"Immortality does not exist here on earth, but I live longer than any human being."
"That is to say…?" I insisted, amazed.
I slowed down in order to gain precious seconds.
"Our life expectancy varies between one hundred and thirty and one hundred and fifty years," William explained to me.
Shocked by this revelation, my brain undertook mental calculations on everything that came to my mind at that moment, and then I finally added,
"Oh... Indeed, that's a lot of time..."
Beastly cries in my direction startled me, preventing me from finishing my sentence. I quickly understood that we had been spotted by Asarys and Lexy, who were running towards us like two real furies.
"Look at that!" Lexy teased me by standing in front of us with eyes sparkling.
"I think we missed something," Asarys said.
"Hi, girls." I cleared my throat uncomfortably. "Uh... This is William."
He greeted them courteously, but I felt a sense of restraint on his part towards my two friends, showing me a side of him I didn't know. His smile had literally faded, setting limits from the beginning. Apparently, I was the only one to have that impression, because my two gossips winked their eyes like two idiots, completely hypnotized by my guest's charm and class. Incomprehensible whispers escaped from their mouths.
"How are Ray and Lucas?" I interfered so that they would come to their senses as soon as possible.
"Who? I don't know who you're talking about," laughed Lexy while continuing to stare at William.
I shook my head and lifted my eyes to the heavens.
"Come on!" Asarys ordered us, regaining herself faster than her friend.
She pulled me by the arm, which, to my great regret, made me drop William's arm. I followed her, held firmly, while Lexy took my place behind us.
"You go from brown to blond?" whispered Asarys discreetly in my ear.
"It's not what you think," I murmured nervously, feeling things getting tough.
She turned to look at William with a forced smile on her face.
"Of course, Zoe! You tend to hold anyone's arm. That's exactly you," she growled with her teeth clenched, trying to get me to confess to something I had forgotten to tell her.
"Shut up!" I pushed her away with my elbow and laughed.
"I'm warning you, I want to know everything. Season one, two, and three, with all the episodes of your fucking rosewater series."
Asarys pointed at me, threatening. Lexy then came between us and pushed her to take her place beside me.
"It's my turn!"
Asarys complied, moaning, and moved behind beside William. The interrogation, but this time with the good cop, continued.
"When did this start?"
"Nothing has started!" I rebelled as discreetly as possible. "He's a friend of the Mattew family, that's all!"
I hoped with all my might that William could not hear anything from our stormy conversation.
"Oh yes, I see... It's just sex."
"Lexy, can you stop talking nonsense?"
I discreetly dodged a glance behind me. Asarys and William were chatting without paying attention to us.
"Do you like him?"
"No," I replied without looking at her, so that she would not notice my smile that betrayed me.
"Little liar! Look at you, you can't even hide your crush on that playboy."
When we arrived by the fire on the beach, the group welcomed us warmly. It was with relief that I appreciated this little moment of respite, knowing full well that my two friends did not intend to stop there. I started to go around the people gathered and say hello, noticing in passing some new faces I didn't know.
"Clara, my little sister, and Christophe, my cousin," Baudoin said, introducing me.
"How are you? You also live here in LA?" I asked them.
"No, we come from France," replied the little redhead with short hair and freckles on her cheeks.
We exchanged a few words together and then I continued my tour of the group, approaching a young brunette woman, who looked rather reserved, also holding a drink in her hand.
"Hi," I said with a little wave of my hand. "I am Zoe."
"I am Karine," she introduced herself. "I am a friend of David's."
He appeared next to me at that moment.
"That's it, the introductions are made?" David declared, satisfied.
"Yes, I finally met the famous Zoe," Karine exclaimed cheerfully.
"You see, my dear, you are already known as the white wolf around here," confided my friend to me with a wink.
Unexpectedly, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me a little apart.
"Who is this young Apollo?" he asked me with a nod towards my guest.
"William, and we're not together. We met today."
He squinted his eyes as if to probe me better before adding,
"You don't waste any time. Finally, you're hiding your game well. Zoe and her secrets. You will always be a mystery to me."
In answer, I slapped him on the shoulder with a friendly slap.
"He is so cute," he admitted, looking at him from afar from top to bottom.
"Stay away from him," I warned him jokingly.
There were about fifteen of us listening to pop music around a makeshift fire. Morgan, David's boyfriend, was also present, but Ray was not there. I immediately made the link between him and Faïz and reminded myself of the latter's insistent calls in my absence. Maybe he left me a message? When I slipped a hand into my pocket to take my phone out, I noticed that I didn't have it on me. Damn it, I left it in William's car, I remembered. All in all, it was a a good thing. It allowed me to spend a so-called "normal" evening.
"Victoria didn't come with you?"
Asarys appeared near me. William, on the other hand, talked with the other boys in the group while often giving me little sneaky glances.
"No, she wanted to rest for a while. I wish she was here, too."
There was a little moment’s silence between the two of us before she resumed the conversation.
"So?"
She persisted, waiting for me to answer questions she had not even asked yet, but whose content I already knew.
"Yes, to tell you the truth, I feel good with Will," I finally confided to her in a soft voice.
"He literally devours you with his gaze," she pointed out to me. "You give the impression that you have known each other forever."
"I feel the same way. It's crazy."
"And Faïz?"
"With Rachelle."
"I suspected so, but do you think William is an option to finally get this man out of your head?"
I raised my shoulders without really knowing how to respond to that.
"I really want to forget him, Asarys. For the first time, I managed not to think about him, and it feels good. Faïz is the storm, and William is serenity."
Asarys seemed convinced by my words, but did not tell me what she really thought.
FAÏZ
Meanwhile, in a disused warehouse near Downtown, a small group of people gathered, chaired by Karl Barthey. About ten men of different generations listened attentively to the words of their interlocutor, who was standing in front of them. Faïz, set back from the group, was leaning against a dilapidated wall that threatened to collapse under his weight. Zorrick and Belize, on the other hand, were standing next to the inspector, tablets in hand, ready to carry out any small order from their superior.
"The Dome tells us that confrontation is now inevitable. Our government and that of the other countries of this world give us little time to win this war."
"What will happen if we fail?" asked one of the men in the group with a strong British accent.
He was in his forties, with a neglected biker look. His clothing needed a little makeover, because it looked tired. The inspector looked at him for a moment, searching for the most appropriate answer possible, although none came to him. He then chose to tell the truth.
"The D
ome is programed to destroy California, like an atomic bomb, but with five times the power. All the people of this state will die if the situation gets worse."
A hubbub of protests then invaded the premises, followed a few minutes later by a calm Olympian. Faïz chose this moment to come out of the shadows and question the inspector.
"Are they so stupid to think they can get rid of The Maestro by blowing up the Dome with all its inhabitants? If this is the case, then the whole of humanity is condemned to disappear!"
He walked towards Barthey, staring at him with his dark eyes.
"For the time being, this may still be the best solution," the man said.
"Bullshit!" exclaimed Faïz, "do you think we're in a game of hide-and-seek? We can't capture the devil himself, don't you understand? The Maestro is not a physical person, he is there and everywhere at the same time, like the air. Not all the weapons in the world will be able to stop him or send him back where him came from."
"I know," the inspector stammered, but...the decision is not mine.
He turned to the small crowd in front of him and added,
"Delinquency continues to increase day by day. It is increasingly difficult to contain it, even with all of you who are Leviathans and who have agreed to help this city in its darkest hours. The attack in the middle of LA last September was not the work of an unbalanced person, but that of this demon. He enters the weakest minds, feeding on their hatred. Chaos is knocking today at the gates of the City of Angels."
"Did you find the trail to the tomb?" asked another guy in the middle of the group, just as muscular and tattooed.
The inspector took a look at Faïz, who spoke.
"No, we combed every square meter of LA and found nothing."
"We're all going to look for it!" exclaimed a man in the crowd. "We'll get there. We will search every grave on this earth, if necessary."
All approved and applauded to show their motivation. Faïz knew that he was not alone. He could count on these Leviathans gathered before him tonight. The inspector approached him to whisper important information in his ear.
"Look, I don't know how to tell you, but a riot broke out at Pelican Bay Prison earlier this evening."
Anguish immediately overtook the young man. Pallid, his face drained of blood and his features distorted. For the first time, he felt he no longer had control of the situation.
"Remy Ogres?"
"No, don't worry, he's still in the high-security area, but nine prisoners escaped from block one eleven. Ogres was not one of them."
He let out a sigh of relief and then his heart returned to a more normal rhythm.
"All right, I'll take care of the prisoners on the run."
Faïz moved away from the inspector and disappeared into the darkness.
8
I accelerated my walk in the big U-shaped corridor, for fear of being late for that morning's meeting. I had already been doing my internship at the "So Home News" press house for two months. I had no choice but to make my mark quickly. Service men were busy removing Christmas decorations in the aisles, but also at the reception desk.
I thought back to that celebration with the Mattew family and the beginning of the new year. My father was unable to join me because of the very strict controls limiting entry into the country. The September attack was the ideal excuse to pass these new measures. I was very saddened at the time, especially since that time of year was very important to me. Fortunately, the Mattew were the ideal substitute family. Christmas Eve was a memorable one. I had met the family on Lily's side, who had come to visit us for the occasion. Faïz's parents had given me beautiful earrings, inlaid with a solitaire diamond from Tiffany. The expensive gift had made me uncomfortable, to say the least. Moreover, Lily had wanted me to wear them immediately. I had received a Dior handbag from Victoria, my first from a luxury brand. As for Faïz, he had placed a pair of pink and gold Louboutin sneakers on my bed in the evening, which I had discovered when I went to bed. For my part, I had offered everyone original gifts full of attention, and their reactions when they discovered them was a pleasure to see.
William had taken me on Christmas Eve to a large park not far from the city. The place, worthy of a fairy tale garden, had left me speechless for a moment, so beautiful was the place. The smell of flowers perfumed the enchanted garden. Inside it, there was a small square, decorated with cobblestones where small light shafts sprang up on either side of the ground. The lights were reflected on the flowers and trees that adorned the park. Around it, raised terraces indicated that the square also served as a stage for performances.
"What shows are playing here?" I'd asked William.
"Orchestras come to perform here, classical in general."
"It's breathtaking. The Garden of Eden could not be more beautiful."
"I knew you'd like it. You have the soul of a romantic."
William was patient. We were spending more and more time together, and it was starting to show up around us. However, I was still waiting to feel that spark that wasn't coming. I really liked him, but the truth was that a part of me still wanted Faïz. All possible efforts to stop listening to my feelings seemed futile to me, although I hardly paid any attention to him anymore. He was just as distant with me, and impulsive when we spoke to each other. I could barely pronounce William's first name in front of him.
"Are you ready to hear the song I wanted you to hear?"
"What do you mean? Here? Now?" I answered curiously, still standing in the middle of the square.
"Zoe, did you think I brought the Bluetooth speaker with me for nothing?"
I remained doubtful, which made him laugh and then he added, "Look at what a Sylph likes to play with."
I still didn't see what he was getting at. He connected his iPhone to the Bluetooth speaker and Adele's voice took possession of the place, echoing in the park, which was emptied of its population. William walked a few meters away from me, leaving me alone in the square, and then placed the palms of his hands on the ground. At that moment, a show of water jets propelling more than ten meters high came out of the ground, thus taking the rhythm of the song. The jets varied in intensity, creating a magical aquatic show, enhanced by the luminous zones on the ground. I was soaked, but the spectacle unfolding before my eyes was emotionally impossible to contain. Tears ran down my cheeks. Yes, William was certainly right, I had the soul of a romantic, and that night, when he joined me at the end of the song, my hands caressed his face and my lips kissed his.
I opened the office door a little too abruptly, like a hurricane, noticing that the meeting had already started. My colleagues, who stared at me, sat around the large oval glass table while my manager, Mrs. Bonny, editor-in-chief, who was approaching her fifties, stood by the large painting in front of them. She hid behind her little glasses, eyes highlighted with a black pencil line, giving her a most authoritative look that was accented by a plunging blonde square. As soon as I entered the room, she looked daggers at me. I would have liked to disappear at that very moment.
"Well, Reyes! Are you going to stand there, or distribute the damn copies you're holding in your hands?" she whispered in an unpleasant voice.
I did so promptly, confusing myself with apologies.
"I'm sorry, the photocopies took me longer than expected—"
She raised a hand in front of me, making me understand that I had to be quiet.
"God! These interns will drive me crazy," she sighed before continuing where she had stopped.
As I went around the table, my colleagues sympathized and encouraged me with small, benevolent smiles.
"Agustin?" Bonny called, "is the article on Malcolm MP's embezzlement case almost finished?"
My passive, pale-skinned colleague sitting in front of me was one of the few to adopt a relaxed attitude, and seemed hardly affected by the authority of his superior.
"It should be completed by the end of next week," he replied serenely.
The young man must have been in
his thirties at the very most Agustin was undoubtedly a true passionate workaholic. Indeed, as a journalist in the field, he wrote his own articles himself. Bonny confided to him the most important investigations and could not do without him, hence her blatant favoritism of him. Agustin, like many other journalists in California, had an unlimited admiration for The Black Shadow, and his best articles were about Faïz. I had seen the extent of the phenomenon now that I had a foothold in the press. Everyone was trying to get exclusivity on this modern-day hero, which, of course, made me smile from the inside. I was the youngest in this room, and even in the whole building. Maybe that was why my role was reduced to making photocopies all day, layout, and translating videos or letters for my colleagues. Actually, nothing really exciting.
"That's perfect, Agustin."
She then addressed the entire team.
"I would like you each of you to work on the next article to come."
Bonny turned around, her black and white suit perfectly highlighting the curves of her slim silhouette. Her hand found a red felt pen that she used to write on the board, in large letters, 'TRAC-WORLD'. My head spun, and all my neurons began to connect at the same time while my concentration was at its peak. My sudden state did not escape Agustin, who gaged me with a curious look.
"Well," continued Bonny, "everyone knows that this year, this pharmaceutical giant is changing its leadership. The heir..."
She began to consult her notes on the corner of the table in front of her, glasses down on the tip of her nose, and took a few moments to go through them. Then she resumed her speech.
"The heir is Faïz Mattew. This is an event that must be covered. I will need as much information as possible for the occasion... Oh, yes, the group's head office is in New York. This may be one of the most complicated articles to write, knowing that the family never lets anything escape in the press. There is obviously a whole omertà around that name."
DARK FAÏZ Book 1: Every hero has his legend Page 16