White ceiling and hanging vines.
Kira woke up and nearly dove out her bed only to stop because of her throbbing shoulder.
"Ow—"
"Shh! Don't move! You'll open it again!"
Jex. His face was right above hers, eyes puffy. His hair was a walking bird nest
Kira tried to sit up but Jex's hands on her shoulder stopped her from sitting up.
As she went back to laying down, she spotted many beds, some occupied some empty but had traces of someone being there a couple minutes ago. Along with the healer, Famir who had just changed a kid's bandage and was retreating to his desk.
"Where are we?" Kira whispered.
"Infirmary. But different from the one we are used to. You've been out for hours." Jex said, before Kira felt the side of her bed dip and another figure popped into view
Kealor was already awake, grinning despite the bandage around his stomach.
"Morning, sleepyhead!" Kealor said. "You finally woke up. You had us worried."
"Kealor, be quiet!" Lucian hissed from his bed, holding his head. "My head hurts."
Kira noted his voice was closer and saw his bed was the next bed after hers to the right.
Nirro was on the floor, his back against Jex'bed. He just stared at Kira. Then gave her a thumbs up.
Jex said "I thought we died…"
"No kidding, and I thought instructor Ryven was cruel" Kealor said, "Eoman nearly killed us" he said as he touched his neck where a small cut had healed.
"What did you expect?That they will pamper us? It might just get worse from here on out" Lucian said, his back towards them as he recounted the fresh memory of Eoman smiling at them whilst being ready to kill them.
"No. Who could forget. Especially when we first got here. But I hoped that would have been the last time" Kealor said. Everyone knew the haunting memory of their arrival.
And it made everyone uncomfortable. Having the thoughts that they might go through it again.
"And Sapphire?" Kira asked, noting that she had not seen, while also trying to change the subject, she was failing at it,
"He was sent on an errand, He should be back soon" Kealor chimed, understanding Kira's decision.
Restless, Kealor started swinging himself between Kira's and Lucian's beds, using the frames as an anchor.
"For someone who got stabbed yesterday, you have a lot of energy," Lucian muttered without looking up.
"You're going to open your wound" Jex said anxiously darting from Kealor to Famir
Kealor waved him off. "I'm fine. See? He twisted to prove it, and his whole face went white
"Ouch," Kealor said as a thin red line started to bloom through his white bandage
Lucian muttered. "Idiot."
"Get back in bed. Cause if that wound opens. I will finish the job myself" Famir said with cool collectiveness before turning back to his papers.
The kids didn't know who he was talking to but Kealor dared not to touch the ground, instead he hissed at Lucian.
"Luc. Luc!"
"What?"
"Shift let me stay with you"
"No."
"Why?"
"Because you have your own bed."
"Your closer"
"The answer is no"
"I am jumping."
"What! I said—Ugh!" Lucian was caught off guard as Kealor's body was already heading straight at him.
They both instinctively flinch or shield their faces and body for a split second before collision. But Lucian stopped taking into consideration of someone else's injury
Lucian groaned as pain caused through his leg and abdomen before cast an irritated look at the smiling perpetrator.
"You." Lucian said harshly, hands trying to push Kealor out of his bed but that proved impossible for an immovable koala.
Eventually Lucian gave up and shifted so Kealor was now looking at Kira.
The door clicked.
Everyone shut up instantly. Famir bothered not to look up, head still deep in his notes.
Ryven then walked in. He didn't look worried; he looked tired and annoyed, like someone who had waited up all night. He swept his eyes over the beds, counting them.
"You are all awake," he said. "Good. Your instructor is around."
The word instructor made every child in the room freeze. Kira's hand instinctively clutched her throbbing shoulder, the memory of whistling wood and sharp points flashing behind her eyes.
Ryven gave a curt nod and exited, leaving a heavy, suffocating silence in his wake.
Sapphire had just slipped inside prior to Ryven departure, took a spot near the window, right after Ryven left, did he move past the beds to drop the tray of herbs he had been sent to retrieve on to Famir, the healer's table.
Kira looked toward the window. The curtain was moving, even though the glass was shut. Sapphire, who had just quietly sat down on Jex's bed, followed her gaze then to her trembling fingers. He didn't say anything out loud. But a promise was made.
Outside, a faint handprint pressed against the glass caught the light. No one else saw it except Nirro, who quietly got up and wiped it away with his sleeve before Kira could look back.
The heavy silence hung over them until Kealor loudly broke it with a yawn. "I'm hungry. Does being almost killed mean we get extra food?"
Lucian kicked Kealor. "You only think about food!"
Jex peeked from his blanket. "I want extra food too…"
And just like that, they were bickering again, like children.
Kira laughed a little, then winced from her shoulder.
For a second, she forgot about my lady and Kiri-Sol and the blank-faced woman.
For a second, they were just kids in the infirmary, arguing about food.
______
Breakfast was a quiet affair. Even Kealor didn't finish his extra food, his eyes darting toward the heavy oak doors of the dining hall. Jex vomited midway and Kira battled with her injured shoulder. But all in all, the food had not been appetizing but they were still tasked to finish it.
When they reached the training grounds, the morning air was crisp. Eoman was already waiting, leaning against a platform. Casually plucking leaves one by one from the branch he was holding. Smiling as he watched the approaching children.
"Line up, young mortals," Eoman said, his voice smooth and inviting. While his eyes moved from one face to another, searching.
Sapphire immediately moved, stepping into the space right in front of Kira. His tall height hid her, his shoulders tense, creating a physical wall between Kira and the instructor.
He wanted Eoman to look at him. He wanted to be the target.
But Eoman had already seen her then grind slyly as he met the eyes of his obstacle.