Here's a shout-out to the ones who had left reviews. You didn't have to, but you still did, so you guys deserve some spotlight: LRW, AGW14, NotTheRedhead, and AWESOME1356. Hopefully you guys have a wonderful rest of the week!
Also: super rusty in French, but I tried. I think the Duolingo bird and Mme (French Teacher) won't be too mad at my efforts haha
XV: State of Emergency
Léonie laughs. "C'est fou, ce plan," she says, grinning at him as they walk around the nearly empty Trocadéro garden. "Faire un promenade? À 1h en matin?"
"Pourquoi? C'est tranquille," Etienne replies with a smile.
Léonie takes a deep breath, holding onto the straps of her comically small backpack. "Oui, c'est vrai."
Etienne chuckles. It's actually his preference, visiting the garden at this hour. They would have time to talk without worrying about the suffocating wave of visitors, both local and foreign.
They can just exist in this space, just the two of them.
"Wow. C'est belle," Léonie marvels as she stares at the bright lights of the Eiffel Tower. "Je le vois toujours, mais c'est la première fois que je l'apprécie vraiment."
"C'est parceque nous faisson cette promenade à 1h en matin."
Léonie playfully punches him on the arm as he laughs.
A comfortable silence settles over them, brought about by the calm breeze that promises a sweet summer morning.
Etienne steals a glance at Léonie. The way her eyes twinkle brighter than the tower and the way her grin shines brighter than the stars bring out the coward in him.
How can she be so beautiful?
He had talked himself over and over into doing this for weeks. If he doesn't take this opportunity now, he would forever miss it.
But it's difficult. They had been best friends since they were little, and he's always known how wonderful and magnificent she is.
She's Léonie – sweet, resilient, unattainable Léonie.
And he's just Etienne.
Léonie's grin slowly falls.
"Pourquoi? Quel est le problème?" he asks, worried.
She gives him a sad smile. "Il me manque," she says. "Raphael."
Etienne only stares.
An unplanned, whirlwind of a trip all over Paris – and she's still thinking about him.
Suddenly, a brave and vicious feeling surges within him. Raphael? The one that cheated on her half of their entire relationship Raphael? He's the one she's thinking about?
That angers him. How could she chase after a man who cannot see her worth? How could she miss someone who apparently didn't think much about her?
"Etienne?" she calls to him, worry in her eyes.
And just like that, the indignant feeling flies away. All that's left is pity - both for her and for himself. "Je peux mieux t'aimer," he mutters.
"Hm?"
Etienne looks her in the eye. "Je peux—"
The sky suddenly explodes, startling everyone standing in the plaza.
Looking up, Etienne sees that green lightnings have split the black evening clouds. It's a fearful marvel to behold. He doesn't quite know what they're made of, but they're so electric and angry that he knows nothing good will follow it.
He also doesn't feel good about the fact that it's all drawing towards a landmark that overlooks the whole city.
Léonie's phone is already up, recording everything with a grin. "Cool," she says.
Etienne takes a hold of her elbow, unable to tear his eyes from the disaster everyone is watching. "Nous devons partir, Léonie. Maintenant."
Léonie chuckles. "Pourquoi? Ce n'est que des feu d'artifice."
"Ce n'est pas—"
The sky crackles again, but this time Etienne feels the wave of energy around him. The air vibrates with this strange black hole of a force. It only lasts a few seconds, but it seems to have stayed much too long.
When it withdraws, it takes with it light and power, leaving the Trocadéro in darkness. The few people wandering the garden with them is left stunned as they are. Qu'est-ce que c'est? everyone dreads but do not say.
Meanwhile, the top of the Eiffel tower glows a brighter neon green now – a beacon for more bad things to come.
Etienne's just regained the courage to tell Léonie that they must leave when his best friend suddenly drops her now powered off phone. Surprised, he glances at the mobile and then her silhouette in the dark. "Léonie?"
Though he can't see much, he sees her clutch at her chest, right where her heart is. He quickly catches her as she staggers backward. "Ma…" She groans. "Ça fait mal…"
His heart skips a beat. Quickly, he pulls out his phone but sees that it's been rendered powerless, too.
Powerless.
Léonie's pacemaker.
"A-Aidez-moi!" Etienne pleads. "Aidez-moi! Nous avons besoin d'une ambulance – Aidez-nous, s'il vous plaît!"
A few people comes over to their side, offering comfort and help, while a teenager has run off, hopefully to get to a telephone.
Panic and dread continue to descend on the city as seconds lurch in an agonizing speed.
The tower, meanwhile, stands as a cold sentinel, now corrupted by a force no one below can identify.
