33 Moonlight Over Paris

Stella remained on deck and watched her home county grow farther away with each passing minute. She was very sad, very tired, but she knew that she needed to stay strong. A sigh escaped her lips as her hands gripped the railings.

Kate was sleeping in their shared mindscape because of exhaustion. Stella too wanted to sleep, but until they reached safety, she couldn't afford to let her guard down. The only one she could rely on was herself. She needed to keep both of them safe.

"You shouldn't stay out here in the cold," Cain said as he draped a cloak over Stella's shoulders. "I heard that you are going to London to see your mother?"

"Yes."

"Could you tell me her name? Maybe I can help you find her."

"Mama said not to speak with strangers."

Cain paused for a brief moment before laughing out loud. Stella didn't want to interact with other people unless absolutely necessary. Her instinct was telling her that Cain was a dangerous person. Although he held no malice towards her, Stella was not interested in forming any connection with the man. Unlike her Uncle Jack, Cain was a businessman.

Stella's father told her in the past that she should never trust businessmen. For them, profit was more important than honor and dignity. As long as the price was right, anything could be negotiated.

"You don't like me, do you?" Cain asked after his fit of laughter stopped. "I can see it in your eyes."

"You smell of cigarettes," Stella wrinkled her nose. "I don't like the smell of cigarettes."

Stella was saying the truth. She didn't like the smell of cigarettes that was why her father, Jonathan, stopped smoking them. It was also the perfect excuse that she could use at the moment.

"Real men smoke. Don't you know that?"

"I know a real man and he didn't smoke."

"Ah~ he's quite the unfortunate man then," Cain said casually. "Life is too short. People must enjoy the pleasures of life while they still can."

Stella bit her lip and held back the retort she was planning to say. "Life is too short" this phrase made her heart ache. The young girl stared at the moon in the sky and prayed silently. Her mother was a Christian, while her father was an Atheist. Although the two of them had different views when it came to religion, that didn't stop them from marrying each other.

While Stella was deep in her thoughts, a song played on the boat's speaker. It was a song that she knew. A song that was sung to her by her mother when she was in a melancholic mood. The name of the song was "Moonlight Over Paris", and the song reminded her of home.

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You say you've been overseas~

I say over where?

You say just a holiday~

My Alsatian heir~

----

At first she was just humming along with the music. However, when it reached the lyrics, she was unable to stop herself from singing along.

"Does the moonlight shine on Paris after the sun goes down?" Stella sang. Her voice flowed smoothly and steadily increased in volume. "If the London bridge is falling, would anybody hear a sound? If you follow the sunset, will it ever end? Does the moonlight shine on Paris? Will it ever end?"

She was so immersed in her singing that she didn't notice that some of the people on the deck were looking at her. Her singing voice was very good. It sounded so innocent and sweet that everyone was captivated by her voice.

Even Cain who was standing beside her listened with his eyes closed. Stella sang her heart out. She let out all the sadness, the pain, and the bitterness in her heart. Some of the ladies who were listening heard and felt the sadness in her voice, which made some of them shed tears.

Though the song was not a sad one, the way she sang it was filled with her melancholic emotions.

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If you follow that sunset will it ever end?

Does the moonlight shine on Paris will it ever end~

Does it ever end?

----

A single tear streamed down on the side of Stella's face. She lost herself in her singing that she forgot where she was. The sound of applause reached her ears and it brought her out of her trance. The young girl didn't dare to turn her head and face the crowd who were applauding her from behind. Stella also ignored Cain who was clapping his hands beside her.

"I'm very impressed. I didn't know that I was accompanying a future superstar." Cain tried to flatter her. "Do you want me to introduce you to a talent agency? Child stars are very popular nowadays."

Stella didn't say anything. Child Stars? She had no intention of standing out from the crowd. That would only bring unnecessary attention to her. After wiping the tears from her eyes the young girl stared at the stars in the sky. She wondered if she would be able to see the same night sky in London.

----

[Four years,] Stella muttered from their shared mindscape. [It's been close to four years since that day.]

"Yes." Kate nodded her head. She was trying to hold back the tears in her eyes. "We've been through a lot."

[Begged on the streets.]

"Slept on cardboard boxes."

[Ate food from the trash cans.]

"Almost got caught by the police…"

[Hey! That was your fault for being stupid. Who told you to kick a police car that was parked on the street?]

"T-That day someone stole my lunch. I was mad ok? I had to vent my anger."

[And you chose to kick a police car to vent your anger. Smart, Very Smart,] Stella said sarcastically. [Are you perhaps a genius?]

"Hehe, you think I'm a genius too?" Kate replied with pride. "What a coincidence, I feel the same way!"

[...]

Stella massaged her forehead inside the mindscape. She forgot that Kate had become shameless after living on the streets for years. The glutton had also developed a knack of tooting her own horn whenever possible.

After a short pause, Kate closed her eyes and spoke.

"Stella, thank you."

[Oh? A thank you coming out of the blue? Thank you for what exactly?]

"For everything that you have done for me all these years."

[Silly girl,] Stella replied. [Helping you is helping myself. It's only natural that I did my best.]

"Un, even so, please, continue to watch over me," Kate said with a smile. "You already know that I have a talent for attracting trouble."

[Good grief, what an outrageous talent you have,] Stella commented with a fed-up voice. [Please, don't attract something too unreasonable. I'm not your babysitter.]

"Hehe. I'll try."

[Mmm.]

Kate stared at the dazzling night sky. The countless stars reminded her of all the hardships that both of them experienced over the years. It made her realize that this moment of bliss that she was experiencing right now was truly priceless. She prayed that this new found happiness of hers would last for a long time.

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A/N: The song "Moonlight Over Paris" is a song by Paolo Santos. I just thought that it was a fitting song for this chapter. All credits belong to the singer.