Chapter 30: Afternoon
She woke with a start and, in her momentum, sat upright, eyes wide.
“Finally!” he murmured, relieved, recognizing the sound he had so longed to hear.
Kiyan was there, perfectly dressed, sitting on the adjacent lounge chair, grading papers. At the sight of her, he set his sheets aside and looked at her attentively. At that very moment, his aura manifested.
Amazed, Blanche watched this explosion of colors: a mix of ochre and gold, punctuated with a soft powder pink on a chocolate background, outlined by a clean line of the same shade. So beautiful that she was left speechless. The light danced around him, vibrant, warm, almost alive.
“Blanche? Everything alright?” Kiyan asked, concern audible in his voice.
Before she could answer, she threw herself into his arms. By Babylon, how she had missed him! Shivers ran through her body, unrelated to the cold, and he draped the warm blanket over her—she realized he had already covered her while she slept.
When she regained her senses, she tried to pull away, but he caught her, holding her close.
“Five more minutes,” he demanded firmly.
Without a word, she let herself stay, savoring every second until he released her. She returned to her lounge chair, curling up in the blanket, and watched Epsilon’s sun slowly descend, offering a spectacle that seemed to echo Kiyan’s aura.
“How long this time?” he asked.
“One week,” she replied. “But I wasn’t alone anymore. They explained the rules a bit better, and they welcomed me. It was pretty calm…”
She recalled Nicky’s welcome, the immense barracks, and Phénix’s soothing warmth.
“Good to hear,” Kiyan exhaled.
Blanche saw him clench his fist and jaw, eyes fixed on the pool. A sudden change she decided to set aside for now.
“So, professor, how am I doing with my studies?” she asked curiously, pointing at the papers he was grading.
His expression softened, a sly smile appearing on his lips.
“I’m pleased to see it hasn’t affected your writing at all,” he said, glancing at the stack. “If only everyone else did the same…”
Blanche suddenly remembered her promise to follow him to see his grandfather.
“Oh no! What time is it?”
“Six o’clock. Why?” he replied, checking his phone.
“Do you think Winter would still be available?”
Kiyan gave her a strange look.
“You still want to go?”
Blanche nodded vigorously. He sighed, ran a hand through his hair, then nodded.
“Get dressed. We leave in fifteen minutes.”
She sprang up, pushing the blanket aside, and headed for the sliding glass door.
“Oh, Blanche?”
“Yes?”
“Knock before entering.”
At first puzzled, she suddenly understood and blushed before bursting into laughter. Kiyan, amused, let his aura streaked with red filaments reveal his amusement.
“Does that bother you?” she asked.
“No, not really,” he replied. “Less than you’d think. We only have one life, you and I know that too well. And above all, don’t tell him I know…”
“Alright,” she said, satisfied.
She immediately went upstairs, knocking on Eva’s door as instructed.
“Yes?” her friend’s voice panted.
“It’s me! I need clothes, we’re leaving in ten minutes to see Winter with your father!” Blanche exclaimed.
“What?!” two voices shouted simultaneously.
“One second!” Eva replied, and a commotion followed, punctuated by Sean’s grumbles. Finally, her best friend opened the door, disheveled but in a pink robe.
“You can grab what you need and change in Dad’s room, please?”
“Three hours!” Blanche growled. “Three hours I leave you and you’re not bored?” Then her brain froze for a moment, captivated by the beauty of Eva’s cyan and turquoise aura, with subtle red filaments.
Aura – Level 2.
“No. Don’t worry, you’ll understand later,” Eva teased.
Blanche noticed Sean, shirtless under the covers, his aura emerald on a midnight blue background with a touch of black in the center. Intrigued, she wondered what all these colors meant.
She quickly changed: dark underwear, fitted leather pants, Eva’s boots, asymmetrical black sweater, gray scarf, and burgundy jacket. Her hair, loose after a week in a braid, flowed freely. She thought she looked quite pretty and realized immortality suited her perfectly.
On the bedside table, a photo of her and Eva as children, and another unfamiliar frame caught her attention for a few seconds. But Kiyan’s call brought her back to reality.
In the living room, she noticed her outfit matched Kiyan’s: black pants, gray shirt, burgundy scarf, black jacket—a perfect harmony.
“Those shoes look dizzying…” he remarked.
“After wearing heavy boots for a week, I want light shoes!” she retorted, grumbling for effect.
He smiled, letting the small whim pass. A second, bigger smile made Blanche smile back. Together, they headed for the garage.
She climbed in on the passenger side. The red filaments of her aura disappeared for a moment, only to reappear as soon as Kiyan looked at her. He took the wheel, and the comfortable silence of the road enveloped them—peaceful and intimate.