From Paris:
The wind whistled down the avenue along the Seine River, carrying with it wet leaves and the sent of water. People walk aimlessly down the street, departing down different alleyways to their own destination. The ancient stone landmarks have become commonplace to the people of France. They have always been there and will always be there. But tourist stop with camera's capturing moments in history through the architecture. Street performers are in full blown as the afternoon and evening crowd come out to play. Lovers carry their locks to the bridge of love, hoping for everlasting bliss. A woman walks past the crowds, carrying with her a single envelope. The wind carried the tale end of her candy red summer coat. Her matching red sunglasses reflected the bright rays of the sun. Strains of her brown hair was caught on the wind as well, blowing back first then forward. She tucked the lose strains behind her ear, walking across Pont de Neuf. Dangling from her neck was a small wooden cross that tossed back and forth across her chest as she walked. The clicking of her heels over the cement bridge was drowned out by the noise of a man playing the accordion. A small smile tugged at her corner of her pale pink lips, and she nodded in the man's direction. The musician smiled back as the lady kept on her way. Passing a host of little restaurants, all filled with lively natives and foreigners, she turned into a narrow alley. She slowed her pace noticing footsteps behind her, yet the woman didn't turn around. She turned again down another alley, the footsteps in close range behind her. As she maneuvered her way through the alleys of Paris, the crowds of people began to disappear. The wind picked up again, leaves blew past her in circular motions and when she noticed it was just her and the person following her left, she stopped.
"You're not very subtle are you?" She asked in a playful tone, her back still to her purser. She heard the chuckle of a man and more footsteps.
"Is there any need too?" He asked, walking around to face her. "You're a lot younger than I was expecting." She smiled, switching the envelope between her fingers. She crossed one arm over her chest while placing the hand from the other arm on her cheek.
"Does that bother you Etienne?" she asked him. Etienne grunted looking behind him, then back to the woman. She was still smiling at him.
"Stop that," he said to her "Contractors shouldn't smile or show any kind of emotion." She shrugged and let out a small grunt in protest.
"You shouldn't believe everything you heard Etienne. At any rate," she held the envelope up "this is what we're here for, yes?"
"So I guess I shouldn't believe the rumors about you, La. How old are you anyway, 17? 18?" he asked, eyeing the young woman. La switched her weight to one side. She lifted her glasses, revealing her honey brown eyes.
"Should we test it on you?" she asked, looking straight at him, without a smile.
"You got the info so I guess that's good enough to convince me." Etienne dug into his pocket, retrieving a USB disk. He waved it at her with a smirk on his lips. "Info for info right?" La smiled and held out the envelope.
"Right." She said and handed Etienne the envelope. He took it and felt the thickness of it's content.
"Good. Good." he said and looked at La just as those honey brown eyes turned red. His hand, against his own will began to hand La back the envelope and the USB disk.
"What the-what the hell's going on. We had a deal." he yelled as his other hand unwillingly grabbed his neck. La put both things in her coat pocket and put her sunglasses down.
"Yes, well, there has been a small change in plans. It seems you're untrustworthy and we can't have such a risk roaming France now can we?" she replied and watched as Etienne struggled to stop from killing himself.
"You….you…bitch…" he let out falling to his knees and tightened the grip on his neck. La frowned walking closer to Etienne. She bent down so that they were eye to eye.
"You planned to give this information to the CIA. This is your own fault for your betrayal to us." Etienne's eyes began to swell as he squeezed out the last ounce of his oxygen. Falling over, La began to search him for any more information about them.
"Is it done?" a voice called from behind her. It was a man, fairly tall with blond hair. He walked over to La, looking at the dead Etienne.
"Of course, and I got the information he stole here on this USB disk." La said standing to face her partner. She dusted off her heels and dug into her other pocket, pulling out a music player. Placing the headphones in her ear, she turned on the southing yet rousing sound of Sidney Bechet's Petite Fleur as loud as her player could go. She walked over to the bigger man who held his arm out for her.
"After I finish my payment, Mathieu, I want to grab some lunch ok?" Mathieu nodded as he and La left Etienne on the cool cobblestone of the Parisian alley.
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La turned on her left side in her bed. The windows were open and she looked at the stars outside. She lay thinking about what Etienne had said to her some days ago. "Contractors shouldn't smile…" She sat up, letting the soft blue cotton sheets slide down to her waist. Her upper body was exposed to the cool night air. She shivered.
"Why? Why aren't we allowed to feel? To smile…" La pushed the covers from her legs and rolled out of bed. Her studio flat was on the top floor of the apartment building, no one would see her standing in her bra looking out of the window. She leaned on the window pane.
"The stars look so beautiful tonight." she thought to herself. She looked down at the people walking, some contractors like her and some human.
"Must we be so separate?" she said aloud but soon dismissed her own question. They had to be separate, even if she didn't think so. Going to her wardrobe, she put on a shirt as well as a small jacket. She grabbed the closes pair of pants and her keys and felt her flat. Mathieu was in the flat next door. She paused by the door for a moment then kept going. Walking down the hall to the elevator, she wondered how many people in her building knew she was a contractor. To the untrained eye, she look like any other human being. La clicked the button and wait for the elevator to come.
Ever since contractors came, there has been a split. A split that she didn't quiet understand. Was it necessary for humans and contractors to be separated? When the elevator door opened a man walked out and smiled at her.
"Going out for a walk mademoiselle?" he asked her. La smiled.
"Yes, the weather is so nice. It's calling me." the man laughed a little and so did she.
'I suppose. My bed is calling me though. Good night." he said leaving the elevator while she got into it. She pressed the ground floor button and closed her eyes. The old elevator jerked and made a shrieking sound before going down. It rattled but the movement doesn't phase her. When the elevator comes to a complete stop, La walked outside. People passed her by but she continued walking into the cool night air until she reached Belle Fleur, a local bar.
"La, what a surprise." the bartender said as La sat down on the nearest stool.
"Daemon, you have a crown tonight I see." she smiled and crossed her arms over each other and rested them on the wooden bar. Daemon flipped his long black hair back and reached for a glass.
"It's about that time of the year you know. People from all over the world come to visit Paris." they both looked around the bar, noticing people from all nationalities.
"It's amazing though right. Paris is still so important." La said while daemon poured a glass of Grenache. The red liquid swirled around the glass as daemon filled it just enough to where La liked it. She grabbed the glass, swirling around the wine then sniffing it. The spicy aroma perked her senses and she signed happily.
"You sure love your spiced wines La." Daemon joked as she took a sip. "And besides it's odd me seeing you here without your doll. Where is he?
"I think Mathieu is sleeping. Usually if I leave he'd follow soon behind but I think he's resting up a bit now." La sat the glass down and crossed her fingers around it. She looked at her surroundings again, observing the different faces. Who was human? Who was a contractor? People were talking, drinking and being merry.
"I wonder…" she said aloud and Daemon looked at her for a moment. "Do you think the world would be any different if we couldn't tell the difference between humans and contractors?" she looked again to Daemon.
"Well, I supposed we would all just be humans then. Or we,"
"Can I get another drink?" a man at the far end of the bar called. La nodded for Daemon to go ahead and serve him. She took another sip of her wine, enjoying the burning tingle of alcohol on her tongue. There isn't any rational reason why I like wine. I just…enjoy it. Despite being a contractor I like to do things that I simple enjoy. She thought to herself. When Daemon finally came back they continued talking and time passed them by as more and more people entered the bar.
"I'm telling you that's how it happened. I swear on St, Peter." a drunk man said to La and she laughed.
"So that's what you saw huh?" I still don't believe you." she teased and man huffed at her then smiled.
"You aint that easy to impress are you darlin? The man asked and Daemon rolled his eyes at the guys pursuit of La. But La just laughed again.
"I've seen to much in life to be so easily impressed." she was on her third glass of wine by then and yet she wasn't drunk or tipsy. Then man leaned closer to her, closing the distance between them.
"In that case, how about…" Just as the man started talking a blue specter appeared to the left of La.
"Huh?" she asked herself, completely tuning the man out. Mathieu. She thought and quickly jumped up.
"I have to go, leave it on my tab Daemon." she yelled pushing through the crowd of people to outside.
"What is it Mathieu?" she asked aloud as she tried forcing herself through the streets. The wind was starting to pick up again and worked against La as she ran down the block. She reached her hand up to her neck feeling around for something but only finding her bare neck.
"Damnit I left my cross." she screamed and pushed past a small group of guys. In her rush, she'd forgotten her coat. Still she ran on until she reached the apartment buildings. La burst through the doors, heaving and cold. The night desk manager barely had time to say hello before she raced to the elevator.
"Come on, come on." she said and pressed the up bottom repeatedly. I know I've passed wood somewhere. Why hasn't he sent me another specter? She looked over to the night manager's desks, waiting for Mathieu's specter to appearing. Nothing came.
"Damn!" she yelled and punched the elevator door.
"Hold on a minute." the desk manager said but La was already making her way to the stairs. Her brown hair flew by in a blur as she climbed the nine flights to the top floor. Once there she went to the far end of the hallway here she and Mathieu's flats were. The door was open. The first thing she noticed as the bed sheets on the floor. As she walked in more, there were broken things everywhere
"Mat?" she asked and walked around the tiny apartment. "Mat? Mathieu? Mat!" she yelled still breathless from the stairs. La started moving things around the room searching for anything that could give her clues to what happened. When she found none, the thought of Mathieu being taken or killed sunk in. she fell to the floor. She reached up to her neck again, knowing the void of the cross necklace.
"I'm so sorry Mat. I forgot my chain." she whispered to the wooden floor.