"Hey! Could someone lend a hand and unlock these chains?" Mr. Arcturus’s voice rang out, fraught with emotion as he struggled against his restraints, his eyes shimmering with tears. Despite his apparent distress, those who knew Mr. Arcturus well would recognize the act. But since the students wanted to see him suffer, Mr. Arcturus just gave them what they wanted, and that includes seeing him crying in fear.

With his wrists bound to one roller and his ankles secured to another, Mr. Arcturus stood restrained, wearing only a famous cartoon show boxer shorts and a plain white tank top that barely covered his torso (they took his clothes off him to humiliate him). Despite his impressive physique and defined muscles, the girls tasked with keeping an eye on him didn’t seem to care about his appearance. They were more interested in what was happening outside the classroom.

One of the girls watching him snapped at him. "Stop moving around, you jerk! Or I’ll cut out your tongue!" she threatened, brandishing a pair of grass shears, playfully opening and closing them mere inches from his face.

From where Mr. Arcturus was tied up, the girl appeared more like a playful predator than a hungry one. She looked rough around the edges, as if she had seen some hard times. Mr. Arcturus looked at her appearance. Her messy hair, tongue piercings, and tough character reminded him of a reptile that had been through many battles which made her seem even scarier and crazier. A female crocodile.

“So this is Nohea Fitcher,” thought Mr. Arcturus as he continued scrutinizing the girl threatening him with grass scissors. “Hmmm, exactly as the description indicates." The teacher then turned his attention to Zora and the other students who were still absorbed in watching the events outside. “Even though I'm captured, there's something I urgently need to say," he continued, squirming and forcing a smile in front of the four ladies.

Another girl, who’s also tasked with monitoring the instruments meant for Mr. Arcturus's torment, casted a disapproving look at the struggling teacher. In a controlled tone, she leaned in closer to the crocodile girl and said, "Ease up, psycho..." Her scowl then turned towards Zora as she added, "The idiot nerd guy handed him over to us."

While carefully arranging the set of tools laid out before her, the girl handed Nohea a test tube containing a vital fluid that could only be human blood. The sight of it sent a thrill of excitement through Nohea, her eyes widening with a morbid fascination as if it transformed her features into a twisted portrait of pleasure. 

She accepted the test tube greedily, cradling it in her palm as if it were a precious gemstone. "Where in the hell did you get this? You prick! I love you!" she screamed with excitement, lifting the test tube repeatedly as she danced around with wild abandon.

As Nohea swung the test tube around, disgust was written all over Mr. Arcturus's face. His brows knitted together, his top lip curled, and his bottom lip jutted out slightly—a perfect expression of revulsion, like someone watching something truly vile. Yet, despite his predicament, a strange sense of satisfaction crept in as he watched the cheerful student. It was odd, almost unsettling.

Elowynne cautioned, "Don't let your excitement get the better of you. That blood you're holding? It belongs to him." She pointed a steady finger directly at Mr. Arcturus, emphasizing the source of the chilling red substance in the test tube.

Nohea's energy came crashing down after Elowynne's disclosure, like a deflated balloon losing its air. Her once-radiant expression fell and was replaced by a heavy despondency. 

Mr. Arcturus' eyes widened in shock, his mouth falling open in genuine surprise. Elowynne's revelation had completely blindsided him.

"Wha- How? That's... my blood?!" stammered Mr. Arcturus in disbelief.

While everyone else was shocked, Mr. Arcturus remained unfazed. In fact, he seemed fascinated, as though he were witnessing something extraordinary unfold before his eyes. “So this is the skill of Elowynne Stein,” he mused, letting out a quiet sigh. His gaze fell to the small puncture in his arm, where blood trickled down. Elowynne had managed it without him even noticing, and he couldn’t help but feel impressed. “Just as I thought,” he murmured to himself. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he strained against the restraints.

Elowynne had the gentle, kind demeanor of a dove, but there was something off about her—a quiet deceit, like a trap waiting beneath her friendly exterior. She wasn’t like the doves you’d think of, the ones that symbolized peace and helping others. No, she was the opposite of that. There was an unsettling edge to her, a strange eagerness, like she didn’t care how much harm she caused or endured. Her body told its own dark story: purple bruises, heavy bags under her eyes, scars along her wrists—evidence of violence and pain. She was fragile, but in a way that made her dangerous, like her vulnerability was a weapon as much as her willingness to hurt. Mr. Arcturus saw right through her. Beneath all that softness, she was a reckless, self-destructive soul pretending to be something she wasn’t.

"T-This blood is from this idiot?!” Realizing the blood's origin, Nohea erupted at Elowynne. "Is this your way of punishing me for messing up your scissors or something?!"

Given their unpleasant history with authority figures like the librarian, the soldiers and some new teachers from the past, it's understandable that the students didn’t like the idea of touching them, holding them, or being comfortable around Mr. Arcturus, how much more if they were handling his blood. So that reaction from Nohea was valid. He couldn't help but sigh heavily at the sight of Elowynne and Nohea quarreling before him.

Elowynne shot back at Nohea, her voice full of anger. “It wasn't just any old scissors, you granny shit stinky face!” she practically shouted, pointing her finger right at Nohea's face. Nohea was obviously offended by how Elowynne called her and became self-conscious for a while. She unconsciously touched her messy hair as if she knew what Elowynne had meant by ‘granny’. On the other hand, Elowynne tightly clutched a knife as if she were about to stab Nohea. 'They were my precious Potts-Smith scissors!”

As sharp words flew between them, Nohea and Elowynne engaged in a heated exchange, trading verbal stabs in a manner that didn't surprise Mr. Arcturus. He had anticipated as much, aware of both Nohea and Elowynne's formidable reputation in the scientific community. “H-Hey, girls,” Mr. Arcturus called awkwardly, trying to be respectful as much as possible but no one listened to him, even the other two girls who were guarding him were busy watching what happened outside. 

Mr. Arcturus squirmed his back and tried to say something. “It’s really an urgent request! I have to say it but it’s embarrassing,” he murmured.

Nohea and Elowynne just continued fighting. Beyond their scientific expertise, they shared a profound emotional bond that complemented each other perfectly. Yet, despite their intelligence, their arguments resemble childish squabbles devoid of logic.

With the tension between Nohea and Elowynne growing stronger, Mr. Arcturus stayed lively and active. Suddenly, he interrupted them by saying, “Hey, I've got a really bad itch on my back!” “And that’s my urgent request!” he continued.