Before Madame Gondo could finish her sentence, the silence was broken by the sound of light footsteps coming from the upper floor.
Lily turned automatically toward the wooden staircase connecting the second floor to the cafeteria.
The sound was slow.
A step…
Then another.
As if the owner of the footsteps hesitated to descend, taking each step with reluctance.
Moments later, a girl appeared at the top of the stairs.
Lily stopped talking without realizing it.
She knew this had to be Julia.
This was the first time she saw her.
Yesterday, when she came to convince her to go to university, Julia had stayed inside her room, opening the door only slightly, and Lily had experienced nothing more than her quiet voice and brief words from behind the door.
As for now…
She was seeing her for the first time.
Julia began descending the steps of the wooden staircase very slowly, her hand leaning on the banister as if she needed it more than she needed the act of walking itself.
She was slender in a way that caught Lily’s attention from the very first moment.
Not the slenderness that comes with fitness, but the thinness of someone who had lost their appetite for life before losing their appetite for food.
Her skin was extremely pale, so much so that the morning light entering through the windows made her appear even more washed out.
Under her green eyes, clear dark circles were visible, as if sleep had become a rare visitor to her nights.
As for her blonde hair, it was long and hung over her shoulders without any special care, as though it were content merely to be neat enough not to obstruct her view.
She was wearing a simple dress extending below her knees in a calm green color, scattered with small drawings of tree leaves in various shades, as if the dress were trying to bring a touch of nature into the place.
She wore no jewelry.
Nor anything eye-catching.
Everything about her was simple…
Quiet…
And profoundly silent.
Lily noticed that Julia looked at the stairs more than she looked at the people below, as though every step required a measure of courage to descend.
Lily could not prevent herself from thinking that depression does not merely alter emotions.
It changes the way one stands.
The way one walks.
And the way one looks at the world.
Even footsteps become slower.
As if the body itself carries a weight no one else can see.
Julia reached the last step, then raised her head quietly.
Her eyes met Lily’s for the first time.
She said nothing.
She settled for a small smile that barely appeared on her lips.
A shy smile…
Tired…
Yet sincere.
Lily smiled back with the same warmth, feeling in that moment that what Madame Gondo had described yesterday was no exaggeration.
In fact, the truth was perhaps more difficult than she had imagined.
Lily watched her descend the last steps of the staircase, then recalled what had happened the previous night.
In truth…
This was not the first time she had seen Julia.
Rather, it was the first time she had seen her face clearly.
Yesterday, when she entered her room to convince her to go out and attend university, the room was dimly lit, the curtains drawn, and only a thin thread of light entered.
Julia had stepped out slightly from under the covers while talking to her, but the darkness was enough to hide her features.
On that day, Lily could only see the silhouette of a girl sitting before her.
She could not discern the color of her eyes.
Nor the color of her hair.
Nor even the features of her face.
As for now…
This was the first time she saw her as she truly was.
She looked at her for a few seconds, not out of curiosity, but because she was comparing the image of the mysterious girl she had spoken to in the dark room with the girl standing before her now in the morning light.
Then she ended the comparison within herself quickly.
It did not mean much to her.
Her presence here this morning was not for Julia’s sake.
Rather, it was because she had promised Madame Gondo.
Had Madame Gondo not requested this favor, Lily would have found no reason to meddle in the life of a girl she knew so little about.
Therefore, she settled for a polite smile when her eyes met Julia’s, then waited silently for Madame Gondo to begin speaking, as if wishing to fulfill her promise and depart for university on time.
Julia reached the last step of the staircase, then stood for a brief moment before them.
Some hesitation showed on her, as if she needed time to adapt to the presence of a new person before her.
She raised her gaze toward Lily first.
She recognized her from yesterday’s conversation, through the slightly open door and the darkness filling the room, but now she saw her for the first time just as Lily saw her.
Julia smiled a small, shy smile, then said in a low voice: “Good morning.” Lily answered with a polite smile: “Good morning, Julia.” There was not much between them to be said.
In truth, they did not know each other well.
Yet Lily tried to keep her voice natural and calm so Julia would not feel observed.
After that, Julia turned toward her mother.
She approached her slightly and said: “Good morning, Maman.” Madame Gondo smiled immediately.
Her smile was different this time.
More relieved.
As if the mere sight of her daughter standing outside her room and on her way out meant the world to her.
She placed her hand fondly on Julia’s shoulder and said: “Good morning.” Julia looked at her mother for a moment, then lowered her eyes slightly.
It was evident that the relationship between them carried many emotions unspoken in words.
Love was present.
Yet tiredness and fear were present as well.
Madame Gondo wanted nothing more than to see her daughter gradually return to her life.
As for Julia, she was trying in her own way to take a small step forward.
Lily stood watching them in silence.
She was not accustomed to this kind of overt family warmth.
Yet she did not comment.
She had not come here to intervene in Julia’s relationship with her mother.
She came only because she had promised Madame Gondo.
And because she wanted to keep her promise.
Julia approached the table and took her bag, which was placed beside the chair.
Then she looked at Lily once more, as if preparing to embark on the first path that would bring them together toward the university.