'God will forgive you.'- that's what they told them. 'God doesn't exist.'- that's what Seulgi believed. But nobody cared what Seulgi believed in. She was the sinner- so she had to obey. That were the principles her school followed.
The Lakeland Girl...
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31 days before
Irene's POV:
The steamy air filled the whole room, the nice smell of soup making its way to her nose, the sound of vegetable frying in the pan. Two Nuns were cutting some onions, Sister Eleen was regulating the oven.
Irene looked down, seeing her own cutting board. She got assigned to mix up all the ingredients in the big pot, but ended up chopping some carrots too. Mina's eyes were focused on every movement she did. Again, she had to show her how to do it properly.
"It's not that hard. I guess you have cooked a soup before, haven't you?"
Mina looked at her with big eyes. Irene immediately noticed shame in her eyes. She bit her lip and shook her own head. "That's really not a problem. You have to start chopping the carrot first vertical and then horizontal. Make little cubes so we don't need so much time to cook them."
Irene smiled and pushed the board to her. Mina's hands trembled a bit.
"Try it", she encouraged the girl.
Mina had been with them for almost two months now, helping in the kitchen everywhere she could. For Irene, she was like a puppy that followed her everywhere she went. She had become more independent with the time, but it was still hard to try new things with her.
Mina was extremely introverted. Maybe even more introverted than her dorm member Dami. Despite of some questions she asked, nobody got to hear her voice. Irene wondered why she was here. Living and learning at the Lakeland Girls Academia for Troubled Teens.
The last term was even describing it: Troubled Teens. Children that had gone through a lot and had a problem with their parents and environment. In what tremendous incident could have Mina been involved? Or was it something else...
She would never find it out.
Nobody talked about the Reasons. That's what they called all the happenings that turned them into Troubled Teens. That's why they were here. And it was private.
Except of Seulgi's past, she knew nothing about the other students. Nothing about their family, their former friends, their past... She was the only one that knew the Reasons of Seulgi. And vice versa.
It was a history she wasn't proud of. But Irene had changed. This school had influenced the depths of her soul. The bottom of her mind. Just her heart stayed the same.
And it craved more and more for freedom.
"Perfect!", Irene blurted out as she saw the final product of Mina's chopping. In reality it was just a normal mixed vegetable bowl, but she needed to raise Mina's self-esteem. And had to build up a bond between them. It was at least a try.
"Thank you", the girl stuttered. Irene took the bowl and added the ingredients to the pot. It already smelled deliciously. With some easy movements, she rapidly chopped some juniper berries to give it the last touch.
