Legacy 110: From Paris with Love

Part 1

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After a long evening of studying in the library, Laura Mitchell said goodbye to her study group and headed back to her dorm. As she walked the small streets, she still could not believe she was actually living in Paris. Although she had been here for months, she still had not fully discovered the city yet. It was just so full of culture, history and romance. The most perfect place in the world for her. Of course she missed her family, but she was always busy with her cultural history classes, and she still had her sister.

Grace enjoyed the city just as much as Laura did, although in a completely different way. As an art student, she was part of a whole different society. And while Laura was focused on her studies, Grace was more preoccupied with exploring the local nightlife. Still, they managed to get along without driving each other insane, which was a small wonder. She guessed it was the benefit of having their individual lives now.

"Bonjour Mademoiselle." A familiar voice said when Laura reached her building.

Laura looked up at the stairs and saw Oliver standing by the door holding a bouquet of flowers. He was a cute Frenchman she had met during one of her classes. He was tall and slender, with wavy brown hair and glasses. He had that charming nerdy thing going on. They had gone on a total of three dates over the last two weeks.

"Bonjour Monsieur." Laura replied with a smile as she accepted the flowers. "I wasn't expecting you."

"I got the night off, so I thought I'd come see you." Oliver replied with a slight accent. "I thought we could go to that poetry reading."

"Okay, sounds great." Laura said. "I just need to go upstairs and freshen up. Do you want to come up? I doubt my sister is home."

"That is okay. How about I go get us a table instead?" Oliver suggested. "I'm sure the club will be filled up soon."

"Sure, I'll meet you there." Laura replied.

Oliver gently kissed her on the cheek before walking away. Laura smiled as she watched him leave and sniffed her flowers. He was such a gentleman. Despite having been on several dates, he still treated her as a lady and did not expect anything.

Laura took her flowers and headed into her dorm building. When she reached the room she shared with her sister, she opened the door and was shocked by what she saw. Grace was on her bed with some guy. They were making out while she was on top of him, though thankfully they were still at least partially dressed.

"Grace!" Laura called out. "What the hell?"

"Laura." Grace replied surprised as she grabbed her shirt to cover her bra. "What are you doing here?"

"I should ask you the same thing." Laura asked. "Who is this?"

The guy her sister was with got up from the bed. He was a tall and handsome guy with short black hair and perfectly white teeth. His shirt was unbuttoned, showing his smooth, muscular chest as he walked over to her.

"Sorry." The guy said with an American accent as he held out his hand. "We weren't expecting you. I'm Luke."

"Yeah, would you mind buttoning up first?" Laura remarked as she pointed at his chest. "It's a little distracting."

"Uh sure." Luke replied with a smile.

"So what are you doing here, sis?" Grace asked in an impatient tone.

"As far as I remember, we still share this room." Laura replied. "You were supposed to be out, I just came home to change."

"Do you want me to go?" Luke asked as he looked at both sisters.

"Yes." Laura said.

"No!" Grace said. "Look, like you said, we share this room, meaning I get to bring whoever I like."

"Not every random guy you pick off the street." Laura called out. "No offense."

"None taken." Luke replied.

"For your information, Luke and I have been seeing each other for months." Grace said. "A hell of a lot longer than you and your nerd."

"His name is Oliver." Laura replied annoyed. "And we're taking it slow, as opposed to some people."

"Okay, I should really go." Luke said quickly. "I will see you tomorrow, babe."

Luke grabbed his jacket and kissed Grace before quickly fleeing the scene. When he was gone, Grace let out a frustrated scream and sat down on her bed.

"Why did you have to chase him off?" Grace called out. "I really like him!"

"You really like every guy you meet." Laura remarked. "It never lasts more than a few weeks."

"This time is different." Grace replied.

"You say that every time." Laura said. "Just admit it, you're boy crazy. You've always been. You fall in and out of love more often than you change your sheets!"

"Well, at least I can actually get a guy, little miss prude." Grace snapped at her. "Seriously, you've been dating that geeky Oliver for two weeks and I doubt you got further than a kiss on the cheek."

"I prefer to wait until I'm sure." Laura replied embarrassed.

"But you've never been sure, have you?" Grace noted. "You get scared and back out the moment things get too hot and heavy."

"Like you ditch every guy that gets too serious?" Laura snapped back at her.

"Okay, stop." Grace called out as she threw up her hands. "I don't want to fight."

"Me neither." Laura admitted with a sigh.

Laura looked at her sister and could not help but smile. It had always been like this. Their fights never lasted more than an hour or so. They were too close to stay angry at each other.

"I'm sorry for what I said." Laura said.

"Me too." Grace said.

"So can you please not bring guys up here without me knowing?" Laura asked. "Or at least put a sock on the doorknob or something? I don't want to see you… you know."

"I'll try." Grace said. "So you mentioned something about changing?"

"Oh right." Laura said. "I am supposed to meet Oliver at a poetry reading."

"Poetry?" Grace replied with a sour face. "Do you go to one of those depressing cafés and listen to freaks complaining about their boring lives?"

"Poetry is a form of art." Laura said. "You of all people should get that."

"I'll just stick to actual art, like paintings and drawings, thank you very much." Grace replied. "Oh, and fashion of course, I couldn't live without fashion."

"So what are your plans?" Laura asked.

"Well, considering you just chased away my boy toy, I'll just work on my portfolio." Grace replied with an eye roll. "Go have fun."

"Thanks." Laura replied.

Laura quickly headed into her closet and changed into a cute outfit. Grace was right about one thing though, up until now she had never felt ready to go all the way with a guy. Oliver was the first person who made her feel like she was ready. Perhaps it would happen sooner than she thought.

Xxx

In the narrow streets of Paris, a lone woman was walking with her purse clutched to her side. She was in her late twenties with short blonde hair. A peculiar necklace shaped like a sun was hanging around her neck. Since the streets were dark and she wanted to get home, she hurried. Suddenly she heard a whistling sound behind her.

The woman turned around and saw a figure in a long coat standing at the end of the street. She could tell it was a tall man, but his face was hidden underneath a cap. She turned and quickly walked away. She had a bad feeling about this. When she heard the whistle again, she looked up and saw the man standing in front of her instead. That could only mean one thing.

The woman ran into a dark alley and reached into her purse for a phone. When the man appeared at the end of the alley, she stopped. He revealed a curved blade, an athame.

"You're the one who killed her!" The woman said. "Stay away from me, warlock."

The man walked closer. The woman backed away and hit the wall. She screamed until he silenced her with a gloved hand. The athame glistened in the moonlight before he plunged it into her stomach. The woman became quiet and the man ripped the necklace from her neck. He reached into his pocket and pulled out another, identical necklace. He then disappeared in a blink, leaving the body of the young woman behind.

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Late at night in San Francisco, Melinda Halliwell finished up cleaning the tables in Les Trois, the restaurant her mother had started. Ever since her death, Melinda had been the manager. She used to share the task with Ryan, but he had not spoken to her in weeks. Not since the possession. She did not want to think about him, but she could not put him out of her mind either. They had been so happy and he was even about to propose to her. Then it happened. Even though he had accepted her magic, being possessed by the very essence of evil had really freaked him out. She understood that he needed time, but each day he remained gone, she started to worry more. Could their relationship survive this?

Melinda headed to the register when she heard the little bell on the door. She thought she had already locked it. She turned around to tell whoever entered that they were closed, though she stopped when she saw Ryan standing in front of her holding the keys.

"Hey Mel." Ryan said.

"Ryan." Melinda replied surprised. "You're back."

"I couldn't keep hiding out at my parents forever." Ryan replied.

"What did you tell them?" Melinda asked.

"Nothing much, just that I needed some time to think." Ryan said.

"So have you decided anything?" Melinda asked nervously.

"Uh, can we sit down for a minute? I had a long trip." Ryan replied.

"Sure, I will make us some coffee." Melinda said.

A few minutes later, Melinda and Ryan sat down at one of the tables and Melinda poured them both some coffee. His sudden return had caught her off guard and she wasn't sure if it was a good or a bad thing. What if he had decided he wanted to get as far away from magic as he could? Even though she resented magic, she could not deny that it would always be a part of her life.

"You seem nervous." Ryan noted.

"Can you blame me?" Melinda asked. "I've heard nothing for weeks then you're suddenly here. Why haven't you called?"

"I'm sorry, I should have." Ryan admitted. "I just had a lot going on, a lot to think about. I wasn't sure what to say. So how have you been?"

"Busy." Melinda replied somewhat annoyed. "With the restaurant, stressing about whether or not I still had a relationship."

"I'm sorry." Ryan said. "I know things couldn't have been easy for you, but it wasn't easy for me either, Melinda. I still wake up screaming in the middle of the night, feeling my hands around your throat. I feel the evil that was inside me. The things I said…"

"You were possessed, Ryan." Melinda replied. "None of it was you."

"But I still felt everything." Ryan argued. "Whether or not I was in control, my hands attempted to kill you."

"I don't understand how you even remember it all." Melinda said doubtfully. "The entire city was possessed and they don't have a clue."

"Perhaps it is because I was already aware of magic." Ryan reasoned. "Or the fact that I was at Magic School when the possession was reversed. It doesn't matter, I remember it and I feel ashamed for it."

"You shouldn't." Melinda said. "I know the real you would never hurt me."

"Thanks." Ryan replied with a relieved smile.

"So why are you back now, what changed?" Melinda asked.

"This." Ryan replied as he pulled two tickets from his jacket and put them on the table. "I booked the flight when I was going to propose. I was able to change the date once, but they will expire soon."

"Tickets to Paris?" Melinda asked shocked.

"I know you always wanted to go there." Ryan replied. "I want you to have them, so they don't go to waste. You can take whoever you want."

"Ryan, the only person I want to go to Paris with is sitting right in front of me." Melinda said. "So before you hand these to me, I need to know where we stand. Is this a break-up or a fresh start?"

"I want it to be a fresh start." Ryan replied. "But what if something happens again?"

"As much as I hate it, magic is a part of my life. I have accepted that it will always be there." Melinda said. "I love you, but you need to decide if you can live with that."

"I don't want to give on us." Ryan said determined. "That is why I came back."

"So come with me to Paris." Melinda said. "We can find a way to deal with this stupid magic together. We won't let it come between us again."

"Okay." Ryan replied with a smile.

Melinda smiled as she leaned across the table to kiss him. Even though it had been weeks, his lips felt the same as ever. She loved Ryan, so there was no way she would let magic ever ruin her relationship again. She thought about her parents, and how they always found their way back to each other. She would make sure that she and Ryan were the same.

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The following morning, Laura woke up in a strange bed. Confused, she looked around and realized it was Oliver's apartment. She tried to remember what happened after the poetry reading, but her memory was hazy. She had a couple of glasses of wine after all. She sat up and suddenly her eyes widened. She had spent the night at Oliver's. What did that mean? She could not remember what had happened. Had she slept with him without even realizing it?

Laura got up and put on one of Oliver's shirts, which was a little too big. She left the bedroom and found Oliver standing by the kitchen counter in his pajamas. He was making breakfast.

"Good morning." Laura said.

"Bonjour, ma belle." Oliver said. "I got you coffee. I am sure you will need it."

"Thank you." Laura replied as she said down. "Uh, about last night. My memory is a bit fuzzy."

"Fuzzy?" Oliver asked confused as he handed her a mug.

"I can't remember." Laura explained. "I need to know what happened."

"Well, you had a few too many glasses of wine." Oliver replied. "You were unable to walk alone, so I decided to take you here."

"But did we… you know?" Laura asked.

"Did we what?" Oliver asked with a frown as he sat down across from her.

"Did we… sleep together?" Laura asked nervously. "Have sex?"

"Sex?" Oliver replied with a frown. "Do you honestly think I would take advantage of you like that? I thought we both wanted our first time to be special?"

"I know. I'm sorry." Laura replied. "I just woke up in your bed and I panicked."

"I slept on the sofa after putting you to bed." Oliver said as he pointed at the pillow and blanket lying on the couch.

"You really are a gentleman, aren't you?" Laura noted softly so he could not hear.

About an hour later, Laura left the apartment and headed back to her dorm. She had classes soon and she did not want to be late. As she walked home, she thought about Oliver and smiled. Perhaps he really was the one. She had never felt like this before. Perhaps she was finally ready.

Laura stopped when she saw some commotion a few blocks ahead. She saw police cars and officers sealing off an alley with tape. She moved closer and listened in to the people talking. Apparently, a young woman was stabbed, the second in a few weeks. Laura remembered reading about the first one in the paper. Most girls at her school were nervous about it.

One of the cops walked to a detective and held up a purse. He reached inside and held out a red root. Both of them frowned, but Laura instantly recognized it as Mandrake root. There was only one reason a woman would carry that in her purse. The victim was a witch.

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