PENSIONNAT - VERSION ENGLISH - BOOK FINISH

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It's amazing how beautiful the night can be. I have always preferred to bask in the sun, in fact, later I would like to live on an island, in a big house, directly overlooking the sea! It was a dream that I had in common with my mother.

- Are you afraid? Derne wasn't looking at me. He was looking at the horizon. His tone remained neutral.

- I already told you that I'm not afraid of you. I adapted the same neutrality.

He looked at me and smiled. A smile that was neither mocking nor Machiavellian. A normal smile. A smile perhaps, tender...

- I'm not talking about me. I'm talking about the night.

- No, I am not afraid of the dark. Are you? He thinks for a moment.

- Sometimes I feel like she's watching me... I burst out laughing.

- Yes! Not at all self-centered! Surprising, but he laughed with me.

You could almost say we were friends... but no. I could still feel that "thing", that "I don't know what" that kept us apart.

- Right. So, what are you doing here? How come you and your crew aren't "martyring" another student?

- We're not bullying anyone. Revenge, maybe... A wink escaped him.

I looked at him in a friendly, but insistent way. He still hadn't answered my question.

- I watch the night. I laughed again.

- At least I don't even have to be funny with you. You even laugh when I'm serious.

- Don't take it the wrong way! You've built up quite a suspense to answer me "I'm looking at the night"! I mean, really...

- Don't you want to go dancing? My smile faded. As if winter had appeared in the middle of July. After all, I had to disturb him.

- You want me to go away. Saying these words made my heart ache.

- That's not what I said. His tone was clear.

I didn't know what to say to her. Now I was uncomfortable! If I'm bothering him, let him tell me!

- Stand up. his rough voice commanded me.

- Why did he do that?

- Get up. Derne insisted.

And here we are! I knew it was a trap to go sit next to him. Seeing me not move, he stood up, took my hand and pulled me towards him. Shocked, embarrassed and many other emotions mixed in my head. This was the first time we had made physical contact!

- What are you doing?! Watch it, I'm pretty good at arena! I've taken Max, uh, down a few times already, huh?

- Let's chill out! I just want to get you dancing. You don't need a Bruce Lee technique to do that.

If someone would have told me, that aliens were attacking Paris with snail guns, I would have believed it! But that Derne wanted to dance with me?! That, no. It was... impossible.
Yet, he came forward, placed one hand on my waist and with his other arm, he took my left hand. Mine went automatically to their place. I was embarrassed, shocked and anxious! But it wasn't over. He surprised me even more, when he created two phantom earpieces. One each to the ear, we swayed to the gentle rhythm of the melody.

I must have been dancing like crazy, but he didn't notice. I couldn't find anything to grumble about and I was beginning to want only one thing: to continue our dance. I felt good spinning gently in his muscular arms. He was holding me tightly, but not too tightly either. Only as much as I needed, so I wouldn't slip away from him.

*****

Once in my room, while Grayce slept, I took the time to watch the stars and thank them for this "magical" moment. While my ghost reproduced the scenes, I travelled in a new dream to which I took slowly taste.
I had met a new Derne. A tender, kind, slightly romantic boy... A boy I liked very much.

Did my dream last? No. Of course not. The next morning, he and his gang blew up our breakfasts.

- Derne will never change. No matter what happens, he'll always be scum. I said, my face splashed with milk and chocapic.

- What made you think otherwise? Max shouted angrily.

- Come on! Let's go out. We're going to have breakfast in the gardens. We followed Grayce under the cadence of the laughter of Rylook.

My morning had started very badly. It did not improve with our first language course. I understood absolutely nothing of what she was teaching me.

Ghota was a very old language. According to our teacher, Madame Dona, it is one of the first three sacred languages. The Primordial languages. The "epic" side attracted my curiosity, but to learn it, I might as well say that I preferred to fight in the arena!

It was made of symbols! And its pronunciation was almost like Latin. There was no way I could learn something like that. Lost, I waited patiently for our second class to begin.
The arena.

Once again, the teams were already made. The White Spectres against the Black Spectres. Our marks burned with hatred and our hearts thought of revenge. We were no longer students. We were Lions against Lions, ready to pounce on the prey when we got the jump on it.

- I think it's going to be interesting! Right? What do you think, big nose?

- I am... Oh, and call me whatever you want. Hey, kids! Let's...chill...chill...out. We're going to have...fights... One on one... And no cheating! Mr. Strange stepped in front of Perus and continued.

- We'll start with the equals! Those for whom the fountain sang... Everyone left the arena. Only Derne and I remained.

- Look out Ella! Grayce shouted in panic.

- Yeah, watch out! He's a little fast...," commented Strange beside Grayce.

- Shame on you! Grayce shouted at Strange. You're giving him Derne as an opponent!

- She'll... Max began.

- Bleed? Get eaten by that demon? Suffer? Strange continued.

- If you're touchable, I can assure you I'll hit you! Grayce shouted.

- Yeah, but you can't..., Strange smiled at Grayce defiantly.

I was right there. In front of Derne. He was smiling confidently, puffed up by his egomania. Me? I was being serious, for fear of getting my ass kicked.

Sandra brought him a stick and Max brought me mine with a trembling hand. Derne took his weapon and made big movements with it, in order to make it his own. I took the stick with a steady hand and did nothing. I was too scared to try to play it off like he was doing...

Derne and I were about to start our second dance.