Chapter 35: The Incident

Dorah slowly stirred from sleep, her eyelids fluttering open just a bit before squeezing shut again. A sharp ray of sunlight pierced through the curtains, shining directly into her eyes. She groaned softly, shielding her face with her palm. Forcing herself to sit up, she reached down and slipped her feet into her fluffy slippers. The moment she stood up, a wave of weakness washed over her, making her stagger slightly. 'What's wrong with me?" she mumbled to herself, confused and slightly alarmed by how drained she felt. Still, she pushed herself forward, dragging her feet toward the window. She pulled the curtain shut, trying to block out the light. Her mum must have come in to wake her up earlier, so why hadn't she? Just as she reached the bathroom door, she let out a sudden sneeze. 'You good?" a familiar voice asked from behind. Startled, she turned and saw her mum, Agnes, standing by the door, arms crossed with concern etched on her face. 'Yeah, just a little weak," Dorah replied quietly, walking back to the bed and lowering herself onto it. 'You don't look so good. How are you feeling?" Agnes asked, stepping closer and reaching out to check her temperature. 'I'm fine, Mum. You don't need to worry about me," Dorah said, her voice nearly a whisper. She shifted slightly, avoiding her mum's hand, knowing that if Agnes touched her burning forehead, she'd go into full panic mode. 'Jeez, stop treating me like a kid. I can take care of myself," Dorah muttered, standing up with effort and dragging her feet toward the bathroom. 'I'm going to take my bath. I'm already late for school," she said, waving her hand dismissively. Agnes hesitated but turned to leave. Just as she reached the door, a loud crash echoed from the bathroom. 'DORAH!" Agnes screamed, spinning around and rushing to the bathroom in panic. Meanwhile at school... 'I haven't seen Dorah since morning," Miranda said, peering out the classroom window, brows furrowed. 'Really?" Jace replied, not looking up from his notebook as he scribbled down answers. 'Yeah. Do you know why she's not in school?" Miranda asked, turning to him. 'She might be in class. You should check there," Jace suggested, still focused. 'You're right. Let's go check," she said, grabbing his hand and pulling him up before he could object. As they made their way through the hallway, they ran into Prudence and Emma. 'Oh! We were just coming to meet you two," Emma said. 'We were heading to your class too. Where's Dorah? She's not with you guys?" Miranda asked, glancing around as if Dorah might suddenly appear. 'We were about to ask the same thing. Do you know why she's not in school?" Prudence replied, pointing a finger accusingly. 'What?!" Jace exclaimed, glancing at his watch. 'So Dorah's really not in school even now?" 'That's what we said. It's unlike her to miss school like this. Something must've happened," Prudence said with concern. Immediately, Jace pulled out his phone and dialed Dorah's number. It rang, but there was no answer. 'She's not picking up," he muttered, which made the others tense up. 'Let me try," Emma said, dialing Dorah's number herself. A moment later, she lowered the phone. 'Still not answering." 'What's going on? I hope she's okay," Miranda said, watching Jace as he tried calling again. Jace hesitated, then quickly dialed his dad's number. Joseph picked up almost immediately. 'Hey, boy. Why are you calling me at this time? Aren't you....." 'Dad," Jace cut in urgently, 'please help me call Dorah's mum. She's not in school and isn't answering her phone." 'You don't have lectures?" Joseph asked, sounding a little annoyed. 'Dad," Jace groaned in frustration. 'Okay, okay, calm down. I'll call her now. Don't panic, alright? I'm sure she's fine," Joseph said and hung up. They waited tensely. Minutes ticked by. 'Is he not calling back?" Emma asked, her voice tight. Just as Jace reached for his phone again, it rang. 'Dad! What did she say?" he asked immediately. 'Dorah's in the hospital," Joseph replied. 'She fainted in the bathroom this morning." 'What?! She fainted?!" Jace exclaimed, drawing the attention of nearby students. 'Calm down, son. She's getting treated and it's nothing too serious. The doctors are on it." 'Okay… okay, Dad." 'I'll talk to you later. I'm busy now," Joseph said before ending the call. The others didn't bother asking for an update, they had heard every word. The atmosphere turned heavy as silence settled between them. Then, the bell rang, signaling the end of the break period. 'What do we do now?" Emma asked. 'We won't be allowed out of school at this hour." 'You guys should head back to class," Miranda said after a moment. 'Since she's receiving treatment and it's not serious, we'll check on her after school." Emma and Prudence nodded quietly. 'I just pray she'll be fine," Prudence muttered as they began walking back to their class. 'Ronald!" Jace suddenly called, his eyes wide as if something just clicked. 'Jace!" Miranda called after him as he broke into a run. She let out a scoff and took off after him, confused by the sudden urgency. On her way, she collided with Helena, who landed squarely on her butt. 'Hey! Watch where you're going!" Helena shouted. Miranda stood tall, arms crossed, towering over her. 'You should be the one to watch your back, bitch," she snapped with a deadly glare. 'What?!" Helena asked, stunned and confused. 'I don't have your time," Miranda scoffed, brushing past her and continuing her chase. Back in class, Jace pushed the door open. There was no teacher present, but all heads turned toward him. He marched straight to Ronald's desk. 'Ronald, I need your help. It's Dorah," he said, breathless and desperate.