I'm single by
choice. Not my choice.
Orny Adams
I stared at Zhuzhen in shock.
"Margarite's here?"
"Yes!" he said. “I'm so
sorry Alice, I honestly thought you knew. She should be back now –
let's go and check.”
We went out into the corridor, and
Zhuzhen knocked on the door next to mine.
“Who is it?” Margarite sang out.
Zhuzhen identified himself, and we went
in at Margarite's request. She had a towel wrapped around her hair
and was rubbing it dry.
"Alice!” she gasped when she saw
me.
I walked over and hugged her, almost
trapping her arms in my haste. "Margarite! It's good to see
you! I haven't seen you since - "
"Since the moocher mooched off?"
"Well…yes."
"I'm sorry, Alice. I'm really
sorry."
Stung with the pain of missing Yuri
again, I was barely listening. I noticed that she didn't look as
healthy as when I had last seen her. She looked tired and…older.
She'd always been so young and beautiful; now you could see the age
gap between us.
Zhuzhen, who had remained in the doorway
throughout this exchange said "I'll go tell Zhen that I'm
leaving."
Margarite looked up at him. "You
are?"
"Alice and I are going on a quest,”
he said, over his shoulder as he left. “Ask Alice.”
"Well?” Margarite asked, turning
her attention back to me. She continued drying her hair while I
explained our goal – to find Yuri.
When I ran out of things to say, we sat
in silence. I hadn't cried this time but it had been a very close
call. I'd never seen Margarite cry, but if she had, I think it would
have been over Yuri.
Margarite had been fond of Yuri. She'd
known him only one day less than I had, and they'd had very similar
attitudes to life. Margarite and I, though dissimilar, understood
one another well enough. We'd traversed the trials of Xiaofang
together, quite early on in our acquaintance, and nothing bonds two
people quite like a near death experience. Like Yuri and I, too.
That first night in the cursed village. I'd feared for my life, but
he was so brave. So relaxed and reassuring. Later, he'd confessed
that he felt he had to be brave, for me, so he wouldn't let me down.
He thought I was brave. Me. A priest's daughter in a cursed
village. I wasn't brave so much as too terrified to show fear!
Margarite broke through my recollection.
"You're heading to the fort of regrets?"
"Yes. Will you come? Zhuzhen's a
good fighter but he's better at back-up, and I'm still learning…"
"Oh Alice, of course I will. We're
a team, right? I'll always protect you."
"Thank you. Are you sure you aren't
needed here?"
"As a spy? No. I let them think I
died in Neameton."
"Really?"
"Yes. I'm free as a bird. Shall
we leave in the morning?”
I nodded, overcome with happiness. My
emotions changed so quickly now; I could go from laughter to tears
within minutes.
I stood up to go. "Thanks
Margarite."
"I'm not just doing it for you. I
was fond of the moocher too."
"I know – huh?"
"What?" Margarite gasped,
reaching for her gun.
I waved a hand at her. "Shhh…"
I could hear Koudelka's psychic voice
cutting in on my thoughts. "Alice! There…b
...tr…ble…in…Dom...y!…go...ow...!"
Margarite waited for a moment while I
recovered. “What is it?”
"I jut heard Koudelka's voice! She
said something about…trouble in...in Domremy? She told me to go
back!"
"We were going back to France
anyway. It won't hurt to stop by Domremy first.”
"I hope nothing's happened...” I
say, biting my lip with worry. Margarite placed a hand on my
shoulder.
"Koudelka knows where you are,
doesn't she? She wouldn't warn you if you weren't able to do
anything."
"You're right Margarite, of course
you are. I just can't help but worry..."
"Alice, would you like me to steal
a plane again?”
"Would you?"
"Alice! I wasn't serious!"
Seeing my face fall, she relented.
“I will. Tomorrow. But we need to
sleep now, all right?”
I knew she was right. It was late, but I
still tossed and turned for hours worrying about what was happening
in Domremy.
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