Chapter 9

Amber fails to trust Chelsea. She hadn't expected a pageant girl to be so nice to her, especially after all this acting out. So, she doesn't know how to react to this. She therefore makes the decision to move forward to escape what Chelsea is putting her through and, while she is deep in thought, she hears a noise behind her. Turning around, she sees Chelsea sitting on the floor and she can't help but burst out laughing.

- What's funny? Chelsea asks her, not liking the girl's way of acting.

- Well, the fact that you just fell! she replies with a broad smile.

- Do you think there is a possibility that I am injured? Better yet, you could have helped me up instead of taking pleasure in making fun of me!

- Don't make a big deal out of it... It could have happened to me too and you would have laughed at me too.

- Do you really think I'm the type to have fun with other people's misfortunes? Chelsea asks him, annoyed. If that was the case, you would have been my scapegoat.

This fall was not funny, but it immediately eased the tensions that had existed a few moments earlier. Thus, it is with a smile that Amber returns to Chelsea to help her get up.

- If I tell you a part of my life, do you promise to keep it to yourself? Amber questions her, hesitantly, as she finally agrees to open up.

- I am ready to hear everything.

- What proves to me that you are not going to use what I am going to entrust to you to avenge Daphne as all the others wish?

- You've been with me for three months and you know I'll never do that kind of thing, Chelsea told him. That's more like you…

- You all see me as a monster!

- That's the impression you gave! Personally, I am convinced that you play a role. I just hope I'm not mistaken. I don't know if you realize it, but I'll have to answer to Anais and Kelly when I get back. They didn't appreciate that I stood up for you.

- "Finally, maybe she deserves to know." " You are right; I play a role. You have no idea how bad I feel right now, Amber finally launches as her eyes fill with tears.

- What's wrong? It's the first time I've seen you in such a state!

- Outside of the pageant, I'm far from the haughty, defiant, mean girl that everyone thinks I am.

- I suspected it a little!

- I like women. That's my secret, she finally confesses. If I play the haughty and provocative woman, it's so that people don't approach me. It's a shell. Do you have any idea what will happen to me if it ever gets out? I will find myself on the street!

- I understand you. Already, be sure that it does not bother me. Have you ever considered moving to a country where homosexuals are accepted?

- Yes, I have already thought about it, but the problem remains. Without good reason, my parents will never agree to finance my trip. Also, I'm taking a course right now. I find myself at a dead end every time.

- Who else is there? I'm pretty sure there's something heavier that weighs you down even more.

- I fell in love with Sophie from the very first day and I miss her so much right now. That's why you saw me in tears earlier.

- I didn't expect that! Does she know?

- I wanted to tell her everything about the yacht, but the jolt interrupted us... She doesn't even know that I'm a lesbian.

- That's why you were always glued to her. On the other hand, that does not explain to me why you have been so disagreeable with us since the beginning of the contest.

- I am a jealous and possessive person by nature. I was afraid that another girl would try to grab it... From the first day, I heard that there were other lesbians among us. From that moment, I did everything so that no one came near her, even if it meant that everyone took me for a bitch.

- However, you let Aurore hang out with you!

- It's because she has someone in her life. Walking into the agency yard, I saw her kissing a guy on the lips. So, I knew she wouldn't be a threat. Besides, I couldn't be alone with Sophie all the time. That would have aroused suspicion. Over time, the three of us were so close, I ended up letting Aurore into my confidence and she kept it a secret.

- I find it hard to understand why you preferred to be mean... I wouldn't have reacted the same way... On the other hand, I'm relieved that I wasn't wrong about you.

- If I confided in you, it's because there is something that terrifies me and I need to talk about it before I break down, Amber confesses as her eyes fill once more of tears.

- Tell me.

- When I woke up, I saw lots of girls, but not Sophie. The idea that she didn't survive keeps coming to my mind and it scares me terribly. How am I going to live without her?

- Don't think about such things! I don't know if you noticed, but there are other girls missing. It is very likely that she failed elsewhere! I'm sure Anne-Sophie is doing much better than us at the moment.

- What do I do if she didn't survive?

- Let's wait until that's the case before we talk about it. It's never good to leave defeatist.

- I would have a hard time accepting it if that's the case.

- I understand you. "I was sure she must be going through something terrible. I don't know how I would have done in his place; it's not easy to be constantly with a person without being able to tell them that you love them. It is certain that the risk that Anne-Sophie did not survive is great and I do not yet know how I will go about cheering her up if she is indeed dead, especially since the others will certainly not didn't help me…" Chelsea thinks to herself as she looks at her with great pain. Can I give you some advice?

- Go ahead.

- You might not like it.

- I'm used to hearing hurtful things. This has been the case since this morning.

- Tell yourself she's already dead.

- Why would I do such a thing? Amber replies immediately, not appreciating this proposal. It's out of the question for me to do that! I don't understand how you can ask me such a thing. I am nothing without Sophie. Even Aurore isn't with me… That'll teach me to play the bad guy…

- Hey! You are no longer alone. I am here now and I will always be here for you.

- How did you know there was something tormenting me?

- We were three girls at home and I am the youngest. Three years ago, my two older sisters went clubbing and had a serious accident on the way home. They weren't even at fault. My youngest died instantly, and when my older sister found out, she was very upset. Afterwards, she was no longer the kind woman everyone loved. She was so miserable that she even needed the help of a specialist to get her better. Since that day, I happen to identify people who are not as bad as they make believe.

- Your big sister is better now?

- She took a long time to grieve, but she was lucky to have a lot of people around her to help her get over it. I would be there for you.

- Thank you for listening to me without judging me, Amber tells her and, without Chelsea realizing it, she hugs her.

- Don't thank me; it's my pleasure to help you. Your secret will be well kept with me.

- It feels good to receive a little love.

- Can I ask you one last question? asks Chelsea hesitantly.

- I think I know what you want to ask me.

- Why did you attack Daphne during the Miss Mermaid contest?

- I was sure of it… You might not believe me, but Daphne wasn't targeted. I had to do something concrete to make me hateful. So, I thought about what I could do in the locker room and I sabotaged the first bikini that came to hand. This amused Aurore a lot and she was waiting to see the result. When I saw that it was Daphne's, and that she had found herself naked in front of everyone, I didn't know where to go. I always blame myself for him doing such a thing. She's so adorable, too...

- That wasn't nice. She was so ashamed that she didn't do other passages...

- I'm aware of that, adds Amber.

- Anne-Sophie approved of your gesture?

- She didn't like it.

- Maybe if you had been brave enough to confess your feelings to her, you wouldn't have had to be so mean… You were lucky that the sabotaged bikini wasn't for Anne-Sophie…

- I hadn't thought of that actually.

- Well, the important thing is that you regret it.

- It would be nice if I apologized, wouldn't it?

- It all depends on how you want others to perceive you. If you want to be alone, there's no point. On the other hand, if you want to try to make new friends, it would be better if you apologize. At that time, you will have no choice but to explain your actions. But keep in mind that there's a possibility that they won't accept your apology...

- I'm aware of that.

Amber had a huge need to talk and being able to do so greatly calmed her down. It's the first time that the current has gone so well with one of the girls in the competition and, unable to hold back, she hugs Chelsea once more, letting a tear flow at the same time without her noticing anything that it would be. Deciding to get back on her way, Amber whirls around when she feels something snap under her foot. Raising it almost instantly, she sees that they are eggs.

- Eggs! It would have been wonderful if we had a fire. It's a pity that Daphne is not with us; she could make them…

- What animal do they come from? I would be surprised if they were chicken eggs; I didn't see any around.

- Here! I hadn't noticed it. Look at the one you just crushed. Chelsea kneels before being joined by her friend. It's in bad shape, but it might belong to an animal with scales. Would you like to carefully break another one to find out which reptile it is?

- No thanks. I prefer not to know. If it were up to me, I'd crush them all.

- You don't like reptiles, I see.

- I hedge them, whether they are smallest or largest.

- Even turtles? They are nice turtles and, in addition, they are cute.

- Well, maybe it's okay…

- Forgive me my darling, but my curiosity is taking over. I need to know what this is about.

Taking an egg that Amber has partially damaged, Chelsea carefully removes the shell. Realizing it's a snake egg, she decides not to pursue and she puts it back down, which Amber sees.

- What is it?

- I can't figure out. The inside is not well formed, she lies so that her friend does not worry.

- Well, since you can't identify the reptile, I suggest that we resume our journey. We have fruit to find.

- You're right, Chelsea nods and they get back on their way.

If the start of the walk was tense between Amber and Chelsea, this is no longer the case after their discussion. They tell each other several anecdotes as they go along when, fifteen minutes later, Amber comes across a bush covered in red raspberries. Not believing their eyes, they can't help picking it and tasting it because the beauty of the fruit makes them salivate. Moreover, they can afford it since there are a lot of them. A little later, when greed gets the better of Chelsea, Amber's thoughts return to Anne-Sophie and she isolates herself for a moment. Walking headlong into the silence, she is suddenly drawn to the sound of moving water. Advancing a few additional meters, it falls on a river. Unable to believe her eyes, she runs to find her friend and she pulls her by the arms so that she follows her. Upon arriving, Chelsea is pleasantly surprised to find this source of fresh water, especially since she was starting to feel thirsty from walking. Kneeling on the bank, they drink and once rehydrated, Chelsea gets up and takes off her bikini in front of her friend, to her great astonishment, and goes into the water to shower. Once clean, she washes her bikini and puts it to dry on a stone before returning to bask in the water. Not expecting Chelsea to get naked, Amber realizes it would be ugly not to enjoy the moment. Suddenly, she undresses at her and she rinses her bikini before joining her friend. The water is freezing, but the girls like it. Besides, they've been there for more than twenty minutes. In the meantime, the bikinis have had time to dry. Coming around, they were far from suspecting that they would have such a pleasant time and it brought them a lot closer. After having enjoyed the fresh water for a long time, the young ladies realize that it is high time to return to the others. Coming out of the water all trembling, they get dressed, even if they are completely soaked, and they go and pick a few raspberries for the others, which they place in a wide sheet to carry as many as possible. As soon as they consider they have enough, they will find the group.