Chapter 33 FLASBACK
\[FLASHBACK\]
After meeting her homeroom teacher, Camilla was now in class. She had made several new acquaintances, and she felt happy.
Her first experience without her father or mother was a pleasant one, as she was alone, without the interference of her parents.
The classroom was noisy, with students busy with their own affairs and discussing many things Camilla didn't understand.
The girl sat near the window, so she could see outside unobtrusively. Camilla's eyes scanned the students on the school field, quite interested in watching the basketball game from her classroom.
"Camilla, may I sit with you?" someone asked.
Camilla quickly looked away and saw a girl with thick glasses smiling at her. Who was that girl? Camilla didn't know her name.
"Let me introduce myself, I'm Leoni."
"A-ah... Leoni, yes... I'm Camilla. Of course, of course you can sit with me." Camilla smiled warmly, and the girl patted the empty space next to her.
Leoni, feeling welcomed, immediately sat down. She then placed the book on the table and began reading.
“Do you like reading?” Camilla asked, eyeing one of her new friend’s books.
Leoni looked back at Camilla and smiled. “Yes, I really like reading. How about you? Do you also read?”
“I do, but it seems our tastes in books differ.”
Leoni quickly closed her book, put it neatly aside, and then looked at Camilla. “Let’s talk about it. I want to get closer to you.”
Camilla, accepting the offer, nodded and then focused her attention on Leoni. “What should we discuss first?”
Leoni thought for a moment, then found something interesting to discuss.
“I heard you’re an only child. How does that feel?” Leoni asked.
“It’s fun, but also annoying. Mom and Dad always control me, they treat me like a toddler. Sometimes I wish I had a sibling, whether an older or younger sibling, as long as I’m not their only child.” Camilla leaned her head against the wall, looking very upset as she remembered how her father and mother had been.
They had been too controlling, even to the point of separating fish from bones, they had their personal servants.
Camilla wanted to experience what it was like to work with her own hands, but her parents, who loved her dearly, had other ideas.
Leoni, hearing Camilla's story, couldn't help but smile. She then said, "I really wanted to be an only child like you. Having two older siblings wasn't all that fun. Sometimes we'd be jealous of each other, sometimes we'd fight, and someone would have to give in."
Camilla smiled. "I don't know about that, but at least you've been on the same side, right?"
"But I think, whatever it is, we have to accept it. Ah... when it comes to family matters, there are many things that are enjoyable, and some that are annoying."
"You're right, I agree with that. Leoni, what's your favorite book?" Camilla asked.
Leoni, perked up at the question, sat up straight, and looked at Camilla. The clear sparkle in Leoni's eyes couldn't be hidden by her thick glasses. Camilla admitted that Leoni was also very attractive.
"I like reading novels, and I also like reading history books." Leoni thought again, looking for other books in her collection.
"I think that's it, I'm not interested in anything else." Leoni then fell silent and looked at Camilla more closely.
"What?" Camilla asked.
"What about you? What books do you like?" Leoni asked.
Camilla smiled and pulled out several books from her desk drawer. "I like reading comics, but when I'm with Dad, I like reading business books."
Leoni, looking at the comics, seemed very interested. She picked one up and read the title on the cover.
"One Piece." Leoni spelled out each sentence on the cover. She then looked at Camilla and said, "I don't know much about comics, but this one seems to have an interesting storyline."
Camilla smiled.
"Is there only one book?" Leoni asked.
"One Piece has many series, it's a very long story."
Leoni nodded and flipped through the pages, reading the comic. The girl seemed to be enjoying her new reading material, smiling, then bursting into laughter.
Camilla was pleased that Leoni was able to get into the storyline; indeed, many scenes in the comic always managed to make someone laugh.
Bored, Camilla glanced back out the window. She could see a young man sitting alone, his eyes closed, and leaning against a tree not far from the basketball court.
“Hahahaha... I should have read this comic a long time ago. Gosh... why are they so idiots? Oh my God, I can't stop laughing.”
Leoni's voice made Camilla look away. She shook her head as Leoni continued to immerse herself in the pirate story. The girl then glanced at the table, seeing five novels and wondering. What had Leoni so drawn to them?
Camilla glanced at one of Leoni's books, quite intrigued by the cover. She stared intently at the book; from the cover, it was clear it was a fantasy story.
Camilla then reached for the book, intrigued by the picture of two small children hugging a lion by the neck. The girl read the words on the cover: "The Chronicles of Narnia," by C.S. Lewis.
"Leoni, may I borrow this novel?" Camilla asked, pointing to the book that had caught her eye.
Leoni averted her attention, and the girl smiled. "Of course, Narnia is a very long story, there are six more books besides that."
"Really? Can I borrow all of them?" Camilla asked.
Leoni nodded. “Okay, I’d like to borrow the entire series of this comic too. Is that okay with you?”
Camilla chuckled. “Of course not, I’m glad you want to read it.”
The two girls had become so close in an instant, enjoying each other’s company and spending time talking. There hadn’t been much studying today, which allowed them to enjoy some free time without the teacher.
The two of them seemed to be getting along better; they had a lot in common, and they even shared the same opinions on some things.
“Camilla, I have an older brother who also attends this school. Would you like to meet him? It would be great if you could get close and develop a relationship with my brother.”
Camilla looked at Leoni, perhaps adding another friend wouldn’t hurt.
“Are you interested?” Leoni asked again.
“I’m so—”
“Class, would you please calm down first? I have an important announcement to make, and I want you to pay attention.”
Camilla swallowed her words, just as the teacher entered and quickly cut her off.
The girl then looked away, more interested in the scenery on the school grounds. Her annoyance soared because she couldn't tell Leoni that she also wanted to meet her friend's older sister.
"Madam, please come in." The teacher ushered someone in, then smiled as a woman in a brown dress entered.
Camilla wasn't the least bit interested; she hoped the people would leave right now.
"Camilla," someone called out.
Camilla, who hadn't been paying attention, immediately averted her gaze, her eyes widening at the sight of the woman.
“Come here,” the person said again.
Camilla immediately stood up and quickly walked to the front of the class, standing beside the woman.
“Mom, what are you doing?” Camilla asked.
“I’m inviting your friends,” the woman replied with a beaming face.
Camilla stared at her in confusion, not understanding what her mother meant.
“Have you forgotten what the day after tomorrow is?” the woman asked again.
Camilla thought for a moment, then smiled happily, and at that, her mother nodded.
Camilla took her mother’s hand and looked at her classmates, who were silent and watching.
“Hi, let me introduce myself. I’m Agata Alistair. The day after tomorrow is my daughter’s birthday. Today, I invite you all to attend. I’ve already sent a message to your parents, and they will be coming too.”
Camilla, hearing her mother’s words, smiled happily and looked at her classmates, who all did the same.
"Mrs. Alistair, we'll all be there," one of Camilla's classmates spoke up.
"I'm so glad to hear that," Agata replied.
"Mom," Camilla said.
Agata immediately looked at her daughter. "What's wrong, honey?"
"Thank you," Camilla said sincerely.
Agata immediately reached out and ruffled Camilla's head affectionately.