L'affaire Bob

13. Le Diner

Bless Samantha. She always knew how to get to the right place at the right time. She was, as some would say, my guardian angel.

If she hadn't interrupted our little argument, Francesco and I would have cut each other's throats in no time.

After shooting the guy a few glares and receiving the same treatment from him, we followed Samantha out of the room and into the hallway. We kept walking until we arrived in front of a massive wooden French door.

-"Oakwood," Samantha said, after seeing me gaping at the majestic portal in front of me.

-"Why is it so big?" I blurt out. "It's just a normal dining room, for God's sake!"

-"Normal? I don't think so." Francesco observed. "I mean, look at these. They're worth a thousand dollars, if not more."

Stepping forward, he went to touch the golden door handles.

A beautiful gold-colored pattern went all the way up, from the handles to the top of the door. Golden spiral also decorated the door frame, making this portal one of the most beautiful ones I've ever seen.

It was a masterpiece.

Purely magnificent.

-"Is that... Is that real gold?" he asked Samantha.

-"Yes, Francesco, it is. You'll know everything about the door and the dining room inside anyway," she answered with a smile. "You are entering a battlefield now. It's a who-will-talk-the-most-before-the-meal-is-over kind of war. You'll soon discover that time-travelers are the most talkative and gossipy kind of people in the world."

And, with the typical everlasting warm smile plastered on her face, she pushed open the door and stepped inside, us trailing after her.

As soon as we entered, a round of applause erupted in the hall.

-"What the hell is happening?"Francesco whispered to me.

-"Honestly, I have no idea," I whispered back, horrified.

-"Let's welcome the last two recruits that time-traveled for the first time today!" Shouted a guy sitting next to Amanda. "Paul René and Francesco Mancini, you will be joining us tonight and will attend your first dinner with us, your new family. We hope you enjoy your stay here, as well as the food we offer. With that said, let's start the feast!"

A wave of cheers traversed the room. Every two meters, you could see an overcrowded table. Dozens of them were filling the entire hall, and all of them contained the same amount of people.

"Were all of them time-travelers like me?" I thought.

It was crazy. There were at least two hundred individuals present here. It felt weird seeing all these strangers and knowing that we all shared one thing in common. It felt weird thinking that from now on, these people would be my new family.

-"Hello newbies, I'm Nathan Guillot," said the guy who spoke earlier. He had somehow snuck through the tables and came to talk to us.

-"Hey, Nathan. Nice to meet you!" I exclaimed.

Meanwhile, my sweet roommate just nodded at him.

Talk about manners.

He really needed a lesson in that field.

-"Nice to meet you too, guys. I just wanted to tell you that we have already assigned you a table to sit at," he told us, pointing at one of the tables on the left. "Your friends Zoe, James, and Lucas already sat at another table, a few minutes before you."