Bella walked back into her room, feeling utterly exhausted. The day had been gruelling, and every part of her body felt heavy with fatigue. Ellena and Norah were waiting for her. As soon as Bella entered, Ellena immediately guided her to the chair.
"Sit," Ellena said, her voice filled with concern.
Norah quickly handed Bella a water bottle. Bella took it gratefully, and as she drank the first sip, a sharp, burning sensation shot through her throat. She immediately started coughing uncontrollably, unable to stop as the pain in her throat intensified.
Norah moved closer, rubbing Bella's back gently, trying to help her calm down.
Ellena, clearly frustrated, stood up and paced angrily. "This is too much," she said, her voice laced with anger. "Today was supposed to be our first day at the training camp. How could the officers do this to us? First day, and they give us such a hard punishment! This is so unfair!"
Bella, still coughing lightly, tried to smile weakly. "It was my fault," she said, her voice hoarse.
Norah, her touch still soothing on Bella's back, said softly, "Bella, go wash your face and get some rest."
Bella nodded and slowly stood up, walking towards the bathroom. When she looked at herself in the mirror, she didn't recognize her reflection for a moment. Her eyes were red and swollen, her lips cracked, and her hair was a tangled mess.
She took a deep breath, splashed cold water on her face, and rubbed her face dry with a towel before walking back into the room.
Ellena was sitting on the top bunk bed, waiting for her. As Bella walked in, Ellena looked up and said, "you can sleep on my bed tonight."
Bella hesitated for a moment, then replied, "Thank you."
*************************************************************************
The ear-splitting alarm blared at 5 o'clock in the morning, waking everyone in the room. Ellena jerked awake, groaning loudly. "What the hell?"
Norah, startled, woke up too, blinking at the harsh sound.
Bella, fresh from the bathroom, walked into the room and saw their reactions. She gave them a small, tired smile. "This alarm is meant to wake us up. It's time for morning exercise."
Within ten minutes, all the cadets were on the training ground. Officer Matthew and Officer Ethan stood on the field, waiting for them.
"Good morning, everyone," Officer Matthew said, his voice crisp and commanding. "I hope you all had a good night's rest. Now, it's time for morning exercise. Get ready to do 50 rounds of the training ground. After that, you'll be fresh and ready to join us at the Dining Hall for breakfast at 7:00 sharp."
Officer Ethan, who had been quietly watching Bella, glanced over at her and added with a smirk, "I hope you're not late."
After the exhausting morning exercise, Bella, who hadn't said much since last night, was feeling dizzy and drained. She barely spoke, her body still struggling from the fatigue of the previous day.
When breakfast was finally served in the Dining Hall, Bella stared at the simple meal before her: two pieces of toast, a bowl of oat porridge, a boiled egg, and a glass of milk. She took small bites of the porridge, feeling the familiar burning sensation in her throat, but this warm, simple breakfast meant a lot to her right now. While the others might consider the meal bland, for Bella, it was a comfort.
The day went on with little respite. At 8:00, they all gathered for theory classes, which lasted until 12:30 PM. Then, at 1:00 PM, they had a lunch break and some rest time before returning for another gruelling training session starting at 3:00 PM and lasting until 6:30 PM. Dinner was at 7:00 PM, followed by a light exercise session from 8:00 to 9:00. Afterward, the cadets were free to return to their rooms.