The next day, Aurora stuck to her hellish routine, and at the end of the day, she was, as usual, using the camp building as support and heading back to her room at night.

Yesterday, when she got to her room after the conversation with Atticus, she regretted what she had said.

'It's not his fault,' she thought. She knew yesterday she was just looking for someone to pour her frustrations on.

She knew deep down that Atticus had nothing to do with the way she's being treated. 'He'll probably not talk to me again,' she thought sadly as she kept struggling to walk.

Just as she got to the same corner she had that interaction with Atticus yesterday, she heard a voice, a voice she was all too familiar with already, "Do you want to keep doing this?"

Her eyes widened. 'He didn't leave,' she thought. She quickly turned and saw Atticus standing there, his piercing blue eyes still maintaining that emotionless gaze.

She clenched her fist and replied, "I don't need your pity. You should mind your business." And just like yesterday, she turned and started walking away.

Atticus again did nothing to stop her and just watched her leave. After she left, he turned and started heading towards his room.

The next day, Aurora made sure to leave very late in order to avoid a certain blue-eyed boy, in case he decided to come again.

But despite her caution, as if on replay, she still heard the same emotionless voice as she was passing by the corner, "Do you want to keep doing this?"

'Shit,' she thought. But this time she didn't even turn to face him. She didn't say anything. She just kept struggling to walk forward, trying to get to her room.

And as usual, Atticus did nothing to stop her.

And this was how Aurora's nights went every day. After the hellish training, heading to her room, she would unfailingly meet Atticus with his usual cold eyes and hear the same question over and over again, "Do you want to keep doing this?"

This went on for about a week. And during this week, she had come to like the interaction.

After Aurora's mother died, she had her father for support. Although devastated by her mother's death, her father provided warmth for her. But after arriving at camp, all that warmth vanished, leaving her devoid of any love in her life.

She didn't have any friends in camp. With her spending practically all day training, it wasn't possible to socialize.

And although she wouldn't want to admit it, during the weeks when Atticus had always come out unfailingly to meet her, despite his emotionless gaze, it made her feel cared for, something she desperately needed.

Although her days were still filled with hellish training, it still made her feel a little happy to always see him there every night, like a little light bringing up an area in an unending dark tunnel.

She smiled a little as she once again ignored Atticus's question, struggling to walk to her room.

The next day, Aurora was, as usual, struggling to walk to her room, already anticipating the cold, emotionless voice as she got to the usual corner. But to her surprise, she got there and she didn't hear anything.

She quickly turned and looked around, trying to find Atticus, but she didn't see anyone. "Maybe he had something to do today?" She muttered.

Then, with slight hesitation, she continued walking to her room.

The next day, heading back to her room after her hellish training, the same thing repeated itself. She looked around but couldn't find Atticus anywhere.

"Today too?" She muttered, trying to convince herself that he had something to do today too. After a few seconds, she unwillingly turned her gaze from the corner and went to her room.

This scene repeated itself for a few days, with Aurora anticipating that voice and getting disappointed when he didn't show.

Not getting her usual respite every night was starting to get to her.

Initially, it was fine because there was no expectation, and she wasn't excited about anything, but getting used to the little happiness every night after her hellish day, it was painful that it just stopped like that.

'He left,' she thought, saddened, while walking towards her room after not seeing him at the corner again.

After that, anytime she was going back to her room, despite realizing that he wasn't coming again, she couldn't help but look around, anticipating his voice anytime she got to the usual corner. But the same thing repeated itself, and she unwillingly left to her room.

And then the days passed. She was walking back to her dorm room, having already accepted that he wasn't coming back, and no amount of anticipation could change this.

As she got to the usual corner, she heard a voice that she had been anticipating for a while, "Do you want to keep doing this?"

Aurora froze. His voice made her feel warm, very warm, despite it being cold.

She quickly turned and saw the usual emotionless gaze he always had.

Seeing him, she didn't know how or why, but tears started streaming out of her eyes like a flood.

Aurora broke down, her legs losing all their strength as she fell, wailing and crying loudly, while wiping her tears with her sleeve, muttering within sobs, "No, I don't want to do this," sniffling her nose,

"I… it hur…t so bad."

***