl's hand out of nowhere?

No. Nonono. She doesn't deserve that whatsoever.

So... I took the fall for it.

Me.

I grabbed Makeup Weasel's hand and tightly held her wrist to keep her hand in place, then used my other hand to squeeze her burning hand. When the girl started cries in pure agony in response to her hand literally burning, I made sure Gumi doesn't get blamed for this whatsoever. Made sure it was all me. Did what I could to make sure I could take the entire fall of it.

And because I wanted to minimize the damages, I did what I could with my own magic.

While Gumi has the blood that burns the hell out of people, I'm the opposite. I'm apparently the more "benevolent" side of my mom, and inherited her little healing powers. I can touch something and heal it, sort of fix it back up like what Mom can do. I haven't tried it yet, but I did experiment a little when I discovered Gumi had burned holes in the couch.

I got really curious and pressed my hands against the hole, concentrating heeeeavily, and the couch fixed itself. Managed to fix the holes before my dad could find out.

So, like... my blood acts as a direct counter to Gumi, inheriting the medical kindness of my mom. Whatever Gumi burns, I can restore and repair it. Whatever injury someone else experiences, I could heal and fix it. Hypothetically, someone who either touches my blood or- or, disgusting, drinks it, could heal completely as if it were like one of those nerd healing potions or whatever.

Everything related to healing that my mom was capable of, I- could do it, in theory.

So, I- acted.

Gumi's venomous magic stops spreading further when contact is broken, and... Makeup Weasel's hand is just- left really damaged, really hurt. It was a rather gruesome sight in that moment, that I'm not gonna describe to you because- it's kinda gross and I don't want to spend the time describing it. I had to hold her hand for a while as she screamed like a mad girl.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

To anyone who saw all of this, it pretty much looked like I was the one hurting her hand. Squeezing it heavily, forcing her to drop to her knees and cry out for mercy, begging God for mercy.

... and that's kind of what I told the adults while explaining all of this to you. That I squeezed Makeup Weasel's hand into making her stop bullying Gumi.

"Y-Your kid is a MONSTER, Mayflower! How could she strangle my darling baby's hand?!" Makeup Weasel's mom exclaims. "I- I'll have her expelled!"

"Really? From the sounds of it, your darling baby provoked it," Hippo Dad speaks up, leaning forward.

"Provoked it?! How dare you! How can you even trust that entire nonsensical story?!"

"I trust my daughter the same way you trust yours, ma'am... so, guess we need to check the full story," Hippo Dad exclaims, turning back to the large walrus. "Principal, aren't there any- like, surveillance cameras you could show us...? To show us what happened, to tell us whether or not my daughter's telling the truth."

The principal shakes his head, groaning lightly. "No, unfortunately. We don't have any in the lunch room. But we do have an officer stationed there to keep everybody safe, it's more than enough. He told us the account he witnessed, and- well, Cherri's story lines up with what he saw."

There was an officer?

A police officer?

Like, an officer that saw me do that?

Oh. Oh crap. I didn't even realize. I could legitimately get in massive trouble with the law. Arrested and junk, maybe- oh no- uhm-

"So the officer directly saw my daughter strangle this girl's hand? And- can confirm the story?"

"Correct. Although, he didn't say anything about Brittany shoving your other daughter's face into her lunch..."

Ah, typical, he doesn't see the parts that can help me.

"Right, sure. That's- fair," Hippo Dad speaks up. "So if he didn't see what my daughter's suggesting, can the officer or anyone else at this school explain what exactly my daughter did to burn the skin and some of the poor girl's hand off?"

"... wait, what?" the principal asks. "Burned her hand- what are you talking about?"

"That's why she was being taken away to the hospital, right? Her hand. The skin on it burned off."

... oh. This is the first time the principal's hearing about the burned hand.

Hippo Dad actually started telling the principal what he apparently heard. That Makeup Weasel's hand was burned aggressively by something.

Cool. Kinda glad I couldn't heal Makeup Weasel's hand completely...

Yeah, okay, so that's why she's not here, fun fact. She went off to the hospital because the skin on her hand literally got burned off.

My healing isn't as good as my mom's. With the time I spent holding her hand, all I did was try to stabilize it and junk, but it was already primarily burned off. People stopped me before I could heal it completely, so her hand was in critical condition and she had to be taken away by ambulance. The same way that Gumi can only hurt people through prolonged contact, I can only heal for as long as my hands are on them.

...

Actually, because of that, Hippo Dad brought up a good point. There's no evidence that anything on me could have burned her hand so badly. On the surface, all I did was just- squeeze a girl's hand with my own bare hand, and then it just- bam. It's a nightmare to explain how that's scientifically possible.

Sure, they could know and learn about our blood, but... like, them trying to prove I caused it will have the opposite effect.

Since I have healing blood, like- strictly healing blood, I'd be in the clear and then they'd look to what Gumi did- and then a bunch of witnesses will talk about how the only point where Makeup Weasel could have been hurt was when her hand held the back of Gumi's head. Then, blah blah blah, Makeup Weasel's the one who caused the whole incident and got her hand burned off for it.

Of course, we're gonna keep our blood a whole secret, 'cause justified/accidental self defense is still a pretty bad thing to own up to rather than innocent. I want my sister to be completely free of this crap. As long as Gumi's safe and sound, I'm pretty chill.

Also, we're nowhere near the possibility of Gumi being implicated.

Right now, after Hippo Dad brought all that up, Makeup Weasel's parents were in uproar... well, moreso her mom. She's actively yelling at my dad and the principal about how I possibly brought full blown drugs into the school to hurt her daughter.

And I kid you not, she's claiming that I supposedly injected Makeup Weasel with all that crack cocaine the kids are smoking these days.

Met with this, I watch the principal slowly look between the adults in the room, then- he just looks straight at me.

"... ma'am, I- I don't believe this girl is capable of bringing cocaine into this school."

"Well, she did!"

"Even if she did, cocaine doesn't- I just- I... I don't- this-"

Oh, poor walrus principal. He looks like he's grasping at straws, just staring at me throughout all of this. It's possible he's thinking that Makeup Weasel's mom is going absolutely insane, trying to claim a student brought unrelated drugs into all of this, and- I just- wow. I'm starting to feel bad for him.

"... can- can you two give us the room for a second?" the Principal asks me and Hippo Dad, telling us to leave the office for a bit.

"Why? I believe if you're going to talk behind our backs about my daughter's... 'crack cocaine'," Hippo Dad calmly repeats with a skeptical tone at those words in particular, "then we should be here to hear all of it."

"So you ADMIT that your daughter's been dealing it, huh?!" Makeup Weasel's mom shouts. "All that crack cocaine your daughter's been peddling! Huh?!"

"..." I watch Hippo Dad slowly look to Makeup Weasel's mom, just staring in silence before he looks back to the principal. "Principal Silvers, I just-"

"YOU shut up, we got a confession! Let's get that b---- locked up for poisoning our angel!"

Hippo Dad covers my ears, and then exclaims something like: "Language!" or whatever.

I just idly stare as an entire screaming match happens, just progressively looking at this insanity unfolding. Blankly staring at all of this, just kind of astonished at all of this going on.

The more I look at the principal, he just... looks uneasy. Like, this is the stuff he has to deal with on the first day of his job this school year. His walrus face staring at my dad with a genuine look of confusion and astonishment, before- sighing and saying something.

Only time will tell what happens, honestly, because- the principal insisted my dad and I leave the room now. That was it.

So, I just... yeah.

...

"... uhm- pops, we're- leaving the-"

"Yes, yes, I just- I need to sit outside for a bit after that whole thing, Cherri. Your principal said it was fine for us to leave the front office."

"Oh. Okay. Sounds- sounds good."

Yeah, we're... we're walking out of school. Hippo Dad told the lady behind the desk where to find us, if the principal calls us back inside. Then he takes me to a bench outside, as we kind of just- sit outside, now.

The sun shining down on us this fine, warm, autumn afternoon, I guess. Just sitting quietly as Hippo Dad takes out his laptop and does some- accounting- things, and I just stare off.

I took out my phone, and check the time. It was like... five minutes before two. Fourth period's pretty much almost over, and I guess... Gumi's by her lonesome. Sort of going through the rest of the class all by herself. Twenty to twenty five minutes left before she gets out of class and the school day's over.

Fourth Period... Drama. One of those theater things, just... acting and stuff. We never really got too into theater stuff, that's just a class for kids to pretend they're actors and actresses trying to do some old plays or whatever. It's pretty much just for cultural enlightenment or whatever.

I don't know much about the class itself. The room, the teacher- the classmates, none of it. Never got a chance with all of this- principal's office stuff.

But like... maybe Gumi's just sitting by herself, trying her best to- deal with everything. It's probably spreading by now what happened at lunch. The school talking about her "crazy sister" that harmed Makeup Weasel, really screwed and messed up the girl's hand.

There's no way that any of the children would think to- hurt Gumi as well, would they? Since I'm not there, I can't- I can't protect her in case they try anything.

... 1:56. Just 19 minutes left, Gumi.

You just have to be there for 19 more minutes... whatever is happening there. You- you can be strong, you got this... it's going to be fine.

"... Cherri..."

"...?" I look to Hippo Dad as we sit outside the bench, as he types big numbers in those... computer boxes, or whatever those are. "W... What is it?"

"... I, uhm, I got to see the other kids while I was heading here. They aren't in uniform, are they?"

"... n... no. They aren't. Turns out there isn't one, so-"

"I guess that means- we have to go clothes shopping for something you girls would look better in... r... right?"

I look at Hippo Dad quietly for a bit, then look back down at my clothes and... sigh. "I don't- think the clothes are going to help much."

"Still... I mean... we could-"

"It's fine, pops. These clothes are fine anyway... what's done is done."

... I- I know it went against everything I just told you about. It was such a big thing on the bus, when I was all excited about making friends by just looking cute and hot and stuff on first glance. I made a whole big deal about what Gumi and I were wearing,

Now, at this point, I just kinda... don't care. I kinda just can't bother to care about this clothing drama anymore. It just took a huge back seat after- after Makeup Weasel and all.

"W..."

"...?" I look to Hippo Dad as he noises, just... watching him about to say something, staring up at him. "Y-Yeah? What is it, pops?"

"... were you and Gumi really just... bullied by that girl...?"

"... y... yeah. I mean- yes. Uhm... she... well, it got really bad when she shoved Gumi's face into her lunch, and-" Sigh. "Probably sounds insane, the more you hear about it, but everything I said in there was the truth. Well, mostly everything, I did lie about-"

"I- I know. I believe you. I put two and two together when you said your sister's head was pushed into the lunch tray, so I know what you were lying about specifically," Hippo Dad says.

"Oh... right."

Of course. I- sometimes forget, Hippo Dad is my hippo dad for a reason. Of course he would- know about the blood magic, since Mom... uhm...

...

"... I just, I just hoped that you were lying about all of it."

I- I just stare at Hippo Dad for a moment as he interrupts my silence. "Wait, you... you- you hoped that-"

"Don't get me wrong, Cherri... I- I know that you tend to lie about a lot of other things. It's something I know full well, at this point. But- I was hoping that the bullying, that- that first half... this is just another one of the stories, those make believe stories, and that you and Gumi didn't- actually get bullied on your first day. That the day was actually- going good, before- ... all of this."

"... well, uhm... I guess it- could have gone better, but-"

"It's your first day of high school- both you and Gumi were here for your first day. I- I was hoping things would go better. That you'd fit in and all... I- I messed things all up, didn't I?"

"W-What? No, you didn't, you-"

"You got bullied because of the clothes, right? She picked on you because we got you a uniform, right? It- you- you probably-"

"Pops, just- just stop, it's fine, it's not your fault that-"

... I stop talking, as Hippo Dad begins to cry. As he sobs, as he covers his horrendous hippo face with his thick hands. Starting to tear up, starting to be sad. Crying for me as if he was actually concerned about me, blaming himself for all of today happening.

That look on his covered face- his anthropomorphic hippo face the entire time we've been sitting outside, it just- looks miserable, as if he's beating himself up in his head over this. Just letting his- his voice just muffle into his hands, helplessly sobbing pure misery into his fat and chubby hands and arms and all...

"..."

I just... I can't... I don't really know what to say right now. I don't know what I can do at this moment. This is like... the first time I've ever had to watch him cry.

Mr. California, if- if you're- if you're listening right now, could you- could you tell me what to do? Could you also become telepathic, and then tell me what to do to get him to stop crying? I genuinely- can't come up with anything. I don't know what will get him to stop.

Gumi would know better, if she does come out here soon, but- he's just crying his eyes out right now, and- and... like, I- I don't like it.

I don't like hearing his ugly sobs, his- horrifyingly grotesque and repulsive crying. It sounds awful. I hate it. Whether or not he's my real dad or stepdad or whatever, I just feel sick to my stomach watching this. I feel like I want to throw up.

Depending on what happens to Gumi inside, I- ... that leaves me as the only one able to do anything about this entire day. I'm the only one able to do anything at all for them. Things are just bound to get worse and Makeup Weasel's parents are probably going to do something and the principal and the teachers and all our other classmates and- ugh... it's too much for one girl to bear.

Just... p... please, please tell me what to do.

Please?