Dark Faïz ( Book 1 ) [ COMPLETED]

Chapters 3-3

As soon as she arrived at the villa, Victoria rushed inside in search of her mother. Lily was on the terrace and was preparing to go inside when she heard us arrive. Indeed, the weather was getting cloudy and the wind was rising. A storm was not far away.

— "You rob all of Rodeo Drive, girls?" Lily asked, amused when she saw all the bags on the ground.

— "There's no way to stop your daughter. Victoria is completely possessed when she walks into a store."

— "Yet it's not her habit, confided Lily," exasperated by her daughter's behavior. "I usually have to drag her by force to go shopping, and worse, to make her to set foot in a fitting room."

While Victoria unpacked her things to rediscover them and show them to her mother, Lily seemed delighted by her daughter's renewed coquetry. She asked to look at each item of clothing, happy to share this moment with her.

— "Mom?" began Victoria in a risky and serious tone.

Lily's smile faded away.

— "Zoe asked me to go with her to her friend Asarys's sorority party. I really want to go. Can I? Please say yes," Victoria begged.

Lily turned towards me with a surprised look. Embarrassed, I tried to justify myself.

— "Uh... I just thought it would make Victoria happy to go out tonight. It's an opportunity to end the day together."

— "That's very kind of you, Zoe. I am happy to see my daughter being more sociable. I trust you completely, but don't come home later than midnight," she warned.

Lily had regained her radiant smile, apparently enthusiastic to see that her daughter was a teenager like any other. I repressed a sigh of relief. Victoria pulled me by the arm to take me upstairs, eager to get ready with me.

**

The evening was in full swing while the storm was roaring outside. The interior of Alpha Mu's large residence was crowded. This mixed evening marked the beginning of the university year and the end of the " Sorority Rush. " The music made the walls vibrate so loudly, accompanied by the laughter and screams of Baylor's students. There were people dancing, while others were talking in groups. The alcohol seemed to flow freely. I tried in vain to find the girls, Victoria on my heels. I remembered Lily's precise instructions and intended not to fail in my responsibilities.

— "Zoe!"

As I turned around towards the reception desk, Lexy jumped around my neck, happy to see me, Lucas by her side.

— "Where is Asarys?" I shouted in her ear so that she could hear me.

She pointed me in the direction of the kitchen. That was when I introduced Lexy and Lucas to Victoria. I was delighted to see her accepted into my group of friends and decided to let them get to know each other for a few minutes. I took the opportunity to greet David, whom I had just spotted, and decided to spend some time with him, as I had missed his company.

— "Did you come alone? Where is Morgan?" I asked.

— "He's at a party in another fraternity," he assured me. "Who's the girl you're with?"

— "Faïz's sister, Victoria. I'll introduce you to her. She's a nice girl. You'll get along well with her."

We continued to chat when I suddenly recognized the lyrics of M.I.A.'s "Bad Girls," which pulled me out of my frank laugh with David. Memories of France immediately came back to me with nostalgia. I knew this song by heart. I grabbed David by the hand and quickly dragged him into the middle of the space that had been improvised into a dance floor. We started dancing, and I couldn't stop moving to the bewitching rhythm of that sound. Around me, people moved away, scrutinizing me. I didn't pay attention to it. My need to release the tensions of the week, to clear the air, to forget for a moment his name, was stronger than anything. During those few minutes, I was back in France, in the parking lot, at the bottom of my apartment building. I did not hear the cries of encouragement from the crowd. My mind was elsewhere, thousands of miles away. At the end of the song, another artist took over. I came back to the present moment, realizing that I was dancing alone in the middle of the circle formed by the people around me. I hastily left the place and saw at that moment Asarys raising her hands to heaven, excited by the performance I had just given. For a few minutes, I had been the attraction of the evening. I slipped away as quickly as possible, head down to make myself forget.

— "You dance like a diva, Zoe," David cried as he rushed towards me.

— "I didn't want to attract so much attention," I told him, embarrassed.

I looked for Victoria, relieved to see her with my two sidekicks. My gaze continued to sweep the place. That was when I nearly strangled myself with surprise. The light blue-eyed stranger I had seen earlier in the day in the store was there, leaning against a wall, with a glass in his hand. I shook my head to see if what I saw was true, if I wasn't dreaming.

— "Zoe, what's going on? It looks like you've seen a ghost," David worried.

I tried to hide my stunned face and regain my senses.

— "I'll be back," I said, moving away from my friend.