Between our hands

Chapter 3 : Shadows of Certainty.

The half-hour following the visitors' departure was marked by a heavy silence. The Georges family, frozen in disbelief, struggled to find words to express the confusion overwhelming them. The evening meal had been a silent ordeal, where each person tried to appear normal despite the tumultuous questions tormenting their minds. Maëlle, her head filled with swirling thoughts, stood up from the table. She felt like a spectator in her own life, unable to ground herself in the present moment. The moments shared just hours earlier, filled with laughter and conversation, now seemed to belong to a different time—one that had been abruptly interrupted.

Without saying a word, Maëlle headed toward the stables to help her grandfather Samuel and her brother Sacha turn the horses out to the pasture. The midday air was cool, and the light breeze blowing through the stable doors contrasted with the knot of tension forming in her chest. Sunlight filtered through the slats in the roof, casting patterns of light on the wooden walls. The soft clattering of hooves on the ground and the steady breathing of the horses offered a semblance of comfort, yet her mind remained troubled. Every movement seemed amplified by the weight of silence; every sound felt like a distant echo of her worries.

Sacha, usually so talkative, was silent as well. His fleeting glances barely met Maëlle's, and he seemed lost in thought, his hands moving mechanically as he completed the usual tasks. Their grandfather Samuel, focused on his work, had a face etched with deeper wrinkles than usual. His eyes, normally clear and kind, now bore the trace of a new, nearly imperceptible but persistent concern.

The horses, sensitive to the tense atmosphere, seemed more restless than usual. They snorted and moved erratically, adding a touch of chaos to the relative serenity of the stables. Maëlle, her gaze fixed on the animals, wondered if they, too, sensed the change in the air. Her movements were tinged with a certain carelessness, as though she were trying to escape her own thoughts by focusing on the practical details of the work.

Back at the house, the soothing scent of the meal Victoria was preparing filled the air. The freshly baked bread, mingling with spices and the comforting aromas of simmering vegetables, filled the space with a familiar warmth. Victoria was absorbed in her task with an almost manic concentration, her agile hands working with precise, almost frantic movements. Maëlle watched her grandmother work, observing the precise, methodical gestures. Each action seemed like an attempt to maintain some semblance of normalcy in a world that had suddenly become chaotic.

Despite the comforting smells, Maëlle felt detached from the domestic scene. She saw the worried expressions of her grandparents, the forced smiles of her brothers and sister, and wondered how a single day could transform into a series of such bewildering events. Daniel's absence, off delivering the farm's products, added a note of isolation to the evening. Though often caught up in the daily whirlwind of his tasks, Maëlle knew his mind, like hers, must be troubled with questions and uncertainties.

When dinner was served, the family gathered around the table, their faces tired and marked by the morning's events, reflecting the weight of the concerns that burdened them. Marie and Mickaël, back from their workday, also appeared exhausted, their expressions betraying mental rather than physical fatigue. Around the table, conversations were sporadic, with each person trying to make sense of the confusing information left by the visitors. The exchanges, rather than soothing, added another layer of perplexity to the situation.

Maëlle found herself unable to sleep that night. The turmoil in her mind was too strong, her thoughts whirling relentlessly. After long hours of staring at her bedroom ceiling, the shadows cast by the furniture danced on the walls like specters of her own anxieties. She decided to step outside for some air, hoping the calm of the night might soothe her troubled mind. Her two dogs, Ely and Summer, followed her eagerly, delighted by this nocturnal adventure. Together, they wandered the paths around the house, their steps creating a soft rustling on the dew-covered ground.

The moonlight bathed the meadows in a pale glow, casting uncertain shadows on the earth. The nocturnal sounds of the countryside—the chirping of crickets, the rustling of leaves in the wind—formed a familiar symphony that should have reassured her, but Maëlle couldn't help feeling estranged from the moment. Each step seemed to pull her further from reality, as if the tranquility of the night betrayed the inner turmoil that consumed her.

"Why now?" she asked aloud, the question lost in the vastness of the night. "Why has this man, whom we don't even know, appeared so suddenly?" The questions went unanswered, continually colliding with a wall of uncertainty. The moonlight offered an almost surreal clarity, but it couldn't illuminate the dark corners of her mind.

The hours slipped by without her noticing, and when Maëlle finally returned home, it was nearly three in the morning. Exhausted but still unable to find peace, she collapsed into bed, falling into a restless sleep where dreams mingled with her waking anxieties. The faces of the visitors and the words of the man with short hair blurred into confused visions, turning each dream into a scene of uncertainty.

The next morning, she was the first to rise, well before the sun's rays warmed the earth. Determined to offer her family a moment of respite, she began preparing pancakes, hoping the gesture would bring a sense of normalcy. The batter, a mix of flour, eggs, and milk, sizzled in the pan, producing a scent that seemed almost unreal compared to the gravity of recent events. She set the table outside, taking advantage of the morning's coolness, and tried to create an atmosphere of artificial serenity.

As the morning wore on, the routine of the farm resumed, with the animals still requiring as much care and attention as ever. Maëlle lost herself in these familiar tasks, immersing herself in manual labor, seeking comfort in the unchanging rhythm of farm life. She cleaned the stables, fed the chickens, and tended to the fields with a near-frenzied concentration, trying to push aside the anxiety gnawing at her mind. Every completed task felt like a small victory over the uncertainty threatening to engulf them.

Her grandparents, also up early, gave her tired smiles, but Maëlle could see the same worry in their eyes. They exchanged brief words and heavy looks, each trying to hide their own concerns behind a mask of normalcy. The day's familiar rhythm, though, was disrupted by the weight of recent events.

The apparent calm was shattered late in the morning when the same car as the previous day reappeared in the driveway, this time escorted by two other vehicles. Maëlle’s heart raced, a dull anxiety rising within her. In a protective gesture, Marie asked her to take Charles, the family's youngest, and retreat upstairs. Reluctantly, Maëlle obeyed, taking the child in her arms and hurrying to her room, locking the door behind her.

From there, she watched through the window, her brothers Sacha and Daniel doing the same. The cars stopped in front of the house, and from the second one emerged a man accompanied by someone who appeared to be an assistant. They approached Samuel, a package of envelopes in hand. Samuel's face betrayed his confusion as he opened the envelope and discovered its contents. His features slowly hardened, and Maëlle felt a cold shiver run down her spine.

A few minutes later, Victor knocked on Maëlle’s door. Entering, he explained in a low, measured voice that the DNA test results had arrived, and they were indeed positive. The confirmation shifted their situation from latent worry to undeniable reality. The air in the room grew heavier, each family member slowly realizing the magnitude of the situation ahead. The silence, heavy and laden with gravity, filled the space, with every thought and emotion becoming more palpable than ever.

When Maëlle came back downstairs with Charles, the men were still there, sitting in the living room. This time, they introduced themselves as Mr. Hassan and Mr. Trahan, bearing news that would forever change the Georges family’s destiny. Their presence, once a troubling mystery, now carried an icy certainty, bringing with it revelations that could turn their lives upside down. The weight of their impending words was already palpable, each second stretching into an endless wait before the revelation of an uncertain future.