บท 56: Re-trial (1)

Two weeks later:

Early in the morning, just before sunrise, Xue Guangli woke up bolting towards the bathroom. She opened the toilet seat, hurling her guts inside the bowl. When she finished, she flushed the toilet, cleaning herself up, sliding down the bathroom wall.

She sat on the floor, with her elbows on her knees, her hands rubbing the tears from her face.

She heard some shuffling across the carpeted floor, and the door creaked open. Xue Teegan walked in, wearing a nightgown and cardigan. She crouched down with a glass of warm orange juice and offered it to her.

"I heard you," Xue Teegan said to her.

Xue Guangli took the glass and began to drink the contents down, forcing the taste of bile away from her mouth.

Xue Guangli put the glass away, her face tear-stained.

"We should go see a doctor," Xue Teegan suggested.

Xue Guangli bit her lip. "No," she responded. "I don't want to see one."