Chapter 21 - Confession

A week passes. The virus in the village dissipates. All those infected recover, including Moana and Keren. The bags of medicine brought in, combined with Ay's care, bear fruit.

Obsessed with the possibility of a relapse and deprived of our guardians, our food reserves are evaporating. As a precaution, guardian Keren has been excused from exploration duties while she continues to recover. Therefore, guardian Gwen is in charge of harvesting.

Meanwhile, in the heart of the village, on a bench in the square.

_ Maïko: “ And you see, thanks to my Source, I can stick my head everywhere, like a mole. ”

_ Shailly: “ That's so cool! ” she said, admiringly.

_ Maïko: “ Hehe. ”

She lowers her head, her eyes fixed on the floor, a bitter smile on her face.

_ Maïko: “ In any case, I don't know how I would have reacted in your place when faced with that mummy. Being in the same room as him, just horrible. ”

_ Shailly: “ Haha, yes. ”

She lifts her head, her eyes turned toward the clouds, full of tenderness.

_ Shailly: “ Luckily Ayden was there to hold me back, I was really scared. ”

_ Maïko: “ He also calmed me down during our first exploration. He really handled it well. ”

Shailly's eyes sparkle, her face lit up with a radiant smile.

_ Shailly: “ He has a lot of composure, I envy him. ”

Maïko observes the change in Shailly's facial expression.

_ Maïko: “ Hmmm. ”

_ Shailly: “ What is it? ” she said, looking at her curiously.

Maïko smiled and held Shailly's gaze for a moment, her eyes slightly narrowed.

_ Maïko: “ Are you falling for Ayden or what? ”

Shailly remains motionless, her gaze fixed. Then, her cheeks flush. “

_ Shailly: ” Wh... What?? "

A huge laugh filled the air. Maïko pressed her hands against her stomach.

_ Shailly: “ Why are you laughing? ” she said, embarrassed.

_ Maïko: “ Haha, you should have seen your face, it was so funny! ”

Shailly speaks, her voice trembling.

_ Shailly: “ It's not what you think... And then… ”

Her gaze is averted, her voice low, her hand pressed firmly against her chest.

_ Shailly: “ I'm just telling the truth. ”

Maïko puts her arm around Shailly's shoulder, smiling broadly.

_ Maïko: “ Haha, yes, I'm teasing you. I'll stop now. ”

Shailly crosses her arms, pouting.

_ Maïko: “ Let's change the subject. ”

Several seconds pass, then an idea crosses Shailly's mind.

_ Shailly: “ I'm thinking about it, but I want to talk about the tutor Keren. ”

_ Maïko: “ Tell me about it. ”

_ Shailly: “ He explained to me in detail how the Sources are distributed right after our training. He told me that in this world, some people are born with a Source, and others are not. ”

_ Maïko: “ Oh yeah? ”

_ Shailly: “ Yes, he also told me that each individual has only one Source. ”

_ Maïko: “ Ohh. ”

_ Shailly: “ Yet he used several during training. ”

Maïko doesn't say a word as the information sinks in. Then her mouth opens slightly, her eyes widen.

_ Maïko: “ Oh, but that's true! ”

A forced smile appears.

_ Shailly: “ I don't think she even noticed… ”

_ Maïko: “ So, did you ask him?? ”

_ Shailly: “ Yes, but he didn't want to answer us. ”

_ Maïko: “ Oh well. In that case… ”

She stands up, confident.

_ Maïko: “ Let's just ask her sister! ”

_ Shailly: “ Do you think she'll answer us? ”

_ Maïko: “ We'll never know if we don't try. ”

A wave of excitement washed over Maïko. She grabbed Shailly's arm, pulling her off the bench.

_ Maïko: “ Come on! Let's hurry before she goes off exploring. ”