The sterile smell of antiseptic filled the small nurse’s office, mixing with the faint hum of the overhead lights. Valmet sat on the edge of the cot, her hands clenched into fists in her lap. Her leg bounced anxiously, the adrenaline from their narrow escape still coursing through her veins. Across the room, Steven paced, his eyes darting between the door and Valmet, clearly torn between relief and fear.

“Val, are you okay?” he asked, his voice barely more than a whisper. He reached for her hand, but Valmet pulled away, her eyes dark and distant.

“I’m fine,” she snapped, but her tone betrayed the lie. Her fingers trembled slightly as they curled into her palm. "I just... I can't believe this. That thing... whatever it was."

Steven bit his lip, glancing at the nurse's desk, cluttered with medical supplies and personal knick-knacks. His gaze landed on an old porcelain doll perched on the corner of a shelf. It looked out of place, its once-white dress yellowed with age, one of its blue glass eyes cracked. He shuddered and looked away.

"I don't know what that was either," he admitted, trying to keep his voice steady. "But we'll figure it out, okay? We always do." He moved closer, gently placing his hand on her shoulder. "Just... breathe. We’re safe now."

Valmet clenched her jaw. "Safe?" she muttered, her voice laced with bitterness. "You think we're safe, Steven? We just ran from a monster, and Nugget—he’s probably gone. And those cops... We’re not safe. Not in this city."

A sharp crack echoed through the room, causing both of them to flinch. Steven's head snapped towards the noise, and his heart sank when he saw the porcelain doll's head rolling off the shelf. It landed on the floor with a soft thud, rolling to a stop at Steven’s feet. He stared at it for a moment, the delicate head now separated from its fragile body, the cracked eye seeming to stare right at him.

Steven knelt down and picked it up, turning it over in his hands. “That’s... creepy,” he murmured, shaking his head as he placed the broken doll on the nurse’s desk. A chill ran down his spine, but he tried to shake it off. “Just a stupid old toy.”

Valmet’s eyes flickered toward the broken doll. A strange tension passed between them. For a second, she felt like she couldn’t breathe, like a thread was pulled tight inside her, on the verge of snapping.

Steven noticed her stiff posture and frowned. "Val?" He reached out, this time gripping her hand more firmly. “Hey. It’s alright. You’re alright.”

But Valmet jerked her hand away, rising suddenly from the cot. “Stop it! Just stop trying to calm me down like I’m some fragile little girl!” she snapped, “I said shut up!” Valmet barked, her hand flying before she could stop herself. Her palm collided with Steven’s cheek, a sharp slap that echoed in the small room.

He recoiled, his eyes wide, more in shock than pain. Steven recoiled, eyes wide in shock as he touched his cheek, stunned by the sudden outburst. Valmet immediately regretted it but couldn’t bring herself to say anything. Her heart pounded, not from fear this time, but from the electric tension between them. For a moment, the room was silent, thick with tension. Valmet's breath came in shallow gasps, her fists trembling at her sides. Steven stared at her, his shock quickly turning into something darker. His jaw tightened, and for the first time, Valmet saw a flash of anger in his eyes—something possessive, something unsettling.

“You think you can just hit me like that?” His voice was low, dangerous. He grabbed her wrist—not hard, but firm enough to get her attention. “What the hell was that for, Valmet?” His voice wasn’t soft anymore. It was low, almost growling. “I’m trying to help you. Don’t ever do that again, You’re lucky I love you so very much, my little bird. But don't push me.”

The room seemed to grow colder, a sharp contrast to the heat of the argument. Valmet blinked, stunned by the sudden shift in Steven’s demeanor. That wasn’t the sweet, naive Steven she knew. This was someone else—someone she didn’t recognize.

Steven shook his head, stepping back and running a hand through his hair. “Look, I didn’t mean it like that. Just... You need to stay calm. We need to figure this out together.” His voice softened again, the tension easing just a little. He sighed, his expression softening. “I’m sorry. I just… I didn’t expect that.” Scratching the back of his neck, clearly uncomfortable. “Look, let’s just figure out what happened today. We need answers.”

Valmet's heart pounded as she struggled to regain her composure. She sat back down on the cot, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. “Fine. We’ll figure it out.”

“Let’s start by going to the library. Maybe there’s something about that creature in one of the old books.” Steven sounded more like himself again, and the moment of tension seemed to slip away. But Valmet couldn’t shake the feeling that something had changed between them.

She nodded reluctantly. “Alright, but... what if it’s not in any book? What if we need real answers, from someone with access to more... classified information?”

Steven glanced at her warily. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying your dad’s the police chief. You know he’s got access to files the rest of us don’t. If you can just—”

“No,” Steven cut her off, his tone firm. “I’m not getting him involved. Not in this.”

Valmet frowned, frustration bubbling up again. Before she could argue, the lights flickered overhead, casting long, eerie shadows across the room. A chill crept into the air, raising goosebumps on Valmet’s arms. Then came the faint, distant sound of screams—teachers’ voices, echoing down the hallway.

Steven froze, his eyes wide with fear. “Did you hear that?”

Valmet didn’t respond, her eyes narrowing as she moved towards the door. “We need to hide.” as something could be heard coming this way.

They slipped out of the nurse’s office, pressing themselves against the cold walls of the hallway. The screams grew louder, more desperate, and the eerie flickering lights cast everything in a surreal, nightmarish glow. As they crept towards the library, Valmet’s heart pounded in her chest, the tension winding tighter and tighter.