In Red

Chapter 15

IT WAS WELL INTO THE NIGHT. ROXANNE OPENED HER BEDROOM door and squinted her eyes when it creaked. She turned to look, but it hadn't awoken Celeste.

She reached the stairs and began to walk down.

"Where are you going?"

Fortunately, the creaking previous to the question spared her the fright.

"For a walk," whispered Roxanne.

"I'll go with you."

Out in the street, there was almost absolute silence. It was very late and the village population was sparse.

"Tomorrow I must tell Adelle to oil the doors," he commented trivially. "Which way would you like to go?"

Roxanne, who wasn't expecting any company, glanced at him and then looked around.

"That way," she said, pointing at a hill.

They began to walk in a relaxed way, but briskly.

"You couldn't sleep?"

"I want to prove myself I'm not frightened by what Celeste said."

"By going out at night?"

Roxanne nodded while she kept walking and looking forward.

"And yet you're still dressed in red, when I know Adelle has given you clothes in other colours."

The young woman felt offended and quickened her step.

"Sorry," he said, staying behind. "I messed up again. You have all the right to be angry."

They reached the top of the hill without further word. He even slowed his pace to increase the distance between them, so that, when he got to the top, she had already been there for some minutes, sitting on the ground.

Alan settled himself not too close, to respect her annoyance. From there, they could see the village's skyline. But above all, Roxanne could soak up the night, which after her two nocturnal excursions – despite the associated bad experiences – she felt very attracted to.

For a while, she even forgot she wasn't alone, and closed her eyes to feel the moisture, the smells and the sounds unique to the early hours of the morning. If her sisters could see her now, they would be reassured of her having become a witch.

She caressed the herbs surrounding her, and opened her eyes to see them. Then, she looked up to admire the village and, finally, turned her head towards Alan.

He seemed to be staring emptily, deep in thought.

When he sensed she was watching him, he shifted his attention to her. And, in so doing, he noticed that the two moons were strategically projecting their light beams, bathing her, as it appeared from where he was seated, in spectacular gauzy brightness.

His mind served up an old song he'd always thought drippy.

I've never seen you shine so bright.

"Have you ever heard music?"

Roxanne smiled, overcome by the tender memory.

"Once. Our mother had to sing to us to explain the meaning of that word. She refused to do it again no matter how much we asked her to."

"It's one of the things I miss the most. When I was preparing my baggage to travel to outer space, to another planet – Wow! It still seems so incredible even to say it –, I never thought of including such apparently useless things. And it turns out... here there isn't any! Those who were born here can't miss it, and those non-permanent, like me... Well, I guess they set the same practical priorities in their suitcases as I did. Wrong priorities."