"That sounds brutal," Zara gasped.
The pampered heiress had grown up completely sheltered from the harsh realities of the world.
"That wasn't even the half of it," Lex continued. "After school, I had to gather grass for the pigs, chop it all up, and feed them. Then I'd work in the fields. When the wheat was ready, I harvested wheat. When the rice was ready, I harvested rice..."
The endless list of grueling chores was impossible to fully convey.
The other three couldn't even fathom how Lex managed to fit all that labor into a single day.
"Compared to you, I practically grew up as royalty," Zara admitted.
Claire had endured her fair share of misery under Octavia's thumb, but even her struggles paled in comparison to Lex's relentless physical toil.
Skylar came from a comfortable middle-class background, with parents who ran a small business. She had never known true scarcity either.
None of them had ever experienced Lex's level of hardship, and their admiration for her only deepened.
The intense stares made Lex blush with embarrassment.
"It wasn't a big deal, really. I was used to it."
"Now that I'm away from home, getting a college education, and actually doing what I want to do... I couldn't be happier."
"This camp might feel like torture to you guys, but for me, it's just another Tuesday." Simply put, grueling manual labor was Lex's comfort zone.
Claire found herself at a loss for words, deeply moved by her friend's resilience.
With the military training program reaching its halfway mark, most of the students had finally acclimated to the punishing rhythm.
"The second we're out of here, I'm booking a full-day spa treatment. I am exhausted!" Zara complained, absolutely horrified by the toll the outdoors was taking on her appearance.
That thought prompted her to look back at Claire. "Seriously, bestie, drop the skincare routine. How is your skin still so flawless?"
Claire explained that it was a combination of internal wellness and external care.
"I regularly drink herbal infusions, and my sunscreen and moisturizers are all custom-made formulas."
Zara sighed. "Alright, I bow down to your expertise."
However, until she saw definitive results from the Experimental Scar Gel, she wasn't about to risk smearing any more unbranded, homemade concoctions on her face.
If something went wrong, her entire face could be ruined.
That being said, after using the gel for a few days, she could swear the scars on her skin were subtly fading.
"Claire!"
A sharp voice suddenly cut through their conversation.
All four girls whipped their heads around, stunned to see Chief Instructor Hawk striding toward them.
"What's wrong, Van?"
Claire asked casually, slipping into the familiar nickname she used when Dane was around.
She had completely forgotten where they were and let the informal address slip out. Fortunately, the other three didn't sense anything scandalous—instead, Zara and Skylar subtly shot Claire a thumbs-up.
What an absolute legend. To call the Chief Instructor by his first name to his face! She had serious guts!
They only ever dared to call him 'Boss Hawk' behind closed doors.
"Come with me, right now."
Van ignored the breach in protocol entirely. "A student fell out of a tree. He's been impaled by a branch..."
"It's a penetrating trauma. He's hemorrhaging rapidly, and the camp medics can't stop the bleeding."
Claire was utterly baffled. "How do you even fall out of a tree doing military drills?"
That question only caused Van's expression to darken with fury. "Believe me, I'm going to conduct a full investigation."
He actually already knew exactly what had happened. A few bored idiots had stolen rations from the
cafeteria and tried to stash therm high up in the branches for a midnight snack.
He was absolutely livid at their sheer stupidity.
"There's no time to explain! Let's go!"
Hearing the urgency in his voice, Claire didn't hesitate.
So much for her hard-earned break.
The other three watched in utter bewilderment as Claire sprinted off after the Chief Instructor.
"I heard every single word they just said," Zara muttered, "but my brain isn't processing any of it."
"It sounded like he was asking Claire to save someone's life. How does
the Chief Instructor know she has medical skills?"
Skylar was equally perplexed.
Did they do deep-dive background checks for summer camp now? Was military intelligence really thorough enough to dig up Claire's medical background?