Chapter 6 Broken vows Mended heart

The bitter morning air wrapped around Anna like an unrelenting vice as she woke to the sound of the school bell ringing through the dimly lit dormitory. The thin blanket barely held in any warmth, and her breath rose heavily as she sat up. Around her, the other girls stirred rubbing their cold stiffened hands together before shuffling from their hard mattresses.Anna had barely gotten used to the cold stone floors beneath her feet, and this particular morning was the worst of all.

The water in the communal basin had frozen overnight, Leaving the girls to splash their faces with whatever droplets remain unfrozen.

Teeth chattering, Anna scrubbed her face and pulled her rough, tattered uniform over her thin frame. The uniform, once a deep shade of blue, had faded over time to a dull grayish one, the fabric worn thin in places. She ran her fingers through her tangled hair, tying it into a loose braid before stepping into the freezing hallway where other girls were already shuffling towards the dining hall. The dining hall was scarcely warmer than the dormitory. There was long, wooden tables stretched across the vast room, the wood brought dust as a result of old years of use. She stepped into the dining hall, the overwhelming scent of boiled oats filled her nostrils. The meal, if it could be called that,was a thin porridge with little substance, it's watery consistency doing little to warm the worms in her stomach.The meal was the same as the day before, a thin watery porridge poured into small wooden bowls. She forced herself to swallow it as she observed the other girls. Some squatted over their bowls, their eyes hollow with quiet resignation. Others stared at the teachers, as if hoping for something better. Miss Sharon's sharp voice was filled in the thin air. "Hurry up. You're wasting time".

Anna swallowed the last spoonful and followed the line of students out of the dining hall and into the Classroom, her fingers very stiff from cold. The classroom was not better than the dormitory . It's walls were bare, save for a large blackboard at the front, and the only source of light came from the narrow windows that let in a dull,grayish glow. The wooden desks were old and faded, covered in ink stains and deep grooves where frustrated students had carved their initials. Miss Shalom stood at the front of the room,her eyes sweeping over the class.Anna barely had time to open her notebook before the lesson started, and before she looked up, She noticed Olivia siting across from her. The girls posture was straight, her hands resting lightly on the desk, her expression calm despite the cooling air. Her hair was neatly braided even though her uniform was just as worn as everyone else's, She carried herself with an air of quiet dignity. Miss Shalom entered the room with a sharp sound of her heels. She stared at the class like someone who was deeply curious, her eyes staring at Olivia for a couple of minutes before she began the Lesson. As the lesson continued, Anna's mind was filled with new information , and though she struggled to keep up, She found herself fascinated until She noticed Miss Shalom's eyes narrowing at Olivia. " Olivia Sarah". Miss Shalom's voice cut through the air. " What is the answer to the equation on the board?". Without hesitation, Olivia recited the answer in a steady,unwavering voice. Miss Shalom stared at her and pursed her lips. " Wrong". A mixture of confusion ran through the Classroom. Anna frowned, Olivia had been right.

" I...I thought .."Olivia began, but before she could finish, Miss Shalom's ruler struck down upon her desk with a sharp crack. "You thought?" Miss Shalom mocked her . "If you had spent less time lost in your foolish day dreams and more time focusing,you wouldn't be such a failure".

The class fell silent. Olivia lowered her gaze,but her face remained impressive. Anna bit her nails. How could Olivia endure this humiliation without saying a word? Before she could dwell on it further . Miss Shalom brought out a pair of cane, striking Oliva across the neck with a bunch of Cane.The sound echoed everywhere. Anna sucked in a breath,expecting Olivia to cry out. But Olivia remained still, her eyes clear as sunrise and her face unreadable. She didn't move an inch or cry.Anna became angry within her. Why doesn't She fight back? She thought to herself. The lesson continued as if nothing happened, but Anna's thoughts were elsewhere. Oliva's silent endurance haunted her , stirring something deep within her that she couldn't yet define. That following evening,as the girls huddled near the dimly brightening fire in the common room, Anna found Olivia sitting near the flames with a book resting on her laps.She hesitated for a moment before stepping closer, lowering herself onto the cold stone floor beside her.

"Why didn't you resist?" Anna asked, her voice low. " Miss Shalom has no right to do that". Olivia turned to her,her eyes calm and almost peaceful. "What would resisting have changed?". Anna frowned. "It would have shown her that She can't just do whatever She wants to do with you". Olivia smiled a comforting smile."Strength isn't always about fighting back". Anna looked at her in a surprised look. "So you are just supposed to let people take advantage of you, even when you don't deserve it?" " I forgive them", Olivia said calmly. Anna stared at her. " Forgive them? She shook her head in disbelief. " After everything they have done? You don't mean it". Olivia nodded. " Well,I have faith in something greater than this world. In a life beyond this one. What they do to me here doesn't matter in the end". Anna's chest tightened. "That's ridiculous".

" Is it?" Olivia's eyes were gentle but firm."Holding on to hatred only burdens you, not them. You will not have peace of mind". Anna kept quiet. She thought of miss Regina, of John, their wicked attitude, their dismissiveness. The anger she carried towards them was a fire that never went out. Could She ever let it go? "I don't think I can do that,". Anna admitted after some minutes of silence. "You will be happier if you try,"Olivia said. " Hatred only hurts the one who carries it". Anna didn't respond. She didn't know how to.

The following morning arrived with an even crueler bit of cold, as if winter had crept closer overnight and sunk its claws deeper into the walls of the school. The basin water was frozen as usual, forcing the girls to wash their best as they could with damp rags. Breakfast was as miserable as before, and the long hours of studying seemed worthless.The dining hall was silent save for the occasional clink of metal spoons against wooden bowls. The atmosphere felt heavy,almost suffocating, weighed down by the unspoken exhaustion of girls who had longed stopped dreaming of anything beyond survival. Anna stared at Olivia has she ate in slow, measured spoonfuls, unhurried, unbothered. Unlike the Others,Olivia did not shrink under the weight of their bleak reality. She remained composed,untouched by the despair that settled into the bones of so many orders.

It was that same composure that seemed to provoke Miss Shalom. That day, Olivia was punished again.

The classroom was unbearably cold, the wind sneaking in through the cracks in the wooden walls, seeping into their bones. Anna curled her fingers, trying to keep them from going numb as she scribbled notes in her book.

"Olivia Sarah," Miss Shalom's sharp voice sliced through the quiet. "Bring me your assignment."

Olivia rose and carried her notebook to the front. Anna knew for a fact that Olivia had spent the entire night working under the dim light of a single candle, ensuring every answer was correct. But she had been given less time than the others-Anna had noticed that, too.

Miss Shalom barely looked at the pages before she spoke. "This is unacceptable."

A murmur ran through the class. Olivia's work was never incorrect.

"I-" Olivia started, but before she could defend herself, the teacher struck her across the back with the thin rod she always kept at her desk.

The crack of the blow sent a chill through Anna's spine. It wasn't loud, but it carried weight.

Anna expected Olivia to react. To cry out. To at least show some sign of pain. But she didn't. She stood firm, her hands steady at her sides, her expression unreadable.

The silence in the classroom stretched. The other students looked down, unwilling to meet Olivia's gaze, unwilling to acknowledge the injustice of it all.

Miss Shalom delivered two more blows, each one landing with sharp precision. Still, Olivia did not react. When it was over, she simply nodded and walked back to her seat, as if nothing had happened.

Anna clenched her fists. How could she just take it? How could she let them treat her like this?

It didn't make sense.

That night, Anna lay awake in her bed, staring at the ceiling. Olivia's words from the previous evening echoed in her mind. I forgive them.

Anna didn't understand it. And a part of her didn't want to.

But she couldn't deny that Olivia's strength, whatever it was made her think.

And thinking was something Anna wasn't sure she was ready to do.

As the days passed, Anna found herself watching Olivia more closely. It wasn't just curiosity anymore. It was something deeper-something that gnawed at her, demanding to be understood.

At first, she had assumed Olivia was weak. That her silence, her acceptance of mistreatment, was cowardice. But the more she observed, the more she realized Olivia was anything but weak.

She carried herself with a quiet dignity that no punishment could break. She never complained. Never spoke ill of Miss Shalom or any of the other teachers who sought to humiliate her. And yet, there was no submission in her demeanor. She did not cower. She did not shrink. She simply endured, as if their cruelty could not touch her.

Anna had never met anyone like her.

One evening, as the girls huddled near the small fireplace in the common room, Anna sat beside Olivia once more.

"I still don't understand," she admitted, her voice low. "How can you just accept it?"

Olivia glanced at her with a small, knowing smile. "I don't see it the way you do, Anna."

Anna frowned. "How else is there to see it? She enjoys hurting you."

Olivia nodded slightly, as if she had already considered this. "Perhaps she does. But her actions don't define me. I choose how I see the world."

Anna scoffed. "That's ridiculous. You can't just pretend like it doesn't hurt."

"I don't pretend." Olivia's gaze was steady. "I just refuse to let it control me."

Anna let out a frustrated breath. "Then what, you just let people walk all over you?"

Olivia shook her head. "No. I choose to forgive them."

Anna stared at her. "Forgive them?"

"Yes." Olivia's voice was calm, unwavering. "Because holding on to hatred only hurts me, not them."

Anna didn't know how to respond. She thought of Mrs. Regina. Of John. Of the anger she had carried for so long, like a fire that never burned out. She had always believed that anger was her shield, her weapon against the world that had wronged her.

But Olivia... Olivia didn't need a shield.

Anna wasn't sure whether she envied or resented her for that.

"I don't think I can do that," she admitted after a long pause.

"You don't have to," Olivia said gently. "Not yet. But you should think about what will truly set you free."

The words lingered in Anna's mind long after the fire had burned down to embers.

And for the first time in a long time, she wasn't entirely sure she had all the answers.