His eyes met hers, steady and unwavering.

"I didn’t save you because I wanted attention. I didn’t do it because I thought I was a hero. I did it because it was the right thing. Because no one else was stepping up. And if it happened again, I’d do it the same way, every time."

The room fell silent. Morgana’s breath hitched, her wide eyes locked on him. For a moment, all the noise outsidem the laughter, the taunts, even Big D’s presence... faded into nothing. Her lips trembled, but this time it wasn’t from fear.

"Y-You... really mean that?"

"Every word."

Morgana expression softened, some of the tension breaking as tears pricked the edges of her eyes. She tried to hide them, lowering her face, but not before Sid saw the flicker of something shift in her like his words had reached a place no one had bothered to touch before.

The speaker buzzed faintly, but for once Big D didn’t jump in right away. The silence that followed Sid’s confession spoke louder than any taunt could. Then a faint sniffle crackled through the static. Big D cleared his throat, but it came out shaky.

"Fine. Clue one granted. That was... genuine."

Sid tilted his head, brows shooting up. A slow grin tugged at his lips.

"Wait a second. Are you—are you in tears right now?"

"No! Shut up! I’m not crying, dumbass! Don’t flatter yourself. Dust in the booth, that’s all!"

"Uh-huh. Sure. Dust. Got it."

Sid chuckled. He leaned back against the wall, letting the moment sit before Big D cut in again. Then Big D snapped, his voice hard again.

"Alright, your turn, witch! If you want to leave this booth, you gotta confess something too. Speak up, or you’re stuck there until the bell."

Morgana flinched at the word "witch," her shoulders shrinking in even tighter. Her mouth opened, then closed again. No words came. Sid noticed her fists trembling in her lap, the cuffs clinking softly against her wrist. He softened his voice.

"Hey. Don’t stress. It doesn’t have to be huge. Just... something real. I already went first. We’re in this together, okay? One step, and we get closer to getting out of here."

She shifted, slowly uncoiling from the shadows, edging forward just a little. The light finally brushed across her face, and she took a shaky breath, lips parting—

"Come on, witch! Quit wasting time! Spit it out already!"

Big D’s voice boomed from the speaker. The static made his jeering laugh sting even harder.

"What, cat got your tongue? Or do you want me to come down there and cut it out myself?"

Sid’s teeth ground together. He glared up at the ceiling.

"Tch... this dumbass doesn’t even know what he’s talking about."

But Big D wasn’t done. His voice turned nastier, dripping with cruel amusement.

"Pathetic witch. If you can’t say anything, then why don’t you just tell us why your face is burned, huh? What was it? Did someone try to torch you alive because you’re a witch?"

Morgana froze. The blood drained from her face as her whole body shivered. Her hand shot up instinctively to cover the side of her face, but too late... the light caught it. Sid’s eyes widened as he saw it clearly for the first time: angry, scarred skin running down her cheek, a burn that stretched from temple to jaw.

She turned away instantly, shame twisting her body like a knot. Sid leaned forward, his voice protective.

"Hey, stop. You don’t need to tell me that. You don’t owe him a damn thing."

But Big D still persist his taunting cruel.

"What’s the matter, witch? Too ugly to speak up? Or maybe you’re scared he’ll look at you the way everyone else does. Like a freak."

Morgana’s breath hitched. Sid clenched his fists, fury sparking, but before he could say more, she spoke. Her voice cracked, broken and trembling, but loud enough to be heard.

"It... it wasn’t because I’m a witch..."

She lowered her hand, forcing herself to face forward though her eyes glistened with tears.

"One night... my—my father was drunk. He... he was always angry. He hit me hard and I... I fell."

Her voice shook harder, but she pushed on.

"The kettle was boiling on the stove. I slipped. It spilled over me."

The silence after her words was heavy, pressing against the booth walls. Her voice was small, but her confession filled every corner of the space. She hugged herself tight, eyes cast down, trembling as if reliving every second of that night.

Her fear wasn’t about the booth, or Big D, or even the laughter outside. It was the weight of everything she carried, forced out into the open.

Sid watched her, jaw tight, chest heavy. He saw her now not just the burned face, not just the "witch" they called her but the girl who survived something no one should ever have endured.

"That’s... cruel. Why would your father do that to you? To beat a girl, his own child—this skinny, quiet girl... I hate people like that. F*ck!"

Morgana lowered her head, her fingers curling tight against her cuffs. Her voice came out small. She whispered, shoulders trembling.

"I... I am sorry if my confession made you angry... I didn’t mean to upset you. I... I’m sorry for bringing it up at all."

Her eyes stayed fixed on the floor, as if even looking at Sid would be too much. Sid shot to his feet, fury blazing in his eyes. He slammed his cuffed hands against the wall and roared toward the speaker.

"So now, huh? You happy? You satisfied making her spill her pain just for your little show?!"

For once, Big D didn’t laugh. His voice cracked, wavering in guilt.

"I... I didn’t mean it like that. I just... every time she shows up in my content, my views shoot up. People tune in. The school loves it. They love her."