Dinner time arrived, but instead of being led to food, everyone was marched to the water cells.
They called it a water prison,
but in truth it was just an old pool, half-buried in the ground,
with several crude cells divided by wooden stakes.
Now countless eyes were fixed on the two people being escorted into it.
Some looks carried dim sympathy.
Others came with whistles, cheers, even laughter.
Someone shouted loudly, almost cheerfully:
"Hey, brother—what'd you do to get in there?"
The cold water reached Wei and Minnow at the waist.
It was icy.
Mixed with mud.
Mixed with a stale, fishy stench that hadn't been washed away in who knew how long.
The smell of blood lingered underneath it all.
Under their feet were sharp fragments that dug into the skin.
Bones.
Human bones.
Bones of the dead.
Minnow's face grew even paler.
Wei, on the other hand, bared his teeth and shot back without losing ground.
"No big deal," he shouted."Your grandpa just came down here to cool off!"
"Kid, don't be so cocky!" someone yelled."Spend a night down there—you won't die, but you'll peel a layer of skin for sure!"
"If you've got the guts, come down here and fight me!" Wei roared back.
"I won't beat you to death—but I'll make it hurt!"
"Tch. I'm not arguing with a dead man," came the reply.
The sun sank below the horizon.
The water grew colder.
Cold like a blade.
Wei's teeth began to chatter uncontrollably.
So he cursed even louder, forcing the sound out of his chest.
"Look at me, you little bastards!" he shouted.
"Stand up straight when you look at your grandpa!"
Eventually, no one shouted back.
Only eyes remained.
Cold eyes.
Lowered eyes.
Eyes carrying a thin, hidden resentment.
Time dragged on.
Even the boys still standing on dry ground began to tremble.
Some legs went numb.
Some stomachs started to cramp.
Someone swallowed hard in the darkness.
The first thing that appeared was not sympathy.
It was irritation.
Then resentment.
—Why them?
—Why do we have to suffer along with them?
—Why do we have to go hungry?
In the water, Wei's awareness began to drift.
He felt a light nudge against his side.
Minnow.
Minnow was offering him his outer shirt.
In a place like this, taking off even one layer of clothing was no different from suicide.
Wei was panting.
His throat felt soaked through, as if it had been left underwater too long.
"…I'm sorry," he said quietly.
"I dragged you into this."
Minnow looked up at him.
The corner of his mouth twitched, forcing out a tiny curve that barely counted as a smile.
"It's fine."
"They already hated me anyway."
He said it lightly, but his shoulders were still shaking, just a little.
Night fell, and everything sank into darkness.
Only a single brazier crackled, offering a weak, flickering light.
The night made the cold sharper.
They didn't move.
Not because they didn't want to—
but because moving hurt.
Wei leaned his back against the wooden boards.
His wet clothes had half-dried, sticking tightly to his wounds.
Every breath felt like someone slowly twisting his bones.
Minnow clutched the wooden bars, head lowered, as if asleep.
But his breathing was shallow.
No one spoke.
Yet several gazes had already begun to settle on Wei and Minnow.
Not openly.
Not boldly.
They were the kind of looks that hid behind lowered eyelids.
The tall, skinny boy buried his face in the grass, teeth clenched tight.
He was hungry.
Not the kind of hunger from missing a single meal.
This was the kind that twisted and burned inside the stomach,
that cramped and soured the gut.
One thought kept circling in his mind—
If not for them.
If not for their big mouths.
If not for talking back.
If not for playing heroes.
They would have eaten tonight.
He remembered what Iron-Throat had said earlier that day:
"You miss a meal today because of them."
The words were like a thin thorn.
In the daytime, it hadn't pierced the skin.
At night, it slowly worked its way in.
Another boy muttered under his breath:
"…Troublemakers."
The voice was low.
But it was heard.
No one argued.
Someone gave a quiet"Mm."
Not agreement.
Acceptance.
The tall boy slowly lifted his head and looked toward the corner again.
Wei had his head lowered, as if lost in thought.
Minnow's side profile was cut in half by shadow, his expression unreadable.
In that instant, the tall boy realized something—
Though they stood in different places,
they were all being punished.
The moment the thought surfaced,
the hunger in his stomach flared even hotter.
In the corner of the water cell, Wei suddenly lowered his voice.
"…They're watching us."
Minnow didn't lift his head.
"I know."
"They don't mean well."
"I know."
Wei fell silent for a moment.
"…Do you regret it?"
Minnow let out a soft laugh.
It was quiet.
Short.
"You mean what I said earlier today?"
Wei nodded.
"I do," Minnow said.
"But not because I said it."
He slowly raised his head, eyes drifting toward the dark beams of the shed roof.
"I regret that I said it too late."
Wei lowered his head.
For a long time.
Then he realized something.
Minnow already knew exactly who he hated.
And that—
That was enough.
The night grew deeper.
Footsteps approached.
Light.
Careful.
They stopped not far from the water cell.
Wei tensed instinctively.
But the person didn't strike.
They just stood there for a moment.
Then a voice spoke, low and cold:
"So… are you satisfied now?"
Wei looked up.
It was Hua.
He stood in the shadows, his expression impossible to read.
Minnow glanced at him but said nothing.
Hua continued:
"You played the hero."
"We go hungry."
"Fair, right?"
Wei opened his mouth, wanting to explain.
But he realized—
Any explanation would sound like an excuse.
Hua looked at them, something complicated flickering in his eyes.
"You'd better live a little longer," he said.
Then he turned and left.
He didn't look back.
Only after the footsteps faded did Minnow speak quietly.
"He's choosing a side."
Wei froze.
"A side?"
Minnow leaned back against the wood and closed his eyes.
"He's realized something," he said.
"When standing with Iron-Throat becomes safer
than standing with us…"
"He'll choose a side."
Around them, some boys finally sat down.
Others turned their eyes away.
No one looked at them anymore.
Wei leaned against the boards, unmoving.
After a long while, he finally spoke in a low voice:
"…Did this happen to you often? Before."
Minnow didn't answer right away.
He reached down and nudged the wooden bowl at his feet farther in,
so no one would kick it over.
"Which part?" he asked.
"Being beaten."
"Being stared at."
"Being made an example."
Minnow thought for a moment.
He nodded.
Then shook his head.
"Being beaten—I'm used to that."
"Being watched… not so much, before."
Wei swallowed.
"…I'm sorry. About today."
Minnow didn't respond immediately.
But in the darkness, his breathing stayed steady.
And that, somehow, felt heavier than any reply.