Three days after discovering that story, the headmistress summoned us all to the dining hall at 8:30 in the morning.
I rushed down the stairs, having spent too much time hiding the "cooking" recipe in a place where no one could snoop, thanks to other students who were far too curious about this horrifying, almost philosophical tale. I arrived late.
Everyone was there: the headmistress, of course, and even Dr. Dupont, which was unusual because he was almost never around. There were also other people we had never seen or didn't know at all. The atmosphere in the dining hall felt strange, as if some tragic event had already happened—or was about to. When I stepped through the door, it slammed shut behind us, as though our fates were already sealed.
I spotted the headmistress. Why did I only call her that? Nobody knew her first or last name. She was a tall, rigid woman, around 5'9". She looked more like a doctor performing gruesome experiments on corpses than anything else: thin glasses, black-and-gray slicked-back hair, an expression so cold and detached it seemed lifeless. It was as if the devil himself were watching his creation while turning away in disdain.
Seeing me enter, she spoke in a dry, robotic, lifeless voice:
"Tomorrow, you will be relocated. The state has offered us a deal, and we have decided to accept it! For the greater good, you will serve as human experiments for the State!"
At the end of her sentence, a cold, distant smile crept across her lips. Everyone in the orphanage knew she was unhinged, but to this extent… never!
Suddenly, a quote from Franck Dupuit flashed through my mind:
"What tells us this is the truth? Could it not be lies disguised as truth?"
The words seemed simple, almost foolish, but in that moment, I didn't know whether they were lies or reality. One thing was certain: she had sold it convincingly. Perhaps for money… I don't know. So maybe it was truth hidden inside a lie, but why?
Suddenly, screams and shouts erupted in the dining hall. Girls, boys, all yelling:
"You're crazy, seriously, you!!"
"Go to hell, you bastard! How dare you sell us this without our consent!!"
"It's true, you owe us answers, you bitch!"
"Boooh, you should be ashamed!"
The whole hall was furious. She, however, remained calm, detached from reality, controlling the situation.
She raised her hand and gestured. The assistant headmistress, Sister Marie, stepped forward, addressing the angry students in a soft, almost divine voice:
"Children, please stop! Otherwise, I will have to use unconventional methods, though I will try not to harm my children."
From behind her, she produced a black object and pointed it at the students with an innocent, almost childlike, even angelic smile. One student, unaware of the danger barreling toward him, confidently approached Sister Marie to confront her. He was less than a meter away when—she fired!
Bang!
Silence fell over the hall. The boy collapsed, a bullet between his eyes. Blood spread from the wound. Everyone was shocked, terrified of death. Now, fear was visible in their eyes.
What is death, really? A knife or a bullet, collapsing to the ground, bleeding out as time passes. Then comes the angel of death, the Reaper, the tunnel to heaven—or simply falling into hell. To me, death is cowardly, like a mourner hiding in its burrow, waiting for your end.
I was mostly shocked. Why so much violence for simple disobedience? I couldn't comprehend the current situation.
The headmistress laughed:
"Ahahahhahahhahahahha!!!"
Her laughter was diabolical, almost demonic. She was not alone; Dr. Dupont, sitting nearby, laughed as well. A handsome, charismatic, calculating man, standing about 6'2", in his thirties, with white-gray hair. He watched the murder with such detachment, it was as if he were accustomed to it. He even said, laughing at the situation:
"Ahah, poor children, heaven has abandoned you. But don't worry, your existence wasn't just this. Perhaps God has given us the power to change things, ahaha."
I wondered to whom he was speaking. It was like a public confession, but not really addressed to anyone.
Finally, I noticed Sister Marie glancing at me with a faint, innocent smile. By reflex, I blended with the other teens to avoid drawing attention from the supervisors.
Then the headmistress, after watching the scene enough, commanded:
"Sisters of the Paladin Confraternity, seize all these children!"
Above her, a massive door opened. A dozen nuns appeared, armed. The crowd began to retreat step by step. The more the nuns advanced, the more the students fled—but the trap closed in.
Under the headmistress, the nuns looked at us like prey. All were tall, beautiful, at least 5'11" for the shortest, with hair colors ranging from blonde to white, black to brown. Yet something told me they weren't real nuns, but succubi disguised as humans, seducing men and leading them astray. It was the only thing that made them appear human—yet their eyes revealed abyss or death.
Sister Marie stepped forward from the line, facing the crowd. She spoke:
"Now, you will all form groups of ten—five boys, five girls! Anyone who disobeys will be killed! Understood, my children?"
Silence fell. I looked left and right; everyone whispered among themselves. Finally, this cursed cooking recipe had brought me misfortune too!
End of this episode.
Thank you for reading this episode.