During breakfast, I ask myself all kinds of questions about Stella's conversation. She seemed to be up against her interlocutor, Steve. They talked about Ben, in addition to all that. What does he have to do with this story? And Freddie's words that I don't want to give any importance to, that run in my head, like a jingle I can't get rid of.

I set my tray with a bowl of milk with soggy cereal and a glass of orange juice. I didn't even touch it. With my arms crossed on the table, I just look at the contents of my tray. Annoyed by all these questions, I turn to Freddie, determined to have answers.

"What do you know about Stella, exactly?" I ask him, the stern look.

Bewildered, my friend turns his head towards me, the spoon still in his mouth. His distrust of her pisses me off, but I really want to know if she's justified.

"You told me about a bad feeling about her... I'm sure you know more than you want to let it be," I saay.

I don't want to rush him. The last thing I want to do is destabilize my friend. But I feel like I'm going crazy with this whole thing. I need answers, and I need them now. Freddie ends up taking the spoon out of his mouth.

"I caught a conversation once, a few days after Stella arrived. It was behind the building. As if they were hiding... There was this man with her, and Ben. It sounded like some kind of meeting. I only heard the man address Stella, telling her that Ben was there to help her. And she told him that she was 'ready for anything'. That's all I know, Brody", Freddie assures me. "I don't know what they were talking about..."

So Ben is involved with Stella, which I don't like at all. I'm willing to bet that the man in question is Steve. But there's another question that bothers me.

"And what makes you think there's something fishy about it?" I ask him.

"I don't know... the tone they used, perhaps. It was as if they were conspiring... That's the impression I got. I don't know if she has any bad intentions towards you, but it's clear that she's not here just to get her treatment.

I understand his skepticism, but he doesn't know Stella's story like I do. She has injuries and serious damage, both physical and mental. I don't want to believe my friend's conspiracy theory. "Ready for anything"? Maybe to get better...

I am cut off in my mental torture when I see Stella heading towards us, the tray on her knees, covered with the starry plaid. A big smile is drawn on her face. This morning, before hearing her conversation, I would have been happy to see her. I am happy to see her, of course, but my mind is confused by all these questions. Now I see only one big question mark coming at us. She stops her chair in front of our table and puts her tray on the table, next to mine. Freddie stiffens next to me. I can feel the tension emanating from his being.

"Hi, boys," says Stella.

She looks at me and Freddie in turn.

"Is everything all right?" I ask her, worried.

"Yes! Why wouldn't it be?" she asks me, in turn, leaning her head to the side.

I quickly turn to Freddie, who is content to look at her.

"I heard you talking through the door and... you seemed upset", I confess.

"It was my brother who called me," she says casually. "He often gets on my nerves."

Her brother? I must admit I'm relieved. At that point, I realize that I have never been interested or asked questions about Stella's entourage. So far. I wish I knew more about her.

"And what did you talk about?" I ask her.

I still have a few bits of their conversation in mind, but I would like an explanation. I didn't like the way that phone exchange turned out. Her face is getting serious. She's shaking her head.

"Nothing...he just asked about me," she replies evasively. "Why do you want to know?"

"Because... you sounded angry on the phone. I'm just worried, that's all."

She smiled tenderly as she laid her hand on mine.

"Everything is fine," she reassures me.

I'm smiling at him too. As I turn my head towards Freddie, I notice that he's staring at our hands and frowning before he points his confused gaze back at me.

"I'm going into the workshop," he says, taking his tray and getting up.

I watch him walk away. Even though he told me the source of his suspicions, I don't think there's anything to worry about. The only thing that bothers me is Ben's involvement in Stella's life. For me, it's the only black shadow on the board. And I really want to clear it up.

"He doesn't like me very much," she says with sadness.

I shake her hand a little more to comfort her.

- Freddie has had a very complicated history and he does not look favourably on women, I answer by changing the truth a bit. He's just trying to protect me.

"Of me?" she ask me, not surprised.

- He thinks I had a pretty similar story to his, and he doesn't want it to happen again.

"He's a very good friend," she says.

I thank her for her understanding with a smile.

"I have a question for you, and I promise I won't bother you with it again. How do you relate to Ben?"

At the sight of her livid expression, she did not expect this question. She removes her hand from mine and lowers her head, as if to hide a certain shame.

"What makes you say there's any connection between him and me?" she asks me on the defensive.

"The little I saw, for starters, which I didn't like at all. Your reaction to my question and the fact that you are answering it with another question also makes me suspicious."

She frowns. But she just looks at me and doesn't answer.

"Tell me I'm getting the wrong idea, and I won't bother you with it anymore," I promise.

She continues to stare at me, but her blue irises return to their original color. Softer than the darkness I could perceive.

"You get the wrong idea," she said, in a neutral tone.

At that point, a nurse comes to pick her up for her appointment with a doctor. She turns her head and, I watch them go away. I do not know why, but I am not convinced by her answer...

******