PENSIONNAT - VERSION ENGLISH - BOOK FINISH

° 2 °

- Derne, we need to talk.

I had joined him in the library. He was reading a book about carnivorous plants. Ever since I had entered the Ghota world, I had seen that they were fascinated by them.

Some of them did not grow in the human world. For some of them only fed on death. Moreover, the state sometimes used the "Sarracenia" as an instrument of torture. For the Humans, it was only carnivorous. For the Ghota, it poisoned the soul. It would rip it out of the condemned, so gently, that it created excruciating pain. Then she poisoned the soul and ate it. But it also had therapeutic virtues. Reduced to ashes, the nurses used it as a painkiller.

He stood up suddenly, preventing me from reading the rest of the article.

- Derne! It's important.

- I don't want to offend you, but I don't want to talk to you.

- Are you mad at me? So that's it.

He put the book away and left the library. I ran after him so as not to lose him.

- I saved your life! He let out a mocking laugh.

- Derne! Something is going on...

- Can you leave me alone? I'm busy these days. And I don't like it when people see that... that we're talking.

- What do you mean, you don't like it? Are you ashamed? My heart was starting to race.

He stopped and looked at me with a smug look on his face.

- Ella, you have to understand that I don't care about your life. Everyone has their own problems. I don't want anyone to think we're close.

I couldn't help it. He had just pissed me off.

- Did he? You don't care, do you? You know what? You're just a pretentious bastard.

I tore my ghost away from his occupation and drew, with his approval, a stick with pretty drawings at the end of the sleeves. At first it was just smoke, but when we touched it, it materialized.

- Do you really want to do this? Derne drew a stick in his turn, a small satisfied smile on his lips.

He got into a fighting position. Without waiting I jumped on him. I only thought of one thing: to hurt him. Why did I want to hurt him? Because he had just told me a truth that bothered me. He didn't care about me. He didn't care about my fate or my life.

We hit each other, but without touching. It seems that the blows of the other are easy to take. I could see that he was not possessed, he was very skilled! But I was quite proud to see that I could easily face him.

Our fight took more and more importance. We were monopolizing a whole corridor and an almost amusing smile was drawing our faces.
Then a white light appeared, invading our fighting space. We fell like paper.

*****

I woke up sitting on a wooden chair.

- Finally awake. I turned my head and saw Mr. Strange.

- What the...

- Madame Dona arrested you. You and Derne. Nice little fight.

- He's really getting on my nerves, that one! He won't listen to me and he told me... Well, who cares what he said! He always has to be... Oh you know! You... Are you still here? I was puzzled. Normally, when I started talking about my life, he would leave. Now he was looking at me, thoughtful, as if he was interested.

- Was he? I'm sorry. I just took a micro-nap for a few seconds. Well, I'll leave you to it.

He took his usual air and crossed the wall.

I stood up and looked around. I wondered where Derne was. Had they separated us for fear of fighting? Well, they were right! If I run into him I'll make mincemeat out of him!

After a few minutes, Max and Grayce came running towards me.

- We got there as fast as we could! Are you okay? Didn't he hurt you? Grayce asked as he sculpted my body.

- No, I'm fine... But frankly I want to kill him!

- You can't make him love you... Max began. I glared at him, but he was absolutely right. Still, Grayce elbowed him in the ribs.

Footsteps sounded behind us, interrupting our discussion.

- How busy is this hallway?

- I just closed the access. Of course not. Emitted the director

The director was walking in our direction. Max took our arm and hid us behind the window curtain. It was long and thick enough to hide us.

The principal was accompanied by the army chief and President Ghota.

- We have to calm the parents down. If they make too much noise, it will get us into trouble. explained the army chief.

- And what do you propose Tiriane? Asked the president.

- We know what he's thinking...but I think we shouldn't touch the parents. The director was definite. They are too precious.

- In any case, the uncommanded appearance of shadows and in the first cases, in Finistère, is not to be taken lightly. We must remedy this! And I demand that it be done. Ordered the president.

- Yes, of course. agreed the director.

They walked through a door and continued their discussion. I stepped out of the curtain, trying to hear what was coming next. But Grayce held me back.

- Come on, Ella. We have to go! Grayce whispered to me.

- Wait, I want to hear the rest. But Grayce grabbed my arm and forced me to follow her.

- They're going to talk about the Shadows. Grayce explained.

- Maybe they'll talk about Mary.

My hope of finding her had returned. I couldn't pass up an opportunity like this.

- They're going to mention her, but mostly they're going to talk about the Shadows. Grayce insisted.

- And maybe MARY. I forced her to stop. I looked at both of them sternly.

- Ella... you don't understand. This doesn't just affect Mary. The shadows coming into the forest is not normal. Until Marie disappeared, we didn't even know a shadow could swallow anything! Grayce pressed herself against the wall with Max and I on her heels. A slamming door forced us to be more discreet.

- We have prisoners who have committed horrible crimes or souls so dark that... they end up as shadows. A shadow is condemned to wander in the black pit. It has no thoughts, no emotions, no hunger, no memories of its past life... It does not see, does not feel, does not hear. On the other hand, it can suffer... A shadow is tortured on average eight times a day for one hour! This is barbarism!!! But when she faced Perus, she showed that she could see or hear or even smell her prey! Who knows what else she can do!

- But why do they keep such things?! Max shouted. We keep cats or dogs... But not monsters!

- That's their punishment. Grayce explained.

- Well, because of that, Marie is missing!!! I yelled. Grayce grabbed my arm and Max's where she pushed us forward.

- That's why we have to let them figure it out. Let's leave them alone. Grayce said.

We left the corridor to join the course of Mrs. Colou.

*****

During his class, I spent two hours fighting with Max, with a small ghostly character created with our ghost. Soon Fabio and his gang joined the cardboard arena.

After thirty minutes, our little friendly fight turned into a competition. White spectrum against black spectrum. The whole class was there. Only Grayce was listening to the class.