"Let go of me!" Melody Marsh struggled in terror. "Don't touch me!"
Her screams shattered into a series of choked, trembling sobs. Her face, drained of all color, was as pale as a sheet. Her wide eyes, fixed and staring, held an inescapable despair and terror.
"Let me go—!"
Melody Marsh grabbed the hem of Susan Roth's clothes, crying and pleading, "Aunt Helen, save me! Please make them let me go, okay?"
Susan Roth looked down at her condescendingly and said calmly, "Melody, don't be afraid. The two of them mean no harm. They just like making friends with people who get good grades."
"I don't want to." Melody Marsh shook her head frantically. "I don't want to be their friend! Aunt Helen, can you please make them let me go? I'm begging you…"
Susan Roth put on a helpless expression and shrugged. "Melody, I can't help you with this. After all, it's their right to make friends."
