His overwhelming voice which envelopes me in silence, his hands
who electrify me from head to toe… I hadn’t seen anything yet… Just one of his kisses, and I’m in seventh heaven. I am not
not an expert on the subject, having only kissed a few boys in my life, but I bet you that a kiss this sublime, this incredible, only happens once in a lifetime.
And when Damen turns his head to look at me, I shut up
eyes and grabs him by the lapel of his coat to pull him towards me.
Haven abruptly snatches me from my ecstasy.
I’ve been looking for you everywhere! I should have known you were hiding here.
I immediately move away, horrified at being caught in the act, even though I had just sworn to him that I didn’t like Damen.
We were just…
She raises her hand to interrupt me.
Spare me the details, please. I came to tell you that Evangeline and I are leaving.
I wonder how long Damen and I have been here on this lounge chair.
Already ?
Yes, my friend Drina came by to ask us to accompany her to another party. You can come if you want. That is, if you’re not too busy.
Damen jumped to his feet.
Drina?
You know her ? Haven is surprised.
Damen has already taken off, as if he had the devil on his tail. Haven follows suit.
I rush after her to talk to her, to explain, but when I tap her shoulder on the threshold of the French window, I feel so much darkness, anger and despair that it is impossible for me to articulate. a word.
She pulls away and glares at me.
I told you that you didn’t know how to lie, she blurted before leaving.
I take a deep breath, and walk through the kitchen and
game room, his eyes fixed on the back of Damen’s neck, who moves so quickly, with such confidence that he seems to know exactly where
Drina lies. Indeed, once I reached the entrance, I froze when I saw them side by side – him in his splendid eighteenth-century dress – and her, disguised as a Marie-Antoinette so refined and ravishing that, suddenly, I so ashamed of my disguise that
I would like to disappear underground.
She raises her chin proudly and places two sparkling emerald spheres on my miserable person.
You have to be…
I notice her blonde wig, the creamy whiteness of her skin, the pearl necklace around her neck, and her coral lips, perfectly
drawn, half-opened on teeth of almost unreal whiteness.
E…ver… I said in a stutter.
I turn to Damen, hoping he will be able to explain
by what chance the redhead from the St Régis hotel ended up at my house. But he stares at her with such intensity that he forgets I exist.
What are you doing here? he asks in a low voice.
Haven invited me.
My heart is frozen. Damen transformed, he became cold, distant, brittle, as if a black cloud was obscuring the sun.
How did you get to know each other? Drina stares at me.
At Nocturne. We’re going there, by the way. You won’t mind if I take Haven away from you, I hope?
I try to forget the pang in my heart and the knot in my stomach to focus on his thoughts. But they are inaccessible, as if locked, and its aura is non-existent. She slowly wanders her gaze over my suit before returning to mine, but I don’t flinch.
Am I stupid! You were talking about Damen, not Haven, right? she mocks. We’ve known each other for a long time, from New Mexico.
She places her hand on my arm and plays with the pearls that adorn
my sleeve before going down to my wrist, which she squeezes until it hurts.
Let’s just say we’ve known each other for a very long time. Very pretty, your dress. Did you make it?
I break away from his embrace, less because of sarcasm than
from the icy contact of his fingers, like sharp claws biting my skin and freezing my veins.
Haven covers her with the look of adoration she reserves
usually to vampires, goth singers and Damen.
She’s so cool!
Evangeline checks her watch with some impatience.
We should go if we want to get to Nocturne before midnight.
You can come, if you want, Drina suggests. I have a limousine.
No, no, please say no! Haven shouts silently. Drina looks at Damen and me in turn, humming
Ironically.
The driver is waiting for us!
My heart bleeds seeing Damen torn between the two of us.
Go yourself. I have to stay. After all, it’s my evening, I say with feigned carelessness even though I want to die.
The questioning eyebrow, the haughty expression, Drina never leaves us
no eyes. She flinches slightly when Damen shakes his head and takes my hand.
She turns on her heel.
It was a real pleasure meeting you, Ever, she says as she walks towards the car. I’m sure we’ll see each other again soon.
I watch them walk down the driveway, then turn onto the street.
So, who are the next surprise guests? Stacia, Craig, Honor?
I immediately regret my words. I’m ashamed of being so petty, jealous, pathetic. Especially since I’m not really surprised. After all, I knew about it.
Damen is a heartthrob. Period. Tonight it was my turn, that’s all. He caresses my cheek with his thumb.
I think I’d better go, Ever, he whispers as I step aside so as not to hear his excuses.
I look at him questioningly. My reason prompts me to accept a truth that my heart refuses. He didn’t say everything, he didn’t finish his sentence: I’d better go… to catch up with her.
Okay, and thanks for coming.
I look more like an exhausted waitress after a particularly long shift than a potential girlfriend.
He removes the long black feather from my wig, brushes it against my neck before tapping the tip of my nose.
In memory ?
And I don’t have time to answer that his car has already started.
I collapse on the front steps, head in my hands,
the wig precariously balanced. I would like to disappear, go back, start all over again. I know I should never have encouraged him to kiss me, or even let him in…
Sabine grabs my arm and helps me get up.
Ah, finally, here you are! I was looking for you everywhere. Ava agrees to
stay to draw your cards.
I don’t intend to hurt her, but it’s beyond my strength. All I want to do is go to my room, take off this doom wig and sleep right through.
I don’t want her to draw cards on me.
Sabine, who went a little overboard, is too tipsy to listen to me. She takes me by the hand and leads me to join Ava in the playroom.
I sit down and wait for Sabine to come to her senses.
Hello, Ever! the clairvoyant asks me. Don’t rush, we have plenty of time.
I examine the tarot cards spread out in front of me to avoid looking at her face.
Um… don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t really want you to draw cards on me.
She starts beating them like I didn’t say anything.
As you wish. But we can pretend for your aunt, okay? She worries a lot. She wonders if she has the right attitude towards you, if she gives you too much freedom or not enough. What do you think ?
What a scoop!
She’s going to get married, you know, she continues. I can not believe it.
Not today. Nor tomorrow, for that matter. Don’t worry. I squirm in my chair, and watch as she cuts the deck and then spreads the blades in a semi-circle.
Why would this worry me? I want my aunt to be happy. So, if she wants to get married…
It’s true… but your life has been turned upside down this year. And you haven’t really gotten used to it yet, am I wrong?
She looks at me thoughtfully, waiting for my response. But I
don’t know what to say. What’s the point ? She didn’t teach me anything new or very original. Life is full of upheavals, so what? Isn’t that exactly the goal? Grow, evolve, adapt?
Especially since Sabine is not exactly an enigma to decipher. Ava flips a few cards, leaving the others face down.
And how are you doing with your new gift?
I observe her with suspicion, not understanding where she is going with this.
My what ?
She smiled, as if it were very natural.
Your gift of clairvoyance.
I see Miles, Eric, Sabine and her friend dancing with Riley… without their knowledge. — I don’t understand what you’re talking about.
It’s far from obvious at first, Ava continues. You can
to believe me. I was the first to learn of my grandmother’s death. She came into my room, approached my bed and waved goodbye. I was four years old at the time, so you can imagine my parents’ reaction when I
rushed to the kitchen to tell them the news. But you know what I’m talking about since you see them too, right?
Hands clenched together, I examine the blades in silence.
We sometimes feel completely overwhelmed and isolated, resume
Ava, as I don’t answer. But you don’t have to hide under a hood and ruin your eardrums with music,
that you don’t really like, too. There are ways to live with it, and I’d be happy to teach them to you, Ever. It’s not inevitable, I assure you.
I get up, but I have to lean on the table: my legs are
in cotton and a lurching stomach. She’s crazy to think I have a gift. I know that it is a punishment because of the evil I have done. A terrible burden that I must shoulder.
I really don’t know what you’re talking about, I said. She nods and hands me her card.
You can contact me at this number if you want.
I accept it, because Sabine is watching us and I don’t want
not be rude. But immediately afterwards, I crumple it into a small ball.
Can I go now?
One last thing. I’m worried about your little sister. I
think it’s time for her to move on and forget the past, don’t you? I watch her put her blades in a leather case
brown, this Miss Know-It-All who allows herself to judge me, even though she knows nothing about me. I throw the cardboard ball on the table.
In case you haven’t noticed, Riley has forgotten the past! She is dead !
Ava smiles unflinchingly.
You know exactly what I mean.
