Set Voland--a homeless young man who attacked a child in the midst of hallucinations--has been caught by the police and sent to a psychiatric hospital. There, he's stricken by a meeting with a Shining White Being who will completely overturn his lif...
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20. MARIA'S RESOLVE
If you're feeling like I feel
Throw your fist through the ceiling
Some people call it crazy, well I call it healing
So burn it down
(Burn It Down, Awolnation)
Maria stopped just before entering the cafeteria. She took a deep breath and adjusted her hair. Her nerves were still on edge after the argument with Sybil. Her hands itched with the urge to slap some sense into him. She stretched her fingers to release the tension. To be honest, she was damn jealous. Still, she hadn't lost her spirit.
She was ready to do anything to protect him.
She pulled up the corners of her mouth and ran her fingers over her wrinkled brows. It didn't matter who Sybil was flirting with. She would've stopped at nothing—and nobody—to keep him safe. Besides, there was a high possibility that the real danger lay somewhere else.
Given Joe's revelation about Mister Green, she had to find out the truth.
As soon as she managed to smooth out her face, turning her frown into a friendly expression, she stepped in.
Le Pain Quotidian was Angéline's favorite eatery. She had her lunch there almost every day. Maria's eyes darted around the room checking on the clients and found Angie in just one round. She sat alone at a round table a little set apart, in a quiet corner. Her pretty face was tilted to the side, her chin resting on her left hand, while her eyes lingered over the coffee placed in front of her. She looked distracted, lost in her thoughts as if something was bothering her.
Maria approached, pulling her sweetest smile.
"Oh, ciao Angie!" she started, faking surprise.
The French woman lifted her head and returned the smile.
"Ciao Marie," she replied in her lovely accent, her voice warm and quiet. "Did you come for lunch?"
As if. "Sure, mind if I keep you company?"
"Go ahead, honey," she said, taking her bag off of the other chair.
Maria sat and quickly glanced at the menu, even though she knew there was nothing interesting there. She winced. Finally, she ordered the Mediterranean baguette and a coke.
It wasn't too weird for the girls to meet at lunch, but normally they had an appointment and they would pick some exotic restaurant – like Indian or Japanese.
Maria would've never happened to pass by the French café. She needed a really good reason for that. Her Italian soul cringed at the idea of eating French food. It felt like a bad imitation of her beloved cooking.
