At least an hour passed before I gathered the emotional and physical strength to leave that room and find the others.
In the dining room were around twenty young soldiers, as well as Holly and Izzy.
Holly and Will sat side by side, tending to Izzy in a highchair, piling food after food on her tray. Izzy always reminded me of a hamster when she ate, stuffing the food into her puffed-up cheeks.
Her sweet innocence felt so fleeting and precious. She'd already been subjected to such a monstrous scene when we fled the camp. Still, she sat here, happily stuffing the carrot sticks in one after the other.
"That's enough Izzy, you'll choke," I sighed, poking her chubby cheek before sitting down.
I ignored the humorous stares from the soldiers as I instructed Izzy how to use her little baby teeth to chew, chew, chew.
As the meal ended, the soldiers began discussing their current agenda.
