THE COMPOUND

"Wow!.. I was far back," she exclaimed, her eyes widening with surprise. She looked around the room with a sense of curiosity, taking in every little detail with fascination.

As she surveyed the room with her big, round, slightly slanted owl-like eyes, she couldn't help but feel self-conscious.

Growing up, her unique eyes had always made her stand out among the other children, and she had often felt like an outsider because of it.

As she glanced around at the other children, she couldn't help but notice how scrawny and boney they looked.

Their clothing hung loosely off their thin frames, and their faces were drawn and hollow.

But there were a few exceptions. A handful of children looked slightly better-fed than the rest, with fuller cheeks and less prominent bones.

She couldn't help but notice that the better-fed children were also the ones who rarely got into trouble, unlike the rest of them who seemed to be constantly getting into mischief.

Her eyes resembled the lush greenery of a forest, yet her pupils stood out like pearls in a sea of emeralds.

Though the whiteness of her pupils may have suggested blindness, her vision was crystal clear from both eyes.

She was acutely aware that, were it not for the stringent guidelines imposed upon the children, their comments towards her would have been markedly different, and not necessarily in a positive way.

A gentle nudge from behind roused Ulanni from her reverie.

Perplexed by the sudden hit, Ulanni turned to face the source of the disturbance to find a girl who was slightly taller than she was gazing at her.

But before she could register what had happened, the girl thrust her chin forward in her direction.

Still puzzled by the girl's behavior, Ulanni turned her attention back to the front, only to realize that the person who had been in front of her had advanced quite a distance ahead.

Ulanni's heart sank as she hurriedly closed the gap, her mind racing with worry. "Please let no one have seen that," she silently prayed, hoping with all her might that her actions had gone unnoticed.

Ulanni breathed a sigh of relief as she noticed that no one had come to chastise or punish her for her momentary lapse of attention.

It appeared that her prayer had been answered, and she felt a sense of gratitude wash over her.

Ulanni turned back slightly and gave a nod of gratitude to the girl who had jolted her back to reality. Hoping that the girl understood the depth of her appreciation.

Determined not to repeat the same mistake, Ulanni made a conscious effort to stay acutely aware of the movement of the line, sensing that she might not be as fortunate the next time around.

Before she knew it, it was her turn. Stepping forward with focused determination, she approached the big desk at the front of the line, carefully placing her basket on the surface and stepping back to meet the scrutinizing gaze of Nana, who was seated to watch over the proceedings with hawk-like precision.

As Ulanni stood before her, Nana sat behind the big table, clad in a flowing gray gown and a black head tie.

With a heavy sigh, Nana adjusted her glasses, her eyes scanning the contents of Ulanni's basket with a scrutinizing gaze.

With practiced efficiency, Nana began to inspect the clothes one by one, carefully scouring each item for any sign of stains or blemishes.

Satisfied that the garments were spotless, she pushed the basket aside with a nod, signaling for another young girl to come forward and take it away.

Nana reached out and selected a bright yellow ticket from among the many holders mounted on the big table before her.

Ulanni couldn't help but feel a twinge of temptation at the thought of withholding the message Mother had tasked her with delivering to Nana.

The idea of having a more satisfying dinner was alluring, but she quickly dismissed it, knowing that the risk of getting caught far outweighed the potential reward.

And who knows, Mother might send someone to check on her in the dining room, which had happened before.

The memory of what had happened to the little boy who had been caught in a similar situation was still fresh in her mind, and she knew she did not want to go through the same ordeal.

Clearing her throat to dispel her unease, Ulanni spoke up, addressing Nana in a clear and confident tone.

"Excuse me, Nana, but Mother instructed me to get a red ticket for tonight's meal," she said, making sure to enunciate each word with precision.

Ulanni saw a flicker of pity cross Nana's eyes, and a pang of sadness washed over her.

Nana was among the few who had shown her any semblance of care and concern since she had been moved to the middle ground.

The fleeting look of empathy made her feel both grateful and sorrowful at the same time.

The compound was divided into three, with the first one reserved for the innocent and vulnerable children who were deemed too young to perform any work.

In the second part of the compound, where Ulanni was held, the conditions were unbearably severe, surpassing the oppressive nature of the other sections.

The children here were compelled to work tirelessly, with their only reprieve being the meager rations of food and a small area to rest in that they earned through their labor.

The third compound was a place of mystery and intrigue, as it housed the seniors who were further categorized into two distinct groups - those who were tasked with keeping the compound running and those who were summoned out of the big gate for assignments shrouded in secrecy, the details of which were never disclosed or talked about.

Exhaling a deep, weary sigh, Ulanni couldn't help but reminisce about the first compound.

They were taught various subjects and languages, and failure was not an option.

The knowledge imparted there seemed to serve a higher purpose than just keeping us occupied, and they had been entitled to three square meals a day, something that seemed like an unattainable luxury in the current desolate situation.

However, in sharp contrast to the first compound, the second compound offered us a meager chance of being fed twice a day, after meticulously picking tasks from the notice board and completing them to earn a ticket, which would then grant us access to a meager meal.

It was a harsh and relentless cycle of tasks and rewards, with the ever-present fear of not being able to complete them and going hungry constantly looming over us like a dark cloud.

The nature of the ticket that one received after completing a task in the second compound was a crucial determinant of the kind of feeding that they would be entitled to.

As Nana cast a glance at Ulanni, she shook her head slightly and handed her the coveted red ticket, which Ulanni accepted with a calm demeanor.

Without a word, she made her way out of the line and headed towards the right, where a seemingly inconspicuous door led to the outside world.

As Ulanni approached the end of the door, a young, muscular man stood guard, his eyes fixed solely on the red ticket in her hand.

Without even bothering to glance at her face, he spoke in a cold, emotionless voice, "Now that you have that ticket, you know what it means. I don't need to explain it to you. Move along now." It was a curt and dismissive statement, and Ulanni knew better than to linger around.

She was all too familiar with the meaning behind the red ticket - it signified that she would be denied dinner and left with no sleeping space for the night.

As the reality of her situation set in, a sinking feeling of dread washed over her, and she couldn't help but feel a sense of despair at the thought of spending the night on the frigid, hard floor.

The prospect of enduring another night of physical discomfort and hunger seemed like an unbearable burden, and she braced herself for the long and arduous night that lay ahead of her.

She trudged along, her steps slow and measured, as she made her way towards the room that would be her temporary abode for the night.

Despite the gnawing hunger pangs in her stomach, she didn't dare entertain the thought of visiting the dining room and seeking out Nana, who had once surreptitiously slipped her food.

Upon arriving at the dark room, the elderly gatekeeper muttered a few words in a low tone that she almost missed, but she knew exactly what he was going to ask for and didn't wait for him to finish his sentence.