"We're each going to take showers. We really need them. I'll start with the first one!" Lexy decreed, heading immediately to her room.
"It is not the guests who are usually kings?" exclaimed Asarys, grumbling.
"You are not guests, but pests to me!" Lexy replied, screaming from the other room.
"Never mind! I'll be the second. Sorry, Zoe."
I headed for my bag, where I had packed my things for tonight, and took them to Lexy's room to start getting ready. I heard the shower running and my friend singing Celine Dion. I raised my eyes to heaven.
"Ray will be there tonight?" I asked Asarys, who had joined me with her own things.
"Yeah, he wouldn't miss Vic's birthday for anything in the world. She's like his sister. Will it feel good to see Will again?"
"A little," I confessed. "I dread the moment, actually. He is so different from Faïz. A part of me still cares about him."
"Yes, the part of reason, you mean. Both are so different, with such beauty that one would think they are not from our world."
I repressed a smile in spite of myself. Asarys was right about William. His flawless physique made him inhuman.
"The bathroom is available!" Lexy shouted from bathroom. "I'll finish dressing in the bedroom."
"Well, I'm going next." Asarys got up with her things under her arm.
Lexy came out with her towel around her.
Dressed and made up, we were ready to leave. The cold showers had recharged our batteries. The three of us admired each other in front of the large mirror in the room.
"We no longer look anything like the wrecks we were when we come in here," Lexy said, delighted with the reflection in the mirror.
"Let's hope it lasts," said Asarys. "Don't forget that we have a few miles to go. Let's pray our makeup doesn't fuck off."
"Where should we meet David?" I asked, suddenly remembering that he was also coming to the birthday party.
"David is waiting for us on campus. He is expected to follow us with his car."
The end of the day was approaching. The sun, lower and lower in the sky, indicated that night was about to arrive. As I left the apartment, I looked at the girls. Lexy had opted for a teenage, sexy look. She knew how to dress her curves perfectly while highlighting herself. She wore a white dress with bands and a small fine touch of fake fur on her collar and waist. Her outfit fell to her knees, where her open gray velvet thigh boots began. Asarys kept a trendy working girl look with a very short top, black, slightly transparent. It surrounded her neck and closed at the back. Her black pants, as loose as possible, tightened her wasp waist. Her simple outfit nevertheless remained very elegant. My friend had taken my advice by wearing open-toed pumps. As for me, I had opted for sportswear trousers, smartly dressed, high waist, cream-colored. My golden bodysuit gave me a romantic look. The embroidery was in the right place, strategically.
"You really have a perfect, airy figure, Zoe," complimented Lexy when we arrived near Asarys's car.
"Thank you, but tonight we're all perfect."
"All Hollywood can go and get dressed," Asarys added in a haughty tone.
She turned on the radio. I t handed her my USB.
"It's Cuban salsa," I said, "to get in the mood for tonight's party."
"Let's go," she exclaimed, putting it into the reader.
Marc Anthony's voice sprang from the speakers and the sensual rhythm of his music forced us to dance inside the car.
"I love this one!" exclaimed Lexy as she turned up the volume.
Salsa always brought me back to my roots. I found in the melodies so many consonances from all horizons, Latin, Afro... The emotion that this tune gave me was particular, transcendent. The three of us wiggled to the music, while the Bentley ran at full speed through the streets of Los Angeles. The night loomed on the horizon.
Unfortunately, I couldn't guess what would be done tomorrow. I didn't know everything would turn. There was no way to pause at that moment. If I had known...
"Oh, my God," Lexy articulated when we reached the vacant lot where Asarys was parking.
David, who was following us, was parking right next to us.
"Zoe, you're scaring me. Are you sure of the address?" Asarys insisted, turning to me.
"I don't see any houses, mansions, or castles! Just a place where you can bury someone and be sure they'll never be found," Lexy added, worried.
I got out of the car, ignoring my friends' remarks. It was cooler here than in the city. It was a relief for all of us.
"William's mansion is here," I indicated to them with my finger, " I assure you. You just don't see it. Besides, it's almost dark."
The girls started walking, as did David.
"Night or no night, a house can't be missed," Lexy exclaimed.
"I don't know how anyone can miss something like that. If I didn't know you, I'd really think you were one of those cracked people," David said to me.
"Let's go," I said, "we're late again!"
As we proceeded, the top of the mansion appeared in the distance. Only the top floor was visible. My three friends' eyes widened in shock, realizing that the house was underground.
"What the hell? What the fuck?" David whispered.
"It's always the effect it has for the first time," I told them. "I warn you that the interior is also extraordinary."
"Where are we going? To the vampire ball?" grumbled Asarys.
"It's similar," I said.
Her remark made me smile. I walked up to the hatch and pulled it. It opened without any problem. Little screams came out of the mouths of my three sidekicks.
"Holy shit, Zoe! No way I'm going in there," Lexy shouted.
"I've been here before. Well, I'll admit, at first glance it doesn't look like it, but there's life underneath."
"You surprise me! The thing is: what kind of life?" Asarys grinned.
I started to go down, knowing that they would eventually follow me. I pressed the switch next to the steps and the large vertical staircase lit up, offering a glimpse of the beginning of this special place. As we started the descent, David asked me,
"Is the site open to the public?"
"Where do you think you are?" replied Lexy. "This is not a museum, David, but a private home."
"It's clear that you see mansions like this on every street corner," David replied defensively.
"You know, this staircase reminds me of the ancient chalk pits dug in Roman times," said Asarys.
"I also think," I replied, that the walls are made of chalk limestone.
"If so, it will be easy to dig in case of a landslide above our heads," Lexy pointed out.
It was Julio who came to open the door, enthusiastic to see us.
"Come on, come in. I am happy to see you again, Zoe," he welcomed us, smiling cheerfully.
He had kept his little glasses on, round with tinted lenses, which barely allowed us to see his eyes.
"I feel like I'm at the Addams family with Uncle Fester," Lexy whispered behind me.
"Shut up!" Asarys replied with clenched teeth.
I turned to my friends, all three of whom flaunted the most hypocritical smiles on their faces.
"Will you be all right?" I asked them.
"Yes, we are like little fish in the water," David whispered, mimicking it with his hands.
"You had better behave yourself," I threatened them.
Julio approached us.
"Victoria and William will be here soon. Give me your things, I'll take them up to one of the rooms upstairs."
We got rid of our handbags, not bothering to keep our phones on us. The network wouldn't reach here.
"Zoe, can you take your friends to the main room?"
"Of course. See you soon, Julio!"
He disappeared into the stone staircase. I showed the way to my friends. In the main hall, a banquet and tables had been set up. There were already a lot of people there, the Mattew family included.
"I'm not disappointed that I finally ca
me. Look at this, it's worthy of the castle of Versailles!" exclaimed Lexy.
"I can't believe my eyes," David replied.
Asarys, silent, contemplated the place, totally charmed, then added,
"You were right, Zoe. It's incredible."
I didn't know, with all the crowd, where to go. I tried to spot faces I knew. Several generations coexisted in a harmonious atmosphere with a background of classical music. Waiters wandered into the middle of the hundred or so guests, trays in hand, carrying small treats and champagne glasses.
"Zoe!" Lily called out to me, waving her arms.
We headed towards her. The closer I got, the more beautiful she was. Her long black dress from the nineties, with its timeless style, suited her perfectly. It was the first time I'd seen her with her hair tied. Her raised and puffy haircut took my breath away.
"Lily, you look beautiful," I said as I reached her.
"Thank you, darling. As you can see, there are a few more people than expected."
She pinched her lips, worried about how her daughter might react.
"Don't worry about it. Once the surprise is over, Vicky will enjoy her evening. We're seventeen years old only once, after all."
Lily relaxed and looked over my shoulder, looking surprised.
"Gee, Charles is telling me Victoria's coming."
Julio, at the back of the room, clapped his hands to get our full attention.
"The queen of the evening is coming. We'll turn off the lights for the surprise effect. Thank you all for staying quiet."
A hubbub of voices went up in the room before giving way to silence. The lights gradually dimmed until they were completely extinguished. We squeezed together, one against the other, in order to have a landmark in the darkness. Victoria's voice reasoned on the other side of the doors.
"Get your files back soon, my family is waiting for us, William. We're already quite late. My mother's going to kill us."
When the doors open, the lights came on and everyone shouted at the same time, followed by long applause. Victoria's hands went up to her mouth, in shock. She rushed to her parents to hug them. William, by her side in his tuxedo, shone. Victoria kissed him too and the music started again. My friends cheerfully called a lot of things towards Victoria. Then I saw William sweeping the room with his eyes until he caught mine. He looked like a mannequin, with his hair slicked back and his beard shaved short. He smiled at me. Obviously there was no resentment in him.
"Come on, Zoe, let's go say hello to Vicky." Asarys pushed me and pulled me away with her.
I came to my senses and headed for the person who was the focus of all the attention tonight. When Victoria saw me, she shouted my name and threw herself at me.
"You knew about this, didn't you? That it would be like this?"
She pretended to be angry with me, but the brightness in her eyes showed the opposite. She was happy to be surrounded by the people she loved.
"Don't get me wrong, I didn't know all the details," I told her. "I just had a few bits of information."
"It's a success! My parents just told me that Faïz will join us a little later. He must have gone to pick up Ray, I think."
She let go of my arm to kiss David, Lexy, and Asarys, who were around her. William joined us soon enough.
"Are you all right?" he asked me while giving me a kiss that lingered a little too long on my cheek.
"Yes. You are looking fine."
"Thank you. You are very beautiful," he whispered in my ear.
I blushed slightly and then he added,
"Want to get yourself something to eat with me at the buffet?"
Reason and heart began their inner spiritual warfare. I wanted to spend time with him, but at the same time, I knew that Faïz was coming. Unfortunately, I couldn't split in two. I couldn't decide between them.
"Go ahead, Zoe," encouraged Lexy. "And make me a plate, please. I'm starving."
My friend winked at William and he seemed to thank her with one of his smiles. The discussion began between us as we headed for the buffet. To my great pleasure, he was the first to finally get interested in my article on Trac-World. He even offered me his help for its realization, if I needed it. On our way, I noticed that the young women present for the evening had their eyes on him. They literally liquefied when he passed by. Before he helped himself, he suddenly became serious and stood right in front of me.
"I missed you," he confessed in a low voice.
Uncomfortable in front of this situation, which was taking a U-turn, I opened my mouth, but no word came out. Confused, I had to find the right words so as not to mislead him. William wouldn't make it easy for me.
"I'm very happy to see you, but I don't think this is a good time to talk, Will."
I lowered my head and hurried to fill the plates without even paying attention to what I was putting on them.
"You're right, we'll talk about it later."
His gaze, full of promise, destabilized me. I knew it had nothing to do with him being a Sylph. He released sensuality and unparalleled carnal sensitivity through all the pores of his skin. Near him, all my senses were on alert, which was completely different when he wasn't in the same room with me. His physique and charm hypnotized anyone in spite of himself. I pulled myself together to prevent the situation from getting out of hand.
"I will need the grand piano and also a big screen. Julio told me it wouldn't be a problem."
"Yes, we've prepared everything for you."
Once our plates were well loaded, we left for a table to settle down.
"I will call Lexy and the others to join us," I said, putting our dishes on the table.
I rushed, happy to find an excuse not to be alone with William, but he called me before I had time to take three steps.
"Zoe, sit down for a minute. I need to talk to you about something important."
I complied immediately. By the tone of his voice, I understood that it was serious.
"Since you're here, we think that during the evening you could take the time to look at the Callis. Only you can decipher where Athanasius might be. I wish you could have avoided that for tonight, but we're running out of time. We need you."
William was angry at himself to impose this on me, but I understood the urgency of the situation. We just had to take the lead in case Faïz hit a snag in the Nevada Desert on Monday. I lay my hands on his without thinking, and he took them immediately. His steel gaze disappeared, giving way to softness. At that moment, we heard someone clearing his throat near us. We immediately straightened up as if we had been caught red handed.
"Hi, Faïz."
William seemed to apologize for the situation. As for Faïz, he tried to keep his self-control in order to remain courteous towards his friend. Then he looked at me with a fierce and insolent gaze. William felt the tension between us.
"I'll go get your friends. They seem to get along well with the rest of the family," he addressed me in a light and calm tone. "Are you going to be all right?"
Faïz sighed and then repressed a sneer as if to make fun of him. I intervened before William had time to react.
"It's all right. We are waiting for you here," I reassured him.
He looked Faïz up and down and left, one hand in his pocket, with a determined step. For my part, I intended to have a little talk with Mr. Mattew.
"It hurts you to be nice?" I exclaimed furiously.
"Yes. I think that was a little too much for my taste!"
"No! You've been behaving in a terrible way."
He looked at me intently and drank a sip of champagne.
"Stop putting it all on me. You were cooing quietly with William, but you're not saying no to my advances, either. Who is plan A and who is plan B, Zoe?"
I didn't recognize him. His words were oozing with wickedness. I walked towards Faïz full of anger, trying not to raise my voice in order not to alert all our neighbors at the tables.
"When did you make a pass at me? You're the one who throw
s me away and makes me hope, as you please."
"So, young ones, is everything all right?"
Lily and Charles interrupted us. I hoped they hadn't heard our discussion. I put on my mask of an enthusiastic girl, wanting to say that everything was fine. Faïz did the same.
"Everything is perfect, Lily. The service is amazing, and we love it!" I replied.
"Sorry not to be able to be too present," Charles apologized, "we have to go around to everyone. Politeness demands that we take care of our guests."
"Zoe? Did William talk to you about the Callis consultation tonight?" Lily asked discreetly.
"Mom!" growled Faïz, exasperated.
"Indeed, he told me about it," I agreed. "I'll take a look at it later, after cake."
"Thank you for taking the time, especially on this special day."
Lily and Charles waved to us affectionately and went away to visit with the other guests of the evening. I resumed my discussion with Faïz, who seemed lost in his thoughts.
"I am happy to be useful. If the Callis has the answers to all our questions, we may know whether the tomb is really in the desert or not."
"I agree, but I don't want you to do anymore. Your role is only to read this book. Stay away from the rest!" Faïz said.
I took a sip of my tropical cocktail before answering.
"I would like to go back to our conversation. Last night in New York, I thought we had gotten closer, and this morning it was as if we had taken another ten steps back. Am I wrong? If you don't want me anymore, tell me once and for all, and I'll renounce you forever."
It was impossible to decipher what he was thinking at that moment. He ran a hand through his hair, obviously nervous. I had taken him by surprise and expected a firm response from him in return. He approached me, so close that I felt his breath on my cheek. My will to embrace him was at that moment stronger than anything.
"If I asked you to go out with me on Monday night, when I got back from my mission, would you wait two more days and not jump into William's arms before?"
I was flabbergasted, blinking, dazed. Faïz was asking me out on a date, a private date where no one would interfere between us. I swallowed and imagined what it would look like at the end of this one. My eyes sank into his, still a few centimeters from his face. I could almost drown in his eyes.
DARK FAÏZ Book 1: Every hero has his legend Page 26