"The smile on your face tells me everything's under control," Matthew said as he walked into Ethan's office.
Ethan's grin widened. "Thank you, Matt."
Matthew nodded. "So then?"
Ethan raised an eyebrow. "So then what?"
Matthew leaned against the desk. "So what did Bella say?"
Ethan only smiled again, offering no explanation.
Matthew let out a laugh. "You are so whipped, my friend."
Ethan shrugged casually, but the satisfaction on his face said it all.
*************************************************************************************
All the cadets gathered on the training ground, where rows of human-sized tubs stood waiting like silent traps. Each tub brimmed with crystal-cold water, ice cubes drifting on the surface and clinking softly against the metal rims.
Officer Becky's voice cracked through the air like a whip.
"Today, you will get inside these tubs. You will sit in pairs. Maximum time: forty minutes."
A wave of dread passed through the cadets. Several swallowed hard; others stared at the icy tubs as if they were open graves.
"This is a new way to kill us, I swear," Harry muttered.
"Maybe," Norah whispered back.
Becky paced slowly in front of the rows, her boots crunching on the frost-bitten ground.
"Everyone will pair up—except Cadet Bella. She will sit in the tub alone."
Every head turned toward Bella in an instant.
Officer Becky's eyes narrowed.
"Cadet Bella, your maximum time is one hour."
A flicker of disbelief crossed Bella's face—brows tightening, lips parting slightly. She swallowed, her nerves visible for a moment before she straightened her posture.
Becky offered her a razor-thin, sarcastic smile.
"You can manage that… right?"
Bella released a quiet breath and nodded.
Everyone was now sitting in their tubs, icy water lapping at their necks like a living creature trying to claw its way under their skin. Officer Becky stood nearby with her arms folded, watching them with clinical detachment.
Harry's teeth were already chattering uncontrollably.
"I don't think I can last forty minutes in this," he muttered through clenched jaw.
Derek exhaled sharply, trying to hide how much he was shaking.
"Just… last as long as you can."
Time crawled—slow, cruel, and freezing.
"Feels like time isn't moving at all," Norah groaned. "And it's only been five minutes? You've got to be kidding me."
Ellena cast a glance toward Bella.
Bella sat in her tub in a perfect meditation posture—back straight, shoulders relaxed, eyes closed. The icy water reached her neck just like the others, but she looked like she was sitting in a warm bath instead of liquid ice.
Officer Becky leaned toward the sergeant beside her and whispered something.
The sergeant blinked, baffled.
"You sure?" he whispered back.
Becky's stare hardened.
Sergeant grabbed another bucket of ice and dumped it into Bella's tub. The water cracked, hissed, and dropped a few degrees instantly.
Bella didn't flinch.
"Unbelievable," Ellena muttered. "Why does Officer Becky always have to be the villain when it comes to Bella?"
Norah wrapped her arms tighter around herself, too cold to even respond.
Harry leaned toward Derek, voice low and nervous.
"Thank goodness my parents aren't in SID. I'd be dead."
Derek didn't disagree.
Time seemed to crawl by, each minute heavier than the last. For the cadets, sitting in those tubs of ice-cold water was becoming nearly impossible. One by one, they began to surrender. After just ten minutes, several climbed out—shivering uncontrollably, limbs stiff, breath coming in jagged bursts.
Harry pushed himself as hard as he could. At twenty minutes, he finally raised his hand in defeat and stumbled out, wrapping a towel around himself as his whole body shook.
Officer Becky sat on a wooden chair nearby, her posture relaxed—too relaxed—her sharp gaze fixed on only one person.
Bella.
Twenty-five minutes passed.
Norah's lips had drained to a frightening pale, her teeth clattering so loudly it almost echoed off the training yard walls.
"E-Ellena… I'm… getting out… I can't… bear it any longer…" she stammered, hardly forming the words.
Ellena nodded, teeth clenched from her own shivering. She helped Norah out, both girls trembling violently as they struggled toward the benches. Derek dragged himself out moments later, his legs so numb he could barely feel the ground under him. Harry rushed forward, shoving towels into their hands.
"Go change. Quickly," he urged, voice tight with worry.
Ellena gave a weak nod—but her gaze instinctively pulled back to the tubs.
To Bella.
Bella still sat perfectly upright, eyes closed, body poised in the same calm meditation posture as before. But the strain was beginning to surface—thin lines creased her forehead, and her lips had turned a worrying shade of blue.
"I really hope Bella gets out soon," Norah whispered, her voice small with anxiety.
"Don't you know her?" Derek muttered. "She's way too stubborn."
Ellena lowered her gaze, torn, then sighed softly and followed the others away from the training ground.
Thirty minutes passed.
Not a single cadet remained in their tubs.
Everyone had quit.
Everyone except Bella.
She was still there—still straight-backed, still silent, still unmoving.
Officer Becky watched her with a cold, calculating fascination.
I want to see just how long you can endure this, she thought, her eyes narrowing.
Ten minutes later, Ellena returned with the others. The moment they stepped onto the training ground and saw Bella still submerged in that tub, still holding her posture despite the brutal cold… their worry spiked.
"Should I… go talk to her?" Ellena whispered, voice tight with concern.
Norah shook her head. "Officer Becky won't allow it."
Derek folded his arms, trying to mask his unease. "Let's wait a little longer."
Ellena swallowed hard, nodding slowly—even as her eyes stayed glued to Bella, unable to hide the fear growing inside her.