Well hidden by the night penumbra, stationed on the left side of a bridge in a suburban area of Paris, was a black SUV in which two men were sitting, clearly waiting in silence for something. 

The man on the passenger seat proceeded to clumsily try to light a cigarette, but before he could, the one on the driving seat lit the courtesy light, finally unravelling their features. 

The two men looked at each other.

Sitting on the passenger seat was a man whose features were easily recognized by those familiar with that country as one of the people of Madagascar. He was around twenty or so years old. The second man, the one that turned the light on, was a man in his twenties whose features were somewhere between those of someone coming from an Arabic country and someone coming from an Indian country. Though quite well hidden by his black hair, he could be seen wearing a hearing device.

These two were Lanto and Adhid, with Lanto being the Malagasy one and Adhib being the other.

Lanto struggled to even light his cigarrette because his hands were trembling like a leaf. Adhib, in the driving seat, proceeded to speak in hand signs to the other man. 

"I know, Adhib, but I can’t help but be afraid." Lanto said.

Once again, in hand sign, Adhib seemed to reassure Lanto, then pulled out a lighter which he brought to the cigarrette his friend had in his mouth.

He then put his hand on his friend's shoulder and said,"... It's... going to be fine. "

Adhib was born with a defectuous hearing, so speaking was particularly his forte, but he could, if needed, utter words he believed were intelligible enough to be understood by people, especially after having received these hearing devices, which had gifted him, though not completely, a certain sense of hearing.

These two belonged to the same quartier and had known each other for five years; they are friends not only because of that, but also because they shared a similar story: both were born in Madagascar and had to come to live in France with their parents at a certain age for more or less the same reason.

Though speaking and hearing weren’t really something within Adhib's grasp, he still understood Malagasy, and thanks to their parents, who were neighbors, these two got to know each other well enough for Lanto to even come to learn fluently the sign language for his friend.

Lanto’s cigarettes having been consumed half-way, a car similar to theirs came and parked right next to the duo’s car.

Inside the car were two men whose origins were clearly from some Arabic country. These people were the ones Lanto and Adhib waited for.

Lanto got out of the car with no words exchanged, just headshakes, and anyone familiar with it could see the outline of a pistol beneath his shirt from his back as he stood up from his seat.Just like Lanto, the man sitting on the passenger seat of the other car, the other car also left his mark toward the back of each vehicle. Both checked each other’s cars’ backs for several minutes, then once done, the man from the other car went to take Lanto's place in the car, while Lanto did the same in their cars.

Once again, no words were exchanged between the men, just a headshake, so Adhib turned the car off, gave the man the key, and left the car.

On the other hand, something similar happened. Adhib made his way to the other car while the other driver also did the same.

Upon entering the car, he exchanged a somehow relieved glance with his friend when he showed him the key to the car. Once again glancing at the two men they exchanged cars with, they shared a headshake, meaning that the agreement between both parties was sealed, and upon which they departed, leaving only Adhib and his friend in the dark as they were a couple of minutes ago.

Adhib and Lanto once again exchanged glances, as if to confirm whether or not everything went really well or if it was just their imagination.

Only after several minutes did they snap out of the trance they were in.

A very genuine, straight-up, infantine smile appeared on both of their faces.

"One million, brother, we did it!" Lanto shouted in excitement.

"Yeah!"

Tears even drooled from their eyes. 

What happened a few moments later was a deal that would mark a new start for them. No, not just them, but also their family as well. 

They were happy that this would put an end to the five hellish years they had to go through.

They successfully grasped onto the opportunity for them to start anew.

Adhib, hurry up. Let’s get home. I’ll have to feast this with Mama. "

Adhib acquiesced as he immediately started the car and drove away.

Though the concept of music wasn’t confusing to Adhib until a few years ago, with little audition, he listened along with Lanto to the music coming from the country they had in common. They drove in a hurry to where their family were.

They were driving through a somewhat deserted forest when Lanto and Adhib noticed that a car was actually following them through the night.

At first, they thought it was just a coincidence, but as Adhib accelerated to lose them and saw the car also hastening its pace, they realized that it wasn’t a coincidence but that someone was tailing them.

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Sweat began beading their faces.

"Adhib what-" Lanto's was cut short by the noise of a shotgun and the rear glass being shattered upon being shot on.

A barrage of shots were fired at their car.

"Merce!" Lanto cursed as he retrieved the handgun he had hidden beneath his shirt.

Neither Lanto nor Adhib have ever had to fire a gun at someone. In fact, they purchased that gun only for today’s deal. 

They were ready to lose everything today, to keep the little they had that would be a stepping stone for their future, for a new start, not only for them but also for their loved one. They were ready to fight for it. There were no words to describe the relief they felt upon seeing that they wouldn’t have to use the gun they brought, but then this happened. 

Adhib hit the gas, while Lanto tried to fight back by shooting at their pursuers. 

A shout-out took place between them for one minute straight, a minute that felt like an eternity straight for the duo.

It only stopped when Lanto seemed to have shot the conductor of the pursuing car, causing their car to flip over.

Though the sensation of having potentially killed someone didn’t particularly please Lanto, he couldn’t help but cheer, for now they were no longer under their fire.

"Adhib we-Adhib!"

The moment he looked back at his driving friend, he found him holding a bullet wound on his belly from which blood was gushing with one hand. He was struggling to keep himself awake. Driving itself was an impossible challenge for the next instant. Unable to even control the car, he crashed on the left side of the road, toward the wood.

From shock and his previous wound, Adhib fell unconscious.

The next moment he awoke, he was trailed by his friend, deep into the woods. 

"Lanto."

"You’re finally awake, brother. The car was done for, so pardon me brother, but we’ll have to make it through these woods. "

He wanted to say something, but he was too weak to even speak a word, much less express it in sign language, but his friend immediately knew what he wanted to say.

Don’t worry brother, the money is on my back. Hang on tight, we’re so close. Your little sisters will kill me if you were to die on me. " He said it jokingly, but the panic in his voice was palpable.

Adhib, knowing his friend very well, looked at the wound on his belly.

At many reprises, he had to have his gut open. The last was when one of his kidneys was collected, but this pain was nothing compared to what he had gone through. He felt like every vein in his body was run through by hot lava.

He knew that he was in a very bad posture, and the loud noise of approaching footsteps and shouting from behind them told him that the worst was still to come.

Looking at his friend struggling to trail him, he thought to himself that he was lucky to have met a friend like him. 

With a loud and painful sigh, Adhib made a decision. With the little strength he could muster, he pushed himself away from his friend, causing him to fall to the ground.

"Adhib, what are you doing?" He tried to get his friend back to his feet but was refused by Adhib. They both heard and saw the shouts and light of the flashlight getting closer.

Adhib knew very well that his friend understood very well what he wanted to do, but he simply couldn’t resign himself to abandoning him. 

Don’t play dumb, we must get out of here. They are getting closer and closer. I don’t know what you’re trying to accomplish here, but I refuse to abandon you here. "

He once again held out his hand to his friend, which he firmly grasped. Lanto was shocked not by the grasp, but by the temperature of the hand grasping his.

Letting his friend’s hand free, he said in both tongue and hand sign, "Lanto. I’m done for bother… You must go without me,  your family, but also mine needs you and especially this money."

"What about ours?"

"... Mother, Father, Azrah, Zahara, Please brother, go run, don’t look back. " Adhib pleaded.

Tears were flowing out of his friend's eyes, but he firmly wiped them, "I’m sorry brother, May we see again somewhere." He said , handing his friend the firearm that served him to shoot at their pursuer earlier, before running away.

The noise from the pursuer got closer and closer, so Adhib mustered all his strength and made his way to a tree at which laid limply against.

Not caring anymore, he removed his hearing device.

He was born deaf to the world. It took him eighteen years to finally hear what people described through different words: "sounds", "noise",

That apparel was a gift from his mother's hard work. He heard for them and them alone.

Soon, the pursuer caught sight of Adhib. And unlike what he expected, they didn’t fire at first sight; instead, they seemed to be waiting for someone to show up. It was night, but Adhib recognised these faces as familiar.

It didn't take long for the one they waited for to make his appearance.

Coca Cola.

That had to be the perfect words to describe the man that appeared. It was a tall black man, with the top of his head tainted in red. 

The man spouted words at Adhib, but he could no longer hear his words, so he was left staring emptily at the man.

Adhib recognized the man as the one man behind all the misfortune that happened to him so far but he also recognized him along with Lanto as one of his first friends upon arriving in this country. 

Coca-Cola completely shut it up when he noticed that Adhib no longer had his hearing device.

Adhib, knowing that the end was coming, tried to aim his gun at Coca Cola, but before he could, he already armed himself and firmly pointed in Adhib’s direction.

With a single detonation, Adhib Imrane Razafibelonaniavonirina's life ended. 

End.

And so began Constance Mael’s life.

It was instantaneous, like a movie frame shifting from one to another.

The previous moment, he was lying down staring at the barrel of Coca-Cola’s gun. Now he was staring at the ceiling being held by a gorgeous woman with silver hair, whose skin paleness was nothing but alarming.

He didn’t understand what was happening, but he knew that there was something strange about him fitting within people's arms being cast aside. He was experiencing something completely different from what he had ever experienced. It was different from with the hearing device. He could hear that woman's breath, his own and people’s footsteps across the rooms.

The words coming out of that woman’s mouth were incomprehensible to him, but he knew they carried a certain motherly tenderness within them. 

This time, even though he had never experienced it, he knew what he was hearing.

Not through a device, but naturally, like he never did in his past life.

Yes, the moment he heard the words from the woman, he knew he had somehow reincarnated.