Chapter 30 - Alert (Start of Arc 2)

It is 12:20 a.m.

_ Moana: “ Nothing to report. I'm heading back to the office. ”

Having completed her rounds, she heads for the building's front door.

_ Maïko: “ Ayden, Hazel! Come out now, the boss is starting to turn around. ” she whispered from the stairs.

Keen not to attract attention, we hurry to leave the premises. Twenty seconds later, Moana appears. She enters the building, heads to her office, and sits down.

It is 12:30 a.m.

_ Son: “ Okay. Next destination: Ay's old camp. ”

_ Ayden: “ From now on, we are fugitives. ”

It is 1:00 a.m.

We make our way through the thick foliage of the rainforest, bypassing the main path to avoid potential detection.

_ Son: “ We should have warned Brent and Taïga, right? ”

_ Ayden: “ No need. They're not involved in the sacrifices, and by staying in the village, they get room and board, unlike us. ”

_ Hazel: “ Indeed, there's no point in taking them on our journey. ”

_ Son: “ That's not stupid. It's our fight, after all. ”

With a sharp blow, he slaps his palm against his fist, signaling his firm resolution.

_ Son: “ And we're going to win! ”

I turn my gaze toward Jenna.

_ Ayden: “ Jenna, do you know how long it will take to get to our destination? ”

_ Jenna: “ Yes, Master Ay says it's an hour and a half drive from our current location. ”

_ Ayden: “ Okay. ”

At the same time.

_ Moana: “ Well, it's time to go to bed. ”

She opens the fourth drawer, takes out the family photo, and smiles. As she puts the photo down, she notices the messy envelopes.

_ Moana: “ Huh? Why is everything so scattered? I've never touched it since I got this desk. ”

She picks up the pile of envelopes and neatly stacks them to put them back in their original place. Then, when she gets to the last envelope, she grimaces and squeezes it tighter, expressing her distress. Immediately, her eyebrows rise in surprise.

_ Moana: “ But... this isn't the letter from Shailly's mother. Where is it?? ”

Several seconds pass, her mind buzzing with questions. She gets up from her chair, walks around the desk, crouches down, and presses her hand against the floor. A white powder emerges from her palm. The powder spreads and covers the entire surface of the floor.

About ten seconds pass before I notice, to my surprise, footprints leading from the door to the desk and toward the bookshelf.

_ Moana: “ The footprints are smaller than mine, and there are several of them. So the orphans have been sneaking into my office recently. But why? ”

In the wake of this, her eyes widen with concern.

_ Moana: “ No, don't tell me that… ” she says to herself, heading for the shelf and leafing through her archives.

She bitterly discovers that a crucial file is missing.

_ Moana: “ Damn it! ”

With a hurried heart, she hastily leaves the building. With her Source, she notices the footprints leading to the training ground. Once she arrives at the location, she continues to follow the footsteps. In the distance, the wooden barricade, approximately 3 meters high, which surrounds the entire village, acts as a barrier. The footprints stop nearby.

_ Moana: “ There are pieces of granite on the ground, and what's more, in front of the barricade. ”

A few seconds pass, and a thought occurs to him.

_ Moana: “ I see, an orphan used a Source to get the group over the barricade. ”

She leaves the field and runs toward the stable.

_ Moana: “ I absolutely must catch up with them. I don't have time to warn the others. Anyway, Keren isn't fully recovered yet, so his sister has to stay in the village as a precaution, both for his sake and for the other villagers. ”

Then she grabs a horse and sets off in pursuit of the missing children.

_ Moana: “ Anyway, on horseback, it shouldn't take me too long to catch up with them. ”

Meanwhile.

_ Son: “ Hey, do you think we'll make it back before they notice we've run away? ”

_ Ayden: “ Yes, that's why we left straight from the field. No one is supposed to go there. ”

_ Hazel: “ In the worst case scenario, even if they're looking for us, they still have to find us. ”

_ Kona: “ Yes, the village doesn't have any tracking dogs. ”

_ Son: “ You're right. ”

A few steps behind the group, slightly out of the way.

_ Maïko: “ Are you sure you're okay? ”

_ Shailly: “ Yes, don't worry. Let's catch up with the others. ”

The distance between the girls grows.

_ Maïko: “ You say that... so why do you always look so upset? ” she thinks to herself, worried.

_ Jenna: “ Wait! ”

Maïko moves closer in turn.

_ Jenna: “ Look. ”

_ Kona: “ Yes, there's a camp. The Recluses are probably sleeping. ”

_ Ayden: “ Let's go around the camp. We mustn't let them see us. ”

_ All the orphans: “ Okay! ”

In the dark maze of the forest, we move forward quietly, our silhouettes blending into the darkness. Haunted by the specter of danger, we advance like lost souls, our wild eyes scanning every corner of the hostile forest. Several minutes later, the fear slowly recedes, giving way to a soothing calm.

_ Ayden: “ We should be safe now, but let's stay cautious. ”

At the same time, Moana, guided by the footprints that mark the beaten earth, continues on her way with anxiety. The wide, welcoming main path soon gives way to a narrow trail. Eyebrows are raised.

_ Moana: “ The footprints leave the trail and disappear into the vegetation. Why are they turning off? ”

Faced with the impassable wall of vegetation, the horse stops, its hooves kicking the air helplessly. With a weary gesture, she guides the horse out of the tangle.

On the main path, the only possible exit, Moana resumes her walk, alert. The heavy silence of the forest envelops her, leaving only the rustling of leaves under her feet. She is extremely vigilant, because every footprint she leaves behind is a valuable clue.

_ Moana: “ I'm going to have to get off the horse to get a better look at the footprints left by the children. ”

No sooner had she dismounted than she suddenly found herself face to face with a group of Recluses with malicious intentions. A dozen of them surrounded her, their eyes threatening.

_ All the Recluses: “ Hey, sweetheart, has anyone ever told you that it's dangerous to be out alone at night? ” “ This is our alley, you're not welcome here, sweetheart. ” “ Get over yourself and come play with us, hehehe. ”

The atmosphere is palpable. Trapped, a smile nevertheless appears on her face, her eyes closed.

_ Moana: “ Now I understand why they went around us. They're smarter than I thought. ”

_ Recluse: “ Huh? What is she talking about? ”

The smile fades and is replaced by a face reflecting intense concentration. With his eyes wide open, he exudes a presence that reveals unexpected strength and determination.

_ Moana: “ Come on back. ”