"Are you all right, baby?" she asked him in a gentle and comforting way.
"It's just one more day," he whispered as he hugged her.
Faïz kissed her on the forehead as he stroked her long, smooth hair.
"Rachelle, I need to talk to you about something."
She stepped back to better observe him. The steel blue of her eyes reflected a certain concern. She had been sensing for a few months that Faïz could one day leave her, without knowing for whom or for what. She had always known that an evil was eating away at this young man she loved so much, but it was impossible to know what it was all about. Faïz, without realizing it, restrained her with one hand to prevent her from fleeing.
"Nothing serious, I assure you. I have to go to New York on Thursday for an important meeting. I'll be back on Saturday."
Rachelle's face relaxed, relief replacing doubt for a short while before Faïz added, head down, "I'm taking Zoe with me."
The young woman immediately removed her hand from his. Her facial features distorted in anger when she heard the name she hated more than anything.
"That's out of the question!"
"Look, it's just for work, for her internship. It's important to her."
She crossed her arms and stared at Faïz angrily.
"And what's important to me? Does it matter?"
"Of course." Faïz began to get impatient.
He was walking towards her, but she stopped him with both hands, obviously determined not to stop there.
"You have to choose now! It's either her or me. If you go to New York, it's over between us. Come on, Faïz, another member of the family can do it for you. I don't know, William, for example. From what I've heard, they get along more than well."
"No way!" Faïz protested in a burst of impulsiveness that he immediately regretted.
Rachelle put her hands over her mouth to muffle a scream.
"So I was right," she whispered. "It's her. It's been her from the beginning."
Faïz looked up to stare at the ceiling and then closed his eyes, confessing in a low voice what he feared most.
"Yes. It's been her from the beginning."
9
The heat wave of the last five days was unbearable. Despite the air conditioning in the house, the heat had embedded itself in the walls, making it impossible to completely cool the rooms. It was only four in the morning and my forehead oozed at the slightest effort I made. I was struggling to fill my suitcase, not really knowing what to put in it. In New York in January, I had to expect a much more polar temperature. However, some freshness would not hurt me, since if I had been put in an oven at that time, I would not have seen any difference. We could hardly set foot on the streets of Los Angeles, the air was so heavy and suffocating.
I went to the bathroom to get my last toiletries and then combed my hair, making with two big braids, one on each side of my head. I wanted to be confident during my whole trip. It was then that I heard my phone vibrating, which was sitting on my bed. I rushed to it immediately. Faïz. My heart raced.
I'm in front of the villa.
I'm coming.
I threw my toiletries in my suitcase and hurried to close it. The corridor was plunged in darkness. My cell phone lit my path as I went downstairs. I turned on the living room light to take a last look at it so I wouldn't forget anything important. I then put on my pair of Stan Smiths and opened the door of the villa. When Faïz saw me appear, he got out of his McLaren dressed in a polo shirt and brown canvas low-waist pants, and rushed to help me put my suitcase in the trunk even though it didn't weigh much. We were only leaving for three days, and considering the personality of the person I was with, I didn't think I would have any fiesta evenings. I sat in the car, soaked, and the air conditioning immediately revived me. The fresh air made me want to live again.
"You can rest a little if you want. It'll be almost thirty minutes before we arrive at the airport."
His voice was low and kind to me.
"It's all right, I had a good rest," I lied.
I had been unable to stand still for the last week, for two reasons: the first was that I was excited at the idea of writing my first article for the magazine. The second, much more laughable, was sharing this moment just with him. I still remembered the very early morning phone call David had made to me at work, almost a week earlier while he was in the halls of the university.
"Zoe, you're never going to believe me. Don't hurt yourself by jumping all over the place. No sprains or broken voices tomorrow. No—"
"Damn it! Spit it out, David! I'm literally liquefying on the spot, and I have to save my energy just to stay alive right now!"
"Rachelle and Faïz. It's over."
The phone handset, held a few centimeters from my ear to prevent it from sticking to my skin, crashed into my temple.
"Stop messing with me, David. Okay, tell me everything. When? Where? How, and at what time?"
"I'll tell you all about it at noon at The Teagan. See you later."
"No! Don't hang up!" I begged him. "It's barely nine o'clock. I can't wait."
David hung up on me without saying anything. I guessed he must have been very proud of his little effect. The longest morning of my life had just begun.
A very beautiful song by Norah Jones quickly brought me back to the present moment. The soft melody that accompanied her beautiful voice literally transported me. The night gave the illusion of a peaceful calm over the city. At this hour, we saw very few people on the road. Faïz took the opportunity to drive a little too fast.
"I haven't seen you much in the last few days," I hesitated to say.
"I have my exams coming up soon, and a thousand things to take care of outside of that."
I knew, of course, what it was about.
"I'm sorry for you and Rachelle."
"Are you sure?" Faïz stared straight into my eyes.
"Yes, this time I am," I answered with complete sincerity.
He concentrated again on the road without a word. What was he thinking about? I would have liked to ask him what had happened between them, but I felt that this was neither the time nor the place to talk about it. After a short moment of silence, he resumed.
"We will arrive in New York at 4:00 p.m. local time. We will go directly to Trac-Word to introduce you to the current CEO. This will allow you to start your investigations the next day."
"Will you stay with me?"
"Yes, I'll be with you. However, tomorrow I have a lot to do. You'll be surrounded by a very good team. Don't worry, I have it all planned."
I smiled at him as a thank you. I guessed that he had gone out of his way in order to establish a tailor-made schedule to receive me in the best conditions, as well as to mobilize staff who would be able to guide me around the premises.
"Are you eager to take over the reins of the kingdom?"
"I've been preparing to fulfill this role since I was a little kid. It's just another formality for me."
"I understand too well what you mean," I sighed as I looked at the road.
"What do you mean?"
"Fulfill a role. It's the same for me. Everything I thought was true wasn't. There is no coincidence in my life. I am right where you've expected me for eighteen years."
Faïz seemed disoriented by my words.
"I...I didn't know, Zoe. That this was how you felt about it. You still have your free will."
The palpable anxiety in his voice made him almost fragile. He looked at me while keeping an eye on the road.
"There is no free will at that level. My mother often told me that I was her miracle. This word, which was so trivial to me at the time, is now taking on its full meaning. You and I are not from the same world. I am created in the image of a celestial being. Me, who lost what little faith I had several years ago. Isn't that the height of the situation?"
"This is all real, Zoe. It is not a question of faith, ethnicity, or religion. It's more than that. You're the talisman herself, a diamond o
f innocence. Your soul contains all the goodness of the world that exists here on earth. You represent life, blessed with mortals, but also with Gods. You have the power to destroy evil and save humanity."
"What if the beauty of this world isn't enough?"
"You have to believe in it, always. Even if there are many ugly things around us. I know that The Maestro wants to reach you in order to destroy everything good in you, and he will try in every way possible. Please promise me you'll always stay the same."
"Yet, part of me feels so angry, part dark. I love peace, but violence often takes over when the revolt in me is too great."
My remark made him think for a moment.
"Yes, that's normal. You're human. But it's nothing compared to the good you're destined to do."
He gave me a protective look.
We arrived at our destination without any obstacles. A valet standing in front of the airport departure gate seemed to be waiting for us.
"Hello Mr. Mattew, Miss Reyes," he greeted us.
"Thank you, Alex. Deposit my car in its place, in the basement of my building," he told his butler.
"Very well," the man said, rushing about. He was in his forties, with a short, neat cut, and was dressed in a dark suit without the slightest crease.
He got behind the wheel of the McLaren and started it without delay. Faïz naturally picked up my suitcase in addition to his travel bag. Once inside the building, I was surprised by how few people were in this huge airport. It was only five in the morning. Maybe that was a big part of the reason for their absence.
"I am so used to seeing LA with a crowd that I can hardly believe what I see," I confided to Faïz.
"Entry and exit into and out of the country are now highly guarded, if not almost impossible. Your father's absence at Christmas attests to these new measures."
"Yet your father still lets you travel as you wish."
"I work partly for the government, at least for the moment," he grumbled resentfully in a low voice before resuming. "Many people are trapped here by this Dome. The reasons given are new, with often lengthy reforms to get a visa and a promise that everything will be back to normal as soon as possible."
"But that's not true, is it?"
His serious look proved me right. The damn Dome alone was a real sanctuary. A horrible thought crossed my mind: what if Faïz wanted to put me on the first flight to Paris? After all, New York would be the perfect excuse.
"Show me the tickets!" I said in a panic.
"What?" He stared at me, stunned.
"I want to see the plane tickets!"
Faïz in turn looked at me, full of mistrust, not understanding my sudden change in behavior.
"We'll go to the company's private lounge and you'll calm down there. Okay?"
My reaction had irritated him, but I persisted by firmly reaching out my hand in his direction. He gave in, giving me the tickets with an angry gesture. My round trip to New York/Los Angeles was well stipulated. Moreover, in business class. I blushed, ashamed by my disproportionate behavior, at the limit of paranoia.
"Is that okay? As you can see, I was not mistaken about the destination," he said in an acid tone.
"I'm sorry, Faïz. I was thinking... Well, I was afraid you'd want to get rid of me."
"You don't say!"
Offend by his remark, I gave him as black a look as possible, realizing that I would have to put up with his moods for the next three days. He walked away from me quickly. After a few minutes of walking, we went to the First Luxe Polaris lounge. A young hostess with endless legs, batting her eyelashes at the sight of Faïz, welcomed us to this very private, top-of-the-range high lounge, with a hushed atmosphere and subdued lighting. End of the world or not, the rich always had the right to their crown of power. I sat down in one of the chairs, which instantly began to massage me. A wall inscription indicated the location of the spa—with showers. A background of soft music floated throughout the large room. After an hour of waiting, half-asleep, a soft female voice began to resonate throughout the room, which woke me up. It was time for us to board. Faïz put away the files he'd been working on. As he passed through the boarding gates, his phone started ringing. He hesitated for a brief moment to pick up and then approached me, whispering,
"Get in, I'll meet you there."
Before I could even say anything, he disappeared from the room, leaving me alone with the chills his breath had caused.
"Madam? Your ticket, please."
A second hostess with a perfect bun and impeccable clothes held her hand out to me. I reluctantly gave her my boarding ticket, turning around one last time to try to see Faïz. Getting on that plane without him made me nervous.
"Bon voyage, Miss Reyes," the hostess said with a big smile.
I was accompanied to a private cabin, well separated from my neighbor's. I was pleasantly surprised by this ample space. A bed with real bedding was waiting for me, as well as a very generous catering service. I did not dare to look back at the economic class, being far too ashamed of my status as a privileged woman. I considered myself a daughter of the people, ready to give this place up, if someone came to ask me for it.
"Madam, would you like a glass of champagne?"
A hostess appeared in front of me with a tray, on which several glasses and alcohol were placed.
"No thanks."
She nodded politely. In many states, alcohol consumption was very strict, so it was better not to laugh about it. I noticed that the plane was much less full than when I'd arrived in Los Angeles. I saw myself at the airport again, waiting for Lily, eager to meet my new family. That old life seemed so far away from me... That Zoe was gone. Faïz suddenly reappeared at my side, and my fears and questions vanished.
"Sorry. I had to take the call," he justified himself in a low voice.
"Nothing serious?"
"No. Are you comfortable? You don't need anything?"
"It could be worse."
"Yes, there was a timing problem with our jet," he replied with an amused look, visibly getting into my game.
He stared at me with a charming look that I didn't recognize. I turned my head, uncomfortable, towards the hostesses, who had taken her place in the aisles to give us instructions, as well as the recommendations in case of problems on board. Once the act was over, we took off for New York. The first light of dawn lit up Los Angles, and the view from above was simply magnificent. The Airbus slowed down when passing the Dome, which was darker than the first time I had crossed it. From then on, there was no longer any question of an almost invisible sail. My stomach knotted, realizing that there were very few things on this earth.
Faïz had fallen asleep, right there, a few centimeters from me. Busy watching him, I didn't even notice that my film had just ended. My eyes began to wander around us and then landed on his phone, sitting next to him on the armrest between our two seats. Instinctively, I looked cautiously around, failing to believe what I was doing. My heart beating quickly, I ventured into dangerous territory. I didn't even imagine how Faïz would react if he suspected for a moment my bad initiative. He would certainly kill me on the spot, disapproving of my behavior.
Once. I'll just press the keyboard once and then stop. My inner devil was fighting with my good conscience.
My finger touched the iPhone screen and I saw Rachelle's portrait appear at that moment. A violent hammer came crashing down on my chest. Disheartened, I didn't have the strength to continue what I had started and preferred to leave it at that.
I looked through the window, tears coming to my eyes, and for once I allowed them to flow discreetly down my cheeks.
I saw myself again with David, Lexy, and Asarys at The Teagan that Wednesday at noon, after my friend's phone call.
"According to rumors, no one knows if it was him or her who wanted to end their relationship," concluded David.
All three of us were hanging onto every word.
"Of course you must have had something to do with it," Lexy said
to me.
"Perhaps he simply opened his eyes at last," Asarys replied with open joy.
"I'm afraid to hope for something I shouldn't. I don't know how many times I've said I'm going to turn the page on this man."
"No, don't turn the page, just change the chapter," Lexy persisted, trying to convince me not to give up on him.
"Did you see Rachelle on campus?" I asked David.
"Oh, yes, the poor thing. I must admit, she's only a shadow of herself now. The situation is rather terrifying."
I was not thrilled about this news. Strangely enough, I was saddened for her, despite what we might felt for each other. We both loved the same man, and I couldn't help but put myself in her shoes.
"Wait, don't tell me you're sorry for her?" Lexy asked when she saw the look on my face.
"Yes, a little. We must not rejoice in the misfortune of others."
"She rejoiced when she slapped you!" Asarys muttered, shrugging while drinking her strawberry diabolo, which inevitably caused David and Lexy to burst into laughter.
I wished I could have been with them right now. Asarys would have found the right words while Lexy would have minimized the situation. It was over between them, but her pictures filled his smartphone. I hated the feeling I had at that moment, and understood that she was the one who had left him.
Faïz woke me up when we arrived. It was very difficult for me to surface, my eyelids seemed so heavy.
"Zoe, we have to go. We'll go straight to the hotel if you want to rest."
"No, it's okay. It's okay. I prefer that we go directly to Trac-Word. Just give me a minute."
The plane had already emptied of passengers and we were the last to get off. The hostesses lined up in front of the Airbus door wished us a pleasant stay. All six of them, hypnotized by Faïz's charm, didn't even look at me.
DARK FAÏZ Book 1: Every hero has his legend Page 19