You nestled beside a pile of snow cotton in the cotton field and fell into a deep sleep. But when the dazzling dawn shone over the field, Firefly was already gone.
When you asked the workers stripping cotton husks in the field, they told you that the little girl had left town alone at dawn.
You understood. She seemed to have decided to bring this escape to an end herself.
As winter arrived, the third wave of refugees began to relocate. You followed the migrating crowd into Wintergrad, the industrial stronghold in the north of Glamour Star. The provisional government provided work for adults and placed children like you in the Orphanage.
There were simply too many children like you. More than a dozen children were crammed into each tiny room of the Orphanage, but compared to tents constantly battered by wind and snow, the communal beds here were warmer and livelier.
Your living conditions improved. At least you received a piece of black bread every day. It was somewhat hard, but the Orphanage provided free hot water. Soaking the black bread in hot water until it softened was already a rare delicacy to you.
At the Orphanage, volunteers taught the children reading, writing, arithmetic, and basic life skills, making it easier for you to earn a living after leaving the Orphanage.
There were many books here, and you devoured every kind you could find. You often had your own thoughts while reading and needed pen and ink to record them. However, the ink supplied to the children by the Orphanage was limited, so sometimes you could only trade leftover black bread with other children for ink.
Many children mocked you for this. But their mockery soon caught the attention of the Orphanage volunteers, who provided you with enough paper,