Dream Me a Sonatine

16 - Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht

'Bienvenue à Paris!' announced Vivi, throwing her arms wide and receiving a sideways glance from a woman adorning eyeliner much too flawless for an airport.

'Why's Vivi making that weird noise?' whispered Hyejoo loudly.

Hyunjin whispered back, 'It's how the French talk.'

'You're carrying my luggage now, bitch.' Heejin dumped her bags into Hyunjin's arms. 'I'd make Hyejoo carry it, but I wasn't planning on having all my fingers dislocated today.'

Hyejoo gave her a razor-sharp smile.

'Is my accent okay?' asked Vivi, appearing mildly flustered. Heejin winced.

'We're not tourists,' Hyunjin reminded her, 'we're here because someone wants us dead.'

'Exactly! Negotiation is always a good option.'

The four of them hauled their luggage outside and were immediately assaulted by a suspiciously wolf-like dog. Vivi exchanged a few words in German with the staff member who looked a little worse for wear. It may have been due to the dog-shaped rip in his shirt that had left him with a unique crop top. She apologetically handed him some extra cash whilst the other three sniggered.

'Cyclops, you bastard,' said Hyejoo affectionately.

A taxi rolled onto the pickup point and glanced at them with a bored expression. Once luggage and dog had been transferred to the back, they slid onto the threadbare seats and Heejin gave the driver some quick directions. As the car departed, Heejin felt the comfy weight of Salzburg trickle off her shoulders, the familiar coldness of Paris replacing it. As usual, the lavish city was faded; even the trees had a greyish tinge.

'It's gorgeous,' exclaimed Vivi. 'It's like an oil painting.'

Wordlessly, Hyunjin and Heejin exchanged a doubtful look. Heejin smiled slightly, comforted by the fact that someone else saw through the superficial shell that hid the discolouration within.

They drove on, past myriads of dusk-lit trees, towering, extravagant buildings, and all Heejin could think about were the throats she'd slashed behind that church and under that bridge and in that alleyway. An oil painting spattered with blood, ruined.

In the front seat, Vivi typed a quick text, addressed to someone called 'Jinsoul.' The name sounded familiar. Heejin tried not to notice the little things, but she couldn't help seeing the tension in Vivi's fingers as she typed.

Alone with her thoughts, she went back to theorising what the Greywaren could be. She gathered from various books that they weren't usually faceless. In fact, most of them looked just like her: human. Heejin supposed she and Greywarens were similar in that respect: something unnatural hiding behind a human face.

The word thief circled round her brain. Perhaps it didn't matter what they stole. Perhaps they could steal anything, like the strange gun the faceless one had pointed at her. If so, then how did they steal? Who did they steal from?

Heejin closed her eyes, willing her brain to go to its limits, search through every memory, every clue she'd been given. What had the Faceless Greywaren said?

'You're cleverer than I thought.'

Then why couldn't she figure him out?

'You may be a murderer, but even you can't...' The memory trailed away, blotted out by fear and horror. Heejin's mind remembered the silence, the crunch of leaves, Hyunjin's terrified whimpers, but not the word she was looking for.

Frustrated, she opened her eyes. Hyunjin glanced at her, a shimmer of concern on her face.

'You alright?'