"What is this place?"
"It's a surprise. You'll see tonight."
"Tonight? It's…sudden. I didn't expect it."
"I agree," he replied, looking amused, before being serious again. "It's time to end this day with Barthey and the others!"
I put a hand on Faïz's cheek, who closed his eyes for a second as if to better appreciate this moment. He drew me closer to him and I buried my face in the crook of his neck before whispering, "You can make suggestions, or suggest other solutions. It's called negotiating. Please, this is important for the cohesion of the group."
"I know. I—"
His body stiffened at that moment and I immediately raised my head to look at him to understand what was going on. His mood had once again changed. He pulled away from me slightly before declaring,
"William is here. I think he wants to talk to me."
I turned quickly. Faïz was right, William was posted a little further away, and watched us with a look that froze my blood.
FAÏZ
William stared at Faïz with great animosity when he came to join him. He looked away at the floor as Zoe walked past him to join the group, which had just left for the refectory, preventing her from reading all the disappointment he was feeling inside. Uncomfortable, she had a moment of hesitation, no longer knowing if she should stay or not.
"I'll join you," said Faïz to distance her from the man he'd considered from the start a real competitor in their relationship.
A feeling of annoyance caught him in the gut when he noticed the way Zoe was looking at William. He didn't understand the distress deep in her eyes. Jealousy overwhelmed him when he realized that she really cared about him. Instinctively, Faïz stepped in front of Zoe, forcing her to look away from him. She finally withdrew, death in her soul.
"It's killing you that you know what I mean to her," said William, satisfied. "Don't hold it against her."
"What do you want?" asked Faïz in a measured voice.
He restrained himself so as not to embed his rival in the wall behind him.
"Everyone needs a break. Let the group rest for a few hours. I suggest you continue this meeting with only Ray and Barthey, as well as Dewei, Min, and Malika. We will then report to them on what the seven of us have decided for the future."
"All right! Good for me."
Faïz looked at his watch and added, "let's contact your brother and David for the second part of this meeting. Maybe they have something new to tell us."
Without waiting for an answer, he walked away from William to go back to the conference room.
13
Asarys, Lexy, and I were walking in one of the inn's gardens. Though we'd been on Eros for several weeks, we never really had time to discover the surroundings. The colors of it related perfectly to the theme of spring. Despite a cruel absence of light, nature still managed to create magnificent works of floral compositions, making us forget the gloom of the foggy weather. Here, too, the cherry blossoms partially covered the ground, strewn over with cobblestones in very pronounced colors. Wherever we went on the island, we couldn't escape the surge of these flowers, one of the strong symbols of this country.
"Didn't he tell you anything more?" Lexy asked impatiently.
"No, but if you believe his words, the place must be a real wonder."
"You will spend the night there?" asked Asarys, curious.
We stopped in front of a small temple with red bricks. The small building housed an altar where hundreds of sticks of incense burned all day long. This sacred place had the gift of redeeming the sins of the people who went to pray there.
"I don't know," I said with a half-smile, lifting my shoulders. "I hadn't even asked myself this until now."
My two friends looked at each other, their eyes wide with uncontrolled excitement. Asarys put her hands to her mouth to stifle her cries of joy. I told her to stop, uncomfortable.
"It's just a date!" I tried to lecture them. "No need to get into all these moods."
"This is your first date," said Asarys.
"With your terribly sexy boyfriend," added Lexy.
"Okay, okay!" I exclaimed, putting my hands in front of me to stop them as quickly as possible before the two lunatics went further in their words.
"Do you have what you need?" asked Lexy suddenly.
"Yes, I have good walking shoes, and—"
"Idiot! I'm not talking about that."
Understanding what she was referring to, I turned away, embarrassed and short of words. I turned around to let them know that it was time to close this topic and go back to the inn. Despite my silence on the journey back, my two friends continued their momentum.
"Above all, refuse the belt if he likes sadomasochism," said Asarys from behind.
"And avoid shouting his name," added Lexy. "It's vulgar and out of place! Leave that for the girls who—"
"Shut up!" I exclaimed, regretting having confided in my friends, who were certainly not going to let go of me after that. "I shouldn't have told you anything."
Their contagious laughter managed to put my anger aside and my good mood returned as quickly as it had gone. We returned serenely from our walk, our minds lighter, ready to get back to work.
I had no desire to enter the frozen water for the fourth time. The oxygen tank on my shoulders seemed to weigh tons.
"It's not possible! They want our deaths," stammered Lexy, shivering between Asarys and me.
Standing at the edge of the pool, I crossed my arms over my shoulders to try to warm myself. It was in vain, because the dripping hair and the soaked T-shirt and pants that stuck to my body didn't help. Asarys and I looked at each other. Her bluish lips indicated how frozen she was. All three of us were. Although the lake was located inside the glass-walled building, this lake wasn't heated for the occasion. Malika showed us, along with two of her male colleagues, the best way to move underwater, and the defensive actions to adopt in the event of a melee attack. This painful exercise in a real situation woke up the pain of my still visible wounds.
"We…we will…never…ever…be ready for…tomorrow—" I confided to the girls, teeth chattering.
"No choice, Zoe. Everything…everything is in your head," replied Asarys. "Remember what…we went through with Issei."
I raised my head to the stands, looking for Faïz. He was standing, on the fringes of the group, and watching me, helpless, gnawing at his lip. The expression on his face indicated he was in pain with me. Suddenly he looked away from Barthey, who was sitting across the row on the other side. With his two fingers in his mouth, Faïz whistled to draw his attention and then, with a wave of his hand, ordered the inspector to stop everything. Karl shook his head in apology, refusing to obey his request. Lexy growled and I turned my head.
"They spend…spend bi…billions of dollars to get a snapshot of an aerial view of…the Sun Lakes, but we can…we can always dream of being given a thermal diving…com…combination," stammered Lexy, on the verge of hypothermia.
"We need to review the low defense and also the high defense in case you lose your weapons underwater," Malika continued.
She emerged from the water without apparently suffering from the cold, with the two men behind her.
"Mike!" she called in a rough voice. "Go get the knives. We will place them above their ankles. And also take the opportunity to get the crossbows back."
After long hours of torture spent in the lake, the three of us were seated and alone in the refectory, with a large blanket on our backs and a cup of hot tea in our hands. Emptied of all energy, we gradually realized that the last act was going to be played tomorrow. Outside, night had fallen.
"And if this evening with Faïz is his way of saying goodbye to me in case things go wrong tomorrow?" I said in a low voice, staring blankly.
The words I had just spoken broke the heavy silence that had settled for several minutes between the girls and me.
"Then it will be a goodbye," replied Asarys, who gave me a sincere and
sad smile at the same time.
"At least you won't die a virgin!" Lexy said as she sank into her seat.
"Very classy! Typical Lexy," I sighed without taking the trouble to respond to her remark further.
"Look," said Asarys, putting her hand on my arm, "it's your evening. Don't think about anything else. The world will need you tomorrow, not tonight! Live each of these seconds as if they were the last. These moments with him will be forever engraved in your memory."
The noise of the swinging doors made us jump. Our eyes immediately turned to the entrance, where Faïz appeared. His normally untidy hair was this time brought back in a disciplined fashion. His shirt was tucked into his dark jeans, giving him a neat look. He had a sensuality that could have melted any woman at that moment. Asarys cleared her throat, which brought me back to the moment, and I remembered to breathe. She spoke to Lexy.
"Well, it's time for us to leave them."
Lexy tilted her head back, groaning.
"You will surely have a better evening than us."
She rose with a sigh to follow Asarys, who had already disappeared. For my part, I continued to stare at Faïz, still captivated by his charisma. When my friends had left, he walked over to take a seat right in front of me. When he plunged his black eyes into mine, I felt my heart speed up and a feeling of warmth invaded my whole body right down to my fingertips. The memory of the hours spent in the freezing water was only a distant memory.
"How are you?" he asked me anxiously, trying to read my eyes.
"Much better."
"Seeing you in thfe pool reminded me of bad memories. I wish I could have stopped everything, but—"
"I know! Just tell yourself it was necessary. Look at me, I don't seem to be doing too bad."
My words seemed to relieve his conscience. A broad smile split his face and it didn't take much to forget that bad moment. Asarys was right: nothing else should matter tonight. Nothing else, except him.
"Are you ready?" Faïz asked me in a voice full of promise.
"Almost… I just have to go back to the dorm."
"All right. We will return at dawn. I'll be waiting for you outside."
Faïz came to place a delicate kiss on my lips and I stopped breathing. Those few seconds were enough to make my head spin. When he got up, I had trouble immediately regaining my senses.
Just out of the shower, I was busy in the dorm choosing an outfit to wear for tonight. Dressed in a simple robe and my hair still wet, I looked, disillusioned, at my wardrobe, which was practically empty.
"Zoe," said Lexy. "You've been hesitating for almost ten minutes between four pants and two overalls. Is the choice as drastic as that?"
I turned around, furious about her claim. Indeed, she knew how important this date with Faïz meant to me, yet she couldn't help provoking me.
"I just want to look different from the last few weeks."
"Don't worry about that!" Asarys intervened in a neutral tone, nose plunged into a book. "You could transform a potato bag into a trendy outfit."
"Is that true?"
"NO!" replied Lexy, raising her eyes to the sky, scandalized by our friend's words. "Try to do your best and save appearances for tonight."
I crossed my arms, glaring at her, then turned back to my wardrobe where I grabbed beige cargo pants and a white T-shirt. Without a word, I went to change in the bathroom, slamming the door behind me.
I hurriedly walked to join Faïz outside the building when suddenly I heard William's voice calling me from afar. I stopped and turned around. His slender figure advanced to join me. When he stood in front of me with an embarrassed pout, I noticed that his irises, usually lagoon blue, had tinted to gray, making his look cooler and more melancholy than usual.
"Are you going somewhere?" he asked, although he already knew the answer.
"Yes… Uh… Faïz… He's waiting for me," I replied, embarrassed and looking away from his eyes.
William put his hands in his pockets with a disapproving look on his face.
"I will never understand why you are crazy about that man. I still think he doesn't deserve you."
"Will, please," I begged in a low voice, closing my eyes. "I don't need to hear that now, just before I go. You can't be jealous of him. Heart and reason are two completely different things that like to feed on each other's conflicting feelings."
"I'm not jealous!"
At that moment I planted my gaze in his, raising an eyebrow, unconvinced by his words.
"Okay. There is no doubt that a part of me is," he corrected. "But the other part is just afraid that he'll hurt you. Come on Zoe, you know more than anyone that this man is completely unstable!"
I stopped him by raising a hand in front of me, refusing to hear more.
"Maybe you are right, Will, and it's likely that he's completely mad, but who would not be, in his place? He's been conditioned since he was young to be a war machine in the service of the government, and on top of that, he must take over the reins of an immense company left by his grandfather, which he never asked to govern! So don't ask someone who hasn't had any childhood or youth like others to be normal."
William stared at me, discouraged. He ran his hands through his hair, causing his blond locks to fall into his face. Then he shook his head, searching for his words.
"You can find all the excuses you want for him, but the truth is, he won't have one the day he breaks your heart. You don't know him like I know him, Zoe. This guy has the darkest heart in existence. The decision is yours, and whatever it is, I will always be there for you. I just came to say goodbye. I'm leaving now."
"What? What do you mean? Where are you going?"
"I have to go back to Los Angeles. A lot is going on there right now. The Sylphs and the other Leviathans need me. We need to get some order back before you return to L.A."
Stunned by the news, I closed my eyes, pinching my lips to try to contain the puff of anxiety that threatened to suffocate me.
"Please, be careful," I said with a trembling voice.
William gave me a protective look before turning to leave. I stood there, in the middle of the hall, with a painful feeling that compressed my chest.
FAÏZ
Barthey, accompanied by Min and two members of the army, spoke with Faïz. The light from the hall of the inn was enough to light the small courtyard where the five of them were gathered. The young man looked at the big map that was handed to him. Armed with a felt pen, he began to mark all the strategic places with crosses.
"A team will wait here," said Faïz. "With another, we will position ourselves around the lake, ready to intervene in case of danger."
"It won't be enough!" said Min. "We must add a third team on the west of the lake."
"Too risky! If all the men are positioned there, we will have no surprise to counter the Brotherhood in the event of an attack."
Faïz then drew arrows on the map and added,
"We have to try to gather as many attackers as possible there to ambush them. The goal isn't to exterminate them to win this fight; that isn't our goal. We just have to leave with the ruby, safe and sound. Are the tags ready?"
"Almost!" replied Barthey. "Malika and her team are currently checking the weapons and setting each radio to the same frequency."
"Perfect!" declared the young man. "I can be reached in case of an emergency. Rest as much as possible. Tomorrow we'll need everyone's attention."
While the small team repacked the equipment and folded the map, Faïz saw Zoe across the bay window in the entrance to the hall, motionless. With her back to him, she seemed to be talking to someone. The young man shifted slightly and then had the unpleasant surprise to discover that she was in the company of William. Overwhelmed by the feeling of jealousy that he hated so much, he clenched his fists and contracted the muscles of his jaw to contain his anger as best as possible, facing the scene that was unfolding before his eyes.
"Is everything okay?" asked the inspector, who was about to leave.
"Yes!" Faïz assured him in a slightly brutal tone by turning his head towards the parked vehicle, the doors wide open.
Karl immediately understood the reason for the mood change when he glanced towards the inn.
"It's not that bad, you know."
The young man then questioned his interlocutor with a gaze, not understanding the meaning of his words.
"For Zoe!" clarified the inspector. "Being the center of someone's world is never good. At least you know she has someone to depend on, and who will be able to hold her up if you ever go away."
Barthey walked away without adding anything more. Despite the jealousy that gnawed at him, Faïz knew that Karl was partly right.
14
We were flying over a small part of the Pacific Ocean, which made me feel like I was escaping from the world. The night light was reflected on the coasts of the island, as well as on the numerous waterfalls, making the overflight of Eros extraordinary for the eyes of simple mortals like us.
"Again," I begged Faïz, who was piloting the vehicle.
He gave a small melodious laugh, then began to think.
"The fire extinguishers in my primary school."
"No!" I exclaimed with big eyes and laughter on the edge of my lips.
"Ray and I emptied them in Mr. Patterson's class. He had punished us a few hours earlier. He was furious. Our act of rebellion resulted in our temporary expulsion from the establishment. My parents refused to speak to Ray and me for several days."
"It wasn't an act of rebellion, but an outright criminal offense."
The car slowed down as we flew over a valley not far from a creek.
"I made mistakes like every child my age," Faïz defended himself with a most charming smile. "Contrary to what you might think, I haven't always put on my superhero costume."
DARK FAÏZ Book 2: Nothing will ever be the same again Page 15
