Since when had man become so evil?
And when, one day, instead of seeing himself as a man, he saw himself as something else… a monster, or at least something that resembled one. Not the classic monsters of our era—vampires, werewolves… none of that nonsense people imagine. No. More like serial killers, or as described in religious texts: demons or fallen angels.
It's almost as if you were painting your own portrait—your smile, your hair, your flaws, the quirks that make you unique. But at the end, when it's done, you dip your brush in black, and you draw a long line over your eyes… as if your eyes themselves reflect your monstrosity.
They even say that when you go mad, you see people with body parts disproportionate to yours, as if they were glitches in the system. But no—they are real… monstrous. Others, you see only their eyes, or their mouths and teeth… leaving these unsettling details deliberately exposed. Their bodies are cloaked in a deep black, their faces hidden behind a thin, imperceptible veil—except for their eyes and mouths, twisted in nauseating smiles.
Some appear impossible: their bodies crackle, like old televisions.
But in the end, who are these creatures?
Human suffering? Guilt?
Or simply my own unfiltered madness?
We should never have eaten that damn apple… We condemned ourselves. We even let a creature onto the ship… We were fooled. Ahahahah!
But… what is this thought? Where did it come from? It isn't mine… Why am I thinking this now? Wait… what was I thinking again? Never mind, probably not important. Back to reality.
---
Sister Marie had succeeded in planting doubt in all the adolescents.
A crushing doubt.
Not a trivial, petty doubt like "Will I pass this test?" No… something far deeper, far more sinister. A question that prowls your skull like a wolf waiting for prey.
In the end… what is doubt?
Is it when you're unsure of what someone says?
Or when a question, thrown at you without explanation, shakes everything you thought you knew?
I don't know. But doubt is contagious, sometimes even toxic. It walks hand in hand with truth… and with human madness.
I don't like doubt in my life. But today… I have it. A massive one.
About my memories. About my mind.
As if someone were erasing important things from my head… Damn, and here I am, trapped in this body, talking to myself! What did I expect? Someone to answer me? I will go insane eventually.
Back to Marie: she seems far more cunning and calculating than before. But now that she has killed someone, everyone doubts her. Look at Sister Julie: tall, 1.85 meters, black hair, sapphire eyes… she looked more like a star than a nun. She was kind once. But she betrayed us.
Which means she never really was.
So everyone wonders: can we still trust these people?
They glance at each other with a spark of questioning in their eyes. They want answers. But it's pointless. Even if they spoke, who says what they say is true?
I turned to watch the virus Sister Marie had spread… It was already infecting everyone, one by one.
All the senior staff watched us.
Nuns, doctors, scientists… all well-dressed, suits and robes, as if at a celebration. They spoke with almost forced smiles, a few laughs, but nothing genuine. And mostly… they were watching us, the adolescents. Like livestock.
Some even pointed at certain of us for questions.
It was absurd. The whole situation was absurd and meaningless.
Why leave us in a room with a corpse on the floor, surrounded by ridiculous threats?
I kept watching. Sister Marie's announcement had shocked and sown doubt among many youths. Groups were already forming, almost instinctively. No one wanted to be alone.
As for me, I still had time to find a good group… but I had to hurry, as everyone was already chatting and choosing.
The director, who had stepped back to speak with other staff, returned. Near the metal bars, she pressed a button next to a microphone.
The dining hall doors began to open slowly.
They led to the orphanage garden, large and enclosed by a high stone wall, impossible to climb.
She spoke, voice strong and commanding, face expressionless but teeth clenched, showing both disdain and amusement at the scene:
— From now on, you have thirty minutes to form groups of ten. Of course… there will be one group of six. This group will have a chance—and a reward worthy of its risk! Ahahaha!
Her cynical laughter chilled the room.
I wouldn't want to be in that last group. Their "reward" was unlikely to be pleasant.
According to her, there were about 156 of us in the orphanage. For me, it was 150. Either I wasn't paying attention, or she was telling the truth.
But… 156. How could I forget such a detail? Not a number you easily erase.
Wait… the book mentioned forgetting…
Damn, what was it again?
Nothing. Gone.
Suddenly, a massive migraine hit. I pressed my hands to my skull, almost ripping my hair out. My vision blurred. I saw double. A few people turned to check on me, then recoiled: they thought I was mad.
I covered my mouth to avoid vomiting. Strange gazes surrounded me. They no longer really saw me. Or rather: they saw me faceless, as if my face had been replaced with a question mark.
Invisible.
I straightened, forcing a clumsy smile to divert attention. But inside, my existence was cracking. Not because of the information I'd learned… but from pure madness.
My brain refused this truth.
Fran… Fran… Franck.
For him, forgetting is the end.
But the end of what?
Too many thoughts. Too much information at once.
I am about to explode.
Sister Marie spoke again:
— The director has given you a mission. Obey it now! May our God open your path to truth…
Her last words were almost a whisper. And the strangest part: her hands were clasped in prayer.
But… for whom was she praying? For us? Or something else?
At that moment, an idea planted itself in my mind. A seed. But instead of growing upward, it burrowed into the earth… reaching the abyss.
A vile, repulsive idea. But no matter: my dice are already cast.
We all headed to the garden. Large, beautiful, with its vegetable patches. But amid the trees and plants, the clans were forming. Adolescents talked, judged, and chose companions by appearance.
And me… I stood in the middle, a cunning idea brewing in my head.
A small, crooked smile on my cracked lips.
My plan was ready.
Now I just had to hope everything went smoothly.
End of episode.
Thank you for reading.