Melanie nods. There's no reason to lie about it -- at least, not as far as she's considered. Tina seems a little confused by it, though. Maybe it's because Newt has been here for so long. But if Melanie was here for a year, she's pretty sure she would still miss Miss Justineau, and be happy to see her, and want to tell her friends if she'd arrived.

"I was having lessons with Sara, because it's not safe for me to go to school," Melanie explains. She follows Tina's glance toward the Nook, hearing the dismissal, but not entirely understanding it. "Are you leaving?" she asks, looking dismayed in spite of herself. It's rude to keep Tina if she wants to leave, but it's hard not to be disappointed that she's leaving just as Melanie's finally met her.