Pierre moved toward his group. He had little time to decide who would be the leader. He knew that he had to be the leader. A leader has control over everyone, even if that is not what people want at first: you become a pawn for a leader. Such was the role of a leader: to succeed in passing or overcoming any trial at any cost, even if he had to end up alone in the end. As long as the result is there, then the mission has been accomplished.
Pierre approached the group. Yvonne was with Azaka; she was trying to convince Justine and the other girl to come over. Charlie and Victor were nearby, already talking with Ousmane and Victoria about the group leader—or perhaps about all those presentations… Maxime stood in the middle of the small group that was almost fully gathered. He was talking with them, and a long smile stretched across his slightly reddish cheeks.
When Azaka and Yvonne finally managed to bring the two missing ones back, Maxime spoke. He was very small compared to the others in our group, but he radiated a certain charisma… He looked each of us directly in the eyes.
"I think we all know why we're having this little meeting, right? Choosing a leader—that's the goal, in case someone didn't understand. So, who wants to become the leader?"
For a few seconds, perhaps, no one in the group made a sound or a remark. But I had to take the initiative and break the silence, because becoming the leader was a crucial advantage for me—but also a disadvantage… Like any usurper, when you want to obtain power that you are not legitimately supposed to have, you simply have to seize it before anyone else does.
I spoke with a new determination, because if I wanted to survive what was coming next—or simply pass the next stages without difficulty—I had to take that risk: placing myself under the spotlight.
"If no one is volunteering, then I'm willing to become the leader of this group!"
The whole group looked at me. No one seemed truly shocked or disgusted to see me ask for the role of leader, because it was me who had gathered all the members of this group in the first place. I was therefore legitimate in asking for that position.
I didn't need the group's approval to claim the role of leader: I had created this gathering with my own hands, and my will alone was enough to establish my legitimacy.
"Does anyone have an objection to Pierre's candidacy?" Maxime said while looking at each person in the group.
"Not really," Victoria replied while looking at Maxime.
Ousmane, letting out a small smile, said, "I'm pretty much in agreement with Victoria."
I knew those two would cause me little trouble—perhaps none at all. Victoria owed me something since I had helped her join this group, so she wouldn't cause me problems, at least for now. As for Ousmane, I think he simply sees me as someone who hides nothing from his group… or at least someone who gives enough information not to put him on guard against me. One could say the real problem will come later.
"I don't know. It doesn't really bother me to see Pierre become the leader, but I'm not sure if we're making the right choice by appointing someone as leader," Charlie said while looking at the ground. It was clear he felt a little uncomfortable saying that.
"I think I understand what you're getting at, Charlie. And for my part, I'm also a bit uncomfortable with the word 'leader,'" Victor replied.
Azaka stepped forward. Yvonne followed just behind her. She looked at me with a hint of amusement in her witch-like eyes and said in a voice that seemed to be manipulating the others:
"I see that everyone has a very different opinion, just like mine. I don't like the word 'leader' or 'superior,' especially when the person in front of me is a liar! I'd like to ask our future leader a question—if everyone agrees, of course!"
"Your request is accepted, because in our current situation we are all equal. Therefore, every person has a right over the others, just like we do… So Azaka will ask her question to the future leader of our group, Pierre!" Maxime said while making gestures with his hands as he spoke.
"To begin with, why do you want to become the leader? I understand that we have to choose one… but I absolutely don't trust you. There's something bad about you, something negative—and on top of that, you lie. That's all you do: lie. I understand that right now it's more than necessary to hide things, but we're a group, so it's important to speak openly. I want to know the real face of our future leader, not a lie invented from scratch."
Looking at her more closely, I realized she wasn't a bad person—but she understood things far too quickly, and on top of that she talked too much. Now I no longer knew who had doubts or not… In the end, they all had doubts. They doubted—all because of your intervention, Azaka!
But if she wanted to play it this way, then perhaps I should change my plans a little. A plan cannot remain unchanged for too long, otherwise it risks becoming false—or deceiving its own master.
"To tell you the truth, Azaka—and you as well, my dear comrades, friends, and members of my group—I don't know whether being your leader will save us… or even save me. I volunteered because I believe this responsibility falls to me, and that I must take responsibility for it. I brought you all together, so now I must take on the role that comes with it. I understand that I may hide some truth from you, but one thing is certain: I will lead you to victory, no matter the price."
At the end of my speech, Azaka said nothing, but her one living eye never left me for a second—unlike Yvonne, who seemed lost in her thoughts.
An idea made my skull tingle. I had to keep going in this direction—I was on a more than acceptable path. Man is a sheep; all it takes is for one person to follow me, and the rest will follow as well. Humans live off others and only betray in certain circumstances. So all I had left to do was finish this.
"I've also understood your concern, Charlie—and yours as well, Victor. In my idea, I would only be the leader on paper, but in reality we would all more or less be leaders of this group: not one leader, but ten leaders. That's the original idea. It's not for the title that I want this role, Azaka… but for what I can truly bring to the group. Every choice, every action must serve the common good, even if some people don't understand it. My interest isn't myself, but the impact I can create here. As for the rest of the preparations, we'll discuss it tonight."
Yvonne spoke again. In her eyes, I saw a reality that was difficult to accept. She was completely different from Azaka in every way—but one thing was very clear: she didn't believe me. She knew it—or at least, in my opinion, she could feel it—that smell of lies hanging in the air whenever I spoke.
"I understand the reasoning, but how are we supposed to trust you, Pierre? Saying beautiful words is good, but that's also the hallmark of liars. So how can we trust you?"
That question was completely fair. Why should a leader have power? Because of his money, his social circle, or simply because he is more sociable than the others?
I had already anticipated that someone would ask me that question. But "why should it be me?" Ahah, I laugh at that question. No leader is good at the beginning—it's only at the end that we can truly know.
"To be honest, Yvonne, it is impossible to know in advance what will happen in the future. I could very well deceive you and then leave for a better group—but the same could also happen with you!"
Yvonne pointed at the different groups while looking at the others for approval. But one thing did not escape Pierre. He had understood it clearly since the groups had formed—no, since we had begun forming the groups. He had absorbed that idea, that thought. But for some people, that thought was unbelievable, even unimaginable.
"How? And for what reason would we betray you, Pierre? Look, all the groups are full except the group of six. So why do you say that we would betray you?"
"For everything and nothing. Betrayals don't necessarily have a purpose… Ah yes—survival. That is betrayal. They put us in a cage, Yvonne! We're no longer outside making friends. It has become the jungle—the law of the strongest. You can ask Victoria what it feels like to get beaten up simply because you're one person too many. That's the reality of things, Azaka! That's why I'm wary of you. And then they keep feeding us stories about God… but God died when that guy was executed in the dining hall. There's no way out anymore. We can believe in it, we can lie to ourselves and create an imaginary world just to forget reality… but reality won't forget us. No matter where you were before, it will find you and judge you for it. So yes, I have my fears and my doubts—but I believe in you. Otherwise I wouldn't have come looking for you, one by one. And you still wonder where we would be if I hadn't come to find you all? The truth is simple: most of us would probably be in that group of six. That's where my mistrust comes from."
"I… I…"
She clenched her fists, anger visible in her eyes. She knew it well: at that very moment, tension was giving rise to fear—perhaps even conspiracies between people. And Pierre might be right on that point.
But why must we hate each other… despise one another… simply for an experiment? The world is unfair, that's true, but who said we shouldn't fight against that injustice? We must stand up and raise our fists against this unjust system. I can see that Pierre has accepted this reality, like many others… but must we really submit to this injustice just to prove our worth?
Maxime stepped forward into the middle of the group. He had withdrawn during the debate, but now he wore a cheerful smile. You could see his teeth through that almost mocking grin. His teeth faded from white to a tartar-yellow and were crooked, but it gave him a friendly appearance.
Yet that smile was almost disturbing, as if it lingered in the mind like a nightmare. His cheeks were already reddish, but they became even redder because of his burst of laughter in response to the situation our group was facing.
Pierre turned toward the place where all the nuns were standing. All the groups were beginning to head in that direction. Time wasn't strictly limited, but we still had to hurry so we wouldn't be late—and above all to avoid drawing attention to ourselves.
"Alright. Since the leader has been chosen and he happens to be here…"
Maxime grabbed Pierre's hand and raised it toward the sky.
"Please applaud the leader: Pierre! He becomes the first leader of this group. I hope no one disagrees with this, because now that it's done, we should quickly go and get registered. Oh yes, now that I think about it—don't be too stressed about it. Whether we like it or not, someone had to take that place. And if it isn't him, it will be someone else, because in the end we always end up obeying what the situation demands of us."
The whole group looked at one another. Then, at some point, Pierre extended his fist forward, his hand stretched out at a ninety-degree angle. The other members of the group—from Victoria to Justine and her friend—placed their hands the same way as Pierre. In the end, the group had been created.
Ousmane looked at most of the group members while stammering and said:
"So… do we hug now? We've earned it, right? After struggling so much to form this group, huh?"
"I think I'll decline your offer. I mean no offense, but we're not close enough for that!" Victoria replied immediately, already stepping a little farther away from Ousmane.
"Same here! You're anything but attractive. If I did that, I'm sure I'd end up in hell—so no!" Justine said while staring Ousmane down.
The other members of the group quickly gave their answers as well.
"I think we can do that another time. For now, we're still far from trusting each other. Sorry again for declining your offer," Charlie said, trying to comfort Ousmane.
"I'm not very tactile… sorry again for refusing," Victor added, slightly embarrassed by the situation.
A small silence settled in. All the members of the group had stepped a little away from Ousmane. Not that they hated him, but his completely absurd request had created an awkward atmosphere among them.
"No, there's no need to apologize. It's my fault. I thought we were supposed to make some kind of collective gesture… you know? Like in finals or important events, when they win and everyone hugs… I thought it was the right moment. I'm sorry if what I said made anyone uncomfortable."
I looked at him. He was a little red, but his kindness was sincere. Even I could feel it… but a good man can never truly survive in a world like this one.
We may not realize it, but the other groups are watching us, just as we are watching them. Each one follows a different logic: some swear only by the law of the strongest, others claim to act for the good of the greatest number, and still others prefer that a single voice decide for everyone. In the end, it doesn't matter what words they use—strength, usefulness, or order—the decisions always fall on the same shoulders, and the weakest quickly learn that principles often change the moment power begins to speak.
I raised my head toward the clouds. My eyes were fixed on them as they drifted by like birds free from every chain. Yet we humans were here, discussing how to create a "group" in order to survive or simply get through this so-called "experiment." I was already beginning to grow tired of trying to manipulate one another. What was the point in the end? We were still kept on a leash by them and their so-called revelation, as if the sky itself had been taken away from us and replaced with their words. The clouds, meanwhile, continued to slide slowly across the sky, indifferent to our petty survival strategies, indifferent to our fragile pacts and our fears disguised as rules. Perhaps the only truth was there, in that aimless movement: moving forward without promise, disappearing without explanation. And as I watched them drift away, I understood that it wasn't so much the freedom of the clouds that I envied, but their lack of consciousness—the grace of never having to ask why they exist, nor how long they must continue enduring existence.
I lowered my eyes toward the group, and a strange clarity settled within me. Everything we were doing—our words, our fragile pacts, our alliances, our betrayals, our fears painted as rules—had no intrinsic value. Good, evil, loyalty, betrayal: all of it was nothing more than shadows, conventions we had accepted without reason. If acting or not acting produced an effect, that was all that mattered. Otherwise, everything vanished into emptiness.
I watched them, motionless, as their hesitations and doubts spread like ripples across a bottomless pond. The judgments of others, their suspicions, their attempts at domination… all of it was nothing more than variables to measure, noise without weight. Clarity came from that absence of imposed meaning: I didn't have to justify my actions, only observe their effects. If manipulating someone ensured survival or the efficiency of the group, then it was rational; otherwise, it was useless.
And deep down, I felt a strange kind of freedom: the freedom of no longer burdening myself with meaning, value, or morality. In a world where nothing was sacred, everything became possible. I could finally see clearly what truly exists: the effect of each action, and nothing more. And I found myself smiling faintly as I contemplated the fragile mechanism surrounding us—aware of its own limits, yet unable to reach me.
But despite everything, I must keep going… until my death…
I looked at him once more. He was still there beside Ousmane, still apologizing again and again for having said what he thought.
Pierre clapped his hands to draw everyone's attention.
"Stop bothering Ousmane, I think he understands. Alright, if everyone is listening to me now, give me your first and last names so I can tell them to the nuns and make our group official."
"Yvonne Kadrina."
"Maxime Rasbersht."
"Charlie… Charlie Todoln."
"Victor Veyron."
"Azaka Mkatili."
"Victoria Custior."
"Ousmane Ar-Rahim."
"Do we really have to say it?… Fine, I'm Justine Hexagenia."
"And I'm Pierre Bershacht."
Only Justine's friend remained. She was the last one who had to say her name.
"Uh… me… it's… L…!!!"
She collapsed to the ground. No one really understood what was happening. She clutched her chest with her hand.
Justine, who showed no reaction—perhaps she was used to such events—knelt beside her friend to reassure her.
"Alright, Pierre, let's go. I'll write her name over there. In the meantime, calm down, L… okay? We'll be right back!"
"If you don't mind being with me, then let's go."
They began to leave the group. But they had barely walked a few meters—just enough for the others to lose sight of them—when a hand suddenly grabbed Pierre's shoulder violently, stopping him in his tracks…
End of this episode.
Thank you for reading.