The door closed behind us. Mechanically, we all turned our heads to look at the woman standing right at the entrance of the portal that had just shut, and who was now observing us in return. Standing right beside the door, she stepped forward and walked until she was right in front of us. Then, in a dead silence, she lowered herself into a graceful curtsy. We stared at her with a mix of incomprehension and surprise. Rising with an almost royal grace, she said in a calm tone:
— Let me introduce myself... I am Nastassia Aurora. As of today, I will be your head supervisor, or perhaps your homeroom teacher. I will be here in case of questions or problems—and when I say problems, I mean any problem at all, whether good or bad. I will be supervising you for the upcoming two weeks that lie ahead of us. Please don't hesitate to reach out to me if you run into any trouble, and feel free to ask questions if you have any, of course... and if there are none, I kindly ask that you follow me for the tour that awaits us.
The group looked at one another; everyone had more or less questions to ask or so many things to look at. This building had changed or evolved once again, to the point where no one knew where to begin.
Then the sound of footsteps was heard—it was Maxime. He stepped slightly ahead of the group so that Mrs. Aurora could see him clearly, along with the rest of the group. Letting a slight smile play at the corners of his lips, he spoke up:
— I actually have a few questions to ask you, if you'll allow it of course, Mademoiselle Nastassia... Furthermore, I have a feeling that after I speak, other questions are bound to arise... You see, I'm looking for this word—ah yes, trust, that's the word I was looking for. It takes a certain kind of courage to speak to people you don't trust and who, on top of that, threaten you on certain matters, wouldn't you agree?
— Of course, Nastassia replied, looking straight at him. I understand your distrust toward us, but rest assured, we are not your enemies. And it would be best, Mr. Rasbersht, if you learned to trust us more, on pain of missing out on certain important elements of your stay here... As for your questions, I am all ears, so please go ahead and ask them.
The group looked at her with a degree of suspicion. She knew their last names... perhaps even all their personal histories! But that distrust faded rather quickly: they no longer had the luxury of being suspicious, especially given how things were turning.
Yvonne stepped forward in turn with a certain confidence, even though she looked rather stressed:
— Excuse me, Mademoiselle Nastassia, but what information are you allowed and not allowed to share with us without breaking the rules? And if you have any practical information that could be useful to us in our situation, would you be able to tell us?
Hearing this, Nastassia let out a small laugh, much like Maxime had, and Pierre cracked a slight smile. Azaka looked at her with a trace of nostalgia in her eyes, though a feeling of anxiety began to settle deep within her at that precise moment.
— Ah ah, do not worry about my laugh, Miss Kadrina. I am by no means mocking you; I am simply a bit surprised, even completely touched by what you just said and how you phrased your question. You asked it with such kindness and consideration toward me—even if the circumstances demand it—that it truly gives me pleasure. To tell you the truth, there is very little information I am authorized to share with you, but I will make an exception for your great kindness, Miss Kadrina: in four days, you will receive something quite important, so be good for now, said Nastassia, a small smile now playing on her lips.
At the end of her reply, Azaka wrapped her arms around Yvonne from behind while saying in a loud voice, "Keep being nice like that after all!" She let go a few seconds later once Justine and Victor finally managed to pull her off Yvonne's back, but before being pulled away, she planted a kiss in her hair. As she let go, Azaka's heart felt a little lighter.
Yvonne turned around with slightly flushed cheeks, walked over to Azaka, pinched her cheek, and scolded her for her antics.
Victor stepped forward, a bit taken aback by the answer Nastassia had just given.
— Is that the only information we're going to get... It's hardly anything at all, and why can't we have anything else?! I understand there are a lot of secrets here, but why are there so many? Why aren't you allowed to share certain information with us... so we won't revolt, huh? Or simply so you can remain the masters? You're here to answer our questions, aren't you? So please answer my question!... Well, please, maybe saying that makes me sound like I'm treating you like a monster, but we deserve to know: where are we, and what exactly do you expect from us?
— He's right, it's our right! First they tell us we're experiments, now students, I don't get it anymore... Besides, how could certain information bother you all that much? It's our right! said Charlie suddenly, annoyed. Since when is information locked up like this? I think it's unfair! Yes, I already know your answer: nothing is fair in life, but here, we didn't sign up to be part of a secret we aren't even aware of.
She sighed upon seeing all these young people begin to get worked up like this. Then, clearing her throat to bring attention back to herself, she answered them:
— I am sorry if you find this deeply unfair, Mr. Veyron, and for you as well, Mr. Todoln, but those are the rules. You will be completely in the dark regarding information during these two weeks, but don't worry, I will be here to guide you to the final door during the last week, Nastassia said, bowing slightly to apologize. But I beg you not to worry; all crucial information will be revealed to you in due time. For now, please forgive me for this lack of communication on our part.
The group looked at one another, a little surprised by how the situation was turning out, but the discussion picked right back up.
— So, to sum up the current situation, you're essentially useless to us for now if I understand correctly, is that it? Given your silence, I'll take that as a yes, Maxime said, crossing his arms. Honestly, if I had thought I'd live to see this, I would have brought a gun to shoot myself. It's not that I doubt you, Nastassia, nor your role, but I'm more the pessimistic type than anything else. You see, if we don't even get information from our own supervisor, where are we heading? It's not that I dislike being guided by others, but in this case, I'd rather do it myself with all the facts in mind.
— I think you're going too far, Maxime, Yvonne said, looking at him sternly. She's just following orders. There's nothing wrong with following the orders of one's superiors in times like these, especially when they hold absolute power.
— I... don't find this normal at all, Maxime said, looking straight at her. There is nothing normal about blindly following someone without ever questioning their word. Life has no more meaning than our existence does, so why follow a mere sheep instead of following oneself? Jesus didn't wait around for the absurdities of life to perform all his miracles, so why follow these people? Just because they possess a power completely unknown to us, to the point of fleeing and letting ourselves be enslaved by them? Personally, I find that absurd! Yes, perhaps saying this or being what I claim amounts to being selfish, or perhaps people will call me an individualist, but what is inherently wrong with that? Humans are and always will be selfish; why repress our true nature or our true selves? And if we refuse to face the truth, then we are simply blindfolding ourselves, which is completely nonsensical because we become entirely indifferent to our own person! If our dream is to leave because being born has become an inconvenience, then that dream must die through action, and in doing so, it will rise to a level higher than anything it has known throughout life.
When Maxime finished speaking, Ousmane stepped forward. He was completely shocked by the direction of his words, and Justine stepped forward in turn to hear the rest better. The rest of the group was no less shocked by what Maxime had just said, and they began to reprimand him while speaking out.
Pierre stood near them but remained silent. Pierre knew it would end this way: human nature is predictable; when faced with the unknown, it becomes uncontrollable. Yet one can always profit from something in moments like these—their reactions, their tics, or their facial expressions. It might seem rather foolish, even stupid to say this, but every speech, word, or gesture gives us crucial information about them, and to better fool an adversary, it is better to know them than they know themselves.
Justine spoke up in a sharp, cutting tone: — Everything is oppressed by the domination of another. If that is how you think, Maxime, you are completely wrong to think this way, because oppression will inevitably lead to a revolt on the part of the oppressed! Your way of thinking is flawed, just like your ideology! Every single person matters and is irreplaceable in their own way!
— No one is important enough to be irreplaceable, Victor said in a calm tone. Everyone has a place in this world, and it is ephemeral. When there are those better than us, then we will vanish, that's all. Good or bad do not exist, only what is fair and unfair. Morality disappears, because what is the use of having any when we are nothing? Only the winner will tell their story, stained with the blood of their adversary or not, and their victory will be absolute truth. And what can be said of this hypocritical morality? It is far better to have a gray morality than one that lies to us!
— Victor, like you, Maxime, you are both completely wrong, Ousmane said, jumping in right after Justine, now looking straight into the eyes of Maxime and Victor. Your pessimism regarding our situation won't change anything if you keep insulting the only people who can get us out of here: ourselves. God will only be there to guide us on the condition that we follow Him and not the other way around...
Ousmane was cut off by a soft chuckle coming from Charlie. Her face had turned slightly red from laughing.
— What makes you laugh so much, Charlie? Ousmane replied, looking a bit unsettled. Are my words making you laugh, or the situation we're in? Speak up, for goodness' sake!
— No, none of that, I'm not really laughing, I'm more mocking you—or rather, the end of your sentence, replied Charlie, having just calmed down. God is absent; He has never been here. As proof, look at the complete incoherence of all these wildly bizarre situations, one after the other. Those two deaths we just had... God wasn't there, He was silent, and perhaps there won't even be any more in the future. And you still believe God is here? No, God is absent.
— You mustn't think like that... Charlie. Ousmane stepped close to Charlie and placed his hands on her shoulders. God cannot intervene everywhere, and you know that. In His goodness, He left us free will, but certain people take advantage of it to do evil. So perhaps this silence bothers you, but God exists and loves us all.
Charlie looked at him calmly with intense concentration in her eyes, listening to each of his words with great attention. Then Ousmane kissed her forehead and embraced her, telling her to keep believing in God.
— All of this is sheer nonsense, Maxime said, looking at Ousmane with contempt. God is not love; God is not justice. God is war! He is the reflection of the violence that exists in everything. He created a world filled with suffering, cruelty, and illusions, and then He gave men the delusion that they had a purpose. We are nothing more than creatures driven by our instincts: hatred, desire, fear, and vanity. Morality, religion, ideals... all of that is merely an invention to hide the void that exists behind our semblance of an existence.
Victor looked at him in confusion. In fact, the whole group was looking at him with confusion.
— What on earth are you talking about, Maxime? Victor asked, taken aback. God, good, and evil are nothing more than human fictions created to justify our actions. Good and evil are concepts that men created; our free will has shaped us, much like Satan who chose his own path. His very own way... Despite our selfishness and the absence of absolute truths, abandoning all morality would amount to denying all value. Even if everything is just an illusion, I prefer to choose my own benchmarks rather than submit to those of others: in this world that I project, the only justice that matters is the one I decide upon... I believe in humanity and in its redemption! Peace is the most noble of values!
Ousmane picked up right where Victor left off:
— You say God is evil, Maxime? I believe instead that it is our own choices and actions that will decide that. It's all a matter of inner peace... Do you have peace, Maxime?!
Maxime smiled and stepped toward Ousmane while casting a sidelong glance at Victor.
— It's cleverly thought out, bringing up John Milton's Paradise Lost. Truly, Victor, I am almost moved to see so much erudition during our discussion, or even for you, Ousmane, with your famous inner peace—it's almost cute. But I prefer Victor's speech; it's more touching, at least to my taste... Let's talk about it, this famous free will! Free will is nothing more than a lie; everything is already written in a great blank notebook. The devil, Satan, or even Lucifer—who are one and the same person—are merely the dark side of God. If we follow the New Testament closely, God is pure goodness while the devil is the bad guy, but it was God who cast Samaël into hell, it was He who condemned him and not the other way around! So, can we truly say that the devil is evil? And even let's assume Samaël had never revolted; then it would have been Michael the Archangel, the third strongest in paradise, or perhaps someone else entirely who would have done it, because if not one, then it would be the other, since everything is just part of God's plan through His grand carousel.
— What are you rambling on about now, Maxime? Azaka replied with a hint of detachment in her voice. Honestly, they should lock you up in a psychiatric asylum rather than anything else; you're just talking nonsense, what does any of this even have to do with anything?!
— I don't necessarily think we need to draw a precise lesson from it, but rather see it as a philosophical thesis. We are still only grasping the very beginning of it. If you like, we can compare it to a massive wheel of cheese: for now, we are only tasting the rind. Its main idea remains carefully hidden, as though any attempt to give it a definitive meaning escapes us entirely. One thing is certain, Charlie concluded, we are dealing with a pessimist, or even a nihilist.
Maxime smiled stupidly while looking in Pierre's direction. Azaka looked at him but missed that detail; she glared at him with disdain, then sighed as she turned toward Nastassia and the others.
With a bit of calm restored within the group, Pierre looked at them with a certain sense of relief, because even though he was reaping some interesting benefits from it, for the group's image, it wasn't the greatest look. Besides, by asking too many questions, one always attracts things they cannot control.
— We're finally calmed down, Justine said, exhaling in relief. Sometimes you need to talk things out to understand each other better, but let's avoid making a scene every single time, she added with a slight smile.
— You're quite right, Victoria said. But sometimes, certain viewpoints differ from one another and clash. For better or for worse, we simply have to let everyone speak without letting it escalate into any form of violence.
The group was starting to liven up again. Everyone, more or less, was smiling.
— That discussion went on for quite a while; I almost thought I'd have to step in to calm you all down, Nastassia finally said. She was serious, but a slight smile hovered across her face. I would have appreciated a bit more help from your group leader to calm you down—especially since it was my little protégé—by coincidence, Mr. Bershacht, or rather Pierre, if I'm not mistaken, did you purposely let them argue like that?
A radiant smile radiated from her face, but Pierre was taken aback at that moment. The only thought echoing in his mind was: "What game is she playing making allusions like that? Now all these idiots are staring at me with wide, curious eyes waiting for an answer from me."
— I prefer not to answer that question; it won't lead to anything and seems rather pointless for what's to come. But I would also have preferred it if you had refrained, Mrs. Aurora, from talking about our so-called 'relationship,' when we had no relationship whatsoever during the two weeks after I arrived at this orphanage. You were simply the person who took care of me, nothing more.
Nastassia sighed, but a small smile formed at the corner of her lips. She knew him well enough to anticipate that kind of reaction from him.
— Really, you were Pierre's guardian?! Yvonne said in a sudden burst of excitement, stepping closer to place her hands on his. I never would have guessed, seeing as he never talks about himself! I never would have suspected that—and you are so magnificent. He was so lucky to have you as a preceptor when he first came here! As for me, I got some grumpy old man who wasn't nice at all.
— I thank you for your kindness, Yvonne; that truly warms my heart, Nastassia said with a smile. I would have rather preferred those words to come from him, but it touches me deeply. During the two weeks I accompanied him, he didn't say much—after all, it's just in his character—yet I still would have wished for him to open up to me more. He is a good person, even if at times he can seem a bit cynical around the edges; he remains a kind boy.
The other girls stepped closer to Yvonne and Nastassia. They were all talking among themselves, amidst joyful laughter, slightly rosy cheeks, and smiles at the corners of their lips. They had all become friends in less time than it takes to realize.
They had formed a small circle featuring Azaka, Yvonne, Justine, and Victoria, with Nastassia among them, of course. Discussions buzzed, laughter rang out, and happiness prevailed. They shared anecdotes of all kinds, ranging from romance stories to trivial matters.
Yet a few steps away from them, a rebellion was already beginning to stir: they were already preparing to wage war against their system.
End of this episode.
Thank you for reading.