The next day, on the plane, the two Canadian teams finally arrive at their destination.
"Yay! We are finally arrived!" exalted Kateri.
The groups alighted from their plane and looked for their suitcases. Samuel connected to Wi-Fi to reserve the beds of a youth hostel with his iphone. Some time later, Paul called two taxis. The two taxis arrived 15 minutes later. On their way to their hostel, Jeannine, Jean-Baptiste, Kateri and Kwetcitc were amazed and kept looking around through the windows of the car. But alone, Wapikoni was very anxious because of her first time. It was the first time that she left her province and her country. And also because of this immense city, the noises and these people who speak neither Atikamekw nor really French, Wapikoni is frightened and in culture shock, she remained hanging around the arm of Jean-Baptiste, her boyfriend. Finally at the inn, the girls and boys arrived in their dormitory.
"Cool!" exclaimed Kateri.
Their bedroom contained four bunk beds. While they choose their bed and organize themselves , in the next room, the neighbors are the Kumar brothers and sisters who had just arrived too. Manju was the most impatient of the four, since they left the airport, she was really looking forward to exploring the city and its cultural places.
"Can we go see the statue of Christ the Redeemer right now?"
"Later, Manju." Karuna tells her. "We will first take the time to organize and go eat."
Adit added:
"We also have to find a way to contact Yukia and the others, they should already be there."
Their bedroom is on the upper floor, a bit small and has two bunk beds. Karuna shares with Manju. And Adit with Ashvin. Ashvin approached the window to see the outside, seen from there, he could see the incessant back and forth of people. He opens the window to let the light wind enter the room. Downstairs, Wapikoni, Kwetcitc, Kateri, Winona, Jeannine, Paul, Samuel and Jean-Baptiste were leaving the building and Jeannine stopped short and she rummaged in her bag.
"Wait! I forgot my Saint Pendant in our room, I'll go get it!"
"Really, Jeannine!? Quickly!" grumbled Winona.
While Jeannine went back inside to get her Saint Pendant, the others were waiting outside.
"We're going to meet Yukia somewhere, right?" Jean-Baptiste asked them.
"Maybe yes..." replied his brother Samuel. "They are surely already here... but impossible to contact them, you know, they never use the phone or any other technology to communicate."
Shortly after, Jeannine came out of the inn.
"Good news! I found it!" she said to them already sweaty.
"Are you already covered in sweat, sister?" asked her brother Paul with an amused look.
"What!?" replied Jeannine. "We are in the south of America and we come from the North! It's super hot here!"
"Look at yourself, Jeannine! You're also all red like a tomato when you're hot!" laughed Jean-Baptiste.
The others laughed at her. Kwetcitc's soft and melodious laughter made it sound down to Ashvin's ears still inside with his brother and sisters. Laughter crosses the young boy's ears and descends to the heart, and beat slowly.
"This laugh so sweet ... who could it be and where does it come from?"
He looks around to find out who owned that laugh. It was then that he saw Kwetcitc with her friends, everything was love at first sight in a single second. His heart is beating like a Tibetan drum. For him, the real day in Rio de Janeiro would light up, just by seeing the girl. The boy fell in love.
«How beautiful she is ...» he said to himself in his thoughts.
His older brother called him in Hindi, a language spoken in India. Ashvin also answered him in their language. When he turns around to see Kwetcitc again, he sees her leave with her compatriots. Disappointed, he joins Adit, Karuna and Manju who are waiting for him at the door. He thought that he was not going to see her again, that he would never know her name and he hoped that she was one of the guests invited by Yukia.