Gavin stood frozen at the edge of the carpet, holding the little bamboo basket in both hands.
He swallowed instinctively, gently set the basket on the corner of the table, and asked hesitantly in his mind:
"Gav... do you know her?"
There was silence deep within his consciousness.
Only after two seconds did Gavin's voice sound again:
"She looks like a... friend of mine."
"Oh."
Gavin blinked in confusion and did not pursue the question.
By then, the girl on the soft blanket had heard the door.
Her thin arms slowly loosened their hold around her knees. Bracing herself against the thick wool blanket beside her, she struggled to sit upright, then brushed several strands of silver-blond hair off her pale cheeks, revealing cool, slightly reddened eyes of pale gray.
As she lowered her hand, her fingertips still twitched uncontrollably. She quickly tucked both hands into the folds of the blanket.
The girl looked up, her gaze settling on Gavin's face, and said only:
"You're late."
Her voice had the rasp of illness, but the final word was clipped and firm.
Gavin flinched and hurriedly bowed in apology. "Sorry, something... unexpected happened in the dormitory today. I got held up."
The girl had been about to say more, but her gaze suddenly froze on his face.
The left corner of his mouth was swollen and split, covered by a shriveled, dark brown scab, and a faint ring of bruising marked the edge of his jaw.
Gavin did not notice her gaze. He was busy fumbling with the white cloth covering the bamboo basket and taking out its contents:
"The kitchens had freshly baked cream pudding today. I ran all the way up because I was afraid it would get cold. The pumpkin juice is hot too-"
An icy hand suddenly