Tired of waiting for the food Bryce promised, I endured the infirmary food. Waiting for him felt like a waste of time, and I wasn’t going to let myself starve.
Soon after, my group leader, Millie Hansley, arrived with herbal medicines. "Isla, I know Evergreen Mountain is dangerous, but you're still coming on this mission, right?" she asked, hopeful. Millie knew about my bond with Bryce, unlike most, and I considered her a sister.
Bryce had always tried to keep me from dangerous missions, but I wasn’t giving up this time. My dream was to explore and protect the wilderness, but I had pushed that aside for Bryce. Over the years, I centered my life around him, while he placed Lucia above me, always with some excuse about honoring his late master’s wishes.
"Don’t worry, I won’t abandon you guys," I replied firmly.
Millie's face lit up. “That’s the spirit! There’s still so much we haven’t discovered on Evergreen Mountain. I heard there are rare herbal plants in the untouched areas. We’ll make sure to find them.”