Shadows' encyclopedia - The Prodigies of Arahsmurd book 1

A new meeting 🎀

Two days later, Rebecca had an appointment at the Prêt A Manger on the Avenue de France near the Bibliothèque François Mitterrand station. Before going there, the young woman made sure she wasn't afraid of daylight. After numerous attempts, she had to rethink her wardrobe and choose much more discreet outfits. For her meeting with Catherine, her classmate, she wore dark clothes that covered her entire body: a black hat, leather gloves and a dark jumpsuit. Rebecca lingered in front of her mirror and put on the right pair of glasses. The young goth was apprehensive about going out, but with the exams approaching, she had to prepare herself from a distance. Quietly, she left her house and quickly made her way to public transport. The sky was grey and very cloudy.

Catherine had to pass on her lessons to Rebecca so that she could catch up. In history, rigour and diligence were expected. Exams were approaching and Rebecca's absence was making itself felt. During the journey, the young Goth stressed at the thought of setting foot outside again. People's stares made her anxious, even though she was happy to enjoy the weather. Cutting herself off from the darkness from time to time did her a world of good.

When Rebecca arrived at the venue, she took a seat inside the enclosure and watched Catherine arrive, all bubbly. People stared at the two of them as if they had stepped out of an animated film. Catherine had beautiful freckles that matched the colour of the tables. She was wearing a pink dress and absurd pigtails like Pippi Longstocking (Fifi Brindacier), Rebecca thought. The Goth found her both funny and embarrassing. Her classmate sat down in front of her and took out a box of sweets. Rebecca saw some unusual things on her bag and dress: there were band names and kawaii references to Japanese pop! Yuck! What a horror! she thought. Catherine was a fan of Kyary Pamyu Pamyu... She smiled as she did, Rebecca finding it very embarrassing. Rebecca hated pink and preferred to keep her sunglasses on her nose.

"Hi, Rebecca, I've been really worried about you, are you sure everything's OK?" worried Catherine, her face beaming.

"Even if you weren't, you couldn't help me..."

"Well, let's just say I'm a friend, even if I know you don't see it that way. You can confide in me... I don't see you as just another classmate," said young Catherine cheerfully.

Catherine took the lessons out of her bag. She had carefully made revision sheets for Rebecca. There were hearts everywhere and phrases like "courage!" or "if you have any questions, don't hesitate <3". Catherine was always smiling and giving Rebecca affectionate looks. Despite her silly looks, Rebecca liked her. She felt like talking to her seriously. Her classmate seemed attentive and a good listener. The Goth wanted to ask her advice on a subject close to her heart. Catherine encouraged her, determined. Her friend's smell was pleasant and so was her blood... Rebecca could clearly smell him as a real vampire.

"Things aren't going too well at the moment. My best friend and I had a huge fight. I've found out that she thinks I'm a freak, a weird girl," Rebecca said, her eyes darting.

"Because of the way you look?"

"Yes, in a way... We've known each other for over ten years and she's never said that to me before. It hurt."

Catherine put her hand on Rebecca's. Uneasy, the Goth gently withdrew her hand. Her classmate smiled and spoke about her story.

"I had a best friend too, but she wouldn't introduce me to everyone around her... To kawaii for her, too girly! She was more masculine than me in the sense that she liked extreme sport, challenges, fighting, and she was very mature compared to me! We were literally opposites. One day, she said things to me that really hurt. It wasn't mean, she just wanted to tell me that I wasn't responsible enough. She gave me advice, she was frank, but I didn't see it that way..."