Summer Camp |Choi Beomgyu|

33

Lei walked into her bedroom and set her bag on the ground with a small sigh.

She looked around the room before sitting down on the bed and staring down at the floor.

She couldn't bring herself to look up, as the room across the hall was Naya's.

Lei softly bit her lip as she placed her hands together.

Footsteps were heard coming up the steps and inside her room, but she didn't look up.

"Lei."

Her father called to her, but she couldn't bring herself to look at him either.

Tears welded up in her eyes at the sound of his voice.

She felt him sit next to her as she watched her tears fall against her jeans.

Mr. Pines placed his arm around her shoulders making her close her eyes.

"I will make sure to move before the summer ends." She whispered softly making her father look at her in confusion.

"What are you saying?"

"You don't remember?" She questioned shakily as she finally looked at him.

He shook his head as his eyebrows were furrowed.

"You said that Naya will probably leave the home before I do, and that as soon as that happens, I'll be out in the curb too." She said quietly. "Well, she's gone now. That means I get to leave."

"Lei, what you're saying makes no sense."

"You said it. You thought I didn't hear you say it? The day I moved into this house, dad. I heard you. But that doesn't matter anymore. Your daughter is... not with us anymore, so there's no use to me being here."

Mr. Pines stared at her in slight shock, as Lei's heartbroken tone was barely audible, but it was enough to pierce through his heart.

"You're my daughter too, Lei."

Lei softly shook her head as she looked down at her hands.

"You are."

She stayed quiet as she sniffled, shaking her head again.

Mr. Pines pulled her into a tight hug as she sobbed.

"I'm sorry." He whispered as he felt his own tears fall down his cheeks. "I was heartbroken, and I was... I didn't know what I was saying or doing Lei. It was not my intention to make you feel this way, I promise. I didn't mean to place all of my anger and sadness on you. The things that happened between me and your mother have nothing to do with you. And her death didn't either."

Her arms were wrapped tightly around her father as she continued to sob. She opened her eyes slightly, looking at Naya's room door that was still ajar, making her cry even harder.

***One Year Later***

Beomgyu, Lei, Lisa and Sara stood together as they looked at the graves that were set with no bodies.

Ji Ah's parents didn't want her to come to an event like this as her mental health had been heavily hindered by the things that had happened in that camp.

Lei tightly held Beomgyu's hand as she stared at Naya's grave.

This was a weird place to reunite with everyone after a few months but this was the place where it made sense.

They had seen their friends get murdered right in front of them, and it was odd to think that those bodies aren't in those caskets.

"There's nothing we could've done, right?" Lisa questioned, her voice slightly breaking as she carried Sara.