"Prochain arrêt: la Défense", a mechanical voice resounded along the whole wagon.

- We go down here. – Alison told Emily, rising from her seat to approach the nearest door.

Emily managed to get on her feet despite the large number of people around her and followed the blonde. Just when she got up her site was occupied by the clueless lady who had been hitting her head with the huge bag slung over her shoulder half way there. The place was crowded and it was hard to not worry about the amount of oxygen available.

They had taken the subway at the beginning of line 1, since the night before Alison had come to the conclusion that it would be easier. There was a subway a few steps away from their hotel, but walking down the street and taking another line will make them avoid having to change the line at another stop.

As usual in the underground tours, the start line was virtually deserted, but as the transport moved through the city people started to transit the wagon, entering, leaving or staying. It wasn't a very large wagon so, initially, the brunette had felt lucky for the seats that Alison found them. 48 minutes standing, canned among people, didn't seem the best way to start a Saturday. But when space became crammed full of bodies, having the head at the abdomen of all those strangers was not very nice.

The blonde seemed immutable by the crowd, in fact, she almost moved gracefully dodging people.

Emily had been on the verge of an anxiety attack several times. She was sure that only with the people who'd passed in front of her during that interminable hour, Rosewood could fill each and every one of its streets.

After crashing and pushing (as gently as possible) to countless people, the brunette got where Alison was and stuck to her back, letting her scent reassure her and overshadow the others smells that mingled in the environment quite unfortunately. It was incredible that there were people that still rejected the deodorant.

The subway stopped, and the doors in front of them opened, letting them out to a hall packed with more people. There were all kind of passengers, from tourists in sandals and socks to senior executives who were more aware of their iPhones than the floor they were pacing. The mixture of languages was disconcerting, as the skin colors and facial features. The subway had become an underground Tower of Babel.

They let themselves be carried away by the crowd, looking for the exit, trying to stay as close together as possible. Emily struggled to maintain balance in the heels that the blonde had lent her. She still wondered how Alison had thought about putting two pairs of heels and the dress she wore in her little bag. When she had handed her the black high heels before leaving the hotel, she told her that now she wasn't going to hide, but to try and start a new life, and "how can I start from scratch without good shoes?"

Alison looked gorgeous, that the brunette had to admit. With her wavy blonde hair falling over her shoulders and that black dress that covered her body perfectly, without really girding her, avoiding to be too revealing, but still being suggestive, ending just above her knees.

Emily had opted for classic trousers she didn't know she had and a white shirt that she had included in her suitcase at the last minute, along with a jacket, also black. All very serious. Even the hairstyle she had chosen, a high ponytail, was formal.

And, to top the models, the heels the blonde had brought. They looked like the owners of a very successful enterprise, or the covers from a catalog of understated fashion… or two girls about to make a crucial job interview.

Suddenly, they found themselves ascending in towering escalators, on their way to the outside.

Emily felt the cold of the exterior caressing her skin with every inch the stairs climbed, it seemed like they were emerging from a terrifying underworld. She took a deep breath. Her brown eyes needed a few seconds to adjust to the daylight, but when her pupils found the right size she was speechless.

- Impressive, isn't it? – Alison said, after both had moved a bit away from the escalator. The blonde enjoyed the reaction of the other girl, now everything would be new, they could make an adventure out of the discovery of every corner of the city.

- I would have never expected this here. – The brunette confessed.

They were in a huge esplanade, surrounded by luxury and endless skyscrapers, and in front of them, an immense arc of sharp lines, quadrangular, with a certain modern look. It was as if they had taken a leap in time, from the romantic Parisian avenues to…

- They call it the Manhattan of Paris. – Alison said, carried away by the grandeur of the place.

There were plenty of malls, restaurants, offices… all of enormous proportions, extremely clean and totally crowded. Definitely not the typical image that come to your mind when thinking of that city.

- And the person we are looking for works in here? – Emily asked, watching the skyscrapers surrounding them.

- Yes, I also was surprised when I found out last night. Vivian knows who to be friends with. – The blonde commented. CeCe was overcoming herself.

- But, where exactly…?

- There. – The girl pointed to a set of three tall buildings, with the reflection of the sun, they seemed made of some kind of expensive metal. – In the Tour Total.

They passed through the little town made of large buildings and reached their destination. The Tour Total consisted on three separated but interconnected skyscrapers. They entered through the revolving door of the central building and found themselves in the typical hall off high-end offices. The floor was shining, the light, despite the many windows that the place owned, was artificial and people moved swiftly, knowing where everyone should go. In the center of the huge hall was a circular counter where three girls alternated receiving calls with online search and customer service.

- Bonjour, comment je peux vous aider? – The closest girl said and Emily tried to hide her puzzled face, she hadn't understood a word.

- Bonjour, nous avons rendez-vous avec Monsieur Demetz. – Alison answered fluidly.

- Oui, un moment. – The girl typed something into the computer. – Étage 38, bureau 1357.

- Merci beaucoup. – The blonde said with a smile, and Emily imitated her without knowing very well what had just happened.

- De rien, vous avez une bonne journée.

Right behind that circular reception were four large elevators, no trace of stairs, what would these people do in case of fire? Alison went to one of the elevators and the brunette followed her.

- Is it a good time to ask how do you know so much French? – Emily questioned quietly, looking askance at the rest of office workers waiting for the elevator, all absorbed in the screens of their mobile phones.

- I had my moments of free time while running and I used them to study French. – Alison replied.

The elevator arrived and they both entered it. It was as big as their actual bath… but triplicated. The walls were made of mirrors and soft music played in the background. The blonde pushed the button of their floor before the two occupied one of the corners, trying to pass as unnoticed as possible. Emily watched how Alison camouflaged perfectly with the environment, with the whole atmosphere, it seemed like she had been training to go to that country. The language, the streets, how to address people… she knew everything.

- Remember that we are 21 and come from Los Angeles. – The blonde said all of a sudden and the brunette looked toward the top of the elevator doors, where the numbers indicating which floor they were in illuminated as they slowly gained more and more altitude.

- Do you think Ce… Vivian would had said something about us to…? What's his name?

- I don't know, the address she gave us only said that he was Monsieur Demetz, there was no name.

They stood in silence and watched as the elevator left and picked up people until it stopped in the 38th floor. The doors opened and showed them a large empty hallway.

They exited the elevator and felt how their heels dug into the soft burgundy canvas that covered the floor. The ceilings were high and the hallway was basically made up of well-spaced doors by framed photographs that filled the gaps between offices. The walls were of a very dark gray, almost black, and made a curious contrast with the bright lights of the ceiling. The walls seemed a mining cave, the only thing missing was the shining. They advanced and found the correct office. 1357. They looked at each other, took air in their lungs and it was the blonde who dared to bring forward her right hand in a fist and knock on the door.

- Allez-y. – A male voice said from inside and Alison turned the dull doorknob.

The office was huge. Probably, if they measured it, the place would be larger than the room they were sharing. It had a great window that took up the entire wall opposite the door, from floor to ceiling, and led the view to the outside (to heaven, actually, because at that height and from the angle at which they were, the only thing they could see was that, the eternal sky). To their left was a wall that limited the room and was adorned by two pictures of natural landscapes. The wall on the right, which started from the doorframe under which they still were, was occupied by two shelves full of books and ended on the other wall that limited the office, where a sturdy table was placed, behind which a not so sturdy man watched them curiously. At his back, there was a large widescreen TV and two filing cabinets (made of wood, which none of them had ever seen before). In the center of the room there was a round table with a coffee machine and some chairs. The slabs that covered the floor were black and the walls had a grayish white color kind of peculiar. In the corners opposite to the man's table, on each side of the landscape paintings, there were a plant and one of those water dispensers with the shape of a drum throwing occasional bubbles.

The brunette closed the door and the two girls came to the table where Monsieur Demetz was sitting, to take the two comfortable seats that were waiting for them.

- I don't remember making any appointment for this morning. – The boy said with deep voice and perfect English.

Because that's what Monsieur Demetz was, a boy. He, hopefully, reached the age of 21. He has pale skin and very dark hair, plus green eyes covered by brand glasses. He wore a dark blue suit that looked a little oversized and watched them as if he was trying to guess something, resting his chin on the hands he had intertwined just after they had crossed the door.

- We are Vivian's friends. – The blonde said out of the blue and Demetz smiled.

- I thought so. But… - He focused his eyes on Emily. – I was waiting just for one friend.

- Yes… Vivian must have forgotten to mention Natalie. – Alison clarified.

- I can't imagine how she could forget something like that. – He scanned the brunette up and down and the girl shifted uncomfortably in her seat. It had been a curious look, again, but for the blonde it had been more than enough to want to scratch his eyes.

- I'm Estella. – Alison said, calling the attention of that unwary guy, how did he dare to look at the brunette so blatantly?

- Vivian told me that you were interested in working. – The boy went on, oblivious to the tension that had been created in less than a second, with that strange smile still on his face.

- That's right. – The blonde continued, looking him straight in the eye, defiantly.

- Nice, give me a second.

Instead of getting up and walking to the nearest file, he rolled the chair on which he was sitting and moved there, where he rummaged until he found a particular set of folders.

None of the girls had expected that, so they tried to not observe too attentively how he moved around the room. If his skinny appearance and that peculiar way of looking had caught them out of guard, the wheelchair had totally surprised them.

- I don't know anything about you, I didn't even know there would be two of you. Vivian hasn't told me who you are or what you are doing here, and I don't plan on asking. I hope to receive the same discrete treatment. – The boy said as he eyed the various files that were placed on the table.

Both of them shared a look. Wasn't he going to demand them any identification? A resume? They felt that if they hadn't told him, he wouldn't have asked for their names.

- Let's see, there are a couple of spots just right here. – He handed a small block of papers to each of them.

- La cuisine du le monde. – Alison read, raising an eyebrow.

- That's an international restaurant. – Demetz explained.

- Turn the page. – Emily read.

- And that's an English bookstore. – He said.

Alison and Emily didn't know how to react. A restaurant, a bookstore… all very normal, and very convenient.

- What? Did you expect brothels and seedy nightclubs? – Demetz asked, amused by the situation.

Precisely, that was what they had expected, some depraved or illegal place, or both, not just a library and a simple restaurant. Well, neither had they expected those fancy offices.

- Those places are funded by my father's company, which is a specialist in lightning systems based on renewable energy. – He explained. – From time to time I can enter the staff's lists. That's why Vivian sent you here. My father doesn't care and it's no problem for me to do the fix.

It was odd to think that he was acting out of pure altruism, who knew how CeCe would pay the favor.

- You can distribute as you want. One of the jobs is in the morning and the other in the afternoon, I don't know which is which, actually… I don't even know where they are… - He said the last words quietly, to himself. – I tried to find places where you can speak your language, I guess people don't hear much French in L.A. The only downside is that tomorrow you'll have to be there.

- Tomorrow is Sunday. – The blonde objected.

- So? These sites are open all day, every day, I think… Just read the reports and fill the requests that are on those folders. You won't have any problems.

- What if we do? – Alison insisted, everything was going way too fast and it all seemed very vague and… unrealistic.

- Call Vivian. – Demetz answered.

That's how the conversation ended. They parted with a quick handshake and left the building in silence, trying to absorb what had just happened.


- It was so… - Emily started to say, looking for the right word to complete the sentence.

- Awkward? – The blonde offered as they approached the arch which they had found just at the outside of the subway.

- Easy. – The brunette finished.

And it had been darn easy. Nobody had put them a stop, or any requirement. Isn't it supposed to be almost impossible to find a job nowadays? And more for someone their age, with little experience, no qualifications… With nothing! They had absolutely nothing. And the little they had (the passport), was a lie.

- I have the feeling that everything is going to turn against us from one moment to another. – Emily said.

- I know what you mean. – Alison said. She had the same concerns than the brunette. – But for now we can only take what we have and wait.

They took advantage of the cosmopolitan area and peeked in the shops (a very painful time for the blonde, since she couldn't buy a simple scarf) and restaurants that filled the place. They ended having a lunch based in crêpes while walking between skyscrapers.

- We have to go somewhere before returning to the hotel. – The blonde said with enthusiasm.

In the end, it was being a good day. They had decided to worry about the "work choice" later and just enjoy the morning. Emily had managed to forget her fears about the future and lock the conversation with her mother in a very deep place of her mind. Instead of playing on loop that call on her head she was trying to focus on the stunning blonde that walked beside her.

- Where do you wanna go?

- It only would be a couple of stops. Tomorrow everything would get complicated and I don't wanna spend any more days in this city without seeing anything. – She looked at her with happiness. – I want to forget everything for a moment and enjoy the place where we are.

Emily could only smile and follow her back to the subway. She would follow her anywhere, it was tested, even at the end of the world.


They went down on Les Champs-Elysées and managed to get through the vast avenue without the blonde entering any of the many expensive shops that formed it, to reach the Arc de Triomphe, from which they headed a street that led them to a square of great proportions. Yes, that was more like the Paris of their dreams, the huge avenues, trees decorating the streets, the lazy traffic that drive along in the late afternoon, families strolling, the towering monuments around every corner.

- Come on, come on, come on. – The blonde urged Emily, who was only able to focus on not falling headlong. The next time they wanted to visit the city she would make sure to wear proper shoes, and not those damned heels.

- Why are you in such a hurry? – The brunette asked. She had desisted to keep up with Alison and was walking a few steps behind the girl, at her own speed. To think that she was the athletic one…

- Because we're almost there! – She took her hand and forced her to speed up.

The whole trip seemed some kind of a route that the blonde had made. The sun was about to set, it was almost 19:45 and she was running out of time. They went through a pedestrian crossing on the run while the green light still blinked and reached their coveted destination. Alison let her heart lost all control and throb as fast as it wanted when she managed to drag the brunette to the center of the Trocadero.

- Wow. – It was all Emily could say.

They were in what looked like the hall of an amazing palace, but without roof or walls. It was a square surrounded by colonnades of white marble interspersed with golden statues, which ended in a low railing covering the entire length of the concourse, making it look like a balcony, with two staircases at each end, leading to a lower level, along which a fountain extended until the Tour Eiffel.

It was mesmerizing. The mix of colors in the sky, all orange, pink and purple, as if the horizon was burning, the water falling under their feet and the huge monument of metal right in front of them.

- Wow. – The brunette repeated.

At that moment, Emily realized that Alison hadn't released her hand, on the contrary, her fingers were intertwined with her own, and she was holding her firmly. She looked at her face. The evening light was painting her skin with a golden color, which matched her hair perfectly, her lips had parted involuntarily and she was walking as in a dream.

And then Alison looked at her, with those blue eyes glistening, filled with emotion… she was the most beautiful creature in the universe and Emily couldn't feel more lucky. No matter how crazy it all seemed sometimes, it didn't matter, she was there, and that was all the brunette needed. She would never regret treading that ground, breathing that air, holding that hand, looking at that face.

The blonde bit her lower lip and led them to the end of the square. She was speechless, the scenery was incredibly idyllic, the timing could not be more perfect and, above it all, she had her at her side. Emily… her Emily. How was it possible that the simple fact that she was there would make her so happy?

- Are you okay? – The brunette asked her softly, and she could only nod. – You sure? – With her index finger, Emily picked up the tear that had rolled down the blonde's cheek.

- Yes… it's just… sometimes you need to see something unique from a place to realize where you are. – She looked at her. – I'm in Paris, with you… - She gazed at their joined hands and moved a little closer. – I don't think I could ask for anything more.

Emily kissed her cheek and Alison shuddered. The brunette smiled, dropped her hand and stood behind her, wrapping her arms around her waist in a delicate embrace. She closed her eyes. Never before had she enjoyed that much the here and now. Her eyelids rose when the blonde's hands fell over hers, giving them a little squeeze. She felt how Alison held a breath.

The tower was changing. Just when the sky began to turn more purple than orange the tower started to shine. It was acquiring more color, gaining intensity until it was completely gold and, a few seconds later, tiny white lights began to flicker throughout the structure, it seemed that it was made from diamonds.

Emily hugged the girl in her arms tighter, and the blonde found herself lost in the warmth of the gesture and in the feeling of safety and security that only the presence of the brunette could give her.