Chapter Two and Three
It was midnight. The lamplight danced in Sebastian's eyes as he watched the celebration from across the Seine. He sat outside, waiting halfheartedly for a visitor to come by his door and peek through his curtains.
He stared intently at the party taking place at the café, or rather, listened to the loud noises of the Parisians. Their voices were flavored with wine, the smell of vanilla and caramel being served at the café brewed in Sebastian's nose. Soon the party ascended out into the streets in a rampage, attracting passersby and forming a crowd in front of the café. Others joined them, the howling laughter soon joined in song.
Sebastian smirked. He knew that this was too much of an enjoyment to be having by himself; he wished to share this moment with someone. Two people came into his mind, but the affection quickly vanished. One of them lingered longer in his thoughts. He tried to smooth the wrinkles of the photograph in his hand but without much success. It was a picture he had taken a week ago, but it was ancient. There was a girl smiling in it, a girl named Audrey. After many vicious fights with her, Sebastian did not know the reason for his keeping the picture still alive, only burning in his imagination. She seemed to be a fire that he had kindled with snow, able to resist even the harshest themes of love. It was now that he realized that it would take more than a two weeks stay in Paris for her to be forgotten, if he ever could forget her at all.
Jacqueline had been so kind through it all. He hated himself for wanting to be with Audrey at this moment when what he really needed was Jacqueline's comfort. She gave him nothing beyond her talks, and it had meant a lot to him when Audrey had left him. Leaving him was a punishment, she had said- punishment for making up with Jacqueline and upholding their friendship. Audrey had misunderstood, as always. She then plotted revenge. When Sebastian finally decided to come to Paris with Jacqueline's support, Audrey had come back like a ghost after all she had done. To protect Jacqueline from any harm, he created a plan to leave on his birthday. There would be a party, and he would be there on Jackie's side to defend her if anything should happen. Then, almost innocently, he would slip out and hail a taxi to John F. Kennedy Airport.
Sebastian laughed aloud at Audrey now; at last he was free to show her that he could survive by himself, painting masterpieces that were surely to appear in museums eventually. He could picture it now: the twisted look of discontent on her face when she squinted to see the name Clement written at the bottom of the picture...
The dog curled up next to him gave a sudden bark.
There was a visitor.
He was awakened from his thoughts, the loud cheery sounds and his dog's alarming bark. "Please, Mado, no one is going to come tonight-"
He tried not to look surprised when he saw a scrawny girl greet him timidly:
"Good evening. I mean, night," she managed with a polite smile. Her reddish brown bangs covered her eyes.
"Oh? And who may you be, Madame? Or is it Mademoiselle?" Sebastian asked. He did not look up. Mado, for one, opened his inquisitive eyes to study her.
"I'm...sorry. I wasn't expecting anyone. I thought they would all be out in the streets." Sebastian added, reminded of the noise in the background.
"My name's Catherine. My uncle- he owns the Café de Clair Noir."
"I'm Sebastian. Go on, take a look at my secret. Nothing to be shy about!" He invited her inside cheerily. Catherine brushed the bangs away from her small face and shook her head, telling him she had no interest.
Sebastian relaxed.
"Your uncle? Pierre Malain? Enchanter. "
"Sebastian? Everybody's talking about you. Especially my uncle. I saw you in the café today. He's very fond of you, you know." Catherine remarked, cheeks turning pink with laughter when he blushed.
"Anyway, he just asked me to tell you that you're welcome to the Café de Clair Noir anytime."
"Oh, all right. Thank you. If you excuse me, I have some work to do before tomorrow morning. Tell your uncle I said thank you." He waved goodbye. Catherine seemed to be thinking of something, and then a light twinkled in her eye. Almost something of a new discovery. Sebastian wondered if she saw something in him like everybody else. She started to whistle a tune that was familiar to him, but he could not recall the title. Catherine smiled in return, crossing the Seine River as she walked on the bridge. Despite her frail frame, she was graceful in every step.
Sebastian yawned, as he always did when the last visitor left his house each night. Since the day of his arrival on Monday, he had developed a plan- paint during the day; take pictures of the Paris cityscape during the night. No contact with anybody in New York, except his family. He had had to lie for a month that he was going back to law school while he was actually attending a school in Paris and living there.
Now that the lies were piling up beneath the truth and he knew there were suspicions arising from his unexplainable disappearance, he decided that tonight he would call New York.
New York meant Jacqueline and Audrey, Mom and Dad, his good-for-nothing stepsister, his sister. There was no one who would greet him warmly. They would never tell him that they missed him.
It is better than Mom calling me, he thought. He did not care if the call was long-distance; he needed someone to talk with.
He went inside the house, musty with age but very comfortable- and dialed the phone that was sitting on the mantelpiece. There was a lamp lit next to it, and a note he had scribbled so carelessly: Send Audrey and Jackie mail.
Luckily, his parents were early risers who got up earlier than most in the morning. Jackie promised that she would wake up at least at seven to wait for his calls.
Sebastian took a deep breath, although he couldn't relax. He dialed his mother's house (he thought it a miracle that he had still remembered it and he didn't need to search in his phonebook) the phone rang five times, after he hoped his mother would pick up.
To his horror, the voice wasn't his mother's.
"Hello?"
It couldn't be. After a year, Sebastian still wasn't comfortable of speaking to his stepfather, nor his brother.
Sebastian replied cautiously, "Hello, Vincent. It's...It's Sebastian. I'm very sorry if I woke the whole house or called too early. Can I speak to my mother, please? Please, it's urgent." The words flowed out of his mouth before he realized he was done. He sighed. His stepfather had a way of being temperamental.
"Sebastian! I haven't spoke to you in a while, have I? How's school?" Sebastian hated that deep voice. Vincent sounded like he was grumpy all the time when he spoke to him, as if it was Sebastian's fault for never wanting to start a conversation.
"Fine. Everything's fine."
He then heard what he was sure to be a grunt. Sebastian was frightened that Vincent could tell that he had been lying for the past month.
"Well, alright then."
He called his mother's name Joanna in a singsong voice that Sebastian thought wasn't possible from his throat. He was envious now as he wondered if his mother liked Vincent better than she liked him.
Sebastian recognized his mother's laughter as she came on the phone. "Who is it, dear?" she asked.
Much to his discontent, his mother seemed happier with Vincent than when Sebastian was in the house. He cleared his voice. She gasped.
"Oh, Sebastian! It's Mom. How are you, darling? It's wonderful to talk to you again- why haven't you been calling? I missed you so much."
Sebastian couldn't think of anything to say. Everything that his mother now said melted his stony heart. He forgave her secretly. He knew that her mood might change in an instant, so he tried to make things as simple as possible as he went along.
"I miss you too. I'm doing great. Listen, I need to tell you something."
"What is it, Sebastian?"
"Mom, I'm really sorry. I really am. B-but, the thing is, I wasn't in law school, you see. I'm actually in P-P-Paris right now. Before you get mad at me, or say anything, I need you to know that I came here because Jacqueline and Audrey got into a fight on my birthday, and I couldn't take it anymore, and Audrey left me-"
"Jackie called."
"Paris, whether you like it or not. I'm sending pictures, so don't worry."
"I know."
These two words shocked him.
"Jackie told me. And don't forget to call your father. He still loves you, you know. Sebastian, he's engaged. You're going to attend the wedding. If you don't go, then he'll be upset. I know it's hard, but try to be happy for them, alright?"
"You aren't mad?"
"Jackie explained everything. And if you want to go to Paris so much, I'm letting you go."
"Okay. Thanks. I'm going to call Dad now."
Before he hung up there was another grunt from his stepfather, then his grunting turned into a kind of muffled laughter.
His father, Julian, answered the phone. Sebastian couldn't be more relieved. "Hello, Julian speaking."
"Hi, Dad?"
There was a silence for a moment. His stepsister was calling his name. "Julian, which one should I wear? Orange? Purple? I have five minutes!"
Please, not now, Hilary, please...
"Hilary, you know I think you look beautiful in anything."
"Dad!"
"Sorry, kid. You know Hilary is my new stepdaughter, and I must be nice to her, no matter what?"
"Well, that isn't the point right now. Don't you miss me? You're not wondering right now where I'm calling from?" Sebastian rushed, feeling exasperated. She's the first person I know to call him Julian. Since when does Dad let people call him Julian?
"What? What, did you run away from that school? So, let me guess. You ran away. It's all obvious. London? Paris?"
"I had to tell you sometime. You took me once."
"Damn. I never thought you would go there by yourself. Where are you going to stay?"
"In the streets. It's all very comfortable, you know."
"Ah, stop lying."
"Fine."
"You...know we're engaged, right?"
"Yes."
"I just wanted to say that you don't need to get angry for any reason. Elizabeth is willing to meet you..."
Sebastian hung up. He had no power to fight back. His parents each had a new husband and wife.
Sebastian shook his head, and drank the tea that was now cold. A package he had wrapped the day before was on the floor. He picked it up, placed it on the mantelpiece, and shook it. He smiled at all the pictures he had taken. A letter was also inside.
A letter to be sent to Jackie.
Mado headed for the bedroom door. Sebastian followed. He had a sun to catch in the morning.
Pierre Malain drank the tea that Catherine made for him. He was exhausted, having hosted a party for hours, and he had had a biscuit too many. Catherine twirled her scarf. "Sebastian, he's very interesting."
"Oh? He can do a lot for us, Catherine. A very talented man, he is."
"I noticed."
"Wonder why he came to Paris?"
"He was looking for something. I know he was."
"What, Uncle Pierre?"
"You'll find out soon enough, cherie."
Pierre smiled. He and Catherine stayed there until all of Paris was quiet, and nothing could be seen that was shinier than the moon. A Paris night, sky sprinkled with stars and paved paths for all the city to walk on. One could go for miles and never be lost, everything was so close together.
Pierre long looked at his city, a beautiful picture captured in the palm of his hand. If only he could find what was missing. A stroke of light, a dab of paint. Sitting in the now dark, closed café, Pierre watched as the blue light from the Eiffel Tower searched the city. It rotated its serene blue light.
Pierre nodded. Catherine was deep in thought, and the two sat frozen in a sleeping city, waiting for the light to come.
One can only watch a city when the observer can fall under its deep spell.
Chapter Three
Jacqueline had the letter now in her hands. She read it over again, not believing that it was from her friend in Paris, that he had actually written her. The package in which the letter came in was taped; stamps marked the box in red. Sebastian's fancy cursive made the package look important.
Jacqueline looked at the pile of pictures, then at the letter again:
Dear Jackie,
I am sorry if I caused you any worry. I wanted to let you know that I am doing fine. I regret that you could not come on this trip with me, so I am sending pictures. Everything that I have seen in Paris so far in one little box. I hate to ask, but is Audrey doing anything to you? I hope there's peace between you two. I needed this trip for myself only, and I know I am getting better. I think Audrey and I need some time apart. I still have her picture. I don't know why.
Yours Truly,
Sebastian
Jacqueline saw that Sebastian had also sent back her gift along with Audrey's without a note attached to it. There was a diary also, which she read without hesitation.
Chapter Four
Ah, Monday at last. I have been wanting to write an entry since last Monday. During all that time I have done sightseeing all day. I toured everywhere on a bicycle or by foot, holding a baguette in one hand while holding a cup of coffee in the other. This new hotel overlooks the bridge, so I can get a perfect view of the Seine River each morning when I wake up. The people here are truly generous. When I walk by the city, I pass the Café de Clair Noir.
I got up today and finished my painting. That is right, I have finished it. Four more sunrises to complete the other part of my work, and then I can present it to Malain. Oh, Audrey. You may never know it, but I loved you. I loved you well. I loved you with all of my heart. It made me ill when you left me. I think that you finally knew that you were enslaving me. I will be a slave no longer.
Aren't you envious now, my beloved Steed?
Or is it White Wolf? Your hair glows in the moonlight and haunts me in my dreams. Your thousand tails lash around me. Is this what you wanted? To caress me and trap me, in your bundle of hideous vipers? Lust can drive you mad. May you always remain prowling the forest in the face of the full moon until you become tame.
Malain doesn't know my story. Perhaps I will tell it to him at the Café de Clair Noir. No, no. He will know it. He knows what this city is, and what people like me come searching for. Why, he asked me, a lost fool, to work for him. What will I get in return?
The City of Lights. The City that Never Sleeps. Those two cities are related.
Did I tell you, diary? I saw a girl. A girl in the Café de Clair Noir. I convinced her to help me. She agreed to come and start tomorrow. I'm starting to miss New York. I needed some rest, and Paris was the only place to go.
Sebastian blinked once at the curtain, and strained to keep his eyes shut. He groaned at the sound of the alarm clock on his bedside table going off at precisely six o'clock. It began to blurt out the news. His opened his eyes and rubbed them, kicking the covers, and sat up on the bed. The first streaks of light streamed in through the open window. Cool air blew in. He stretched to relieve his tiredness and dragged himself out of bed.
His short stay in Paris did not give him time to have a sufficient wardrobe; he had to wear clothes that he had packed along with his luggage. His packing had been last minute due to his frustration, he was only able to throw in what his hurried hands allowed.
Sebastian stared into the mirror, and he saw a different reflection. His eyes were twinkling with adoration, his face vivid with adventure.
It was covered in a white sheet when he wasn't painting. He lifted the sheet, revealing a half-finished masterpiece in progress. It was there each morning; the evidence of long toil, and the reward of a fresh new painting. In the course of one week, Sebastian had created a map of mysteries, all there to tantalize the crowd.
Then, all of a sudden, something told him that needed to get to the café- and fast. Her name rang out in his head like bells. His long legs leapt at every step, not resting, not resting until he found her...