In the evening, Brooke had a very early dinner, in silence, and surprisingly light in the company of the Sisters. Once the sun had set, they left to pray for the last time of the day ... Brooke, she, returned to her room. She put on a more comfortable outfit for the end of the evening. She put a t-shirt on Owen and lay down flat on the bed with her cell phone that she had carefully hidden in the nightstand. While she found that the day had finally passed quickly, she noticed that it was only seven thirty.
BROOKE'S THOUGHT : Not so fast after all...! I'm not sleepy at all, there's nothing to do and...
The cherry on the cake was that she didn't have a signal! She ruminated in spite of herself... She tossed and turned on the bed until she decided to drop her cell phone. She thought about Owen. The last time she had seen him, touched him, heard him, was the day they were arrested... She remembered that moment when they had been put in the police van, handcuffed and immediately taken into custody.
FLASHBACK
OWEN : Listen to me baby... Those bastards are going to interrogate you and try to make you crack by all means! They're probably going to try compassion and then intimidation... They're going to stop you from sleeping, from drinking.
That night, Brooke had felt an emotion she wasn't used to: fear. Fear for him, for her, for them.
OWEN : The only thing you have to think about now is not to give up, under any circumstances... Do you understand!?
END FLASHBACK
Brooke remembered his last words and his smell, then laying her head on his shoulder, one last time... She remembered their last hot fuck, just minutes before the police showed up. Owen was extreme in everything he did... bordering on violence sometimes. But always with a rare intensity! And Brooke loved it... She had always been attracted to bad boys. Invulnerable scoundrels reassured her. Virility, mystery, insubordination... She had quickly become addicted because it made her feel so alive! The suffering it caused was nothing when you had developed, since childhood, a physical resistance to all tests. And she knew something about it...But she loved him, and she missed him. Just thinking about him was enough to make her feel a dull excitement take over her lower abdomen. She squeezed her thighs together a little to offer a little pressure to her clitoris which was waking up.
BROOKE'S THOUGHT : Come on Brooke, a little masturbation session in a nun's room!
The discreet sound of her hand going down to her crotch accompanied the deafening silence that reigned in the room. Since Owen had been on the run, she had been forced to abstain, too... Shivers ran through her body and she was already moaning. When suddenly, someone knocked on her door...
BROOKE'S THOUGHT : Shit!
Upset, she quickly put her clothes back on, jumped out of bed and went to open the door.
DEBIE : Good evening Brooke, I thought you were still awake... I'm not disturbing you, I hope? Don't worry, I'm not staying. I just wanted to bring you this...
She handed her some black pencils and a beautiful new notebook.
BROOKE : Oh! Is it for me!?
DEBIE : Yes, I thought that reconnecting a little with your favorite hobby could keep you busy in the evening...
Not used to receiving gifts, Brooke's fingers trembled with a subtle emotion as she retrieved the notebook and pencils.
BROOKE : Thank you Debie, thank you very much.
DEBIE : With pleasure... I suppose you're not the type to fall asleep at 8:30 p.m., lights out time?
BROOKE : Indeed...
DEBIE : Don't worry, I don't either!
Brooke couldn't help but smile inwardly when Debe tried an analogy between their respective habits... Comparing a night owl accustomed to the nightlife by his behavior and his questionable acquaintances... To a mature and distinguished woman who probably fell asleep every night in front of a show that was far too intellectual. Brooke found this a little laughable or even grotesque but she didn't show it. She just nodded.
DEBIE : Well, I'll see you tomorrow afternoon after your morning with Brother Lucas. I wish you a good night.
Shortly after he left, Brooke settled cross-legged on her bed. She stroked the leather cover of her notebook... Instantly, she felt her fingers itch as she opened it to the first page of still immaculate whiteness. Instinctively, her fingers began to sketch a broad, smooth forehead... Her pencil strokes continued on a straight, thin nose and then sketched pretty, prominent cheekbones...The pencil delicately scratched the drawing paper as she defined a powerful jaw and hollow cheeks... wide, full, smiling lips, then the dimple of a perfect chin. She then lingered over sketching almond-shaped eyes that were both soft and piercing, radiating a myriad of expressions. To frame this captivating face, she then sketched in a head of blonde hair slicked back...Touched by the fact that her old talents seemed to have remained intact, it was then the confusion that took hold of her. The dazzling face of Brother Lucas was lying on the leaf... She had been able to capture the very essence of this so serene look. Admiring the beauty and the delicacy of his features, Brooke had finally resolved to close her notebook.
BROOKE'S THOUGHT : I think of Owen the minute before and then it's him that I naturally draw ... You're losing your mind, my poor thing!
A little ashamed, she decided to find something to radically change her mind. She looked around her ... There were books on a shelf but nothing that seemed interesting! Despite the curfew, she decided to go explore the surroundings a little ... After all, she was stuck here! She quickly put on her sneakers and a kind of long cardigan and silently left her room. The hallway was silent, cold and dimly lit ...
BROOKE'S THOUGHT : This deserted hallway is a little scary anyway!
Arriving on the landing, she took care to be discreet by passing in front of the staircase leading to the Sisters' floor. On tiptoe, she went out through the garden, taking a path directly under the trees, sheltered by the windows. The air was fresh and she continued to move forward. She took out her cell phone and noticed that she finally had a signal outside. While she was desperately waiting for a missed call or a message to arrive... She heard a noise. She jumped and while she was deciding where to go to hide, she came face to face with a night prowler.
LUCAS : Good evening Brooke ... You shouldn't be out at this late hour.
Dimly lit in the night by the glow of the lights, Lucas observed her with his piercing and mysterious eyes.
BROOKE : Oh! Good evening ... To tell the truth, I ... I didn't think I'd meet anyone ...
She whispered just like him ... Her face expressed a certain confusion due to the effect of surprise.
LUCAS : I didn't want to scare you ... I'm not used to meeting anyone after curfew either.
BROOKE : Forgive me but I thought that this famous curfew applied to the entire Community ... Including you ...
Faced with her slight insolence, Lucas' face closed and his smile disappeared. Despite the fact that it was relatively dark, Brooke could have sworn she saw her cheekbones turn red.
LUCAS : Maybe... But you should really go inside now Brooke, you might catch a cold...
BROOKE : Uh ok... But I'm not doing anything wrong... Like you, I felt like getting some fresh air, I guess... Isn't that what you were doing?
LUCAS : What I do outside is none of your business. We'll see each other tomorrow morning at 8am, as planned. Go inside now.
Confused by his coldness and the authoritarian tone he had used, Brooke gave him a little nod... Then, she pretended to walk away to go back to her room. She walked slowly, listening behind her...
BROOKE'S THOUGHT : He's just waiting there to check on me!
She moved forward and came to a bend in a hedge... A few seconds later, she heard Lucas's footsteps start again. She then came out of her hiding place and noticed that he had resumed his path. She decided to follow him. She saw him enter a sort of plant corridor. His walk was fast. Hers was intended to be discreet and silent. She followed him as best she could while he went deeper and deeper...She was quickly struggling to follow him... Left, left, right... He seemed to master a known and well-orchestrated path... He walked faster and faster. Soon the sound of his footsteps became more and more distant... Brooke no longer knew which way to go. She had now chosen directions at random, understanding then that she was in a landscaped labyrinth. Trapped, she paced the alleys that looked the same ... Her heart was beating fast and hard in her chest. The hooting of an owl and the water flowing from a fountain now completely covered the sound of Lucas's footsteps. It was clear that she had managed to get lost! And that he had deliberately lost her ...
BROOKE'S THOUGHT : What is he hiding? I guess I'll find out eventually ... But first, I have to find a way out of here!
- The next morning -
The day before, Brooke had set the alarm on her cell phone to get up barely thirty minutes before her appointment. But that was without counting on Sister Karen's personalized and hotel-style wake-up call around six in the morning.
SISTER KAREN : Good morning dear child! What a beautiful day ahead... And as we say in our country...: "To whomever gets up early in the morning, God helps and lends a hand!"
Still a little groggy, Brooke had to get dressed before going up to breakfast and starting this day with Brother Lucas. Since last night and the labyrinth thing... She wanted to have fun or even get a little revenge. Her cheeky and provocative personality wanted to try something to disturb him and distract him from his wishes.
BROOKE'S THOUGHT : I really want to play the temptress with a little test to check her resistance ... Let's start with a visual stimulation ...
As usual, Brooke was completely late. She had showered, gotten ready and then had breakfast ... When she arrived outside, Brother Lucas was already waiting for her ... In his street clothes. Brooke blushed because he was so gorgeous.
LUCAS : You're late Brooke.
BROOKE : Hello to you too!
LUCAS : Hello ... So, did you finally find your way last night?
Brooke couldn't believe her ears ... Either she was imagining things or he was really teasing her.
BROOKE : Excuse me!? Why?
LUCAS : I was just wondering if you found your way easily last night... It's big here... It could be very easy to get lost or even completely lost!
His eyes were impenetrable and his expression remained unfathomable... But his little smile left Brooke in no doubt.
BROOKE : I already know the place perfectly, don't worry!
Brother Lucas smiled while scrutinizing Brooke's outfit with a look a little too insistent to be accidental. He quickly turned away to start walking. Brooke was jubilant to have caught his slight confusion.
LUCAS : Okay, let's go!
BROOKE : And where are we going? If I'm not mistaken, it concerns me this time I think...
LUCAS : Indeed! Come on Brooke, you'll find out soon enough! But I hope you like children...
BROOKE'S THOUGHT : He's really making fun of me or something... And it seems like he's enjoying it!
They then walked along the cloister outside. Brooke followed Lucas who was walking with a determined step, until he slowed down.
LUCAS : Do you have any brothers and sisters, Brooke?
BROOKE : No... I'm an only child!
LUCAS : Mmm. Good. And your parents? Are you close to them?
BROOKE : Is this an interrogation, actually? Because there are things I don't really want to talk about...
LUCAS : Ok. And what would you like us to discuss? Unless, like me, you appreciate silence?
BROOKE : Well, it depends... But don't feel obliged to make conversation with me...
LUCAS : I don't feel obligated to do anything... I propose and you decide what you want to tell me or not.
BROOKE : I thought you had some kind of special little booth for that!?
LUCAS : Exactly, it's called a confessional... But the goal is rather to confess your sins and do penance. But we'll go at your pace on that subject too, in terms of confessions, I mean... On the other hand, in terms of walking, let's speed up the pace please... We're already late to the foyer. And Jamie hates it when I'm late!
Brooke then quickened her pace to answer his request.
BROOKE : Who is Jamie?
LUCAS : One of the children of the home, I will introduce him to you ...
JAMIE : Luuuucas!
LUCAS : Ah! Here he is already!
A little boy of barely seven or eight years old was waiting patiently on the steps of the porch of a large old house. He got up and ran towards Lucas, clinging to him immediately to greet him enthusiastically.
LUCAS : Hello, big boy!
Jamie grabbed Lucas' hand and while walking towards the porch of the house, he looked at Brooke. His big eyes shone when she gave him a tender and friendly smile.
JAMIE : Who is she?
Brooke did not have time to answer that Lucas had already laughed to answer the curious and impatient child.
LUCAS : She has a first name... Let me introduce you to Brooke! She's my friend and my guest.
BROOKE : Your friend!?
LUCAS : We will be soon, I hope so...