章 38: The Prodigious Nim, Part Seven

{Melisa}

Melisa lay motionless on her bed, her face buried in her pillow as she tried her best to suffocate herself. 

[I'm going to die,] she thought, her entire body burning with embarrassment. [I'm actually going to die right here, right now, and honestly? That might be the best outcome.] 

She rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. 

[Maybe I should just... never do that again. Ever. For the rest of my life. Yep, that's it. Melisa Blackflame, the Nim That Never Touched Herself. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?]

Just as she was considering the logistics of becoming a celibate hermit mage, the door creaked open once more.

Melisa sprang to her feet so quickly she nearly toppled over, her face flushing an even deeper shade of purple.

"I'm so sorry!" she blurted out, her words tumbling over each other in her haste. "I didn't mean to— I was just— Oh god, I'm so embarrassed."