Loyal

"What are you doing?" Adi snapped out of her daze and ran to Para, trying to untangle the roots that had wrapped around her friend.

Aru ignored her and walked towards Dal and the bullies.

"Did you do it?" he asked, stopping just a couple of feet in front of Dal.

"No," Dal replied, mustering every ounce of courage he had.

Aru walked past him, leaving Dal confused.

'He believed it?' Dal thought, bewildered. He couldn't understand why Aru would believe him.

Before Dal could process it, Aru approached the two kids behind him and repeated the question, "Did you do it?"

"No," one of them said while the other shook his head. 

"Are you sure?" Aru emphasized.

The kids seemed to have decided to lie, shaking their heads repeatedly.

Aru let out a disappointed sigh. It was easy for him to see who the real culprits were. After all, the lies of a six-year-old stood no chance against Aru.