In the cafeteria, Ellena leaned a little closer to Bella and asked quietly, "Why did Officer Becky call you to her office?"
Bella kept her eyes fixed on the plate in front of her. Without looking up, she replied, "Nothing. She was just asking about my dad."
Norah exhaled in relief. "Thank God. For a second I thought she caught you doing something again. Honestly, I don't understand why she targets you so much."
Harry chimed in, his voice low but firm. "Yeah, I've noticed it too."
Bella shook her head gently. "You guys are overthinking it. It's nothing like that. She's the discipline in-charge—it's her job to keep things in order."
Everyone nodded and returned to their meals, letting the conversation drift to other, lighter topics. But Bella barely touched her food. After forcing down just two or three bites, she pushed her chair back and stood up.
Norah looked up in surprise. "That's it? You've barely eaten anything."
Ellena added, her tone concerned, "You'll get sick if you don't eat properly."
Bella gave a faint nod. "I'm just not feeling hungry. I'm going out to get some fresh air."
They both nodded, though worry lingered in their expressions.
Outside, Bella made her way to the training ground. In a short while, they were scheduled for light evening exercises, but for now, the field was quiet. She walked over to one of the marble benches placed along the edge and sat down, her gaze lost in the distance.
The breeze played with her hair, brushing it softly across her face. But her mind wasn't on the wind or the stillness around her.
Inside her head, a reel of thoughts played on loop—the conversation between Officer Ethan and Officer Matthew from the day before, and then, Officer Becky's sharp words from earlier. The tension she'd been holding in her shoulders began to settle as a dull ache in her temples.
She closed her eyes briefly, trying to block out the noise inside her mind.
Then, she felt it—someone sitting beside her.
She didn't have to turn to know who it was.
Officer Ethan sat down quietly beside Bella, watching her for a moment before speaking.
"You didn't eat, did you?"
Bella didn't turn to look at him. Her gaze stayed fixed ahead as she replied flatly, "I wasn't hungry."
She stood up to leave, brushing imaginary dust from her uniform, but before she could take a step, Ethan reached out and gently grabbed her wrist, stopping her.
"If you don't eat properly," he said, his voice calm but firm, "where will your energy come from? The training is getting more intense every day."
Bella pulled her hand free from his grip, her tone sharp now. "You don't need to worry about me. Even if I do fall sick, I won't become a burden to you."
Ethan stared at her, caught off guard by the sudden shift in her tone—her words cutting deeper than he expected.
Bella continued, her voice tight, fighting back the tears threatening to rise in her eyes. "And you don't have to take care of me either."
With that, she turned and walked away, her steps quickening, shoulders stiff. Ethan remained seated, watching her leave—too stunned to move, too confused to understand what had just happened.
He couldn't figure out where all of it was coming from, or what he had missed.