Queen of Cards (English version)

Day 2: At night, everyone goes into their rooms to take it in turns to play

An adorable little ring similar to the Japanese high schools' woke me up. I stretched out like a big cat while yawning, then checked the time on the tablet. Eight o'clock. I mumbled, my head heavily falling back on the pillow. I hated mornings. It was always a real torture to leave my haven of piece. Unfortunately for me, the situation was not allowing me to stay in bed longer. It was out of the question to let the advantage to the other players only because of idleness.

I stood up, read the new rule and went to my private toilet to splash a little bit of cold water on my face. I took advantage of the opportunity to admire my long silky hair in the mirror. I loved the little messy curls that had formed during the night. I always had a heartache while brushing them, because it would stroke them a little bit. After quickly powdering my nose -just to be a minimum presentable- I walked to the chest of drawers of my room. What would I wear today? My look was plain but cool, although I liked to wear cute clothes from time to time. I was not necessarily obsessed by fashion, not even close, but I liked to feel pretty. I particularly liked original and asymmetrical clothes. I therefore opted for a black top with only one sleeve, and a basic jean. I took my new outfit under my arm and went in the shared bathroom to take a shower.

I met my best friend, Rachel, there. Her back was turned, and she was facing one of the sinks placed in the main room, brushing her teeth. She had not heard me coming. Teasing, I suddenly wrapped my arms around her shoulders, which resulted in her squealing. Pleased with my joke, I burst out laughing.

"Hey hey, sleep well sweetheart?"

"Very well, what about you love?"

I had always hated those childish nicknames between friends. But strangely, with Rachel, they were not bothering me that much. They were like a secret code, just between us. I gave her a peck on the cheek.

"I'm off, I'm gonna take a shower. I'll meet you for the breakfast!"

"You better hurry cause I'm starving!"

I entered the left wing of the bathroom, where the shower cubicles were located, placed in the same way as sports hall's ones. Three of them were already occupied. It meant that half of us were struggling to get out of bed. Two of them were definitely Alan and Mark. Real little koalas!

When I finished my shower, there was no one left in the bathroom. I quickly dressed up and hastened to go in the dining room. Only Alan was missing. I sat between Rachel and Alice, and started on my delicious breakfast. Each plate contained two slices of avocado toast perfectly crunchy, with a thin slice of fresh smoked salmon on top, and a fried egg. A cup of steaming honey green tea was served with the meal, as well as a tall glass of exotic fruit juice. What a treat! I could nevertheless not stop myself from thinking about my weight: I would probably gain several pounds if the dishes kept being that succulent. I reassured myself by telling myself that this food was quite healthy, and that I could still regularly do sport in the room created for this purpose. I planned to begin today. It was a real obsession to me. I absolutely wanted to have a thin waist. I was not anorexic, luckily, but I indeed was quite thin. I had a certain satisfaction when I weighted myself and saw a number close to forty. However, one shall not forget that I was also really small.

While I was talking about music with the two persons sitting next to me, a sleepy head appeared. I looked at Alan, amused. The latter, with his dishevelled blond hair, sat in front of me.

"You okay, lil' muffin?"

He whispered a faint "Yeah" before quietly starting on his meal. The Master should had given him a good cup of strong coffee to wake him up!

Alan was a person with lots of secrets, who barely talked about himself. Each time a personal question was asked to him, he would always elude it. In a way, I found his mysterious side adorable. His desire to always hide his true emotions was making me believe that he could also be very sensitive. I wanted to know him better, even though I could already brag about winning his trust. I was the person with whom he felt most at ease to talk about serious topics. But, most of the time, he was only talking a bit with everybody. A perfect example of an outgoing and extrovert person.