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2605 Words
I was about to give him a scathing reply, including letting him know that I hardly appreciated being manhandled, but looking ahead, I saw a group of people quietly coming our way. Among them, I recognized Minah and Rucker, who were surely coming out of the pub. I would have preferred that we didn’t meet them right now. Elgin was so angry that I feared, without really knowing the reason, what might happen next.
“Elgin, my friend!” Rucker smirked, opening his arms, deceptively happy.
He stopped in front of us, surrounded by his friends who looked more like bodyguards than average students.
“A little advice, Rucker,” Elgin said, without even bothering to say hello. “If you don’t want open war, you will never get close to her again!”
I made myself very small, Elgin seemed about to explode. I squeezed his arm a little more, hoping he would calm down. He didn’t even notice my insistence. The flashes from his eyes weren’t reassuring me.
“Hey, hey, friend, calm down,” Rucker said quietly, not intimidated. “Scarlett is an intelligent young girl; she’ll surely know how to choose her associates. Besides, neither of us would want to make her uncomfortable, right?”
He gave me a sweet look.
“I won’t warn you twice...”
“No need to make threats,” Rucker replied, still calm. “Your girlfriend is delightful, we’ll do nothing... nothing she doesn’t choose herself.”
The smirk on his lips made me shiver. This guy was crazy!
Elgin’s pupils had invaded all the green of his irises. He took a step forward and made one of those growls that would make anyone jump in their shoes.
“Elgin! We’re leaving,” I said, trying to pull him by the arm.
He didn’t move a bit and neither did Rucker. They stared at each other without flinching.
“Elgin...”
Several students, intrigued by the crowd we were forming in the middle of the sidewalk, had approached.
Elgin and Rucker turned their heads towards them. They looked at each other again and, finally, each took a step back.
“I’ve warned you,” Elgin said.
Rucker laughed out loud before leaving in the opposite direction to ours.
Elgin, tenser than ever, motioned for me to follow him to my house. We walked so fast that when we got to the door I was trembling and out of breath.
“Tarja?” I called as I entered.
My roommate came out of her room, a towel over her head. Seeing Elgin next to me, her eyes widened in surprise. Almost instantly, she disappeared only to reappear two seconds later with her purse, her hair still damp and tangled.
“I’ll leave you,” she said, rushing out.
Stunned, I didn’t have time to tell her that she didn’t have to go. The door had already slammed.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to scare her away,” Elgin apologized, still staring at the entrance, frowning.
“It’s not you,” I wanted to reassure him, “Tarja is shy.”
“Yeah... can I make some tea?”
“Yes, if you want... Look on the shelf—the one by the window—and in the cupboard without a door.”
I took a seat on the couch as he casually made his way to the kitchen. He filled the metal kettle before putting it on the gas, reached for the upper cupboard—the one I couldn’t reach without a stool—and picked up the tea bags. He grabbed two mugs from the shelf and waited for the water to boil.
Within a few minutes, he walked over with two cups of steaming tea and sat down next to me pushing the table to stretch his legs.
“How did you meet Rucker and the tall blond, the Australian?” he began.
“I met the Australian during the induction week. Rucker, just tonight.”
“I see.”
I had rarely seen him demonstrate so much self-control.
“What is the Circle?” I grew impatient.
“Some kind of brotherhood.”
“What kind of brotherhood?”
“The kind that causes problems.”
Annoyed, I clicked my tongue.
“Elgin... you won’t tell me more?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?”
He didn’t answer.
“You almost got into a fight with this guy because of me. You’re usually calmer than that.”
He eyed me with irresistible intensity. Fortunately, I was determined to find out more, otherwise, he would have melted me in two seconds and I wouldn’t have asked him anything more.
“Come on...,” I encouraged him.
He sighed and finally untied his tongue.
“The Circle is as old as the university. There aren’t many members, just about fifteen. They think they’re elite,” Elgin said as I took a long sip of tea. “Did you notice what they look like?”
“Yes, they’re all more or less blond with light eyes. All very good looking, I must admit. Is it some kind of nationalist group?”
Elgin chuckled. What was so funny?
“No, they can come from a lot of different countries. This is almost always the case. You, for example, are French, but you interest them despite everything.”
“But then, they advocate what? Some sort of racial superiority?”
Elgin smirked.
Decidedly, either I looked like a fool, or I didn’t understand the subtlety of what I was saying!
“Yes, that’s... almost it. (Pause.) Always stronger.”
I opened my eyes wide.
“Sorry?”
“That’s their motto.”
“Ah... And what do they want from me? What could have made them believe that I would be interested in their Circle?”
Elgin shrugged.
“I don’t know all their selection criteria. Aside from the physical, maybe,” he said, lifting a section of my hair.
“Is that all?”
“What do you mean?”
“Is that all you blame them for?”
He raised his eyebrows in astonishment.
“Isn’t that bad enough?”
“Look, your behaviour was a little disproportionate, right? I thought you were going to kill him. You even spoke of open war!”
“That’s what will happen if he doesn’t leave you alone.”
“Sorry? What will happen?” I was scared. “Do you mean you’d kill him or declare war?”
“Maybe both,” he thought with a half-smile.
“You’re not making sense!”
“Scarlett, don’t underestimate Rucker. He’s dangerous. Others have paid the price and bitterly regretted it. Don’t hang out with them, I can’t stand to see you with them.”
“I don’t intend to. I’m not crazy!”
“So much the better. If you ignore them, they’ll leave you alone.”
“Rucker, he’s the leader, isn’t he?”
“Yeah, for two years.”
“And Minah, the Australian?”
“She arrived last year. Beware of her. She manipulates minds like no one else.”
“I don’t find her very likeable, anyway.”
He smiled at me and opened his arms.
“Come over here.”
He pulled me closer to him and hugged me to his chest as I coiled lovingly into the crook of his shoulder.
“Are the members of the Circle all history students like Rucker and Minah?”
“No. Among their members, there are students from all disciplines. The former head of the Circle was in medicine.”
“Really?”
“Yes,” he said, visibly very amused.
“Uh..., is there still something that I don’t understand?” I asked dubiously.
“No, nothing at all, honey,” he said playfully, kissing the tip of my nose.
“There are idiots everywhere, anyway. But against all expectations, I think it’s in the universities that one meets the finest specimens!”
He laughed and changed the subject abruptly.
“Shall we put on some music?”
“Uh, if you want but...”
“But what?”
“The sound system is... in my room,” I stammered, embarrassed.
“Interesting,” he said, standing up.
With that, he took my hand for me to accompany him. My heart was pounding.
In the bedroom, I turned on the dragonfly lamp above my bed. Elgin quietly closed the door behind him and walked over to the stereo.
While he was choosing a CD, I sat on my bed, leaning against the wall, knees to my chest. Unable to hide my nervousness, I gently chewed the end of one of my sleeves.
The music rose. Feist.
“This is a sad song,” I remarked when Elgin sat next to me.
He was stroking my hair tenderly when I heard him chuckle softly, his gaze fixed on the bay window.
“What is it?”
“You and your neighbour must be very intimate, right?”
“Rather, yes. Last night I saw him come out of the bathroom in the nude.”
“Seriously?”
“Hmm...”
He propelled himself abruptly off the bed, knocking me onto my side, and snapped the curtains closed. After that, he looked much more at ease.
I shook my head from side to side, suppressing a burst of mocking laughter.
“You’re amazing.”
“What?” he mumbled. “If you could see him naked, I imagine he could do the same with you!”
“No! I’m careful.”
“Yeah...” he grumbled.
Annoyed, but delighted, I threw myself back on my bed.
“You’re so jealous...”
“Not at all.” He leaned over me to brush his lips against my ear. “Only protective.”
“As if I needed to be protected from a guy who walks naked behind the windows of his apartment!”
“You never know,” he laughed. “Maybe he could hypnotize you and make you do the same.”
I burst out laughing.
“Rubbish! Pff... You have to be called Elgin to do something like that!”
“Sorry?” he choked, visibly shocked. “Do you think I would manipulate you into that?”
A bucket of water wouldn’t have doused him so much.
“That’s not what I meant!” I cried, confused.
He raised his left eyebrow.
“What did you mean, then?”
“That only you can hypnotize me,” I confessed, flirtatious.
He eyed me for a moment, then his lips twitched into a beautiful smile—the one that ravaged me every time—then he kissed me before reluctantly pulling away. He stood up and pulled my hand.
“I have to go. Shall we do something tomorrow night?”
“Okay but... are you leaving already?”
It was impossible to hide my disappointment.
“I wouldn’t want your roommate to sleep outside,” he said. “But really, I have to work.”
He grabbed my waist and pulled me back against him. He ran his fingers down my spine.
I almost fell backwards, he smiled again, aware of the state he was putting me in.
“Until tomorrow,” he kissed me gently, “I’ll pick you up at six-thirty.”
I slowly closed the door behind him and slammed my back against it, breathless as if I had run a marathon. Elgin Sutherland had the power of a demon and he knew it!
I decided to get him out of my head by cooking something for Tarja and me. This time we were going to have a French dinner. It would be a change from the Kainnu-style fish soup that we had been eating for three nights!
I had barely finished setting the table when Tarja returned.
“Hey, that smells good!”
“I hope you’re hungry. Tonight, it’s steak with shallot and sautéed potatoes.”
“Mm...,” she said, sniffing the air.
She quickly put her things in her room and joined me at the table.
“What did you do when you were out?” I asked, seeing her cheeks pink with the cold.
“Not much. I walked the streets. We’re really lucky the windows are double glazed, you know. You should hear the world outside! I met several groups of students who were already tipsy! There may be some noise tonight.”
“You know Tarja, you don’t have to go when my boyfriend comes here,” I interrupted.
She lowered her head, embarrassed.
“It’s just that... I don’t want to bother you.”
“But you don’t bother us at all! This is your home.”
“Yeah, I know. It’s because I’m not very comfortable.”
“Would you prefer that he didn’t come anymore?”
“No, no!” she cried, blushing.
“I would understand, you know.”
“I can’t force this on you.”
“But would you prefer?”
She didn’t answer and changed to something else.
“How did your time with the Australian go?”
I stared at her for a moment to try to understand her discomfort but didn’t insist.”
“Unusual.”
“Tell me.”
“She was with several of her friends, including a strange guy. We went to a pub where I was subjected to a formal interrogation. You know, we want to know if you're suitable for our group, kind of thing.”
“Did you answer their questions?”
“Yes, I was caught off guard. This Rucker is particularly distressing.”
“Rucker?”
“The leader of the Circle.”
“The Circle?” she repeated, lost.
“This is the brotherhood they are all part of. Rucker, Minah the Australian and the others.”
I told her what Elgin had said.
“If you could see how the members behave among themselves,” I continued. “They all seem to be completely in Rucker’s t****l. He had a strange effect on me.”
“Do you think you’ll see them again?”
“No, I don’t think so. Elgin hates the Circle and its members. He got caught with Rucker on the sidewalk tonight. I thought it was going to turn out badly.”
“Nice evening then.”
“Mm... I still have the feeling that he’s hiding something from me,” I added thoughtfully.
Tarja shrugged and stood to clear the plates. Discussing this and that, we set about washing the dishes and wiping them down. She then went to bed. She was exhausted. Not me. A household frenzy seized me: cleaning the refrigerator, emptying the toaster, careful polishing of radiators, dusting of furniture, washing the worktop and floors...
In the bathroom, I finished with my dirty laundry.
Before putting it into the washing machine, I took care to empty my pockets. I came across the little piece of paper Minah had given me a few days earlier and opened it. She had noted in beautiful cursive writing, her first name before the numbers.
Willeminah
The name was so old that I wondered if I had read it somewhere other than the stories of the 19th century.
I ended up brushing my teeth and washing my face. When I returned to my room, it was already ten o’clock.
I undressed, put on a T-shirt and shorties and sank into my bed. I had ended up exhausting myself, too.
- Writer
