The Warriors of the Aurora

Chapter 3 - The Magic Of Water

Probably not even the explosion of a bomb would have been able to wake Angelica, so when the high-pitched trill of the alarm clock announced the beginning of the new day, she did not move an inch. Yarelie stood next to her for a few minutes watching her sleep peacefully: the rhythm of her breathing was calm and regular, and a coppery curl fell on her forehead giving her a defenseless, childlike expression. Nice picture, Yarelie thought, if it weren't for that bruise on her wrist. The morning light had revealed the marks that Will had left on Angelica's skin. "Poor girl ..." Yarelie let out a sigh full of anguish. The previous night her friend had not found the strength to say even a word about what had happened: she had curled up under the sheets, closed in on herself like a hedgehog and, among the silent sobs she had tried in every way to repress, she had slipped into sleep. Yarelie hadn't been able to do anything but remain close to her in silence: she had stroked her arm for a long time, a soft arm, a little rough for the dermatitis and dotted with freckles.

The clock on the wall said 8:37. The house was immersed in total silence. "I have to do it now or it will be too late," Yarelie said to herself, and moving as silently as possible she sneaked out of bed, then out of the room, walking silently to the bathroom. Now the ritual could begin: Yarelie took off her pajamas, took the scales under the sink and silently stepped on it. The numbers began to form in front of her feet, changing frantically as they went mad before slowing down and then stopping. The girl stared blankly at the number. She stepped off the scale. She stepped on it again. So she watched the same numbers form once again. She stepped off, stepped on again. "What did I do wrong?" she thought, her fingers nervously pinching the skin on her ribs. "What the fuck is wrong with me?" Yarelie put the scale back in place and stood in front of the mirror. Her blue eyes stared at the reflection from the collarbones down, filled with the most sincere disgust. Shoulders, back, profile, ribs, hips, arms, legs, cheekbones. Yarelie felt the protruding bones over and over, as if to be sure they were still there. "It's because I ate that extra fucking apple yesterday. That's why." The girl got dressed, and, stealthily moving like a thief in the dim light of Angelica's house, reached the kitchen. She took a cup and poured a little milk into it, just enough to dirty it, then filled it with water and slipped a napkin into it along with a few crumbs of biscuit. "Perfect," Yarelie thought, looking satisfied with her little deception, "Now I'll make Angelica's breakfast."

«Hey... How long have you been awake?» «Not long. I made you breakfast.» Angelica mumbled a sleepy "thank you" as she opened her mouth wide in a mighty yawn. She looked like a lion just out of the jungle, with all those red tousled curls like a mane and a stout build set off even more by her tight pink summer pajamas. «Aren't you cold with only that on?» Yarelie asked her friend, sitting down in front of her at the table. «Well... This morning it's almost hot. You rather, how the fuck can you stay with that heavy stuff?» «I don't know, I'm cold...» Angelica shrugged and dipped the chocolate toast into the milk. «You don't have breakfast?» «Already had» Yarelie replied promptly, pointing to the dirty cup on the sink, «Sorry I didn't wait for you, I was too hungry» «Tell me about it» Angelica pressed a hand to her full mouth, trying not to let out all the food she was trying to chew. Yarelie instinctively looked away, pretending to look at the magnets on the refrigerator. "No, I'm not like you..." she thought, pinching the skin on her ribs, "Don't let yourself think I ate like you. I should have told you I wasn't hungry. I'm not like you..." «How are you doing this morning, Angelica?» The redhead took another toast. «I don't know... Normal. What a drag, my sister is back today.» Yarelie cleared her throat nervously. "She doesn't want to talk about it" she thought. «Has she passed her exams?» «Yes. A couple more hours while the train arrives and I will be the idiot and stupid version of Susan again.» Angelica suddenly fell silent, leaving her gaze to wander into space. The girl had been tormenting her right hand since she woke up, this Yarelie had noticed: for a moment the image of her friend's smoking fingers flashed in her mind, immediately after the sudden blaze that had made Will and the others flee the night before. "No, it's not possible, it can't be, it makes no sense..." Yarelie had repeated these words to herself ad nauseam, but they sounded more pathetic each time: by now it was clear that Angelica, the ordinary and simple Angelica, had something special. «I'll go home then» Yarelie said, rising from her chair. «You might want to be alone with your family» «Uh» Angelica rolled her eyes, «I can't wait».