DARK FAÏZ Book 1: Every hero has his legend

by Sandra L. Kiss

  During dinner, I reassured Lily as best I could. I suspected she had been worried about me all day. When I told of my meeting with Lexy and Asarys, she breathed a sigh of relief. From the corner of my eye, I watched Faïz on the sly. Something seemed to bother him. I would have liked to see him smile even once during the meal, but that didn't happen. Miss Arlette cleared the table, which had emptied itself of all its people. Charles had gone to his office, Victoria had already gone to her room, while I finished watching the news in the living room, curious to know if they were going to talk about this mysterious hero again, the famous Black Shadow. Suddenly, Lily's pleading murmurs outside the front door, trying to convince Faïz not to go to his appointment, caught my attention.

  "Not tonight, please, honey. He can't just ask that of you."

  "The others are too far away, and you know the situation is becoming urgent!"

  "When will all this end?"

  The emotion in Lily's voice overwhelmed me.

  "It hasn't even started yet. I have to go now. Don't make things more complicated," he insisted.

  I approached the front door. Faïz took his mother in his arms and hugged her affectionately. What secret could this family have been hiding? Under this warm atmosphere, I felt in each of them a hint of sadness, anxiety, and a bit of darkness. When Lily came back to the living room, she hid her wet eyes behind a wide smile, but the sorrowful features of her face betrayed her.

  "Lily, are you all right?" I asked, worried.

  "It's nothing," she tried to convince me.

  "I wish I could help you. If...I could get an explanation of what's going on."

  She came closer to me. I felt she wanted to talk to me, but after a few seconds of hesitation and an inner fight, she pulled herself together.

  "Zoe, was there something you wanted to say to me? What was it about?"

  This sudden change of subject disarmed me.

  "Uh... I would like to take a job on campus."

  "Why?" she replied, frowning. "It's going to be too much with your classes. Let us help you financially. We can afford it."

  "I know, but I'm very independent by nature. I need to fly on my own."

  Lily looked pleasantly surprised. She then nodded and added,

  "I understand, but if you ever feel that it's too hard to keep up with both, you stop immediately. We're here for you, no matter what."

  "Okay," I reassured her. "However, I will not have the same hours as Faïz or Victoria. I'll take the bus for the trips when necessary."

  "No," objected Lily, "you'll take my car. Do you have your license?"

  "Yes, only since this summer, but I assure you I don't need it."

  "I prefer that you take it," insisted Lily. "Taking the bus in the evening is not recommended here. I prefer to know you are safe."

  "Okay, well, thank you."

  I took her in my arms. I wanted to comfort her so much. What was happening? I didn't know.

  I prepared to go to bed, tired from my first day in Baylor, when I saw a box on my dresser near my bed. Inside it, I discovered a brand new Samsung smartphone. A small note had been carefully placed next to it.

  Now you can call! Faïz

  My heart tightened, touched by this gesture. I could finally get some news from the people I loved. Quickly, I started transferring all the numbers from my old phone to the new one. When I opened my contacts, Faïz's number appeared. He had already entered it. I allowed myself, for a brief moment, to hope for what my unconscious wanted most before my reason took charge of suffocating my feelings.

  Next week went by at full speed. The main occupation of the students in Baylor that Friday was to prepare for the weekend. The addresses of the parties were exchanged by text messages or social networks. Baudoin had managed to get me the job at the campus cafeteria. I shared the service with David, another student who had trained me in the position over the past few days. At first sight he shy by nature, but the feelings were perfect between us. Complicity had even developed over the days. David had gestures and an often clumsy speech that made him endearing. His great passion was computer science. He could talk for hours about programs or software that I didn't understand anything about.

  I defended him often. He was a little different from the others and was mocked a lot in public. How could anyone demean a person who did not fit the criteria of a golden youth? As soon as I could, I flew to his rescue by taking his place behind the cash register. Within a few days, we had become inseparable friends. Even though David was a year younger, he was now part of our small friend group. Lily had asked me to invite my girlfriends over during the weekend or in the evening after courses. They were welcome in Elora.

  Lexy and Lucas became inseparable. Despite a relationship between them, which was obvious to us all, they weren't making anything official yet. I spent a lot of time with Victoria. I liked her naturalness, her character. We could spend hours together in our rooms talking about everything. Asarys had a party on Saturday evening with her sorority, and she insisted that I be present at this event. I had no choice but to accept.

  Taking advantage of the beautiful day, we took our lunch break outside on the campus. Baudoin was talking football with David while Asarys was talking with a friend from New York by FaceTime. I hadn't seen Faïz since that Monday evening. When I asked Victoria about him, she told me that he had a lot of work to do, but that he would try to come to the villa over the weekend. I hadn't seen him in the halls of the university, either. It must be said that the institution was huge, and our schedules were different. Yet he always invaded my thoughts.

  "That look. He means everything," Lexy teased.

  I didn't hear her coming towards me.

  "What are you talking about?" I defended myself, I'm thinking about tomorrow's party.

  I was hoping that my diversion would be effective. Unfortunately my new friends were getting to know me. Indeed, my emotions were getting harder and harder to hide.

  "You go on the defensive every time we talk about him, Zoe," added Asarys, who had just hung up with her friend.

  "You never wanted to open his bedroom closet, breathe his shirts or, touch his underwear?" Lexy continued with her twisted mind.

  I sighed deeply as I felt the conversation deviate from its path. Fortunately Lexy changed the subject in a hurry.

  "Hey, before I came to join you, I ran into Barbie and her gang," she laughed. "I can assure you that if their eyes were bullets, I would already be dead by now. It seemed like they wanted to kill me."

  "Lexy, you spend your time provoking them with your sneaky smile. That's normal, and you know they are numerically superior. You must not forget it," Asarys replied.

  "These girls, they are real pests. Asarys is right. We must not play their game, even if I admit that they drive me crazy," I added.

  "They spend their time staring down at us from above. Especially Barbie, she's the worst. I can't stand her," Asarys said.

  The bell began to ring, telling us that it was time to go back to our courses. David left first on his own. I'd see him later in the cafeteria. In the corridors of the university, Faïz was still not to be found. I could not hide my disappointment.

  The trade course passed slowly. Our teacher, Mr. Kalansky, recited his speech in a monotonous way, which us made the last few hours sleepy. Around me, I saw more than one sleep dive. I forced myself to stay focused. A lot of evaluations were waiting for us next week. I would absolutely have to study as much as possible that weekend. It was true that my work in the cafeteria did not help me, but it was essential.

  I had survived that first week and even better, I had appreciated it. With the girls, we hurried out on campus. They accompanied me to the cafeteria. After a few steps in the open air, I stopped suddenly. In the distance I recognized Faïz, who was coming to meet us.

  "Your boyfriend is here!" shouted Lexy.

  I gave her a quick, murderous look. They started walking a few meters behind me, leaving me with a semblance of privacy.
My two sidekicks didn't seem to want to miss a thing in our conversation.

  "Are you all right?" Faïz asked me, once he reached me.

  "I'm fine. I haven't seen you in a week."

  Embarrassed, he preferred to look away.

  "I had a lot of things to deal with," he finally said. "Did you need me?"

  "No, but..."

  I was about to finish my sentence when I heard a female voice calling Faïz in the distance. I looked around to see who it was. At the time, I thought it was a joke, not believing what I was seeing. Horror, the plague that was nicknamed Barbie and many other names, was coming towards us. Everything happened very quickly, in just a few seconds. I saw her throw herself around Faïz's neck, happy to see him, and then gave him a light kiss on the lips.

  "Baby, I was looking for you," she whispered in his ear, her face gently radiating with happiness.

  I looked at Faïz then Barbie, Barbie then Faïz. God, no... She was Rachelle. What a nightmare! Behind me, I heard whispers full of fear, rising in intensity. My friends were watching this bad scene as if they were watching a TV reality show. All they needed was some popcorn.

  "Rachelle, do you know Zoe?"asked Faïz, apparently embarrassed by the situation. "She's been living with my parents for almost a week."

  Rachelle seemed surprised by the words.

  "We know each other in a certain way. She and her friends nicknamed me 'Double Face' around the university," she whispered with hatred in her eyes.

  Bitch! I was getting ashamed.

  "No... It's... Your first approach wasn't... You misunderstood," I tried to defend myself.

  "I think it would be better if you both got to know each other," Faïz advised us, staring at me severely as if he was discovering another side of me.

  Then he looked at Rachelle again and nothing seemed to exist for him anymore. I was on the verge of a heart attack, disgusted by what seemed like a big joke to me. He finally turned around to me. I stared at him, completely lost. At that moment, he felt a certain uneasiness towards me. Rachelle, feeling her beloved escaping from her, took him by the hand and pulled him slightly towards her.

  "Baby, let's go. Remember, we have to spend the evening together, just the two of us."

  She gave me a look of victory that was the final punch to knock me out.

  "Zoe, see you later," Faïz said in a low voice.

  Still in shock, I did not answer. The discussion ended there. They both walked away, together, hand in hand. Suddenly, the two faces of my friends appeared in front of me, reminding me of reality.

  "What the hell is this?!" Lexy shouted.

  "Tell me this is a bad joke, girls. Did you see what I saw?" I said, still dazed.

  "After reflection, I advise you never to rummage through his drawers, or even his wardrobe, Zoe," Lexy replied, shaking your head before adding,

  "God knows what you might find inside."

  "Why her? Anyone, but not her. I am cursed," I grunted, desperate.

  Asarys and Lexy each took me by the arm, and we resumed our walk towards the cafeteria.

  "Thank you, girls, for your comfort," I said, in a gloomy tone.

  "If we're holding you, it is mainly to prevent you from running under the first car you might see," Asarys explained to me.

  "Oh, you're exaggerating."

  David looked at me with a worried eye.

  "This is not the time, Dave. Zoe has just been stamped. Give her a good drink," Lexy continued, always with the greatest exaggeration.

  "Lexy, instead of bullshitting, let's sit down and let Zoe work, " sighed Asarys, annoyed.

  "Will you be all right?" she asked me, anxious.

  Asarys always had the right words at the right time. I nodded in response. My two friends went to sit in a corner of the cafeteria while David tapped the counter with his fingertips, waiting for an answer to a question he hadn't even asked yet. Faced with my silence, he crossed his arms, which indicated to me that he was getting impatient. I then decided to confide in him.

  "It's Faïz," I said in a whisper

  "I knew you had a crush on this guy," he replied, raising his arms to the sky. "So tell me what's going on with him!"

  "He's been in a relationship for some time with a girl named Rachelle, and I just discovered that this Rachelle is actually Barbie."

  "Oh no, I'm not buying that! Come on, stop messing with me. What's the real problem?"

  I stared at him, discouraged. He understood then that I wasn't kidding.

  "You mean Baylor's hottest Apollo is sending his time with...that?!"

  "Be careful. I knew he had someone, but looking at reality was a real slap in the face. You should have seen her, so proud and happy to humiliate me."

  David left in a hurry to take orders. The earth had not stopped turning. As I watched David, I noticed that he had changed his clothes.

  "Do you have an appointment?" I asked.

  I wasn't going to let him get away with it so easily.

  "I confided in you. Your turn, Dave!"

  "Okay, it's Morgan. No one knows about us. Thank you for keeping the information to yourself," he whispered as he continued his service.

  "You can trust me."

  I pretended to lock my mouth with a key. He thanked me with a little wink. Asarys and Lexy came to the counter to tell us goodbye. It was time for them to go home.

  "I'll see you tomorrow at the party. I am counting on you," Asarys added, pointing to all three us.

  She then walked away towards the exit, repeating to me to be brave and not to let myself go.

  "Wait for me!" Lexy shouted at her, running behind her. "It's too dangerous for you out there."

  She hurried.

  "Dangerous? No! The Black Shadow watches over this city," Asarys replied confidently.

  They disappeared in the distance, only their laughter reaching us. At that moment I noticed that the cafeteria had almost emptied. I took the opportunity to exchange a few words with David.

  "Do you believe in The Black Shadow?"

  "Of course. Everyone in LA believes in him. He's more than just a legend, Zoe."

  "What the hell is he? Who is he?"

  "That would go back several decades. While Los Angeles had its highest rate of banditry, someone decided to take matters into their own hands to stop the escalation of violence. We don't know if he acts alone or if there are several of them, but in a few years, the city became one of the safest in the United States. Pelican Bay State Prison in 'Del Norte County' was built to house California's biggest criminals. This prison is reputed to be the safest in the world, and inviolable. The Black Shadow is at the root of most of these arrests, and the police continue to use him for all major cases. Why do they call him The Black Shadow? Simply because you can walk down the street and suddenly see a big shadow moving next to you, so you look around or look up and see that there is no one there. The shadow has simply disappeared. He watches over each of us. You who want to become a journalist, maybe one day you will have the privilege of writing an article about him. Anyway, I wish you the best."

  David wandered off.

  I'd hung on to every word, fascinated by his story. The people of Los Angeles believed strongly in this character and worshipped him. Yet no one wanted to know more. The inhabitants had a hero and nothing else mattered to them.

  "Good evening."

  A young man with a matte complexion and light eyes came to the counter. His natural charisma and elegant physique did not go unnoticed.

  "Is David here?" he asked politely.

  I looked around, but I didn't see him. He must have gone to the back.

  "I'll go get him," I replied to the young man. "You are?"

  "Morgan."

  After the surprise, I gave him a big smile, happy to meet him. I went to the back of the cafeteria, finding David putting away milk cartons.

  "Morgan is here," I happily told him.

  "Damn, he's early. I'm not finished yet."

  "Leave it, I'll
take care of it. Go to your appointment."

  "Thank you, Zoe."

  He hugged me and went to join his friend.

  The day ended. After calculating the cash register and taking care to close the cafeteria, I went out into the open air and took a deep breath. It had gotten dark without me noticing. I rushed to the dimly lit campus parking lot to pick up Lily's Mustang. I was looking forward to going home and finding the Mattew family and my room. The place was deserted on that Friday evening. Baylor emptied of all its population had a completely different face. The darkness covered every corner with a mysterious silence.

  I could hear my footsteps echoing on the concrete when suddenly the dull echo of other footsteps called out to me. I turned around, but saw no one. Cloudiness was my only company. Fear seized me, and an alarm signal instinctively coursed throughout my body.

  Don't give in to paranoia, Zoe. It's nothing.

  I accelerated my pace until I ran the last few meters to my car. Once inside, I immediately locked the doors. My pulse was beating very fast, and I couldn't catch my breath. When I turned the ignition on, the Mustang refused to start. I didn't insist for fear of drowning the engine. The panic shook my guts. I felt a presence there, very close to me. I could hear the footsteps approaching, but I couldn't see anything in the dark. I grabbed my phone from my bag, trying to make my brain work, paralyzed by fear. Asarys lived the closest. I had difficulty dialing her number, but after several rings, she didn't answer. I eliminated Lexy, who was too far away. David had already left. I pinched the bridge of my nose to think. Faïz! Without thinking any further, I decided to call him.

  "Zoe?"

  He answered immediately in a deep voice. I burst into tears.

  "The car isn't starting, there's someone following me, I don't know what's going on. I..."

  "Don’t move," he ordered me, worried by the sound of my voice. "I am coming."

  He hung up immediately without me being able to add anything.

  Eighteen minutes later squeaks of tires rang out in the university alley. A black McLaren parked next to me. Faïz stepped out of the car, and when I saw him, a swell of emotion seized me. When he opened the door, he came to sit in the passenger seat, and I threw myself into his arms, so relieved. It was the first time I'd been pressed against him. The strength of his chest surprised me. Once my calm returned, Faïz pulled me away from him and took me by the shoulders, observing me attentively.