Aurora stared at her mother, confused. "What?" she said, straining her neck to get a glimpse of what her mother was referring to.
"There on your neck," Eleanor said, her gaze fixed on the dark mark. She strained her eyes, leaning over the table to get a closer look. "It looks like a bruise or something. Did you hurt yourself?"
As her mother's words registered in her head, Aurora's eyes widened, panic creeping into her expression as her hand instinctively moved to cover the spot on her neck. "Oh, that? It's just a scratch from a loose branch while I was outside," she quickly explained, attempting to downplay the situation.
Eleanor squinted at the mark, clearly not convinced. "A scratch? It looks more like a... well, it looks like a bite mark."
Aurora stammered, her mind racing as she saw her life flash before her eyes. "No, no, it's really just a scratch. I didn't even notice it until now. Probably got it while I was in a hurry to get ready."
