"Let me take it up for you."
"Thank you." Mia Ginger suddenly took the iodine and band-aids from his hand and stood up directly.
Camden River was stunned for a moment, then quickly got up as well.
"I’ll go back and clean it myself." Mia forced a smile, "Thank you."
"...It’s nothing." Camden was taken aback and gave a small smile.
Mia nodded, clenched the items in her hand, and turned to climb the stairs.
Her back was slightly hunched.
It looked as though something was weighing her down.
Yet she walked steadily, as if her knee wasn’t injured at all.
Just watching her, Camden felt a bit uncomfortable.
He wasn’t familiar with this girl, but every time he met her, she gave him a different feeling.
When they first met, she had a smile on her lips, walking in the sunlight, pure and quiet; the other night when they bumped into each other, she was cold and guarded, making her hard to approach; on the military training ground, she was full of spirit, displaying another kind of valor; and now, she looked lost and helpless, stirring compassion.
Did something happen?
Camden was puzzled. Watching Mia’s figure disappear at the dormitory entrance, he sighed internally and turned back.
Mia returned to the dormitory at half past eleven.
The five others in the dorm were already resting, and Camilla Davis just happened to get up at night and opened the door for her.
Mia’s lip was split and bleeding; her pants were torn and bleeding too.
"What happened?" Camilla’s sleepiness dissipated slightly, and she stepped aside to let her in, whispering, "How did you end up ?"
"It’s nothing, just fell down." Mia smiled at her, went to her place to sit down, and without turning on the light, using a bit of moonlight streaming through the window, bowed her head to disinfect her wounds.
She was actually most afraid of pain.
Sometimes even hitting the corner of a table made her feel unbearable.
Mechanically cleaning her wounds, as if she felt nothing.
The entire day from morning till night, repression, anger, pain, helplessness, so many emotions weighed on her, she had no way to vent.
What else could she do?
She put down the iodine, took out the key, and opened the drawer beside her.
She reached in, felt for the pendant Koa Jackson gave her, clenched it in her hand for a long moment, then put it back.
She took out a photo frame.
Her fingertips slightly trembled, touching the smiling face of Camilla Davis in the photo.
She pressed her forehead against it and softly called, "Mom."
She felt like she truly had nothing left.
The next day, early morning.
At twenty past five, the hallway began to echo with the sound of chaotic footsteps.
Mia woke up quickly as well.
She folded her quilt into a neat block, grabbed her towel and toothbrush, and went to wash up.
Both her lip and knee were wounded, and she finally felt the pain. From the moment she woke up, she had been frowning slightly, an expression that kept others at a distance.
"Are you alright?" Camilla’s voice was small as she asked.
"I’m fine." Mia smiled at her, "I just fell hard because I wasn’t looking on the way back."
"Why not take a leave?" Camilla, realizing it was inappropriate, sighed, "Maybe it’s best you don’t. You don’t know, the instructor was like he was on fire yesterday, and besides, he asked..."
"Wren!" Wren King, who had just finished washing up, suddenly turned her head and said, "Hurry up, there are only fifteen minutes left."
"Oh, oh." Camilla stopped mid-sentence and started washing her face.
Soon, everyone finished tidying up and headed to the playground.