Chapter 2

Shortly after Simon's departure, the iron gate began to creak open, its heavy hinges protesting the movement.

Back came the woman.

The man shoved her in, rough as ever.

But there was a sparkle in her eyes, a sign that she was in high spirits.

In her hands were two loaves of bread.

She tossed one my way without a second thought and then just stood there, clutching the other, her mind seemingly miles away.

My stomach was growling.

But the bread she'd given me was as hard as a rock and as dry as a desert.

Out of the blue, I started to wonder what the leaf in my hand might taste like.

Still, I couldn't bring myself to take a bite. I was terrified that Simon wouldn't show up.

But at the same time, I was equally scared that he would.

What if the woman caught us?

From that moment on, I found myself more eager than the woman for the iron gate to open.

When she left, I could wait for Simon in peace.

I'd stare at the gate for what felt like hours, only to be let down each time.

One of those times, I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't hear the woman approaching.

She was as quiet as a mouse until she grabbed my hair.

"What're you waiting for?" she spat out, her voice cold and menacing.

Her tone was nothing like the warm woman who called for Simon.

This voice was like ice water, sending shivers down my spine.

She hauled me up by my hair, forcing me to lean against the wall, barely able to balance on my tiptoes.

I stared back, eyes wide with panic, too scared to make a sound.

It was like I was some prisoner, just waiting for the verdict.

She glared at me, voice cold as ice. "That's not somewhere you belong. Don't even think about it, or I'll kill you."

I could hear nothing but pure chill in her words—no trace of feeling at all.

I wanted to nod, but she had me by the hair, so I couldn't budge.

All I could do was whisper, "I won't. I promise."

Satisfied, she let go of me and went back to her bed, sinking back into her daydream.

I slid down the wall and landed in the corner, feeling like all the air had been knocked out of me.

I secretly felt the leaf in my palm.

It was starting to lose its firmness.

The second time Simon came by, it happened to be right after the woman left.

When I heard the noise at the little window, my stomach did flips—I was excited and nervous all at once.

My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might jump right out of my throat.

I shot up from the corner, scrambled onto her iron bed, and stood on my tiptoes, waiting for Simon to show up.

The iron window slid open, and I raised my hand to shield my eyes from the blinding sunlight.

This time, I adjusted quickly.

"Hello, Liv," Simon greeted me, his voice bright and cheerful.

"Hello, Simon," I replied, doing my best to mimic his tone.

Simon got himself comfortable, probably lying flat on the ground outside.

I made sure I was steady on my feet, held out my hand, and opened my palm to show Simon the leaf.

"You still keep it?" Simon blinked in surprise.

"Yeah!" I nodded.

In the sunlight, I could see that the leaf had changed.

It was no longer that bright green. It had turned a dark, sad color, and there were cracks all over it.

I raised my little hand, head bowed, and carefully tried to smooth out the ragged edges.

But no matter what I did, it just wouldn't look the way it did before.

"It's withered. When a leaf leaves the tree and sunlight, it can't get any more nourishment, so it slowly dries up," Simon explained.

I looked down at the leaf in my hand. So that was what happened.

Seeing I looked disappointed, Simon said, "Wait here for a sec!"

I guessed he was probably going to grab me a new leaf, one that wasn't all dried up.

But just then, I heard footsteps coming from outside the big iron gate.