PENSIONNAT - VERSION ENGLISH - BOOK FINISH

° 7 °

My victory was echoed throughout the mansion.

The White Spectres congratulated me on my victory and the Black Spectres called me a cheat.

I wasn't worried about the Black Specters retaliating, but I was worried about who would kill me and why. I had told Grayce and Max the details of the fight in the arena.

- You should have run to get us Ella! Or at least tried to warn a teacher!

- And how could I do that? Grayce, what if I went to warn a teacher and he killed Derne in revenge? The risk was much too great.

- Anyway, you knocked him out! And that's something to celebrate!

- Max, honestly, if Derne had been himself I would have lost. And this victory doesn't really count.

- Well, it's too late. Marie and Thibault have been working hard to get you a party tonight! You have to go !

- If this was a surprise, it's ruined ....

- I'd rather warn Ella than not tell her! At least I'm not hiding anything! Grayce glared at Max.

Seeing Sandra in the distance, I left them to argue and joined her on the gravel path that led to the south gardens.

- Sandra!

As expected, she didn't stop. I ran at full speed in front of her to force her to stop.

- What! What do you want from me, the cheater!

-...Did he come out? Fabio told me that he was no longer in the infirmary...

- Rha the coward! He's so afraid of you that he tells you everything...

- Sandra, I really have to talk to him. It's really important. She saw my serious expression and pouted.

- We don't know where he is. He left the infirmary when he wasn't supposed to. We've been looking for him since this morning. Without waiting I left her and headed for the gardens.

The infirmary was in the gardens, in the southern part. At the back of the manor. Not far away was the place where Mr. Tocque had first shown me the moonflowers.

Madame Rose told me about Derne. She was tending to the bushes near the infirmary.

- I did not see Derne leave her room.

I was lost. How could someone disappear without leaving the place?

There was a large greenhouse, three stories high, surrounded by firefly trees. Ivy ran across its roof and its walls were hidden by bushes of all kinds. This building was the infirmary.

I gently opened the door and watched Madam Rose treat a student for a burn.

- This will make you not want to test the "dragon's breath"! Wait until you reach the age of majority before you take on challenges that can cost you your life! I don't want to be responsible for your death!

- Madam Rose...you...you weren't...

- Mowing the lawn, stroking a rose, saying hello to a tulip or tasting water from the fountain? No. It's the Ghota I care for, not the plants!

I was perplexed. I could have sworn that I had seen Madame Rose near a bush just two minutes ago. In front of my bewildered expression, she took the trouble to explain her quick movement.

- My twin sister. Come on, don't make that face!

- You have a twin sister...

- Ella?! What are you doing here? We've been looking for you and Max.

- Grayce? What are you doing here?

-Uh... uh... I'm, uh... I'm volunteering with the students. I help them with their homework and stuff.

She was lying. Why was she lying to me? My intuition could smell it, like my nose could smell a strawberry within reach.

- I'm looking for someone.

"Distrust leads to distrust my daughter." A phrase my mother used to repeat to me through a story... "And this one will devour you before the moon even appears". I wasn't ready to feel this pseudo distrust of Grayce. Especially not when my killer was more present.

- I'm looking for Derne. I need to know what he might have seen or felt through my killer's mind.

- Yes, I understand. He must be in his room. You want me to come with you?

- No, you don't have to. Besides... you don't seem to have finished your... volunteer work... Stay here. If I learn something I'll come and tell you.

I left her without thinking for a second what she might be thinking. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to worry about that right now.

Yet her face was gradually sinking into an unknown fear. My heart was screaming at me to go to her. She didn't deserve a cold look similar to an icy ignorance. But Derne was waiting for me. At least, her spirit was waiting for me. I had to know, I had to find a clue about this man who apparently had known my mother.

That he would come after me terrified me, but the idea that he would threaten my mother horrified me.

I went to room 205 and found that Derne was not there. His bed was messed up, but there was no sign of him. I looked around and was disappointed that no witnesses resided in his room.

The window next to it showed no sign of a break-in, and Derne wasn't the type to do things discreetly.

Since the beginning of the year, his exits and entrances were always punctuated by a hubbub or an unnatural silence that emphasized his demonic aura. Whatever happened, even if you couldn't see it, you could feel it. A pretentious side that Mr. Perus reproached him for.

Anyway, it didn't help me.

Derne had disappeared and so had my clues.