Le Rallye de la Rose: Chapter 1: A very special holiday

"Bloom...Bloom..."

In my dream, a mysterious voice calls me... One that I've already heard before... At Cloud Tower, while we were under a terrible spell, this voice had guided me and we had escaped.

"Bloom, remember..."

What must I remember? In the glaring light, I cannot even see the person who is talking to me. Who is she? What does she want from me?

But I conclude by discerning a dancing silhouette, thin and supple, who wears a golden wolf-shaped mask.

I open my eyes. And there appears before me the graceful face of one of my friends. My dream is finished, I wake up.

"What am I supposed to remember, Flora?"

The fairy of nature smiles.

"Well, for starters, today is a holiday."

I notice that she has a suitcase in her hand.

"Where are you going?"

"Back home. For the Day of the Rose. There are no classes today and everyone is going home to wish their mother a happy holiday."

Oh! It's a sort of Mother's Day... While my rabbit Kiko jumps into my arms for his morning cuddle, I get up and leave my room. I see Tecna, who is preparing a traveling bag.

"Hello, Bloom. So are you going home?"

I grimace.

"If I go home for one day, I will be depressed when I get there before I even leave."

Will I be alone at Alfea? A little later, in the hallways of the college, I come across the small professor Wizgiz hopping, a bag in hand. When I asks if he would leave too, he points to the rose on his buttonhole:

"Oh yes, Bloom, I have every right to see my mother just as everyone else!"

What a relief to see Stella join me, without a suitcase, and full of cheer.

"Don't worry, Bloom! You, Musa and me will keep each other company."

However, in the empty dining room, Stella plunges into a cup of chocolate. She takes on a casual tone, but her heart is not there:

"Personally, I don't celebrate the Day of the Rose. My parents are separated. Oh yes! The king and queen of Solaria no longer agree on anything."

She turns to the fairy of music, who stays pensive looking at her bowl.

"And you, Musa, for what reason are you still at Alfea?"

Our friend raises her pretty face, framed by her high black pigtails.

"I lost my mother when I was very small. For me, it's one of the saddest days of the year."

"Oh, Musa! I'm sorry..."

"You don't know, Stella. Besides life continues. At least, I have beautiful memories to accompany today..."

It's so sad to imagine Musa without a mother that a few tears fall into my coffee. Stella and I pull our friend into a hug...

A cell phone rings. Stella flips open a phone, so thin and elegant that we could say it was a small makeup compact.

"I'm dreaming! It's a message from my favourite prince! He's going to town with his friends and he's inviting us to join him."

Musa declines the invitation. But on my part, I accept with enthusiasm: I'm going to see Brandon!