CRYSTALLUM LOST DREAMS | Fantasy Novel |

Chapter 6 - Part 1

Mansell stopped the car in the middle of the traffic, the circuit now in sight. He was tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, accelerating, sighing. On the umpteenth stop, he looked at them. "I'm sorry. If you want to arrive in time for the start of the show, it's better that you get off now," he grumbled. "The line is long here."

"And you? You'll miss the race!" Fez exclaimed. Marmorel had already opened the front door.

Mansell gave him a wink and gestured for him to go. "Don't worry about me. I'll find a hole to leave this thing and get in somehow." He turned towards the road frowning and started cursing the blaring vehicles again.

The teens walked on the sidewalk; waiting for them was a river of people moving intermittently. Among the fans, colorful flags with the emblem of the racing teams or the portrait of their favorite driver paraded. The newspapers that morning had written about packed stands even during practice and the last tickets sold for even two thousand scudi.

The five of them, on the other hand, had spent the previous day visiting Edel; Elidana had forced them to walk around the upper city, but the brief outing ended with an escape to the Garden of the Senses: the chaos of the Cec systems was too much for them. Marmorel had made a portrait of Aran and Fez in the same pose as Croden and Orghein in the background.

Cora decided to enjoy the rest of the trip and put aside his assumptions about Ethan Standford, he would think about it after the race.

"Marmorel, do you know what they call the Edel circuit?" Fez shouted to be heard, but his voice barely managed to get through the chants of the admirers of the Jalla Jaguars.

She glared at him. "No, and I can live without knowing it." She quickened her pace.

"It's called the Hive, right?" Elidana intruded, and Fez nodded disappointed.

Cora dodged a fan. "How do you know?"

Elidana approached both of them. "It was written on the hotel brochure." She looked at Fez, "Well, don't pay attention to her, she's a little sour today... don't take it personally," she added finally, without being heard by her friend.

Fez walked on until he reached Marmorel and Aran already at the turnstiles.

"Why is she acting like this?" Cora asked.

"Well... this morning, at the park, Aran gave her another proof of his disinterest," replied Elidana.

"That's where those two were," said Cora. "If I know Aran well, he just wants to play it cool. I think he wouldn't mind something more."

"Exactly, I don't understand anything anymore," Elidana shrugged. "Before going out, she told me that he had a date with Aran. You know how it is... she lost more than an hour fixing her hair and choosing her outfit, she looked so happy. When she came back, instead, she started crying in front of the bathroom mirror and she hasn't spoken since."

Someone pushed Cora, who, to avoid falling down, took a step to the side. "Hey... watch where you're going," he barked. The one who hit him was a younger boy with a shirt bearing two crossed blades. He didn't even answer and kept running.

Cora sighed, annoyed. However, for a few moments he found himself with his hand touching Elidana's. He looked up. She smiled at him. "Don't freeze," she finally said.

Cora started looking left and right to avoid crossing her eyes, which were blue like sapphires. She walked ahead and he continued to observe her as if she were someone else. During those days in Edel, every time he spoke to her, he had to make a great effort not to give in to embarrassment. Furthermore, after what had happened at the barracks, after he had shared the truth with Elidana, their "goodnight game" had revealed itself to him in a completely different light. He couldn't wait for that moment to come, this time there would be no pebble. I wonder if Elidana's satisfied smile hid the same contentment that he had felt.