Chapter 3 03

In the morning, my alarm goes off and I hear Jordan and Louka grumbling.

- What's with the crappy music, Jordan asks me, grunting and rubbing his eyes.

- My alarm clock, I'm going for a run, go back to bed, I reply.

- You don't have to ask me, says Louka.

I let them sleep, took my clothes and left the room. I put on my jogging suit and T-shirt in the bathroom, put my hair in a ponytail, plugged in my phone for music and left the house. I see Lightning hanging with his leash in the kitchen. He makes eyes at me and I decide not to leave him there.

- Well, come with me," I tell him.

I take his leash, hold it in my hand and start running. He follows my rhythm, and seems really happy. That's all I need, and a big smile comes over my face. Lightning is really perfect, he barks when a car comes by and brings me to the edge to avoid being run over.

As I turn a corner, I see a car, speeding, going straight into the ditch. I take my courage in both hands and head towards the accident accompanied by Éclair. I see a man who has been thrown out of his car. He is on his back, and seems unconscious.

- Sir, sir. If you can hear me, move a finger, an eye, a body part," I say in my most reassuring and confident voice.

I use the first aid course I took last summer. I put him in the Lateral Safety Position and look for other people. I discover a woman screaming. Shit! What do you do when the person is conscious?

- Ma'am, ma'am, are you okay? I ask to show her that I'm there.

- My baby, my baby, my baby, my baby," she screams, crying.

- Calm down, I'm going to call for help.

I quickly look at the car and see who she is talking about, a bloody baby in the back seat. I grab my phone and dial the number I had trouble remembering.

- Hello, you've reached the emergency service," says a female voice.

- Please, come and help me! I don't know what to do, they're all going to die, I yelled, losing my temper.

- Calm down madam, what's going on? Tell me about it.

- I was jogging, when a car passed me at full speed and ended up in the ditch. I went to look and saw a man ejected. I took a first aid course and put him in a decubitus position because he was unconscious.

- That's very good. Where are you?

- And then I saw a lady who was conscious and I don't know what to do. She's been screaming "my baby, my baby, my baby" for a while now, and there's a bleeding baby in the back seat. Please, come and help me.

- Where are you ma'am?

- In Brittany, I would say 15 kilometers from Roscoff in the direction of Falaise-Nord.

- Well, I am sending a team that will arrive soon. Stay by the car but don't touch anything. I will keep in touch with you.

- Thank you.

After this call, I see that the woman has calmed down and she stares at me.

- You! Save my baby, save him, he's going to die, she yells at me.

- Calm down, he's fine, help is coming.

- Help is not going to be able to do anything if he's dead!

- He's okay, he's not going to die.

I say this without really knowing if he will survive. He seems to be in bad shape and I'm afraid he won't make it. The paramedics don't take long and I hang up with the lady from the paramedics. They want to take me away but I refuse, giving the excuse that my parents will be worried. But I am afraid. Afraid to be alone with the woman who risks losing her child. Fear of being alone with the unconscious husband.

I leave my phone number and run home as fast as I can. My face is white and I feel like throwing up and even Éclair seems to understand that what we have just experienced is serious. I run through the back of the house to the breakfast table in the backyard. Everyone laughs, but when they see my face they shut up.

- Are you all right, Aline?" my uncle asks worriedly, saying out loud the question that everyone is asking inwardly.

I shake my head and tell the story. The adults are shocked, but seem proud of me. I ask to change the subject, and my uncle offers to show him my progress in boxing. I discovered this sport thanks to him, and he constantly wants to see my progress. We went to a match and I loved it. I took a class and I immediately got hooked on the sport. Now he loves to see me box, and he watches all my moves.

- What have you learned since this summer, my uncle asks me.

- Defending myself against two opponents," I replied.

- Well, why not against Jordan and Louka? They have the same build.

They seem to understand the idea in my head because they both shake their heads negatively. Too bad for them that I'm not giving them a choice.

- Can I wear a helmet?" asked Louka.

- Why," my uncle told him.

- I don't want to ruin my beautiful face.

- What a beautiful face, I said, laughing at him.

- I see we have no choice," Jordan added.

- That's right," I said with a smile, trying to forget the last hour.

They resign themselves and settle in front and behind me. Perfect. They both throw a fist at the same time. I bend down, and lie down on the floor. Louka grabs my ankles with all his might and threatens to crush them. Images of the car crashing into the ditch come to mind. Jordan does the same with my wrists. The woman's screams echo in my ears. I squirm, trying to free myself. The blood staining the baby's body and her incessant crying never leave me.

- Focus on the fight, my uncle orders me, echoing my thoughts.

The fight. I have to knock them down.

- Well, my old lady, there is progress to be made, my cousin laughed.

- Don't talk too fast," my uncle replied.

But it was too late. Jordan released the pressure on my wrists and I turned around and kicked Louka in the stomach and he fell to the ground. I put a fist in Jordan's belly and move on Louka who got up, I go to put a blow to his head when I feel Jordan's presence in my back and give him an elbow in the jaw. He moves back and I hit my fist as quickly as possible on Louka's temple so that he falls to the ground. I put a foot on his chest, and put my hands on Jordan's neck who is still prostrate on the ground.

- End of the game, I announce with a pinch of euphoria.

- Bravo Aline! You can let them go now," says my uncle.

I let them go and immediately lay down on the floor. I was right, because they are banging against each other trying to get me. They give up after this failure.

- You don't go halfway with your moves," Jordan complains.

- I don't like horror movies," I replied.

- You've improved a lot since last time," my brother said.

- You would have seen it if you had come to my competitions," I replied, getting very angry.

- You know I was busy!

- Busy yes, with girls.

- Let's calm down, guys," Jordan said, trying to avoid the argument that was inevitable.