A/N: This was such a hard chapter to write! I hope you enjoy. Please leave a review to tell me what you think! Thank you so very much to 'bookworm', 'dancer99', 'Auras McBrooke', 'AHugInACup', ' .Fugii', an anonymous reviewer, 'Elizabeth-Jasper', and 'xxx-benedictbrothersfan-xxx' for reviewing.
I've never been to Paris, so this is totally fictitious- please, if you've been to Paris, forgive me- I'm sure it's nothing like how I've described it! Anyway, happy reading!
IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ THE BOTTOM AUTHOR'S NOTE TO CLEAR UP ANY ISSUES ABOUT YVES THAT ARE ADDRESSED IN THIS CHAPTER. DON'T DO SO BEFORE, BECAUSE YOU'LL SPOIL IT FOR YOURSELF. Sorry for the capitals, but it's important
Moving along with the general flow of commuters, I followed the crowd until I made it outside. It was a glorious day- the sun was high in the sky, and the temperature was soaring. I grabbed a pair of over-sized sunglasses from my bag, grateful for the relief they gave from the sun's bright glare. Okay, they may not be protecting my eyes very well- Primark isn't renowned for its excellent eyewear department, but at least they looked cool! Besides, I always ended up breaking them, so a cheap pair was probably best.
Weaving my way through the milling pedestrians I began to make my way towards the taxi rank. I craned my neck, trying to look over the crowd for my diminutive little sister who promised she'd meet me somewhere near here. The crowd seemed to disperse a few metres later, and I moved to the side of the pavement, leaning my suitcase against the wall whilst fishing for my phone to call her. Scrolling through my contacts I'd just dialled her number when a squealing female launched themselves at me- nearly knocking me over.
"Alice!" I laughed, delighted. I squeezed her tightly, so happy to see her after nearly a year apart. She giggled happily, as I staggered around- pretending as though she'd winded me from her over enthusiastic greeting. At just 18 Alice was a full 6 years younger than me, a 'happy accident', as my parents described her. She was nearly a full head shorter than me at 5'4, but always wore heels to make up for what she lacked in stature. Today she was my height, if not a bit taller, thanks to her platform sandals. The two of us were virtually identical in looks- we'd both inherited Mum's curly brown hair, Dad's brown eyes, and a similar facial structure, which led to strangers often passing us off as twins. Although she appeared bright, and bubbly I could still sense the sadness within her. Her eyes had dark bags under them, that even her make up couldn't hide. She'd lost weight too, not to the point where she was too thin, but close.
"You look very French, Lex" she answered- looking over my outfit. "All you need is a string of onions, and a baguette and you'll fit right in" she laughed. I leaned over and pinched her nose in retaliation, just like I used to do when we were kids. "Get off, Lex" she giggled, squirming away from my touch.
"So where are we off to, then?" I asked, picking up my bag and throwing my arm around her shoulder, as we ambled along.
"Well, I thought we could get the metro to my apartment as it's much cheaper than the train, and you haven't got that much luggage. We could pop and get some baguettes from the boulangerie next door, and then have a baguette on the rooftop of my apartment block. It's open to everyone, but no one really uses it- so it should be just us. What do you think?"
"Sounds perfect! I can't wait to get changed into a pair of shorts, and relax after the plane ride- I really need to stretch my legs."
XXX
The metro, I discovered, was very similar to the London Underground. Crowded, frantic, and a bit dingy. Keeping to one side of the elevator, I watched in amazement as businessmen sprinted past us in a bid to make their trains. One poor man even tripped up the escalator in his haste! Favouring a more sedate approach, Alice and I made it to our station in about twenty minutes, catching a couple of different trains, having had to swap lines to reach our destination.
We eventually made it to near Alice's apartment. Alice lived right in the centre of Paris- it was an affluent area, but with her gift she could definitely afford it. My younger sister could see the future. She was rather different to others with this gift, as she could only see approximately 24 hours ahead – no further. Although this could be seen as a limitation, it also meant that her visions were much clearer than other seers', and much more certain. What she saw was almost definitely going to come true- no matter what she tried to do to prevent it from happening. At 8 she'd asked my Mother why Grandpa was in hospital. Confused, my mother rang him. He was in perfect health. 8 hours later, he suffered a massive heart attack, and wound up in hospital. At 11, she saw that our family cat, Bubbles, was going to get killed by a car. We kept him inside all day, but when Dad came home from work and opened the door to let himself in, Bubbles, sensing his chance to make his great escape, ran straight out onto the road. Mrs Harris, who lived opposite, had been reversing out of her drive at the time, and didn't see him until it was too late. Bubbles was no more, and Alice was inconsolable. It wasn't all bad, though. At 16, she saw the winning Euromillions lottery numbers. Now, you could say that it was cheating when she purchased the ticket. She knew with utter certainty that the £40 million jackpot was hers. Mum and Dad did chastise her for that – we were supposed to remain below the radar, anonymous in order to ensure that the general public didn't know that some of the population possessed super-human abilities. As a compromise, Alice collected the check anonymously, and promised my parents not to spend it frivolously. The 40 million remained untouched in her bank account, before she moved to Paris. With my parents' help she bought an apartment right near to the art college she was attending, and we all considered it money well spent.
After exiting the metro we popped into the boulangerie to get the baguettes, before heading to Alice's apartment. In the shop the young, cute French owner, named Joffre, tried to chat up Alice. I didn't even know the language, but even I could tell that he was aiming for a date. Alice, uninterested in Joffre's advances, politely turned him down. Well, I think that's what she said- GCSE French meant that I could really only describe my family, and tell you what pets I had, so I couldn't quite be sure, but judging by their body language, that seemed to be the gist of the conversation. Leaving his shop, we walked across the cobbles to Alice's apartment. Just from entering the foyer I could tell that it was a million miles away from my flat back home- it had a functioning lift to start with (something that I was very grateful for- I didn't really fancy lugging my suitcase up the four flights of stairs to Alice's apartment.) Pushing aside the slight pang of jealousy that struck me as I took it all in, we moved to the lift- pressing number four for Alice's floor.
"So, want to tell me about Joffre?" I asked, wiggling my eyebrows, and nudging her with my elbow. She groaned in response.
"There's nothing to tell, Lex. He's just likes the challenge of pursuing the new British girl. Besides, how could you tell what he was saying- you don't even speak French!" The elevator began to move as she spoke, the numbers on the control panel lighting up as we passed them.
"Oh, I didn't really have a clue what he was on about. Just call it female intuition. Besides, you've confirmed it now- my hunch was right!" I cackled with glee, as I saw her realise her mistake. "You've been here for a year now, Lex" I continued. "The whole 'he's just after the new girl' excuse, no longer applies- he must be genuinely into you. He seemed nice- you should give it a shot." The elevator pinged, and the sliding doors opened as I finished speaking. Alice got out, and headed for her door as I trailed after her.
"You know I can't be in a relationship now, Lex" her voice was small and totally devoid of hope. She fished out her keys, sliding one of them into the lock, and pushing the door open.
"It's okay to move on, Alice." I say, wrapping my arm around her in comfort. "It doesn't have to be serious. You're only 18- you've got to live and have fun." She shrugged my arm off angrily.
"No, Alexis, I can't just move on!" she shouted. "You don't understand- no one does. Just stop going on about it." I moved away from her, hurt at her remarks. She sighed, rubbing her forehead as though to force some of the anger away. "I'm sorry." She said, calm once again. "I shouldn't have said that. It's just hard trying to come to terms with the fact that I lost my soulfinder at 17 when everyone else is happy, and meeting theirs for the first time. Go shower, and freshen up- I've left towels out for you. It's the second door on the left." I open my mouth to respond, but she's already walked away. "I'll make our sandwiches, while you're in the shower. Take as long as you need- I bet you need to wind down after your journey. Ham and cucumber okay?"
"Yeah, that sounds great thanks, Alice. I'll see you in a bit." I try to sound upbeat, pretending as though she hadn't upset me, and that everything was fine. Pulling my suitcase behind me I make my way to the bathroom. Alice's apartment, I discovered, was very much like her. It's full of keepsakes from home- china plates and ornaments hanging from the walls, as well as countless photo collages of us. There's Alice in a paddling pool when she was three, a photo of the whole family at Disneyland, Savannah and Jack's wedding photo amongst numerous others. It's as though the whole family's constantly with her. Aside from the photographs, her apartment is also littered with easels with half-finished paintings sat on them. They're beautiful pieces of art- ranging from landscapes to portraits to flowers, and all manner of other things. She's an undeniably talented artist, with her College in Paris endlessly sending invites to Mum and Dad to come to some of their exhibitions where Alice's art took centre stage. Unfortunately, they can't get the time off work- Dad's a surgeon, and Mum's a GP, so they just aren't allowed to take the time. It's something that constantly frustrates them, but they've learnt to accept it, and Alice understood.
Pulling open the door that Alice instructed, I gasp in awe at the plush wet- room that awaits me. The shower is enormous- partly enclosed by giant pane of glass, and big enough to fit a football team in. The room is a mix of cream and white- it's modern, but not clinical. Lifting my suitcase, I place it carefully on the dresser, and grab my toiletries. Stripping, I hop in quickly. The shower is glorious. That's the only way to describe it. It has a pull out heated seat, jets in the wall that spray you as you wash, a hand held shower head, and undoubtedly some other features that I've yet to discover. Twenty five minutes later, I force myself to get out and change, hoping that I haven't dented Alice's water bill too severely.
Dressed, I wander out to where I saw Alice move to. Calling out her name, and moving to the sound of her reply, I find myself in her state of the art kitchen.
"Enjoy your shower?" she asked, passing me a freshly made ham and cucumber sandwich and a bottle of ice cold water.
"Amazing!" I draw out the 'ah' sound, and she smiles in response- picking up her own lunch and walking towards the front door with it.
"I'm glad you liked it- I think it's one of the best features of the apartment. Well, aside from the rooftop terrace. You'll have experienced both by the end of today, so I'll let you make your own decision." Smiling, she locks up behind us and we take the lift up to the roof.
"You ready?" she asks, when we reach the top. "You can't prepare yourself for this view!" and with that she pushes open the door, and we step out onto the terrace.
She's right. The view from here is spectacular. My jaw drops in response to what I'm seeing.
"Woah" I whisper, turning my head slowly to take in Paris in all of its glory. From here you could see the whole city- the cobbled streets bustling with people, parts of the Seine as it leisurely wound its way through the city, with people in boats gliding along it effortlessly. If you looked closely, you could even see the outline of the Eiffel tower- jutting out over the skyline.
"No-one comes up here really, so normally I have it all to myself." She moves towards the little plastic table and chairs which are set up next to the wall, overlooking the city. I move to follow her, taking the seat opposite her- still gazing at the backdrop. I eat my lunch quickly, famished from the flight. Full, I turned my head to the sun closed my eyes, and allowed myself to bask in the sun's rays.
"You're gonna meet him tomorrow, you know" I didn't move.
"What are you on about Alice?" I asked "Who am I going to meet?"
"Your soulfinder, silly! He's going to be at the convention. I've seen it." Now that made me sit up and pay attention. She'd never been wrong before. If she'd seen it, it was inevitable that it was going to happen- I was powerless to stop it.
"What?!" I managed to spit out. "No, no, no!" I dropped my head to my hands. "No, it can't happen. I don't want it to happen. I don't want a soulfinder!" Alice looked up at me murderously, her hands clenching so hard on the table that her knuckles had turned white.
"You're going to throw it away? You're not even going to give him a chance? The most precious gift that a savant is given, and you're not even going to acknowledge it?"
"Don't be mad, Alice- it's my decision."
"Mad, Alexis? Oh, I'm not mad." She laughed gaily, before staring straight at me. "I'm absolutely furious." It was said with such venom, that I actually shrunk back into my seat.
"I'm sorry Alice it's just-"
"Is this because of what happened to me? Because if it is, you're being totally ridiculous." My must face must have given away the fact that her guess was spot on. "I loved Dragon with all of my heart, and I'd only known him for a few months. I wouldn't change the days I spent with him for anything! Yes, it hurt when I lost him. It hurt like hell. It was worse than anything I'd ever experienced. And, do you know what made it worse? I had seen that he was going to die- I had seen the fire. I told him, I told him not to go in it- and he promised, Alexis! He promised he wouldn't go in there! And then the fire happened. He mink-linked- told me he was going to go in and grab some stuff, and come straight back out- he said we could use it to start our life together, and that he needed to do it because otherwise the Seer would know that something was wrong, and that he'd find out about me and hurt me. I told him not to do it, I told him we'd be fine without it- I'd already won on the lottery. Money was the last of our worries. But he insisted, however much I told him not to. He was in London and I was in Derby- there was nothing I can do. And then, then, the fire became too much." By now the tears were rolling down her cheeks- a cascading waterfall that I was powerless to stop.
"And he knew he was going to die- there was no escape. I could feel the flames licking at his skin, singing his hair. He was in agony, and I could feel it too. I called the fire brigade, the police- anyone, anything, but they didn't believe me. And then, as he was dying, he told me he loved me. Loved me more than anything in the world- and told me to move on, to move on and be happy. How could I be happy without him? I told him this, but he said it was his dying wish. His dying wish was that I be happy. What was I supposed to say to that? I didn't know the answer, so I told him I'd try. And then… then… then I couldn't hear him anymore. Our link went blank- I couldn't reach him. He… he was gone. Do you know what he told me though, Lex?" she asked through her tears. I nodded mutely in reply.
"Yves Benedict started the fire. He could have stopped the flames- saved Dragon and Unicorn. But he didn't. He wanted to see them burn. And, do you know what annoys me now? All those bloody Benedicts swan around, pretending to be so perfect, so good, so wonderful. Oh, they've set up the savant net, they've captured criminals. But they're the biggest crooks of all- and they're fooling every savant in the Net. I hate them. I hate them and their family. They're the reason Dragon is dead!" She collapsed into earth- shattering sobs.
"But Alexis—I know I'm in pain, and I know I'm not the same as I was, but I'm recovering. I'll slowly get better. Don't throw away your soulfinder because you're afraid of losing them. Don't lose them before you've found them." She wiped her tears frantically with the back of her hand.
"Promise me, Alexis, promise me you'll give him a chance. Please, do it for me" I squirmed uncomfortably in my seat, trying to avoid answering. "Alexis…" she growled
"Fine." I said, resigned to my fate. "I'll give it a chance- I promise." She smiled through her tears- happy that she'd achieved her objectives.
"Thank you" she whispered, drained from her speech, the tears still flowed down her cheeks as she slumped in her cheeks. Getting up from my seat, I pull Alice into my lap- she needs the comfort right now, and she needs to let it out. I hold her as she cries, and stroking her hair as her tears soak into my shirt. "It's okay, Al" I whisper soothingly, "It's all gonna' be alright." I let her cry until she exhausts herself. Twenty minutes later I feel her begin to doze off. Carefully, I extricate myself from her, letting her now sleeping body hunch in the chair. Quickly I stack the plates, scraping the left-overs into the bin along with the water bottles. I take the plates back down to the apartment, before coming back up for Alice.
"Alice" I nudge her gently. "Alice, you've got to wake up" she mumbles drowsily, and I pull her to her feet, and putting my arm underneath her shoulder to support her weight. We stagger slowly to the lift, and then to her apartment. Moving slowly, I navigate us to her bedroom, letting Alice's exhausted body slip under the covers. Carefully, I remove her shoes and tuck the covers around her. Writing a quick note to explain what happened, and promising her I'll see her tomorrow, I press a kiss to Alice's forehead, collect my luggage and turn to leave the flat. The door locks automatically behind me, and I make my way down to the foyer. A tear falls against my will as I get into the lift. I brush it away angrily. Exiting, more fall, but I can't help it. Why is the world so cruel?
A/N: Just to clarify- I know Yves didn't deliberately kill Dragon and Unicorn- the flames got out of his control, and I think he thought they'd escaped. Alice's idea that all the Benedict's are evil is essential to the plot of the story- so her confusion over what really happened is intentional! If you haven't read 'Stealing Phoenix', then this probably won't make sense, but I'm guessing most of you have? [End of important note that I asked readers to look at at the start of the chapter ]
Anyway, so who saw that coming? Yes, Dragon, Phee's 'brother' who died in the fire in 'Stealing Phoenix' was Alice's soulfinder! He wasn't such a baddy after all (well, at least in my world!) I imagine him as someone who's like Zed underneath- he was drifting until Alice came along, but kept up his cruel façade towards Phee, even though he knew it was wrong as he didn't want the Seer to become suspicious of him and find out about Alice. I always felt sorry for Dragon's soulfinder- even though we never knew who she was, and that idea was the inspiration for the story- Alexis was a by-product (even though she's the protagonist).
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