The next day, Avandale
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- Yu! exclaims Léo.
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He runs up the stairs, stepping over the marble steps two at a time. He takes the right-hand corridor and hurries to the last door on the left. He knocks three times, then twice, then three times more slowly. It's a code they've set up after a prank played by their dear cousin. She had pretended to be Leo and poured the juice of the oil-producing Yagianlegg plant right into Yu's face.
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- Yu, are you up?
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- Yes, I'm coming!" replies the young girl before opening the door.
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- Guess who's going to accompany you on today's outing? asks Leo.
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- Erm. . Reflects the little girl with dark blond hair with golden highlights. Is it Mom?
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- No. . . Try again, he says, his eyes shining with joy and his smile rising to his ears.
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- Uncle Louis? replied Yu.
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Léo, surprised that his little sister hadn't guessed, didn't lose his smile. He stoops down to the level of his sweet sister's beautiful eyes and tells her the good news:
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- It's me!
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- But what about the martial arts school?
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- They've agreed to give me the day off. They even say it's good exercise. Because, you know, if we go with you, it's to make sure you're safe. So I have to stay on the lookout. he explains, foolishly imitating a predator to amuse Yu.
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The young Naterelli, now reassured, doesn't fail to show her joy. She throws herself into her big brother's arms. After a brief moment of joy and brotherly love, Leo takes his little sister's hand to go downstairs for breakfast.
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This time, it's wiser to take the marble staircase to the kitchen. This room, continually perfumed by the sweet aroma of the good food prepared here, is opposite Yu's bedroom. They descended the stairs at a brisk pace, but cautiously so as not to fall. Arriving at the wooden door resembling a sucupira, they knock to announce their presence and open it.
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They are welcomed into a warm room where meals are prepared. It's a fairly large room, with a fireplace equipped with a rack glued to the right-hand wall. And a second worktop with a sink runs along the left wall under the window. Rhita, the family's head cook, is in the middle of preparing the dough for this lunchtime meal. She's busy on the worktop that runs along the back wall, with storage cupboards underneath. Her smile is matched only by her kindness and tenderness. With her firm, tender gestures, she resembles a human in every way, except that she's a ghostly creature who can take on the appearance of whatever she comes across. However, she has never changed her shape since adopting the features of the human he rescued her from. Rhita wished to continue living in the guise of this now deceased person, to keep her memories alive. Grateful for the love the gentle Naterelli family has shown her for decades, she wanted to participate in the life of the house. That's how she came to be the head chef.
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Rhita, knowing the children and their habits well, prepared breakfast for them and placed everything on the table in the center of the kitchen. The window lets in the soft, warm first light of the day. The warmth of dawn settles on Yu's and Leo's delicate faces, with their refined, harmonious features; and on the brick wall opposite, which diffuses it with its glowing colors. Since Yu joined the family, Léo eats breakfast with her here rather than in the dining room. This was Yu's choice, as she feels much better in this room than in the cold, overly large dining room. However, they have to come here for dinner and lunch on their day off from school.
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The aroma of their hot chocolate-equivalent drink titillates their nostrils until their mouths are salivating. The golden color of their freshly baked pastry makes their stomachs sing. And in this concert of hunger, the two young Naterelli thank the chef for her work before starting to eat.
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Once they'd wolfed down the culinary delights, the taste of which still lingered in their mouths, they set off. They passed the craftsmen as they did every morning and arrived in front of the school. Some of Yu's classmates had already arrived with their escorts. Among them was their cousin Chlotilde, accompanied by her father, Uncle Louis. He's a rather small man compared to the other members of the family. He smiles at Yu and Léo with his naive air and friendly features. Then returns to his conversation with other adults. He's not as modest about food as he is patient with people, and so resembles Papa Bear. He's just less hairy, despite the thick mustache that covers his mouth. He's rather simple-minded and doesn't ask himself many questions. Nor does he react to certain situations.
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- Pfff! begins Chlotilde with a look of disdain.
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- She looks Yu up and down, then back at Léo, before turning back and continuing:
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- No one wanted to go with you, so Leo had to, didn't he?" she questions, without giving anyone time to answer, and continues: You didn't even make the effort to introduce yourself properly to honor him. Are you really-
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- Chlotilde, cuts in Leo. That's enough, he says, looking at her coldly.
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- Why do you always take her side? she snaps, clenching her fists. She's not even your real sister! She's just some savage you pick-
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- I said that's enough! he cuts in a second time, this time taking a step forward in his thick brown vegetable leather shoes.
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Chlotilde pouts, then turns around. Her freshly made English curls still in motion, she glances at her father in a corner to make him understand to walk away with her. Which he does without a word. Louis is a good person, but he's never been able to assert himself as a fatherly authority figure. Authority isn't really his cup of tea, and his wife leads him by the nose. His "slightly" spoiled-rotten daughter follows suit and does the same. As her tantrums can go on for hours and days, he prefers to give in and regain a semblance of tranquility as quickly as possible.
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- Don't listen to her, Yu, says Leo, turning to her and putting his hands on her shoulders. It's her jealousy that's making her bitter. Today's the first time you're going back into the forest since I spotted you. You won't wander off, will you? he says, dipping his gaze into hers to get her full attention.
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- Okay, big brother, Yu replies, before turning his head towards the master, who rings the bell.
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- Well, everyone seems to have arrived. I'm going to ask you all to line up in pairs, student and attendant. We'll keep this formation throughout the excursion, except for the lunch break," he explains, adding hand movements to make himself understood. Despite the safety measures taken, I'm also asking everyone to pick up a whistle to use if anything happens. I hope we don't hear any whistles, which means nothing unexpected has happened," he concludes.
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- Ah, once everyone has a whistle, please blow once to make sure it's working properly. It would be a shame to try and use it without succeeding.
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The group of children and chaperones all blow their whistles, creating a din that echoes throughout the surrounding area. The man with the aquiline nose plugs his pointed ears.
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- That's the spirit! All the whistles seem to be working, he says. Let's get going.
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Leo, smiling, excited to be of service to his sister and to witness his first outing in the forest since his arrival, holds out his hand. Yu, returning the smile, his heart tight with worry but full of happiness, takes it. They join the group walking towards the forest entrance.
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Barely out of town, only a hundred meters away, the group arrives at the first edge of the forest. Imposing trees with dense foliage, similar to that of the Ginkgo biloba, only bigger, greet them. Little by little, they make their way through the forest, which grows thicker and more imposing. Its vegetation is like a natural cage, cutting off all communication with the outside world. The humidity increases as they make their way towards the mountain. The further they advance, the more an oppressive dampness embraces the skin of the excursionists. The scent of greenery and damp earth, carried by the gentle breezes through the forest, barely refreshes the moving group. Their aim is to make it to the mountain and back, in a straight line. As straight as possible, following the winding paths that plunge them into an increasingly leafy, dark landscape.
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- Can everyone hear me?" asks Mr. Sgoil, turning back to the group he has taken over to guide.
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- Yes!" replies the group, still quite wise, in chorus.
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Wonderful! We're going to take increasingly narrow paths. Although we do this excursion every year, we're never sure of anything. So I'd like to ask those accompanying you not to take your eyes off your protégé. If you find yourself lost or alone, use your whistle.
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- Agreed!" reply the excursionists.
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And so they continue to make their way along the ambiguous paths, where the low stinging grasses begin to attack the unfortunates whose clothes don't cover their ankles.
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Amina, Chlotilde's best friend and her little sheep, is one of the unlucky ones. At just over a meter tall, she wants to please her dear friend. To meet her requirements, she chose to wear a princess dress with open-toed shoes and low socks for the event. However, she soon realizes that this is not the most ingenious idea she's ever had. The itch attacks her bare ankles; she's already been holding back for a few minutes, but the irritations are becoming increasingly visible and painful. A tear beads down her taut, porcelain-skinned face. Unable to hold back any longer, she raises the whistle to her mouth and whistles.
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The whole group halts on a path surrounded by ferns of varying height that hide the notorious stinging plants.
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- What's going on?" immediately inquired the organizer of this outing.
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- I want to go home," blubbered Amina, tears streaming down her cheeks. I'm fed up with this horrible, never-ending forest. It's awful. I can't even breathe, the air is so heavy.
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- We're not going to turn back when we've practically arrived," says a rather annoyed Mr Sgoil.
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- But I-
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A heavy noise is heard by everyone. The children, some of them tired, panic. The group disperses. In the confusion, Chlotilde flashes a satisfied smile. Her eyes cunning and blackened by the hatred that drives her, she seems to have devised the perfect plan. In the midst of the hubbub, a student runs towards Yu and Léo. In a frenzied rhythm of terror, this child collides with the fraternal duo, separating them before falling to the cold, slightly muddy ground.
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The sophisticated-looking cousin can't miss such an opportunity. She strides towards Yu, oblivious to the weeds clawing at her calves. The child with green eyes tinged with gold, still disoriented, tries to regain some balance to stay on her feet. But Chlotilde helps her, and with a breath of effort that is immediately covered by the heaviness of the atmosphere, she pushes her violently into the ferns.
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Léo regains his senses. In his confusion, he doesn't realize that his sister is missing. He takes the time to help the poor, distraught student who has fallen to the ground. It's only when he gets to his feet that he realizes that Yu has disappeared.
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- Yu! Where are you? worries the big brother in the baggy shirt.
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- I think I saw her go that way, announces Chlotilde, pointing in a random direction.
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- Are you sure? asks Léo, with a wary look in his eyes.
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- Yes, I'm sure. I turned to look for Dad. But instead, I saw Yu starting to go off the path. I don't know why, she says, shrugging her shoulders, palms facing the ceiling of leaves.
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- Well, I'll go and look for her, please inform Monsieur Sgoil that I've gone to look for her, he asks.
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- Chlotilde, if this is another one of your dirty tricks, this time I won't forgive you, he tells her just before leaving.
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