2

••• Monday, March 20•••

My things are packed. My room is tidy. I look at it one last time before two long months, in all the details. A blue cot, a wooden desk, the beige tiles, the white walls, the pictures hanging above my bed... Everything.

Then I slowly leave the room without looking back and go downstairs with my suitcase, my very heavy suitcase.

It's the first time I've left my house, my family, my friends for so long... And I can tell you that it's weird. Because I feel that I am not ready to leave everything behind me, even if I am sure to come back.

I hug my satchel close to me and almost stumble down the stairs, tripping over the suitcase.

I find it difficult to carry it so much I am tired. Indeed, who is not tired at three o'clock in the morning? Not me anyway.

My parents are in front of the door, they are waiting for me. My little sister looks at me and I see a tear running down her cheek, poor thing, she understands what's going on, as usual. But she's big now, right? And yet I still think of her as a baby. She's my little sister and I don't want to see her grow up. But nature is so made. I smile softly. Nature is so beautiful.

Elsa is there for the not-so-joyful occasion and I feel like she's also holding herself back from crying. I want to reassure them, to tell them that I'll be back, that anyway, two months isn't that long... But I don't feel up to it. Quite simply because two months, I perceive it as eternity. I'll be back in two months, two long months.

My parents go to the car and sit there. Jenna, Elsa and I are quick to follow them and get in the back. I'm between the two girls, they hold my hands.

Elsa hasn't gone to the Grande Réunion yet but it will happen to her sooner or later.

The journey takes place in silence, this absence of conversation is heavy but no one seems ready to break it and that suits me. Not feeling the urge to speak when everything keeps me here. I close my eyes.

Half an hour later, I am in the hall of the airport with my family, Elsa and the Omegas who are going to the Grande Réunion.

The Alphas of the Countries and Continents have already left for New York, the time to prepare everything. I wince. Don't want to leave at all.

Elsa and my family approach and we all end up in each other's arms. They hug me and kiss me one last time then I feel that they must now leave. They move away from me, each time further away from my body, from my heart.

They turn from time to time to wave goodbye. Then I don't see them anymore. My heart tightens. My heart is bursting. A tear runs down my cheek.

Then a multitude of people wearing a navy blue uniform approach to tell us to follow them, there are about fifteen of us, of all ages and backgrounds, but at the Grande Réunion, there will be thousands of us.

The pack in my country is fifty thousand wolves and in my city there are fifteen thousand. Humans are a bit more numerous, but we werewolves are more powerful. As if to make up for our difference in numbers.

•••

I enter the plane followed by the other Omegas. I quickly find a place and sit down in the comfortable seat, no one comes to sit next to me and I gloat internally. Hating the presence of strangers near me.

I sink into the seat and my eyes flicker from place to place in my surroundings. My gaze falls on a series of books that are offered in the pocket of my seat, I take one on werewolves and start reading it.

Meanwhile the plane takes off, it is ten past four in the morning.

I leaf through and read the things that interest me. At one point, I come across a chapter on soul mates.

I heard that finding your soul mate is very rare. Surely because the Earth is too vast. But no one is 100 percent sure. Only those who have found their soul mate can testify, no one else.

I read that the bond of soul mates is powerful, people are the closest in the world once they have found each other and accepted. There is also a history of feelings that one can feel. Etc...

But we can live without a soul mate, my parents are proof of that. Only, if my father or my mother ever found their soul mate, they would separate, but I know that will not happen. I myself do not think I can find mine, it is far too exceptional and too rare.

Time passes and I doze, the plane is silent and no one speaks. I don't end up falling asleep.

•••

I wake up at the moment of landing and for a moment I wonder where I am, then everything comes back to me. I look out the window and observe the landscape before me.

Because of the jet lag, it's six-thirty in the morning and it's almost dark.

The plane comes to a slow stop and we descend, I see Gabriel Machvar and wave to him, he nods to me.

Gabriel is rather well built. He's quite nice despite being a year older than me. He's a friend of Elsa so obviously, I know him. A little.

I walk past him. He has a lead of a good ten centimeters on me whereas I am rather tall, indeed, I measure one meter seventy-two. I'm not unhappy with my height even though I'm a bit taller than average.

I set foot on American soil and we head for a bus. We go upstairs and this time I sit next to Gabriel. We start to discuss things and others. He asks me what I think of all this and I tell him that I don't know. We laugh a lot and the time passes quickly.

Very quickly, we arrive in front of the hotel and the staff leads us to our rooms. I fall on my bed and doze off to finally fall asleep after this exhausting journey.

•••

When I wake up, two hours later, it's eight o'clock in the morning.

I call my parents to tell them that I have arrived safely and I leave my room to go for a walk in the city and do some scouting.

Before I go out, they give me a plan. Thanks, I will need it.

As I stroll through the megalopolis, I quickly spot the buildings where the meetings will take place. They are sort of football stadiums except that there is no opening at the top.

For the moment we cannot go inside but from tomorrow we will be able to go inside.

Suddenly, a hand lands on my shoulder and I turn around with a start. Gabriel stands in front of me, all smiles. Surprise I laugh:

- "No but it's not okay?! I almost had an attack!”

"No need to get upset, I'm sorry! he replies.

Calm down, calm down, I grumble in my corner. He laughs and invites me to have lunch with him. I carefully consider his proposal and finally nod. I'm really hungry, and my stomach tells me...

Plus there's the time difference.

Gabriel and I head for a McDonald's next door and I follow, hunger calling me in the direction of fast food.

I decide to have fries, and when I only hear fries, those are the biggest portions...Definitely not a place to start a diet...

When we're done, we head back to the hotel and the rest of the day flies by at breakneck speed. Between the giggles and the completely childish games in which we indulge, Gabriel and I, I am exhausted. It is certainly only 10 p.m. but in my country. I remember that it is four o'clock in the morning.

I lie down on my bed and for the umpteenth time of the day, I fall asleep and the land of dreams captures me.