"For this activity, we're going to pair off into groups of two. On page 201, you'll find the list of passe compose and imparfait sentences. I want you as a group to decide which ones are passe compose and which are imparfait. Afterwards, we will go over as a class the correct answers," Madame West said as she looked through her notes, barely acknowledging the class as she turned towards the chalk board to write the next lesson's overview.
Victoria glanced around at the rest of the class as they started pairing off. She hadn't exactly made many friends in the first few weeks at San Francisco State University. Maybe it was because she raised her hand far too often to answer the professor's questions, and the rest of the class didn't see that as 'cool'. She couldn't help she had taken three years of French in high school, and then two in community college before she transferred. She also couldn't help that her previous language credits didn't transfer either and it put her back in French 101. She put her hand underneath her chin, frowning as she pursed her lips, trying to find the one person who didn't have a partner.
"Hey," She heard a voice behind her, and she leaned back to look over her shoulder. A young man with slightly long curly brown hair and very blue eyes was smiling at her as he leaned on his desk. It wasn't like she hadn't seen him before however, because this was the same guy who for the last six classes had walked in ten minutes late. That sort of consistency was hard to not notice. Regardless of how cute he might be, her immediate impression was 'why is he the only one without a partner'. "You don't have a partner yet, right?"
"Oh? Yes, I guess I don't. Do you want to work together?" She asked. It must have come out sounding a bit forced, because the guy grinned and seemed like he was trying hard to repress a chuckle.
"Fantastique." He reached over and pulled her textbook off her desk, flipping to 201. Before she could ask if he forgot his book, he pointed to each of the numbers and started going down the list. "Passe, passe, imparfait, passe, imparfait, passe. Agreed?"
She leaned over to look at the page, thinking he was clearly bullshitting his quick responses. When she glanced at the sentences and the usage of the tenses and realized he was correct, she looked at him and asked suspiciously, "Vous parlez francais?"
"Oui, fluent." He said as he put her book back on her desk. "Chris Argent."
"Victoria Lyons." She said, taking her book back with a smile. "You never answer any of the professor's questions. Why?"
"Because I figure everyone else needs the practice. I already know it, I'm just filling the language requirements for my degree."
"Oh." In her desire to be better than the others in class, it never occurred to her that she should probably give others a chance to respond to the questions for their benefit. She looked away, listening to the chatter around them for a moment before she said, "Argent, that's French for silver, isn't it?"
"Yes it is. Hey, you want to go on a date sometime?" He inquired, his eyes fixed on hers. The sudden change of direction in their conversation surprised her.
"I...I think I'm going to pass on that," She said as she smiled curtly. "You seem nice, but I'm not interested." She turned away, looking towards the professor as she called the classes' attention to the front of the room. Really, she couldn't care less that Chris looked slightly heartbroken with the rejection only because he had made her uncomfortable with his quick advance. He moved from the seat next to her and to the back again as the lecture continued.
After classes had ended, Victoria had taken the local transit to one of her favorite spots in San Francisco to study - the beach. This particular beach wasn't very well maintained, but some large driftwood created the perfect nature-made bench. Usually a few people were using the beach as a place to socialize, and she had to deal with a few loud drunken college students. Tonight was different; it must have been the rare overcast sky that suddenly made this beach less desirable location compared to the bars. Even without the stars shining and the moon behind a mask of clouds, the atmosphere remained serene.
With a small satisfied smile on her face, she opened her biology textbook and took out her flashlight, propping it up so she could read.
After five minutes, the flashlight flickered and abruptly went out. With a frown, she picked it up gingerly and then fastened the back to see if it had shifted the cap lose in her bag. When it didn't turn back on, she unscrewed the cap and started digging in her bag for extra batteries.
She heard a splash in the distance. Suddenly alert, she looked up and focused her eyes on the calm water of San Francisco Bay. When a minute of relative calm had passed, she went back to digging in her backpack, trying to locate the batteries that must have fallen loose to the bottom of the bag.
An eerie feeling set in as the usual nighttime sounds faded around her. She found the batteries and retrieved them, quickly unscrewing the cap to the flashlight and switching out the bad batteries for good ones. Shifting the button on and off, it remained dead. "Why is this damn thing not working," She muttered under her breath as a dark shadowy figure caught the corner of her left eye.
It was something that she wouldn't forget: a gray man with scales glistening in the hazy moonlight as it crept out of the water. At first, she was too intrigued to move, curiosity mingling with fear as she watched the creature as it limped closer. Its eyes were humanoid yet were pitch black, staring at her with a penetrating, enchanting gaze as it grew closer. She couldn't bring herself to move. Not from a lack of wanting to, obviously; something kept her frozen in place, sitting with her hands gripped around the flashlight tightly. The creature bent down towards her, its webbed fingers merely inches from her face before she saw a flash of silver whip by her eyes. A sickening loud crack broke the piercing silence as the outstretched arm was split in half by a sword and fell on the sand. It was enough to distract her from the creature's bewitchment. Regaining her senses, she stood quickly and moved backwards over the driftwood.
A hooded figure wielding what undoubtedly was a sword came between her and the creature, cutting it right in half at its midsection. It fell in pieces to the ground. The newcomer took out a flask and poured its contents over the body, then took out a match and lit it, throwing it on the remains. It ignited into a lively blaze. Victoria's mouth had fallen open as she watched the horrors unfold in front of her. "Who are you," She demanded, holding up the flashlight in a threatening way. If she was up against a crazy person with a sword, she wouldn't let it intimidate her from fighting for her life if the need presented itself.
The hooded figure turned from the smoking fire, pulling down his hood with his free hand. The curly haired boy from class with the piercing blue eyes smiled at her as he put the sword in a sheath hanging from his belt.
"You looked like you needed some help." He walked towards her, immediately bending down to grab her abandoned bag and held it up to her. She took it, but kept the unfazed scrutinizing expression on her face despite the nice gesture.
"Did you just slice a hobo in half and set him on fire?" She questioned. In her mind, she had no doubt what she had witnessed wasn't human, regardless of what resemblance its form had to a person's.
"I did not just cut a hobo in half," Chris said with a chuckle, then ran his hand through his hair as he glanced towards the dying fire. "That was a selkie. Irish folklore, merman, undine," He let out a sigh as he put his hands on his hips, trying to find the words. "It was going to drag you into the water. I'm actually not supposed to interfere because this happens."
"What," Victoria asked, eyes narrowed.
"The questions. The eye witness left at the scene," He grimaced as he shook his head, "I'm sorry, I don't mean you should be dead right now-"
"That's exactly what you meant," Victoria replied shortly, her remark accompanied by a glare.
"No, I really didn't. I saw you, I wanted to help. Besides, selkies show up here sometimes, and I think that's probably why there's been a string of dead bodies on the beaches around here lately. It's a good thing that it's dead." He offered her a smile. "I'm just glad I got here to help before anything happened to you."
"I don't know if I believe you," She said hesitantly, "But I don't need help. I was perfectly capable of defending myself."
"I believe you," He said, gesturing to the flashlight. "I think that could have dealt more damage than a sword if used properly."
She glared at him as she put the flashlight in the backpack, and then she slung it over her shoulder. Even though she was irritated with his comment, a smile crept on her lips as she faced him. Maybe it was because of her curiosity, or maybe a lull in her sanity inspired her to extend the following invitation to a potential murderer. "Walk back with me," She said, motioning towards the wooden steps leading up to the sidewalk.
The other looked happy at the invitation, and he trailed after her with a grin on his face as they made their way across the beach.