Unexpected

Annette Saint-Claire

Chapter 4

"Annette?" Sora heard Leon say, recognition ringing in his voice.

"Leon!" The French girl cried, her face lit up like the Fourth of July. She ran to Leon and, practically tackling him, wrapped him in an embrace. "C'est toi!" She said, putting her lips to his cheek as Leon's arms encircled her. Sora's jaw almost hit the floor.

"Annette!" Leon actually smiled. "Qu'est-ce que tu fait ici?"

"Pierre est en vedette dans un film d'Hollywood, et tu me manques!" She laughed. Sora just stared at them, confusion evident on her face.

What are they saying? She thought, since she didn't know how to speak French. She couldn't help but stare again at how Leon was holding the girl so close to him, and smiling like he was. She also couldn't help but notice again how beautiful the girl was with porcelain skin, platinum blonde hair and a figure that a Milan model would kill for. Her chest hurt in that slightly familiar feeling she couldn't quite put a name to.

Leon and the French girl pulled apart, and then the girl's striking green eyes fell on Sora. She turned to Leon. "Est-elle votre nouveau partenaire?" She asked.

"Oui." Leon responded, as if he just remembered that Sora was still there.

"Est-ce qu'elle est ta blonde?" She asked as Sora could only stare in confusion. The fact that they seemed to be talking about her but she couldn't understand was eating her from the inside out.

Leon's expression changed for a fleeting second, so quickly that it went unnoticed by the women, but was quickly replaced by his usual stone mask. "Non." He replied. The girl's expression seemed to say ah, I understand.

The French girl leaned in close to Leon and, just quiet enough so Sora didn't hear, whispered, "Elle est très belle." Sora did however see her wink. And for some reason it made her a little mad.

"Je sais." Leon whispered back just as quietly. "Sora," he said, finally addressing her, "This is Annette Saint-Claire, she is a very good friend of mine from France."

"Nice to meet you," Sora smiled, her usual cheeriness somewhat returning. She held out her hand and Annette took it, shaking her hand enthusiastically, then pulling Sora to her and planting a kiss on her cheek.

Sora was a little shocked and blushed profusely at the gesture. "W-what are you doing?" She asked through her shock.

"She is greeting you." Leon said simply, "it is a very common way to do so in France."

"Oh." Sora said, trying to hide her embarrassment. She looked at Annette again; it was hard to look away. Annette caught Sora staring and smiled.

The French girl, Annette, seemed to ask Leon a question; he turned back to her to answer. She touched her wrist and noticed something wasn't right. Sora had developed a habit of fiddling with her lucky bracelet when she was nervous or felt awkward. This was one of those times. When her fingers grazed the skin on her wrist, she didn't feel the familiar texture of skin warmed silver, or the motion of dangling charms. She looked down to her wrist and saw that her bracelet was gone!

She turned around and looked over the floor, thinking it may have just fallen. She didn't see it anywhere.

"-would like to join us? What do you think?" Leon spoke; Sora completely missed the first part of that sentence.

"Huh?" She said, snapping back into attention.

"I said, perhaps Annette would like to join us for a walk?" He said again patiently.

"I guess that would be fun, the more the merrier, right?" Sora smiled again. She looked in her purse, thinking maybe her bracelet had unclasped itself when she may have reached inside, it wasn't there either.