Third-person POV
Irina was taking a smoke in the garden by herself after sending everyone else that she had found there back into the dormitory, and the silence that followed felt heavier than it should have been. The night had already stretched far past dinnertime, and while the rest of the students had either returned to their rooms or gathered somewhere indoors, she remained outside, leaning slightly against the cold metal railing that bordered the garden path.
The faint light from her cigarette lit up her face every few seconds, the small ember burning steadily as she brought it to her lips, inhaled slowly, and let the smoke drift out into the night. She hadn't bothered to eat, hadn't even thought about it long enough for hunger to matter, because the truth was simple. She wasn't hungry, and even if she had been, she wouldn't have cared enough to fix it.
Her mind was too full.
