Chapter 4:
"Bienvenue à Paris!"
Time and Place Unknown...
"Where am I this time?" I woke up to find myself not on the plane again but in another dark room. I stood up in a sitting position with my hands resting on the cold floor and before I could try to get up, I looked down this time and noticed that I was in my normal clothing this time, thank god. I looked around for a bit and noticed it looked slightly similar in a way. It looked like the same room I was in last time, except for two things. One was the big window in front of me, this time from what I could see…it looked cracked. I squinted my eyes but couldn't make it out. I got up and walked closer to get a better view of it. The window wasn't cracked at all...it was actually snow, sitting on the sill with some showing on the glass, melting into little tiny droplets of water, sliding down to the bottom of the ledge. It didn't take me long to notice that it was actually snowing lightly outside. I took a quick peek outside, snowflakes gently falling but swiftly from the blue night sky onto the snow covered ground, some falling right onto the window glass, showing their beautiful shape and design. Also with the moon shining bright high in the sky, giving the background a nice soft, mellow light blue glowing aura to it. I was mesmerized just by looking at it. It would make a great painting but not in this moment as something else has been catching my attention…the one thing that has me in a trance, since I've been in this room, other than what's going on outside…the mysterious glowing figure that was in front of me. I went a bit closer to see it better. It was a blue rose glowing brightly inside a glass dome, sitting on a small round marble table. It's petals were falling off gently onto the cold stone table.
"Woah" was all I could say.
Seeing this flower, it reminds of the one from Beauty & the Beast. One of my favourite Disney movies as a kid. I found it scary at first but soon realized it wasn't bad at all, it was actually a really good and cute movie. I also found it funny as some parts made me laugh too.
'Ahh, good times' I said in my head.
I looked at the glowing rose for a good while, it was so pretty and mesmerizing that I could easily touch the glass surrounding on the outside of the small plant…I reached both my hands out slowly but stopped just inches away from touching the small glass dome, I pulled my hands back, something in the back of my head was telling me not to go near it but at the same time…it wanted me to touch it…so I did.
I put both my hands on both sides of the glass, carefully but gently I lifted up the small dome and put it under my right arm and reached for the flower with my left hand slowly…
"Wait! Don't touch that!…"
I heard someone shout behind me but it was already too late as I touched the stem of the small plant.
I felt a bolt of energy rush through my body, I felt myself fall backwards but luckily I felt someone catch me just before hitting the ground.
I couldn't make out who it was as my vision started to get blurry...seconds later darkness was all I could see. The last thing I heard was the sound of glass breaking next to me.
My eyes suddenly opened, I still could see darkness but realized that I was wearing my eye mask over them. I lifted it over my head. I was back on the plane. I looked around sleepily, it was very quiet, everyone was doing there own thing, I looked to the girls.
Alice was sleeping, Adeline was on her headphones, listening to music probably and Vanessa wasn't in her seat, she must've went to the restroom I guess.
I laid back in my seat. I guess that lunch I had made me fall asleep again. Just thinking about it makes me hungry still.
Grilled Salmon with lemon and butter spread, roasted potatoes and mixed vegetables with a bun roll and a small butter spread.
Man, that was so good. I wasn't able to get any alcoholic drinks unfortunately because I was still under age but Vanessa got a small bottle
of champagne so I was able to share some with her since she's 19. Plus a bottle of mineral water, just to be on the safe side.
Well luckily in Paris, it's 18 to drink so I'm glad.
I went to go pull out my pink and black backpack under my seat (I didn't want it in the compartment since I was going to be taking stuff out every so often incase if I get bored) I unzipped the small front pocket, grabbed my phone and took a quick look at the time:
9:10pm
We should be landing in the next half hour or so.
I saw Vanessa come from around the corner back to her. She smiled when she saw me.
"Have another good sleep, I'm guessing?"
"Oh yeah, you have no idea" I said drastically, giving a still sleepily smile.
She raised an eyebrow. "Uh…okay then…uh so anyway…" she continued
while sitting back in her seat, "We should be there soon, within the next 20 minutes or so with the time difference too."
Paris had a 6 hour time difference than us so she's right. That's when the voice of the pilot came through the intercom.
"Hello, everyone. We are slowly making our descent into Paris, France, local time here is 9:10pm, current temperature right now is 17 degrees with clear night skies, We are just 20 minutes away from arriving at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. We hope you've had a great flight with us and enjoy your stay in the city."
I looked to the window where Adeline and Alice were sitting at, they both were trying to take pictures of the upcoming city below us along with the clear night sky above us.
As the I felt the aircraft slowly making its way down, another voice came back on the intercom.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we are starting to make our descent, please make sure that your seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright position. Also, make sure that you securely fasten your seat belt and all carry-on luggage is stowed either under your seat in front of you or in the overhead bins above you. Thank you." One of the flight attendants announced.
With that said, I grabbed my backpack from underneath my seat and started to pack my things. I didn't have much out but still. The only thing I left out though was my light black sweater. Just in case if it gets a little chilly later.
"Nervous, still?" Vanessa asked while packing her things as well.
"Uh, well, yeah but not as much before. When I woke just minutes ago, the knots in my stomach weren't there anymore, I guess all that sleeping helped me just relax and calm down for awhile I guess" I said, putting away my backpack.
"Yeah, I guess and you know what I just noticed to now?" She asked putting her backpack under her seat.
I sat up. "What?"
She sat up as well and looked at me "You've been sleeping this entire flight"
"I did my colouring book for a bit"
She raised and eyebrow "Yeah, for like what 5 minutes? After you ate lunch" She said.
"It's not fault my fault that these have small and tight spaces. Gripping those pens make my hand hurt just after a few minutes."
"Well then don't grip it so tight then"
"I know but it helps me to keep it still and steady as possible so that I'm not trying going over the lines as much."
"Ok, whatever you say."
With that said, I got up from my seat, stretched out my arms and headed to the washroom one last time. I went straight to the one in front of me, I saw the lock once more saying 'Occupied'.
I sighed. "Really?"
I walked quickly to the one on the other side.
"Alice just went in there" Adeline said behind me.
I sighed heavier, with a bit of frustration.
I walked quickly to the other two that are in the way back of the plane, both doors were open, assuming they're empty. I sighed with relief. "Thank you" I said as I walked into the one on my left side.
Seconds later...
After washing my hands, I looked in the mirror and sighed heavily.
'I swear to god, this whole entire flight I was sleeping, Vanessa was right. Was I really that tired? Maybe I was and the weirdest part about it, were those strange dreams. Now that I'm thinking about it, those rooms I was in, they looked almost the same.
Then that blue hedgehog came into thought.
'You'll find out who I am soon enough' His voice popped into my head.
'I don't who or what you are, if I don't know find out sooner or later, then I will just have to figure it out for my self instead. But…there's only one problem though… just how am I suppose to know if your an actually real being or not? Are you just something that just comes into dreams only? I don't know really but I'll just have to wait and find out I guess.' I said in my head.
All of these thoughts were starting to give me a headache.
I suddenly almost lost my balance as I felt the shaking and rumbling of the plane as it started to make its way down more to the ground.
"Woah" I gripped the sink to pull my self back up.
I was so lost in my thoughts that I forgot were going to land less than 15 minutes from now.
"Heh, whoopsie, almost forgot about that, better get back to my seat" I said.
I turned around, grabbed the door handle, slid it open and walked quickly back to my seat.
~~~~
The flight attendants were just quickly collecting everyone's garbage and leftovers before heading back to their own seats to prepare for landing.
One of them was coming closer in my direction, I noticed an empty seat on my right, I quickly sat in it so they can pass by.
I nodded as they came by, they did the same.
Once they were gone, I got up quickly and headed towards my seat.
Minutes later…
We were in our seats talking, when we heard the little 'ding', we looked to see that the indicator for seat belt has been turned on.
We put on our seat belts and just quietly waited.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, were just about to make our final descent, please make sure that all your belongings are either put away with in the compartments above you or under your seat. Also, make sure that your seat belt is on and fastened tightly" The flight attendant announced.
I could feel my heart leaping out of my chest as the plane turned to the left and made its way down even quicker.
I turned to look at Vanessa who was looking at me with eagerness but also with concern.
She grabbed my hand and gave a small smile.
"It's ok" I mouthed out.
The engine got louder as it was seconds away from hitting the ground.
This is it, this was really it. As of now, I swear on my life, I won't just promise myself but to my friends and family that I will have the best time I can possibly can have here.
It went down even more faster…faster…bump,bump…the plane's wheels touched us to the ground, it was then followed by an applause from the passengers for the pilot who safely got us down here. We also clapped as well.
It was then followed by an announcement.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, the local time here is 9:55pm and the temperature is 16.5 degrees .
For your safety and comfort, please remain seated with your seat belt fastened until the Captain turns off the Fasten Seat Belt sign. This will indicate that we have parked at the gate and that it is safe for you to move about.
Please check around your seat for any personal belongings you may have brought on board with you and please use caution when opening the overhead bins, as heavy articles may have shifted around during the flight.
If you require deplaning assistance, please remain in your seat until all other passengers have deplaned. One of our crew members will then be pleased to assist you.
On behalf of Air France Airlines and the entire crew, I'd like to thank you for joining us on this trip and we are looking forward to seeing you on board again in the near future. Have a nice stay!"
The flight attendant announced.
We waited as the plane slowed down and made its way to the gate.
~~~
When the plane came to a complete stop, everyone took off their seat belt as soon as the seat belt light turned off.
We quickly got our bags from under our seats and headed for the door as quickly as possible .
We said goodbye and thank you to the flight attendants before making our way in the dark tunnel that lead out to the entry of the airport.
Vanessa said that this airport was huge, same like ours except some areas looked different like 2 years ago when she came for Art School, the interior of it looked very stylish, red carpet, varieties of popular stores, also great restaurants that I didn't even hear about except one, Hippopotamus, from what I heard the food is really good here and the staff are very friendly.
We were on our way to the customs area but first had to wait in line for the showing for the declaration cards. I saw that Vanessa had them already in hand for presentation.
That's one of the things I like about her, she always comes prepared and ready for anything. The line up was moving pretty quick, good thing we were near the front, it was our turn before we knew it.
Vanessa showed the security guard our cards, he looked and checked them over quickly.
"Alright go ahead, merci"
We made our way down to the baggage area to collect our luggage, it wasn't busy really, especially at this time.
Once we got our luggage, we headed into the line up for the customs.
"Vanessa, call your uncle and tell him that were here and to come get us"
Adeline asked her.
"Already on it" She said grabbing her phone from her sweater.
I liked her uncle a lot, his name's Theo, he's also her Mom's twin brother,
he's lived here pretty much since him and her Mom, Juliette were born. The first time I met him was at a party Juliette was throwing about 10 years ago, he usually only comes when there's a special occasion going on or if it's for the holiday season. Vanessa was 9 and I was 8, we've been friends for only a few months at that point. Man, time flies fast, and pretty soon in 7 days, I'll be 18, that's gonna come by pretty fast too.
I suddenly felt the nerves coming back to me. I was jumping around, shaking my leg, taking a few deep breaths to calm myself down.
"Relax Kristina, you'll be fine, it's our first time too so don't make make your self get wound up about it" Adeline reassuring me.
"Yeah, she's right, this is a new experience for us too and were here to have fun, not because of you but for all of us." Alice said putting a hand on my shoulder.
I took one last big breath before speaking.
"Yes, you guys are right, we here to have fun and that's what were gonna do" I said, trying to be determined.
"They're right Kris..."
We turned to see that Vanessa was off her phone already.
"I've paid a lot for this trip and I don't want it to go to waste by you being a grumpy pants these next couple of weeks" She said.
I crossed my arms and gave a small smirk. "It's a good thing your family's filthy rich and I already said that I wasn't going too so relax."
She crossed her arms too and cracked a small laugh, rolled her eyes and shook her head at the same time.
"Your funny sometimes"
"I know"
"Anyway, what did your uncle say?" Alice interrupting us.
"He's sending over Pierre, he's just dropping off a friend of my uncle's so he'll come about 15-20 minutes to pick us up shortly" She said as we were moving up in the line.
Pierre was her uncle's assistant for years, he's been around Theo's side for a long time, he's done a lot for him. I've never met him but heard great things about him. One of them is Theo and him have actually been good friends for a very long time, they went to middle school together and have known each other since. Theo calls him his 'sidekick', 'partner in crime' or 'life saviour'. He was also Vanessa's godfather, she loved him like he's a second father to her not that would ever replace her birth father but still.
"We shouldn't be that long anyway" I said pointing to see that the line up is moving forward again.
"Yeah, its not even that busy, except for the many other people that came from our flight" Adeline said.
We looked around, the other half of the baggage and customs area were completely empty and dead.
"Prochain" the security guard called.
It was our turn to go through the baggage check.
~~~~
After baggage and security check, we made our way to the exit of the airport. Some people greeted us along the way out, mostly employees.
Before heading out, Vanessa motioned for us to come huddle by the where the washrooms were.
"Alright ladies, last call for a bathroom break, go now or else hold it in, its about a half-hour drive to the hotel from here."
As always, I didn't hesitate as I went straight in before anyone else.
"Well, obviously she was in no hurry to go" Alice said before heading in herself.
"No kidding, must've been all that champagne I shared with her and it was only a small bottle, plus that big bottle of mineral water too" Vanessa said.
"True" Adeline said
~~~~
Alice and I were watching the luggage while Vanessa and Adeline were in the restroom.
I was looking around the remaining area of the airport were in, it was huge and opened spaced, until I felt a tap on my shoulder. I looked to Alice, standing beside me.
"Oh, sorry I just wanted to see if your okay?"
"I'm fine...for now anyways" I really wasn't, my body was shaking a bit and slightly jumping up and down to get rid of the knots in my stomach, it wasn't helping. Not only that but I'd get sudden chills just standing here, it was a bit chilly in here.
She place a hand on her hip and raised an eyebrow at me.
"Maybe your still tired after all that champagne you drank"
"I couldn't help myself, it tasted so good I just wanted to drink the whole thing plus it is my birthday almost so why not start the pre-drinking before the 'actual' drinking starts."
She laughed slightly. "Your right but we'd agreed to only to have a few drinks and get tipsy, being drunk would actually make things worse, especially in a city like this, it's not safe out later at night, who knows what insane people are out there"
"Good point, it is a big city out there and were on our own too, so all of us have to take pre-cautions."
"Exactly, so don't stress yourself out too much, your not alone on this, remember that" she said, putting a hand on my shoulder.
I responded by smiling reassuringly. Just then we heard voices behind us.
"Oh my god man, that's so funny!"
"I know right!"
Vanessa and Adeline were coming from the restroom, dying from laughter but calmed down quietly as they saw us.
"What's so funny?" I asked
"I saw this video on Facebook posted and holy shit, you have to watch it! I couldn't breath!" Adeline said, still trying to stop laughing but couldn't.
"Yeah! My stomach still hurts from all that, luckily, no one else was in there so we just enjoyed it while it lasted." Vanessa said, breathing hard.
"What was it about?" Alice asked.
"I'll text you the link later, Pierre just called saying he's about 5 minutes away, let's head out" Vanessa said.
With that, we grabbed our luggages and backpacks and headed for the exit.
~~~
We were outside of the airport, the area was mostly dead and quiet, except for some cabbies and some people outside waiting.
The night sky was clear and blue with stars hanging among it, th air was mild, a gentle breeze blowing against us. No sign of the moon though, probably on the other side of the sky.
Not too long after, a small black limo pulled up. Then someone came out of the drivers seat wearing a chauffeur uniform and hat, he was a tanned colour hedgehog, looked middle age.
"Bonsoir Dames"
"Hi Oncle, nice to see you again, long time no see, how are you?" Vanessa said as he kissed him on the cheek.
"Not too bad, thank you."
He helped us put our baggage in the trunk, then we headed into the small limo. Vanessa headed to the front of the car with her godfather while Adeline, Alice and I went into the back. I got stuck in the middle unfortunately, I always felt squished in and could never find the seat belt because it's always wedged in the little pockets underneath.
Pierre then headed into the driver's seat. "Alright, everyone all buckled in?" He said.
A bunch of "Uh Huhs", "Yeps" and "All good" were all heard in the car.
"Alrighty, then we're off!" He started the car up and headed down the main road.
40 minutes later...10:30pm
We pulled up to the hotel, from what I could see, it had a glamorous and classic look to it, marble and stone on the walkway and walls, satin red curtains surrounding the big glass door. The area surrounding it was dark except for the porch lights that were on.
"Here we are girls" Pierre said pulling up to the front of the massive building. We got out one at a time, I followed Alice out from the left side of the car.
We got our baggage from the trunk and started to head towards the front door.
"Thank you for driving us here Oncle." Vanessa said.
A bunch of "Thank you's" were said from the rest of us.
"It's my pleasure, anything for my niece and her friends"
We started to head in but Pierre stopped us.
"Oh wait a minute girls, before I forget…"
We stopped to turn at him.
"Theo's going to be hosting a Masquerade Party this coming Thursday in honour of Miss Kristina's birthday"
Everyone turned to me. I suddenly felt shy.
"Oh, wow, really? I don't know what to say. That's really nice of him he didn't to have to do that really but how does he know it's my birthday that anyway?"
"I emailed him way before hand just to remind him to mark it in his calendar" Vanessa said.
"Oh, right you told me I forgot"
She rolled her eyes playfully.
"But, anyway tell him thank you that was really kind of him" I said.
"I will" Pierre said, taking his hat off and bowing his head to bid us farewell.
"You girls have a goodnight now, and be careful out there, it's dangerous out there at nighttime especially with those rumours going on"
We all looked at each other then back at him. A sense of worry came over all of us.
"Ok, I've been wanting to ask this for awhile now but are you sure these are just rumours or just a myth?" Alice asked.
"Well, it used to me a myth many years ago but as you know, the years have went by and people now a days have been seeing glimpses of something blue with yellow eyes wandering around the streets of the city at night, some people have now been claiming it to be the grand son of the late King Jules the I."
"The one who left his kingdom after getting bitten by a vampire?" Adeline asked
"Yes, that's him. You girls seem to know a lot already about this, don't you?" He asked.
"I already told them before we got here. But not the whole thing as were going to Avalon Castle for a private tour on Wednesday"
"Ah, yes, that's right, Theo has told me. Such a beautiful castle, I've actually went inside of it one time but not for a tour...an investigation"
"Investigation, what for?" Vanessa asked.
He got serious for a moment.
"I have friends who investigate on the paranormal, we went inside to figure out some clues as if this 'being' is real or not. As the years went by, after people have been seeing and reporting about it, they wanted to give him a name to call him by, every so many years, they would give him a new name to call him by, people would refer to him as either "The Mysterious Figure" or "The Blue Blur" but after hearing the back story, people thought long and hard that these names don't suit him, then one day they came up a with a name that would suit him and his backstory perfectly."
"And that would be...?" I asked, putting a hand on my hip.
He was about to open his mouth, when his phone rang, the ringtone to it sounded very catchy and serene, I've heard it before, Vanessa had the same one for her Dad.
"Nice ringtone, french accordion background music, I like it." I said, nodding my head.
"Why, thank you, it's very lovely, I just love that kind of music" He smiled, while grabbing his phone from his pocket.
He looked to us. "It's your Tante, she's probably wondering where I am, I better take this, you girls should head inside, it's getting late."
"Yes, Oncle, thank you again" Vanessa said.
"Anytime, I'll send you the information for Thursday's party in couple of days, you girls have a good night now" He said running around back to the drivers seat.
"You too!" We all said waving back to him. He started the car and drove out towards the road, he honked before heading out.
Adeline crossed her arms and sighed. "Well, that was the most weirdest conversation that ever happened".
"There just rumours guys alright, they may or may not be true, not every myth or rumour is ever true, right?" Vanessa said, reassuring us.
"I guess" I said.
"You make a good point" Alice said.
Look, it's been a long day for all of us, don't forget we've all gotten up a bit early to get here. So, why don't we just turn in for the night?" Vanessa said
Before anyone could answer, all our stomachs growled, we looked down towards them.
"Right after we get something to eat" she stated.
"And just where are we going to get food exactly? Pretty much everything is closed really." I said
"I'll ask the front desk and see" Vanessa said.
"Sounds good to us" Adeline said.
Everyone nodded with her.
With out wasting time, we grabbed our stuff and headed in the hotel's front doors.
~~~
Inside looked very vintage but had that classy, glamorous hotel look. We all looked around and had looks of astonishment planted on our faces.
We went up to the front desk to check in.
There was a young orange female fox lady at working at the computer. She looked up when she us come up.
"Bonsoir, mesdames, comment allez-vous tous ce soir?" She asked us.
Adeline, Alice and I exchanged confused looks as we didn't know how to answer her, we hardly knew or spoke any french.
"I assume you girls don't know how to speak french do you? She asked us. "That's all right"
"Uh, not really, sorry about that, but she does" I said putting a hand on Vanessa's shoulder.
"Ah, je vois, vous devez être d'ici, je suppose?
"Été tous du Canada mais j'ai une certaine famille qui vit ici" Vanessa said in french.
"Canada, huh? I'm planning on going in December for the holidays with my sister, we too have family there as well" She said, smiling.
"Wow, really? That's great! You'll love it there, especially at Christmas time!" She said all happily.
"Yes, I've never been there before, it's my first time going so hopefully your right!"
They both laughed.
"Well, someone already made a new friend" Alice whispered to me.
"Yeah, I can tell there having blast alright" I said.
She cleared her throat "So, anyway I'm assuming that you girls were just about to check in, am I right?" She asked.
"Oh, right, we were actually. Guess I got caught up in the moment there."
She sweat dropped, her face flushed red, nervously.
"That's alright, these things happen pretty much all the time, now then, can I just get the first & last name please..."
10 minutes later...10:47pm
We got our key cards for our assigned rooms. We got all have the 'Premier Junior Suite' on the 5th floor.
I was actually kind of anxious to see what the room looked but I'm sure it'll look great.
"Enjoy your stay ladies! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask, my name's Diana" she said.
"Actually, I do. By any chance are there any restaurants that are open right now? We didn't have dinner yet and it's getting pretty late." Vanessa asked.
"Mhm, well, we do have some very good ones close by but they're closed around at this time pretty much, unfortunately. There's actually a McDonalds not to far from here, it's open 24 hours, just head down to your right here, make a left on Rue La Boetie, then another right on Av. des Champs Elysees and you'll see it on your right hand side, it's just 10 minutes if you walk"
"Mhm, well, I've actually been craving for chicken nuggets for a awhile now so we can do that, anybody else agree on that?" Vanessa said.
"I do!" Adeline raising her hand up and down like a child.
"Good enough for me" Alice said.
"I've been craving for a McChicken so let's get going" I said.
"Let's go to our rooms first and put our stuff down, then we'll head out. We can unpack our stuff tomorrow after breakfast."
We all nodded and headed towards the elevator.
~~~
The elevator came to a halt and its double doors slid open for us to go out.
We stopped for a minute to get ourselves together.
"Alright, key cards out…" Vanessa started.
We all pulled out and showed our cards to one another.
"Awesome, now everyone knows which room is who's right? Remember were right next to each other at all times and most importantly…do not lose these little guys, got it?" She said sternly, pointing her card at one another.
"Got it!" Alice said.
"Yes, ma'am" I said.
"Copy that!" Adeline said
"Ok, good, everyone has it, now let's hurry, my stomach's getting worse by the second" Vanessa said hearing her stomach growl, agreeing with her.
"Your not the only one trust me" I said.
She smirked at me.
With that we headed to the rooms just ahead of us.
~~~
I slid my card down in the slim key slot.
'Beep'
It flashed a small light of green, indicating that the door's unlocked.
I headed inside and locked to door behind me.
I took a quick look around.
I was wide eyed, astonished.
The room was so huge and spacious, it looked like it could be a mini apartment. I walked towards the king-sized bed and took off my backpack, which was starting to hurt my shoulders, put it on there to rest it for now.
Beside me was a cozy little lounge area with a medium sized flat screen tv, below it was a brown wooden dresser with gold handles, a red velvet sofa, with an extra lounge chair just across from it and lastly was a small black and gold glass coffee table with some books resting on the bottom shelf and some on top, a small little tea set, pastries I'm assuming, were set in a fancy stand-up plate with a glass cover, lastly to complete it was simply a bouquet of white flowers in a glass vase.
I was amazed, everything in here was simple and cozy. I walked over to the doors of the balcony, I opened them, stepped outside and looked over to see just a small round table with chairs tucked underneath, on top of it sat drinking glasses with a small bottle of regular and mineral water.
But that wasn't the first thing I noticed.
My eyes set toward the view in front of me, in the background was a faraway scene of the city that lies ahead, lots of buildings in the back but the one the caught my attention, in the far distance, I could easily make out the Eiffel Tower, I've always seen it in movies but this the first time I'm seeing it in person, I've never gone so hopefully we get to go inside and go up to viewing area where we can see all of Paris.
"Nice view, huh?"
I turned to see Vanessa a few feet beside me, admiring the view herself.
"Yeah it is" I turned back towards it.
We stood there for a minute until Vanessa spoke again.
"Well as much as want to look at this awesome view, I wanna go have chicken nuggets, they're calling me to come get them."
I laughed slightly under my breath.
"Yeah, same" I said
"Let's get going then, before I change my mind, it's already after 11pm, the girls are probably waiting for us downstairs"
"Your right, let's head down"
With that, we headed back into our rooms and back out towards the door to the elevator again to meet up with Adeline and Alice.
~~~
Bye the time we got downstairs, the girls were sitting in the main waiting
area on the velvet couches.
They were talking when they saw us coming.
"Took you long enough" Adeline said.
"We were admiring the view from our balconies, is that a problem?"
Vanessa said, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah it is"
"Well, relax, were here now so let's get going"
"Good, cause I can use a Big Mac right about now" Adeline said, getting up along with Alice.
We headed towards the front doors, we waved to Diana before leaving, she waved back.
"Be careful outside girls" She said
"Yes, we know, thank you" Vanessa said.
Were outside in flash, the air still felt mild, with a small breeze hitting us.
We started heading down towards Rue de Ponthieu.
The streets were quiet and dead, very few people were outside, mostly porch lights were turned on. Walking down here felt like being in those mystery/murder shows minus the spooky fog included.
We were talking among's ourselves when I felt something on my left black and pink running shoe, I looked down and turns out my shoe was untied, I was probably just stepping on the shoelace and didn't notice.
I quickly stopped and went on my knee to tie it.
"There"
"Meow"
I turned my head slightly right, a black cat with golden eyes was staring at me.
"Oh, hi there" I said while stroking his head. It then started to rub its body against my leg, I then heard loud purring coming from it too.
I continued to pet and stroke its head, side cheeks and chin for a few more seconds. I then stood up on both my feet again, I smiled sadly, then sighed. It saw me get up and sat in front of me, it then stood up for a few seconds, raising its paw at me, either telling me to pick it up, goodbye or to stay.
"I know, your so cute, I wish I could stay here longer but I can't"
I bent over slightly and stuck my hand out.
"Well I have to go now, can I get a little kissie before I leave?" I asked it.
It came closer, started to sniff my hand, hoping it would lick me a kiss, instead I just got a head butt from it.
"Eh, close enough" I said standing back up.
It then started to run off towards the dark ally way on my right, I watched it go behind something.
I squinted my eyes to get a better look but even with the lights from the street lights, I could hardly make out the figure. All I could see was the figure's shadow and something else…another pair of golden yellow eyes staring back at me.
My eyes slightly widened, my heart was beating fast, I wanted to run back to the girls but for some reason, I just stood there instead...intrigued.
Staring into those eyes, it seemed all too familiar to me somehow. It's like they're calling to me…to come back to them.
I then heard a voice in my head.
'We meet again stranger'
My pupils dilated slightly.
"No…fucking…way" I said in my head. I couldn't tell if I was lost or confused. I had to find out. I took a couple steps forwards…
"Kris! Kris!"
I snapped out of my thoughts and heard the girls shout at me. I looked to where they are, not far ahead.
I looked back in the ally way, the golden-eyed figure was still standing in the same spot, still looking at me with glossy eyes.
I looked back at the girls then again at the figure.
I sighed.
I quickly ran back to where the girls were standing.
"Hey...sorry about...that" I said running out of breath.
They looked at each other than back at me.
"What?"
"What happened back there?" Vanessa asked.
I looked back towards where the figure was standing. I sighed then look back at everyone.
"I don't know to be honest, thought I saw something"
"It's probably that cat you were just playing with" Adeline said.
"Look Kris, I know how much of a cat lover you are but you know some of that some of them are strays, living out on the streets, they could be very sick, you don't know what diseases or viruses they could be carrying. You did the same thing when you went to Italy with your family years ago" Vanessa said
"I know but you guys know me, as soon as I see one then I can't help myself!"
Vanessa sighed "Were not trying to be mean or anything but were just trying to protect you, that's what we do best, don't we?" Putting both her hands on my shoulders.
"Yes" I said rolling my eyes.
"Besides, the whole reason why were here is to celebrate you" Alice said.
I softly smiled. "Yeah, your right"
"Good, now that were clear, let's keep going, my stomach's getting more worse by the second"
"Same"
We started back down the street again towards the restaurant.
~~~
September 12th, 2014, 11:48pm
We came back to the hotel, nice and full from eating greasy food (sounds gross but everyone loves McDonalds, right?)
"How was the food girls?" Diana was still at the front, getting ready to leave for the night.
"Greasy but good" I said
"Normally I'll only get McDonalds if I'm in a hurry or something like that."
She said
"Same" Vanessa said.
My Mom was the same, she not a big fan of it either but if were a hurry or just want something quick than she'll just get it.
"Well, I'm done for the night" Diana said, putting a bag around her shoulder. "Hopefully, I'll get to you girls again soon, I'm off for the next few days"
"Oh, sweet, maybe we'll bump into each other out there!" Alice said all giggly.
"Maybe…well you girls have a good night now"
"You too" we all said, starting to yawn.
"Well, now we can turn in for the night and get some shut eye"
A bunch of nodding followed by "Uh huh's" and "Yeps" while yawning every 5 seconds.
"Let's head up, just seeing everyone else yawn is making me yawn"
Adeline said, yawning again
"I'm telling you, it's contagious" I said, walking towards the elevator, with the girls following behind.
~~~
September 11th, 2014, 11:51
We reached our rooms about to head in.
"Night guys, see you in the morning" Vanessa said.
We exchanged our 'good nights' to each other and headed into our rooms.
I trudged over to my bed and plopped myself on it.
I grunted.
Man, I'm pooped out, this has been one of the weirdest and strangest days of my life.
First those dreams…then that hedgehog…and those eyes.
Come to think of it, those eyes, for some reason seemed familiar, way too familiar.
Funny thing, the hedgehog I was with in my dream had the exact…same..ones…
A crazy thought came to me, I sat up with my eyes slightly widened.
No, it couldn't be him, could it?
I don't know. Like what Vanessa said, not all rumours could be true but from what I saw tonight…this one could actually be real…but then again, no body really knows for sure if it's actually him or not. No body really has actually been able to see him fully. Even Pierre and his paranormal investigator friends are try to figure this out too.
I sighed.
Maybe I'm just imagining things, it's been enough of a stressful day, I just need a good night sleep, that's all.
I pushed the thought away and went to go get ready for bed.
~~~
September 12th, 2014, 12:13 am
I came from the washroom all freshened up. My teeth brushed, face washed, hair tied into a bun and was in my deep red long sleeved PJ shirt and black striped loose PJ pants, which were also a deep red.
I went to go turn on the little lamp that was on my night side dresser before turning off the main light, so that it was wasn't too dark in here.
Before hitting the bed, a thought then came to me, I walked to the left door that led to the balcony and slid the curtains open slightly, to let some light in here, just in case if it's complete darkness in here.
Not that I'm afraid of the dark but sometimes have a hard time seeing where I'm going usually. It could be so dark that I either hit against something, walk into a wall or door without noticing it and hurt myself. That's happened a few times back at home, I'd go to use the washroom in the middle of the night and out of nowhere, I bump myself into a wall without seeing it or stub my toe against the short legs of the bed or the edge of a door.
It's painful when I think about it.
I walked back to the bed and sat on it, slid under the covers to get comfy.
I check my phone for any notifications, I saw a text from Vanessa.
"U gotta see this video, it's hilarious af!"
A link was included for the video.
Before watching, I decided now's the time to text my Mom. She'll probably get up soon anyway for work.
I went on Whatsapp and sent a quick message to my Mom.
"Got here safe and sound, landed around 9:30pm, was going to message earlier but got occupied with things, going to bed in a few minutes, love u 3"
I sent it and went back to Vanessa's text and opened the video link.
The link brought me to Facebook, it was a Youtube video from The Big Bang Theory, it was a compilation of Sheldon Cooper's best & funniest moments.
I almost burst out laughing when I saw that immediately.
I hardly watch that show but I should watch it more often, I always die of laughter just watching it but usually if I see that it's on, then, I'll watch it.
Especially Sheldon, just watching him, like OMG, I literally start laughing as soon as I see him. He's one of the best characters on this show, I swear. Even though I don't watch the show that often, I'll never get tired of him, ever.
I was halfway through the video, I was able to hold my laughs in majority of the time but at points couldn't help my self and burst out laughing, there were times where I laughed so hard, I had tears coming out of my eyes, also most times I couldn't even breathe for a second and started coughing a bit.
But, eh, come on, I don't blame myself, they made this show to 'die for'.
The video was about finished and from all that laughing, it made me even more tired, my eyes were starting to get heavy. Time to hit the hay.
I turned off my phone and was about to hit the pillow when I caught something in the corner of my eye, for a second there, I thought I saw something through the window, I got up and walk to the balcony doors, I peeked through the curtains slightly.
Nothing.
I sighed
I'm honestly too tired to deal with this, it's been too long of a day and need to get some sleep.
I headed back to bed and crawled underneath the covers.
I looked back towards the window again one more time, still nothing.
I could've sworn I saw something…like a figure was standing right outside on my balcony…but it disappeared as soon I saw it. I did see its shadow however but couldn't make out the shape of it.
I've only been in Paris for like a few hours and weird things are already starting to happen. Maybe I'm being a bit paranoid about this.
Whatever, I shock the thought away from my head, went to go turn the my lamp off and plopped myself on the pillow.
I fell asleep with in a few minutes.
