The room was exactly what Davina expected it to be; cramped with several metallic bunk beds and singular wooden drawers by the beds. She could already feel a headache from realizing she would have to live in that cramped room with eleven other men for who knows how long. The beds were placed in rows of six on both sides of the room leaving a narrow path to walk through.
As quickly as they came in, the men rushed to claim their spots before someone else did. With only two free slots left, Davina ended up with a bed that was right beside Evan's bed. However, she seemed to be the only excited one, the latter was too caught up in his own world to pay attention to her.
Sighing, Davina placed the little belonging she brought with her on the upper bunk which was made for storage, She had to admit, it was a useful setup.
By the time she was able to sit down and catch a break, her back was sore and stiff from being in the bandages all day. She couldn't wait to take them off and finally breathe but unfortunately, showering wasn't possible until the eleven men boarding with her fell asleep.
Waiting for the men to fall asleep took longer than she thought. By the time the room was silent, it was a little past midnight and Davina was beyond tired by that point.
Gathering her belongings, she quietly tiptoed out of the room and into the bathroom. "who's idea was it to make the bathroom so far away from the dorm!" She cursed out feeling frustrated by the situation she found put in.
A few seconds later, Davina made it into one of the bathroom stalls and hurriedly took off the bandages, revealing her sore breasts. The moment the final wrap came off, she felt like a weight had been lifted off her chest like she was a bird let out of its cage.
"Oh, heavens!" She exclaimed, savoring the freedom of not having her breasts constrained and flattened into nothing. The whole day she felt like she was in a corset except rather than making her waist thinner and breasts more voluptuous, they made her chest as flat as a table.
After a few minutes of letting her breasts dangle around, she took off the face tape she had on and finally took off her hair cap and unbraided her thick black hair, letting it fall to her waist.
If it wasn't for her sharp facial features and the ability to change her voice to suit that of a man, she wouldn't have been able to pull off acting like a man and yet despite that, she still aroused some suspicions for looking like a feminine man. Luckily for her, no one brought up the fact that she could in fact be a woman and not just a feminine man.
"You really are something, Davina." She laughed at her ability to pull off acting as a man so flawlessly. Even perfectly, imitating the way they walk, talk, eat, and act. She was living just like a man.
Sadly, reality dawned on her the moment she poured the first bowl of water into her body. It was dangerously cold, like taking a swim in the river during winter or rolling around naked in snow.
Her body was shivering with each passing second after the water hit her body, making it harder to scrub and clean the dirt off. Not once in her life had she had such a cold shower.
After her bath, Davina had to go back to her newfound routine. Wrapping her chest in layers of bandage, taping her face with clear face tape, braiding her hair, and putting on her hair cap. To avoid having to change in front of anyone, she made sure to put on her next day's clothes which was rather uncomfortable but what choice did she have?
"How am I supposed to last long in this place?" She wondered as she gathered her things and walked back to the dorms.
By the time she returned to the dorms, she barely got a wink of sleep before getting woken up by the noise of the men who were getting ready.
"Dimitri, wake up, we're heading to the dining hall."
Davina lifted the pillow off her face to find Evan staring down at her, his hair still visibly wet and messy.
"Wake up." He said once more before proceeding to dry his hair with a small towel.
With no other choice, Davina stood up and stretched her body a little to fully keep herself awake. "Good morning, Evan." She greeted him with a bright smile, trying to create a good rapport between them.
"A good morning to you too." He replied without taking his eyes off the small mirror hanging on the wall.
"Are you ready for the day?" Davina also stood in front of her mirror and pretended to fix her wig.
"Honestly, I'm not, but we just have to take things one step at a time." Evan smiled and patted Davina on the shoulder before walking away.
'He's a literal ray of sunshine.' Davina thought to herself.
Just like Sir Martius said, Evan was innocent and kind in a refreshing way. The way he smiled at her almost felt like rainbows were shooting out from behind him.