Title:Paris
Author:Tapestry
Email:Shaddow_Cat@hotmail.com
Standard Disclaimer Apply
*denotes thought
21/08/01
"Woman was created from the ribs of man
Not from his head to top him
Nor from his feet to be walked upon
She was made from his side to be his equal
From beneath his arms to be protected
From very near his heart to be loved."
--Anonymous--
obstiné - stubborn
bonsoir - good evening
bienvenir - welcome
au revoir - goodbye
merci - thank you
merci beaucoup - thank you very much
somptueux - magnificent
félicitations - congratulations
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ Chapter 2: City of Lights ~
Paris. The City of Lights. The nightlife of Paris and the lights that lit
up the city streets were truly spectacular. The Eiffel Tower was brilliantly
lit up, no other landmark in Paris could hold a candle to it. Except of
course for the Notre Dame Cathedral in daylight, which held it's own dark
secrets and romantic history inside the stone walls of it's dark past.
Serena took a deep breath as the beauty of Paris took hers away.
Morning...
Raye smiled at the awe struck expression on Serena's face. "Serena, I
could almost say you're the perfect model for a tourist brochure. You'd make
a camera envy you, chére."
Mina nudged her cousin. "What I think she's trying to say, Reenie, is
that you're a cinch for the temporary model." laughed Mina.
Serena laughed. "I wouldn't mind if I never did model!! Coming to Paris
is the most wonderful thing ever."
"Is that Minalle Reynaud?"
"Oh my, it's Raquel Deveraux!"
"Quick! Strike a pose!"
"Let's get an autograph!!"
The buzzing whispers and excited murmurs of the people around them caught
Serena off guard in it's blazing intensity.
"Come on, lets go get you some clothes for you, Reenie." said Mina.
Serena sighed. Reenie. It was a cute and affectionate pet name her cousin
had bestowed on her. Mina had said Serena was a name that made her sound
as pure as virgin snow. Serena had failed to see the fault in that.
~FLASHBACK~
"Oh Se-reeeee-nah, this is Paris. Besides, Serena doesn't sound exotic
enough for a magazine."
"I don't need exotic. I like my name the way it is." protested Serena.
"Darling, one day you're going to thank me for the modelling opportunity."
laughed Mina with a toss of her hair.
~END FLASHBACK~
"Oh! Oh! let's stop at Chanel first!!" exclaimed Mina. "I've got a credit
there that I haven't even touched."
Serena groaned. She hated shopping for clothes unless they were on sale.
"Just look around Serena, maybe you'll find something you like." smiled
Raye in understanding.
Two hours later...
"Miiiiiiii-naaaaaa!! This is the 5th shop already." groaned Serena as she
tugged at her packages.
"Only the fifth??"
"Give her a break, Reynaud."
"Hey, Raquel, you know me. The name of MY game is shop till you drop."
grinned Mina as she scanned the shop for outfits matching her cousin's
colouring.
"I thought it was, 'Do you take platinum?'" retorted Raye snidely.
Mina shook her head. "You're always nasty when I drag you shopping."
"Well, I have better things to do." sniffed Raye distastefully eying the
clothes on the rack.
Mina ignored her comment and waved her cousin over.
"Reenie! What do you think?" asked Mina as she held up a chic sundress.
Serena examined the dress, then the price tag.
"Mon Dieu!! Mina, the price of this dress is enough for me to pay two
months rent to that dirty little flat I rented back in Marseille!!" gasped
Serena as she stared at the dress in horror. "You are not purchasing that!!
Non, non, non!!"
"Of course I'm purchasing it!! It will be cute on you!!"
"Miii-naa..."
"Oh, stop being so obstiné, Reenie. I'm paying."
Serena turned to look at Raye with a pleading look.
"Oh, don't turn those teary sapphire eyes on moi, Serena. I cannot help
you." said Raye holding up her hands to ward off her pleading look.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"So, what shall we eat today, Maddie?" asked Darien as he held Madeline's
hand. There were no shoots today so, Darien had asked Madeline out to
eat lunch.
Madeline sighed and leaned her head on Darien's shoulder. Her eyes
watching other couples strolling down the boulevard.
"Chef Claude??"
"Have a craving for lasagne, Maddie?" teased Darien.
"Oui!" laughed Madeline.
Madeline snuggled closer to Darien, letting her eyes wander. Her sight
then rested on three women, two of them familiar, exiting the expensive and
exclusive Madame La Roche Boutique which catered to only the richest of
patrons.
"Darien...?"
"Oui cher?"
"Is that Minalle and Raquel?" asked Madeline still pointing at the three
figures.
Darien squinted at the three women walking down the opposite boulevard in
the distance. His face lit with recognition.
"Oui, it IS them!!" exclaimed Darien slightly miffed that they had not
returned sooner for the last shoot.
"But, who is the woman with them?"
Darien shrugged. "Probably Mina's cousin." he answered noncommitedly.
"Cousin?? I didn't know Minalle had a cousin. I thought she was from an
orphanage."
"Oui, she is. Mina hired an investigator to dig up on any family. Found
a second cousin. Her mother's cousin's daughter." said Darien as he thought
back to what Lita had said.
"Camalita told you that??"
"Oui. It looks like Mina is dragging her cousin on a shopping spree and
the poor girl seems like she's being tortured." said Darien knitting his
eyebrows.
"Oh, she looks quite pretty from here." commented Madeline.
Darien squinted and shrugged. "It's difficult to make out features from
here and what might be beautiful could just be plain." said Darien.
"Darien, must you always be like that???" asked Madeline frowning at him.
"Oui, Maddie. Now lets go. I'm sure we can meet Mina's cousin another
time. Right now, lets go to lunch." grinned Darien.
"You and that devil's grin. And I also do not understand why everybody
persists in shortening their given names like Minalle to Mina."
Darien merely answered her with a chuckle.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Please Mina, no more!! I beg you!!" wailed Serena, her arms ladden with
bags and packages.
"Don't be silly. You want to look your best for the interview with
Monique, no??" asked Mina.
"We've got plenty of clothes!!" protested Serena.
"But no accessories. Ooh!! Armani!" exclaimed Mina.
"I did try to warn you this morning, chére." sighed Raye.
"How does Mina do this??? I mean, she said she was taking me out tonight
to meet the girls! At a club!! I don't see how I could go!!" exclaimed
Serena.
"Alas, therein lies one of the worlds greatest mysteries." giggled Raye.
Serena covered her mouth.
"Rena!! You have to look at this!! It's adorable!!" called Mina.
"God give me strength."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Later that evening...
Serena was roughly shaken from her warm and comfortable bed.
"Serena!!" exclaimed her cousin.
Serena blinked, trying to wipe the haze of sleep from her mind. Her eyes
focused on her cousin.
"Ugh, Mina, I am coming to think if finding out I have you for a cousin,
was a bad thing or a good thing??" mumbled Serena crabbily.
"Tut-tut...bonsoir cousin. It's evening. I promised to introduce you to
the girls??" reminded Mina.
"Oh...tell them I have a headache, tell them I've got the flu! I'm so
tired, Mina."
"Serena!!"
"Must I??" pleaded Serena peaking from under the pillow.
"Oui!!"
"Bonsoir mes amis!!" called Mina as they entered the club.
"Mina!!" exclaimed the group sitting in a corner.
"Raye was just telling us about your cousin." smiled a redhead.
"Really?? Oh well, this is my cousin, Serena Duval." introduced Mina with
a wide smile on her face.
Serena felt all eyes turn curiously to her.
Mina turned to Serena with a bright smile.
"Serena, these are my colleagues and very bestfriends."
"Um, bonsoir." smiled Serena tentively.
"Serena, this is Camalita Margot, Beryl La Croix, Elizabeth Laborteaux
Molly Van Damme and Aimee LeFier. You already know Raquel." said Mina as she
pointed out to each woman sitting on the lounge.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Camalita Margot got up with a smile on her face. Mina's cousin was so
refreshingly shy and sweet. She was sure Serena Duval was going to make a
hit in modelling.
"Pleased to meet you. Bienvenir to Paris, Serena. Just call me Lita." she
grinned in a friendly action.
The others followed Lita's lead.
"Beryl." smiled Beryl brightly as she shook hands with Serena.
"Elizabeth or Lizzie." said Elizabeth enchanted with the wide-eyed blonde.
"Just Molly." grinned the friendly girl.
"Amy, I don't really fancy Aimee. I'm in props." said the petite dark-
haired girl shyly as she got up to shake hands.
Serena smiled. Her smile brightening up her face tremendously. If it was
possible, making her look even more beautiful.
"Waiter, some drinks over here??" called Elizabeth waving her hand towards
the bar.
Andrew Laborteaux turned to the familiar sound of his sister's voice and
tried to find her. Finally he found her sitting with friends from work.
"I didn't know the girls had decided to come here this evening." commented
Andrew, turning to Darien.
"Huh?"
"Elizabeth."
Darien turned to face the direction Andrew was thumbing at and spotted
Elizabeth Laborteaux, Camalita Margot, Raquel Deveraux, Minalle Reynaud,
Beryl La Croix, Molly Van Damme, Aimee LeFier and Minalle's infamous cousin.
"Who's the other petite blonde??" asked Andrew. "Not anyone from work."
"Non. Not anybody from work. It's Mina's long lost cousin."
"Really??"
"Oui."
"Maybe we should go and introduce ourselves." suggested Andrew.
"Lita says Mina will take her cousin to see Monique." said Darien casually
as he took a sip out of his beer.
"Oh??"
"She said Raye has already given the girl the thumbs up."
"You don't sound pleased." commented Andrew as he turned back to his own
drink.
"It's nothing. I just feel pressured these days." sighed Darien.
"The wedding, non?" grinned Andrew mischieviously. "Sort of like moi with
Rita. I'm beginning to feel obliged to ask the bellé to marry me."
Darien rolled his eyes at his friend.
"You've been going with the cheré for almost 3 years." muttered Darien
wryly.
"Oui, oui. But I don't want my neck stretched by the marital noose just
yet." groaned Andrew.
"You're terrible, mon ami."
"I know. What about you?? Why the pressure??" probed Andrew.
Darien shrugged.
"I don't know. I just don't feel that thrill I imagine I should feel now
that I'm engaged."
"Well, perhaps it's cold feet or perhaps you need a little fling before
settling down." grinned Andrew.
"You're worthless."
"Oui, mon ami. But I'm a lovable worthless. Cheers." chuckled Andrew as he
lifted his mug of beer up for a toast.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As Serena exited the club, the brightly lit city caught her breath. It
seemed the lights of the Eiffel Tower would never fail to take her breath
away. The whole city seemed to be ablaze with lights and was as active at
night as it was in the day.
Stars glittered in the dark sky adding to the glittering beauty of the
wonderful city.
"I'll never get tired of looking at the view." sighed Serena.
"You should see the view from the Tower." smiled Amy.
"Maybe I will, when I find the time." grinned Serena.
"How about after your interview with Monique??" asked Elizabeth brightly.
We're free on that day. I'm sure we girls can find something to do."
"Wonderful. We could go and show landmarks to Serena." said Lita.
"Oui, I'm sure Mina only showed her shopping landmarks." teased Beryl
laughingly.
"Please, don't even mention shopping." exclaimed Serena turning to the
redhead named Beryl. Serena's eyes went back to Beryl's hair. She had been
staring at it almost all evening. She marvelled at the red hair that looked
almost black making the red highlights all the more prominent.
Molly stared hard at Serena. "Are you sure the two of you are related??
A relative of Mina's not like shopping." she gasped pretending to swoon.
Everybody burst out laughing.
"Only distantly, Molly, only distantly." retorted Mina.
The group burst into laughter again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Serena fretted nervously. Today was her interview with Monique de Bour.
"Reenie, relax. You'll do fine." smiled Mina brightly.
"That is what everybody always says before an interview." groaned Serena
as she plucked at her outfit.
"You're a cinch for the job. I know it." encouraged her cousin.
"Easy for you to say."
"Oh, Lita and the others said they will meet us at the Arc de Triomphe.
Then they want to take you to visit Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre museum,
the Seine, and of course, the Eiffel Tower."
"Sounds wonderful." answered Serena half-heartedly.
"Mademoiselle de Bour will see you now, Mademoiselle Duval." said the
secretary who was eyeing Mina with curiousity.
"Merci, Madam Ramponneau."
"Wish you luck." beamed Mina.
Serena entered the plush cream coloured office, tensed and nervous. In the
middle of the large office was a huge beautiful polished hard oak desk.
Behind the desk sat a woman who looked like she was in her mid to
late-thirties. The woman wore a comfortable yet fashionable trouser suit.
Short, chin length black hair topped her head.
"You're Serena Duval??" came a slightly husky voice.
"Oui," answered Serena as she fidgetted with her fingers.
"Sit."
"Merci, Mademoiselle de Bour."
The woman looked up and Serena was surprised to find bright green cat-like
eyes, intelligently assessing her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Monique de Bour, the Paris-born 37-year old editor and owner of the
fashion magazine, 'Monique' stared at the blonde sapphire-eyed woman-child
before her. The girl had the beauty that was expected of a woman related to
Minalle Reynaud, but not the 'material girl' aura.
Monique smiled slightly at the girl's unease. She definately had an aura
of shyness around her. One that screamed 'camp-fire girl'. She was perfect
for some of the outfits that were lined up for the next issue.
"Where do you come from, Ms. Duval?" asked Monique.
"Marseille."
"And, how do you like Paris so far??"
"Oh, it's lovely. Except Mina- I mean Minalle has been dragging me
everywhere just to shop for clothes." sighed Serena.
Monique laughed. "Yes, sounds like Mina. Don't worry. You may refer to
Minalle as Mina."
"Oh."
"Well, thank you for coming. I understand what Raye saw in you." smiled
Monique as she stood up.
Serena shot to her feet anxiously.
"But-??" prompted Serena.
"But?" repeated Monique confused.
"I don't get the job because....????"
Monique stared at the curious blonde in front of her and chuckled in her
husky voice.
"Whatever do you mean?? You've gotten the job, Ms. Duval."
"I-I have?" breathed Serena in a daze.
"Oui.'
"But, the interview only lasted less than 5 minutes!!" pointed out Serena.
"Oui, but I only wanted to look at you. Raquel Deveraux is a very good
judge of character and potential." explained Monique.
"Oh... merci, Mademoiselle de Bour." beamed Serena.
"Call me Monique."
"Oui. Merci, Monique." said Serena with a wobbly smile.
"Bienvenir to Paris, Serena."
"Merci. Au revoir." smiled Serena brightly.
"Au revoir." replied Monique with a soft smile.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Serena exited the office, a smile plastered to her face. She could hardly
believe it. She had gotten the job.
"Well?? Well???" plagued Mina.
"I got the job." smiled Serena dazed.
Screams echoed and Serena looked up to find her new friends rushing at her
with joy on their faces.
"Oh, Reenie!! I'm so happy!!" laughed Mina hugging her cousin.
"Thanks, Mina."
"Let's CELEBRATE!!" laughed Molly.
"Lunch first!! Then the tour. Is that alright Serena??" asked Beryl
turning to look at Serena brightly.
"Oui, that's fine." smiled Serena. Her eyes were creeping back to the mass
of red hair atop Beryl's head.
Beryl noticed the look. "Serena, is something wrong with my hair??"
"Non, it's just. I've never seen hair like yours. It's wild. Almost black
but with so much red." answered Serena.
Beryl smiled. "Merci beaucoup, Serena."
"It's not dyed?"
"Non. I'm a natural."
"It's lovely."
"Come on!! Let's go!" chirped Elizabeth.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Madeline smiled to herself as she straightened her hat. She lounged near
the snack bar. It seemed pretty slow today. She sighed and stared down at
her finger as she toyed with the ring on her finger. Her thoughts strayed to
Darien. He was such a little sweetie. It was too bad he couldn't have lunch
with her today.
The next elevator stopped and the passengers surged out of the elevator to
look at the view. Eight familiar heads caught her eye. The girls along with
Mina's mysterious cousin.
Her face set in a bright smile, Madeline made her way through the crowd
towards the group. Her jade-coloured eyes twinkling brightly.
Serena breathed a sigh of relief. "I can't believe this. The elevator ride
up was so scary." she breathed.
Mina laughed. "Silly."
"It's true, Mina. I mean, there was nothing around us!!" moaned Serena.
Lita patted her shoulder in an understanding fashion. She knew what she
meant. Her first time up the Eiffel Tower had been similar. Steel girders
just outside the windows, and beyond them....a sensational view of Paris.
"There's an exhibit you know, the office of the engineer of this tower,
Gustave Eiffel. You could go in and see that first." suggested Amy.
Serena shook her head. "I think I want to see the view first."
Serena and the group moved towards the railing and admired the view.
Looking down, Serena saw the Seine, curving around them like the letter C.
Easily spotting some landmarks, Serena pointed them out with enthusiam.
"Oh, look!! It's the Arc de Triomphe and also the Notre Dame Cathedral."
exclaimed Serena as she pointed in the distance.
"I bet the sunsets from up here are somptueux." sighed Molly.
"Oui, they are."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Bonjour, Madeline." smiled Lita as she saw the chestnut haired girl.
"Bonjour, Camalita, Raquel, Minalle, Elizabeth, Beryl, Molly and Aimee. I
did not startle you did I??" asked Madeline.
"Non, you did not." answered Molly.
Madeline turned to look at Serena and smiled.
"Madeline, this is my cousin, Serena Duval. Serena, this is a friend of
ours, she works here. Madeline LeBeau."
Serena returned her smile with a bright one of her own.
"A pleasure, Mademoiselle LeBeau."
"The pleasure is all mine, demoiselle. Please, just call me Madeline."
"Serena is our new model." announced Amy brightly.
"Really?? That's wonderful. Félicitations." said Madeline.
"Merci." thanked Serena.
"Serena!! Come on, we have yet to visit the Notre Dame Cathedral or the
Louvre Museum." called Elizabeth. "Au revoir Madeline!"
The group turned tentative smiles and said their goodbyes.
"Au revoir, Madeline."
"Au revoir, mes amis." replied Madeline cheerfully.
Madeline watched as the group happily headed for the elevators. A smile
creeped up her face. Darien was wrong. Minalle's cousin was beautiful. She
thought back and sighed. The girl had such long and beautiful silver-gold
hair. Yes...that was the only way to describe that colour. And such dark
expressive sapphire eyes. Not at all resembling the usual washed-out blue
eyes the blondes of Paris had. Not including Minalle of course, who's eyes
were the colour of a clear day. And the innocent aura that just made people
want to protect her. Yes...Serena Duval was going to be one smashing model.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Serena stared in awe at the Notre Dame Cathedral, the end of her personal
tour around Paris. The architecture was hauntingly beautiful with it's
Gothic designs and gargoyles perched atop the cathedral. Serena felt a
shiver run down her spine. She could hardly believe it. She was here,
visiting the Notre Dame Cathedral along with all it's romantic dark secrets
and history.
There were plenty of tourists, but Serena didn't mind. She was inside and
that was all that mattered.
It was dark and solemn. Serena almost felt herself transported back in
time. Well, except for the modern-day dressed tourists of course. She stared
at the thick columns going up to the ceiling. Even old candle stands stood
by the altar.
In the dim light, Serena spied a statue of the Virgin Mary. It was almost
as if she was in the story of the 'Hunchback of Notre Dame'. Turning,
Serena saw rainbow coloured light spilling through the coloured panes of
glass that made up the rosetta windows.
Everything took her breath away. Unfortunately, they were herded along
with other tourists and Serena soon found herself outside once more with
only a vague regret and sense of loss.
"Well?? Did you like the tour?" asked Raye who had stayed outside the
cathedral, along with the rest except for Amy.
"Oui, oui, oui!! Oh, Raye...it was beautiful in a Gothic sense, of course.
But it was almost as if I'd stepped back into history or even a fairytale.
It was absolutely - the - most...amazing thing ever." sighed Serena
wistfully, turning back to look at the structure once more.
"Glad you enjoyed it. That look of yours would surely cinch for a brochure
of this old building." smiled Raye.
"Old HISTORICAL building." reminded Serena.
"Oui, have a little more respect for our Lady, Raye." laughed Amy.
"Are you a lover of arts, Serena?" aasked Beryl curiously.
"Oui! This structure is one of the most spectacular cathedral's ever
built, that's why most of the future churches have their architecture based
on Notre Dame." sighed Serena. "So, yes, I do love art."
Beryl laughed. "Silly question, I guess. It really does put a sparkle in
your eye when you were talking about it."
"Let's go, I'm starved." complained Mina.
"Watch out Paris, the walking glutton is back!!" called Lita gaily.
"Lita!!"
Serena watched as the group began teasing each other and laughing at each
other's jokes while they walked back towards the nearest cafe.
Serena stared after them with a slight smile on her face. Turning back to
take a final look at Notre Dame, Serena smiled a misty smile as her eyes
seemed to take on a suspicious glint of moisture.
"Paris...the City of Lights."
"Serena!! Come along! Mina is getting hungry and we must feed her before
she attacks the local populace!!" laughed Lita.
"Lita!! I could sue you for libel you know!" exclaimed Mina.
"Pastry!!" crooned Elizabeth.
"Really?? Where??" came Mina's voice.
"Ooh!! They sell those chocolate covered, cream-filled éclairs!!"
exclaimed Molly in delight.
"Molly, those are fattening!! Do you know how much calories those contain?
If you become too fat too squeeze into your outfit later, Monique is going
to murder you!" exclaimed Amy.
"They have cappucino!! And chocolate-iced petit fours!!" said Beryl.
"Solid food! They have coq au vin - chicken stewed with vegetabes." came
Raye's voice.
"Cheese macaroni and potato salad!" crowed Amy, forgetting about Molly's
choice of cream-filled pastry.
"Serena!! Hurry up and come here, or there'll be no- ooh, my favourite!!
Gâteau du fromage!" (cheese cake)
Serena sighed and shook her head at their childish behaviour when it came
to food. *No siree...you won't find me acting like that. I won't act like a
little child cooing over the food like a pigeon. I am calm and in control
and- ooh...apple tart. Ah, what the heck??*
"Leave some food for moi!!!" called Serena laughingly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
To be continued...
Next up: ~ Chapter 3: Starlit Future ~
The first official meeting between, Serena Duval and Darien Clavélle. Will
Serena be a new rising star or a falling star?? And what will Darien's
reaction be to this new and unschooled model? Email me with your comments?
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.
Author:Tapestry
Email:Shaddow_Cat@hotmail.com
Standard Disclaimer Apply
*denotes thought
21/08/01
"Woman was created from the ribs of man
Not from his head to top him
Nor from his feet to be walked upon
She was made from his side to be his equal
From beneath his arms to be protected
From very near his heart to be loved."
--Anonymous--
obstiné - stubborn
bonsoir - good evening
bienvenir - welcome
au revoir - goodbye
merci - thank you
merci beaucoup - thank you very much
somptueux - magnificent
félicitations - congratulations
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ Chapter 2: City of Lights ~
Paris. The City of Lights. The nightlife of Paris and the lights that lit
up the city streets were truly spectacular. The Eiffel Tower was brilliantly
lit up, no other landmark in Paris could hold a candle to it. Except of
course for the Notre Dame Cathedral in daylight, which held it's own dark
secrets and romantic history inside the stone walls of it's dark past.
Serena took a deep breath as the beauty of Paris took hers away.
Morning...
Raye smiled at the awe struck expression on Serena's face. "Serena, I
could almost say you're the perfect model for a tourist brochure. You'd make
a camera envy you, chére."
Mina nudged her cousin. "What I think she's trying to say, Reenie, is
that you're a cinch for the temporary model." laughed Mina.
Serena laughed. "I wouldn't mind if I never did model!! Coming to Paris
is the most wonderful thing ever."
"Is that Minalle Reynaud?"
"Oh my, it's Raquel Deveraux!"
"Quick! Strike a pose!"
"Let's get an autograph!!"
The buzzing whispers and excited murmurs of the people around them caught
Serena off guard in it's blazing intensity.
"Come on, lets go get you some clothes for you, Reenie." said Mina.
Serena sighed. Reenie. It was a cute and affectionate pet name her cousin
had bestowed on her. Mina had said Serena was a name that made her sound
as pure as virgin snow. Serena had failed to see the fault in that.
~FLASHBACK~
"Oh Se-reeeee-nah, this is Paris. Besides, Serena doesn't sound exotic
enough for a magazine."
"I don't need exotic. I like my name the way it is." protested Serena.
"Darling, one day you're going to thank me for the modelling opportunity."
laughed Mina with a toss of her hair.
~END FLASHBACK~
"Oh! Oh! let's stop at Chanel first!!" exclaimed Mina. "I've got a credit
there that I haven't even touched."
Serena groaned. She hated shopping for clothes unless they were on sale.
"Just look around Serena, maybe you'll find something you like." smiled
Raye in understanding.
Two hours later...
"Miiiiiiii-naaaaaa!! This is the 5th shop already." groaned Serena as she
tugged at her packages.
"Only the fifth??"
"Give her a break, Reynaud."
"Hey, Raquel, you know me. The name of MY game is shop till you drop."
grinned Mina as she scanned the shop for outfits matching her cousin's
colouring.
"I thought it was, 'Do you take platinum?'" retorted Raye snidely.
Mina shook her head. "You're always nasty when I drag you shopping."
"Well, I have better things to do." sniffed Raye distastefully eying the
clothes on the rack.
Mina ignored her comment and waved her cousin over.
"Reenie! What do you think?" asked Mina as she held up a chic sundress.
Serena examined the dress, then the price tag.
"Mon Dieu!! Mina, the price of this dress is enough for me to pay two
months rent to that dirty little flat I rented back in Marseille!!" gasped
Serena as she stared at the dress in horror. "You are not purchasing that!!
Non, non, non!!"
"Of course I'm purchasing it!! It will be cute on you!!"
"Miii-naa..."
"Oh, stop being so obstiné, Reenie. I'm paying."
Serena turned to look at Raye with a pleading look.
"Oh, don't turn those teary sapphire eyes on moi, Serena. I cannot help
you." said Raye holding up her hands to ward off her pleading look.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"So, what shall we eat today, Maddie?" asked Darien as he held Madeline's
hand. There were no shoots today so, Darien had asked Madeline out to
eat lunch.
Madeline sighed and leaned her head on Darien's shoulder. Her eyes
watching other couples strolling down the boulevard.
"Chef Claude??"
"Have a craving for lasagne, Maddie?" teased Darien.
"Oui!" laughed Madeline.
Madeline snuggled closer to Darien, letting her eyes wander. Her sight
then rested on three women, two of them familiar, exiting the expensive and
exclusive Madame La Roche Boutique which catered to only the richest of
patrons.
"Darien...?"
"Oui cher?"
"Is that Minalle and Raquel?" asked Madeline still pointing at the three
figures.
Darien squinted at the three women walking down the opposite boulevard in
the distance. His face lit with recognition.
"Oui, it IS them!!" exclaimed Darien slightly miffed that they had not
returned sooner for the last shoot.
"But, who is the woman with them?"
Darien shrugged. "Probably Mina's cousin." he answered noncommitedly.
"Cousin?? I didn't know Minalle had a cousin. I thought she was from an
orphanage."
"Oui, she is. Mina hired an investigator to dig up on any family. Found
a second cousin. Her mother's cousin's daughter." said Darien as he thought
back to what Lita had said.
"Camalita told you that??"
"Oui. It looks like Mina is dragging her cousin on a shopping spree and
the poor girl seems like she's being tortured." said Darien knitting his
eyebrows.
"Oh, she looks quite pretty from here." commented Madeline.
Darien squinted and shrugged. "It's difficult to make out features from
here and what might be beautiful could just be plain." said Darien.
"Darien, must you always be like that???" asked Madeline frowning at him.
"Oui, Maddie. Now lets go. I'm sure we can meet Mina's cousin another
time. Right now, lets go to lunch." grinned Darien.
"You and that devil's grin. And I also do not understand why everybody
persists in shortening their given names like Minalle to Mina."
Darien merely answered her with a chuckle.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Please Mina, no more!! I beg you!!" wailed Serena, her arms ladden with
bags and packages.
"Don't be silly. You want to look your best for the interview with
Monique, no??" asked Mina.
"We've got plenty of clothes!!" protested Serena.
"But no accessories. Ooh!! Armani!" exclaimed Mina.
"I did try to warn you this morning, chére." sighed Raye.
"How does Mina do this??? I mean, she said she was taking me out tonight
to meet the girls! At a club!! I don't see how I could go!!" exclaimed
Serena.
"Alas, therein lies one of the worlds greatest mysteries." giggled Raye.
Serena covered her mouth.
"Rena!! You have to look at this!! It's adorable!!" called Mina.
"God give me strength."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Later that evening...
Serena was roughly shaken from her warm and comfortable bed.
"Serena!!" exclaimed her cousin.
Serena blinked, trying to wipe the haze of sleep from her mind. Her eyes
focused on her cousin.
"Ugh, Mina, I am coming to think if finding out I have you for a cousin,
was a bad thing or a good thing??" mumbled Serena crabbily.
"Tut-tut...bonsoir cousin. It's evening. I promised to introduce you to
the girls??" reminded Mina.
"Oh...tell them I have a headache, tell them I've got the flu! I'm so
tired, Mina."
"Serena!!"
"Must I??" pleaded Serena peaking from under the pillow.
"Oui!!"
"Bonsoir mes amis!!" called Mina as they entered the club.
"Mina!!" exclaimed the group sitting in a corner.
"Raye was just telling us about your cousin." smiled a redhead.
"Really?? Oh well, this is my cousin, Serena Duval." introduced Mina with
a wide smile on her face.
Serena felt all eyes turn curiously to her.
Mina turned to Serena with a bright smile.
"Serena, these are my colleagues and very bestfriends."
"Um, bonsoir." smiled Serena tentively.
"Serena, this is Camalita Margot, Beryl La Croix, Elizabeth Laborteaux
Molly Van Damme and Aimee LeFier. You already know Raquel." said Mina as she
pointed out to each woman sitting on the lounge.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Camalita Margot got up with a smile on her face. Mina's cousin was so
refreshingly shy and sweet. She was sure Serena Duval was going to make a
hit in modelling.
"Pleased to meet you. Bienvenir to Paris, Serena. Just call me Lita." she
grinned in a friendly action.
The others followed Lita's lead.
"Beryl." smiled Beryl brightly as she shook hands with Serena.
"Elizabeth or Lizzie." said Elizabeth enchanted with the wide-eyed blonde.
"Just Molly." grinned the friendly girl.
"Amy, I don't really fancy Aimee. I'm in props." said the petite dark-
haired girl shyly as she got up to shake hands.
Serena smiled. Her smile brightening up her face tremendously. If it was
possible, making her look even more beautiful.
"Waiter, some drinks over here??" called Elizabeth waving her hand towards
the bar.
Andrew Laborteaux turned to the familiar sound of his sister's voice and
tried to find her. Finally he found her sitting with friends from work.
"I didn't know the girls had decided to come here this evening." commented
Andrew, turning to Darien.
"Huh?"
"Elizabeth."
Darien turned to face the direction Andrew was thumbing at and spotted
Elizabeth Laborteaux, Camalita Margot, Raquel Deveraux, Minalle Reynaud,
Beryl La Croix, Molly Van Damme, Aimee LeFier and Minalle's infamous cousin.
"Who's the other petite blonde??" asked Andrew. "Not anyone from work."
"Non. Not anybody from work. It's Mina's long lost cousin."
"Really??"
"Oui."
"Maybe we should go and introduce ourselves." suggested Andrew.
"Lita says Mina will take her cousin to see Monique." said Darien casually
as he took a sip out of his beer.
"Oh??"
"She said Raye has already given the girl the thumbs up."
"You don't sound pleased." commented Andrew as he turned back to his own
drink.
"It's nothing. I just feel pressured these days." sighed Darien.
"The wedding, non?" grinned Andrew mischieviously. "Sort of like moi with
Rita. I'm beginning to feel obliged to ask the bellé to marry me."
Darien rolled his eyes at his friend.
"You've been going with the cheré for almost 3 years." muttered Darien
wryly.
"Oui, oui. But I don't want my neck stretched by the marital noose just
yet." groaned Andrew.
"You're terrible, mon ami."
"I know. What about you?? Why the pressure??" probed Andrew.
Darien shrugged.
"I don't know. I just don't feel that thrill I imagine I should feel now
that I'm engaged."
"Well, perhaps it's cold feet or perhaps you need a little fling before
settling down." grinned Andrew.
"You're worthless."
"Oui, mon ami. But I'm a lovable worthless. Cheers." chuckled Andrew as he
lifted his mug of beer up for a toast.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As Serena exited the club, the brightly lit city caught her breath. It
seemed the lights of the Eiffel Tower would never fail to take her breath
away. The whole city seemed to be ablaze with lights and was as active at
night as it was in the day.
Stars glittered in the dark sky adding to the glittering beauty of the
wonderful city.
"I'll never get tired of looking at the view." sighed Serena.
"You should see the view from the Tower." smiled Amy.
"Maybe I will, when I find the time." grinned Serena.
"How about after your interview with Monique??" asked Elizabeth brightly.
We're free on that day. I'm sure we girls can find something to do."
"Wonderful. We could go and show landmarks to Serena." said Lita.
"Oui, I'm sure Mina only showed her shopping landmarks." teased Beryl
laughingly.
"Please, don't even mention shopping." exclaimed Serena turning to the
redhead named Beryl. Serena's eyes went back to Beryl's hair. She had been
staring at it almost all evening. She marvelled at the red hair that looked
almost black making the red highlights all the more prominent.
Molly stared hard at Serena. "Are you sure the two of you are related??
A relative of Mina's not like shopping." she gasped pretending to swoon.
Everybody burst out laughing.
"Only distantly, Molly, only distantly." retorted Mina.
The group burst into laughter again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Serena fretted nervously. Today was her interview with Monique de Bour.
"Reenie, relax. You'll do fine." smiled Mina brightly.
"That is what everybody always says before an interview." groaned Serena
as she plucked at her outfit.
"You're a cinch for the job. I know it." encouraged her cousin.
"Easy for you to say."
"Oh, Lita and the others said they will meet us at the Arc de Triomphe.
Then they want to take you to visit Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre museum,
the Seine, and of course, the Eiffel Tower."
"Sounds wonderful." answered Serena half-heartedly.
"Mademoiselle de Bour will see you now, Mademoiselle Duval." said the
secretary who was eyeing Mina with curiousity.
"Merci, Madam Ramponneau."
"Wish you luck." beamed Mina.
Serena entered the plush cream coloured office, tensed and nervous. In the
middle of the large office was a huge beautiful polished hard oak desk.
Behind the desk sat a woman who looked like she was in her mid to
late-thirties. The woman wore a comfortable yet fashionable trouser suit.
Short, chin length black hair topped her head.
"You're Serena Duval??" came a slightly husky voice.
"Oui," answered Serena as she fidgetted with her fingers.
"Sit."
"Merci, Mademoiselle de Bour."
The woman looked up and Serena was surprised to find bright green cat-like
eyes, intelligently assessing her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Monique de Bour, the Paris-born 37-year old editor and owner of the
fashion magazine, 'Monique' stared at the blonde sapphire-eyed woman-child
before her. The girl had the beauty that was expected of a woman related to
Minalle Reynaud, but not the 'material girl' aura.
Monique smiled slightly at the girl's unease. She definately had an aura
of shyness around her. One that screamed 'camp-fire girl'. She was perfect
for some of the outfits that were lined up for the next issue.
"Where do you come from, Ms. Duval?" asked Monique.
"Marseille."
"And, how do you like Paris so far??"
"Oh, it's lovely. Except Mina- I mean Minalle has been dragging me
everywhere just to shop for clothes." sighed Serena.
Monique laughed. "Yes, sounds like Mina. Don't worry. You may refer to
Minalle as Mina."
"Oh."
"Well, thank you for coming. I understand what Raye saw in you." smiled
Monique as she stood up.
Serena shot to her feet anxiously.
"But-??" prompted Serena.
"But?" repeated Monique confused.
"I don't get the job because....????"
Monique stared at the curious blonde in front of her and chuckled in her
husky voice.
"Whatever do you mean?? You've gotten the job, Ms. Duval."
"I-I have?" breathed Serena in a daze.
"Oui.'
"But, the interview only lasted less than 5 minutes!!" pointed out Serena.
"Oui, but I only wanted to look at you. Raquel Deveraux is a very good
judge of character and potential." explained Monique.
"Oh... merci, Mademoiselle de Bour." beamed Serena.
"Call me Monique."
"Oui. Merci, Monique." said Serena with a wobbly smile.
"Bienvenir to Paris, Serena."
"Merci. Au revoir." smiled Serena brightly.
"Au revoir." replied Monique with a soft smile.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Serena exited the office, a smile plastered to her face. She could hardly
believe it. She had gotten the job.
"Well?? Well???" plagued Mina.
"I got the job." smiled Serena dazed.
Screams echoed and Serena looked up to find her new friends rushing at her
with joy on their faces.
"Oh, Reenie!! I'm so happy!!" laughed Mina hugging her cousin.
"Thanks, Mina."
"Let's CELEBRATE!!" laughed Molly.
"Lunch first!! Then the tour. Is that alright Serena??" asked Beryl
turning to look at Serena brightly.
"Oui, that's fine." smiled Serena. Her eyes were creeping back to the mass
of red hair atop Beryl's head.
Beryl noticed the look. "Serena, is something wrong with my hair??"
"Non, it's just. I've never seen hair like yours. It's wild. Almost black
but with so much red." answered Serena.
Beryl smiled. "Merci beaucoup, Serena."
"It's not dyed?"
"Non. I'm a natural."
"It's lovely."
"Come on!! Let's go!" chirped Elizabeth.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Madeline smiled to herself as she straightened her hat. She lounged near
the snack bar. It seemed pretty slow today. She sighed and stared down at
her finger as she toyed with the ring on her finger. Her thoughts strayed to
Darien. He was such a little sweetie. It was too bad he couldn't have lunch
with her today.
The next elevator stopped and the passengers surged out of the elevator to
look at the view. Eight familiar heads caught her eye. The girls along with
Mina's mysterious cousin.
Her face set in a bright smile, Madeline made her way through the crowd
towards the group. Her jade-coloured eyes twinkling brightly.
Serena breathed a sigh of relief. "I can't believe this. The elevator ride
up was so scary." she breathed.
Mina laughed. "Silly."
"It's true, Mina. I mean, there was nothing around us!!" moaned Serena.
Lita patted her shoulder in an understanding fashion. She knew what she
meant. Her first time up the Eiffel Tower had been similar. Steel girders
just outside the windows, and beyond them....a sensational view of Paris.
"There's an exhibit you know, the office of the engineer of this tower,
Gustave Eiffel. You could go in and see that first." suggested Amy.
Serena shook her head. "I think I want to see the view first."
Serena and the group moved towards the railing and admired the view.
Looking down, Serena saw the Seine, curving around them like the letter C.
Easily spotting some landmarks, Serena pointed them out with enthusiam.
"Oh, look!! It's the Arc de Triomphe and also the Notre Dame Cathedral."
exclaimed Serena as she pointed in the distance.
"I bet the sunsets from up here are somptueux." sighed Molly.
"Oui, they are."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Bonjour, Madeline." smiled Lita as she saw the chestnut haired girl.
"Bonjour, Camalita, Raquel, Minalle, Elizabeth, Beryl, Molly and Aimee. I
did not startle you did I??" asked Madeline.
"Non, you did not." answered Molly.
Madeline turned to look at Serena and smiled.
"Madeline, this is my cousin, Serena Duval. Serena, this is a friend of
ours, she works here. Madeline LeBeau."
Serena returned her smile with a bright one of her own.
"A pleasure, Mademoiselle LeBeau."
"The pleasure is all mine, demoiselle. Please, just call me Madeline."
"Serena is our new model." announced Amy brightly.
"Really?? That's wonderful. Félicitations." said Madeline.
"Merci." thanked Serena.
"Serena!! Come on, we have yet to visit the Notre Dame Cathedral or the
Louvre Museum." called Elizabeth. "Au revoir Madeline!"
The group turned tentative smiles and said their goodbyes.
"Au revoir, Madeline."
"Au revoir, mes amis." replied Madeline cheerfully.
Madeline watched as the group happily headed for the elevators. A smile
creeped up her face. Darien was wrong. Minalle's cousin was beautiful. She
thought back and sighed. The girl had such long and beautiful silver-gold
hair. Yes...that was the only way to describe that colour. And such dark
expressive sapphire eyes. Not at all resembling the usual washed-out blue
eyes the blondes of Paris had. Not including Minalle of course, who's eyes
were the colour of a clear day. And the innocent aura that just made people
want to protect her. Yes...Serena Duval was going to be one smashing model.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Serena stared in awe at the Notre Dame Cathedral, the end of her personal
tour around Paris. The architecture was hauntingly beautiful with it's
Gothic designs and gargoyles perched atop the cathedral. Serena felt a
shiver run down her spine. She could hardly believe it. She was here,
visiting the Notre Dame Cathedral along with all it's romantic dark secrets
and history.
There were plenty of tourists, but Serena didn't mind. She was inside and
that was all that mattered.
It was dark and solemn. Serena almost felt herself transported back in
time. Well, except for the modern-day dressed tourists of course. She stared
at the thick columns going up to the ceiling. Even old candle stands stood
by the altar.
In the dim light, Serena spied a statue of the Virgin Mary. It was almost
as if she was in the story of the 'Hunchback of Notre Dame'. Turning,
Serena saw rainbow coloured light spilling through the coloured panes of
glass that made up the rosetta windows.
Everything took her breath away. Unfortunately, they were herded along
with other tourists and Serena soon found herself outside once more with
only a vague regret and sense of loss.
"Well?? Did you like the tour?" asked Raye who had stayed outside the
cathedral, along with the rest except for Amy.
"Oui, oui, oui!! Oh, Raye...it was beautiful in a Gothic sense, of course.
But it was almost as if I'd stepped back into history or even a fairytale.
It was absolutely - the - most...amazing thing ever." sighed Serena
wistfully, turning back to look at the structure once more.
"Glad you enjoyed it. That look of yours would surely cinch for a brochure
of this old building." smiled Raye.
"Old HISTORICAL building." reminded Serena.
"Oui, have a little more respect for our Lady, Raye." laughed Amy.
"Are you a lover of arts, Serena?" aasked Beryl curiously.
"Oui! This structure is one of the most spectacular cathedral's ever
built, that's why most of the future churches have their architecture based
on Notre Dame." sighed Serena. "So, yes, I do love art."
Beryl laughed. "Silly question, I guess. It really does put a sparkle in
your eye when you were talking about it."
"Let's go, I'm starved." complained Mina.
"Watch out Paris, the walking glutton is back!!" called Lita gaily.
"Lita!!"
Serena watched as the group began teasing each other and laughing at each
other's jokes while they walked back towards the nearest cafe.
Serena stared after them with a slight smile on her face. Turning back to
take a final look at Notre Dame, Serena smiled a misty smile as her eyes
seemed to take on a suspicious glint of moisture.
"Paris...the City of Lights."
"Serena!! Come along! Mina is getting hungry and we must feed her before
she attacks the local populace!!" laughed Lita.
"Lita!! I could sue you for libel you know!" exclaimed Mina.
"Pastry!!" crooned Elizabeth.
"Really?? Where??" came Mina's voice.
"Ooh!! They sell those chocolate covered, cream-filled éclairs!!"
exclaimed Molly in delight.
"Molly, those are fattening!! Do you know how much calories those contain?
If you become too fat too squeeze into your outfit later, Monique is going
to murder you!" exclaimed Amy.
"They have cappucino!! And chocolate-iced petit fours!!" said Beryl.
"Solid food! They have coq au vin - chicken stewed with vegetabes." came
Raye's voice.
"Cheese macaroni and potato salad!" crowed Amy, forgetting about Molly's
choice of cream-filled pastry.
"Serena!! Hurry up and come here, or there'll be no- ooh, my favourite!!
Gâteau du fromage!" (cheese cake)
Serena sighed and shook her head at their childish behaviour when it came
to food. *No siree...you won't find me acting like that. I won't act like a
little child cooing over the food like a pigeon. I am calm and in control
and- ooh...apple tart. Ah, what the heck??*
"Leave some food for moi!!!" called Serena laughingly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
To be continued...
Next up: ~ Chapter 3: Starlit Future ~
The first official meeting between, Serena Duval and Darien Clavélle. Will
Serena be a new rising star or a falling star?? And what will Darien's
reaction be to this new and unschooled model? Email me with your comments?
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.