Dark Faïz ( Book 1 ) [ COMPLETED]

Chapters 4-8

On the way to the villa, Faïz was silent, as usual, surely immersed in his darkest thoughts. I would have liked to make him smile even once, just once today. I felt like I was doing everything I could to sabotage this relationship. My lucky cartridges were empty. Listening to a song by Ed Sheeran, a feeling of sadness enveloped me. That was when I thought there were worse things in life, to reassure myself.

Worse how? For all we know, in a few months' time, I'll have to throw myself off a cliff to save the world.

At that thought, the gloom overwhelmed me again. My deep sigh forced Faïz to ask me about my condition.

— "How are you feeling?"

— "I feel like I'm running out of time all of a sudden. I discover in myself a rage to live that I never knew existed. I want to keep having dreams...a future. It's crazy," I confided to him with an open heart.

— "I understand, but you know, you can still leave LA. I think that would be the best decision to make. You need to move on. Don't fight, Zoe. I just want to know you're safe when things go wrong."

I just nodded to close the subject, feeling a great anger growing in me. I was now far too involved in the secret and in my feelings to go home. I watched through my window as the landscape scrolled by. The sky had a wonderful red and gold hue with the setting sun. The beautiful sight helped me to calm down.

**

We entered the living room side by side. Lily was installing a new painting on the wall while Miss Arlette was busy preparing dinner.

— "Mr. Mattew," Arlette called in Faïz's direction, " will you eat here tonight?"

— "No, don't count on me."

— "Very well, Mr. Mattew."

Lily walked up to her son to kiss him, apparently happy to see him.

— "Come and sit on the terrace," she suggested, "it is a little chilly. I advise you to cover yourself."

Outside, it was getting dark. I sat in front of Lily on the large oval bench, all in braided resin. Since the beginning of my stay in the Mattew's villa, I liked to come here when I wanted to clear my head. Indeed, during the day, the turquoise seats matched perfectly with the horizon, which was often light blue, reflecting on a dark and intense ocean. Faïz's gaze on me was heavy, but I acted as if I didn't see him. He stood with his hands in his pockets near the bay window. Lily questioned him with her eyes.

— "The Dome becomes more and more opaque every day," Faïz pointed out, helplessly, to his mother.

— "It's getting closer and we're not ready yet," whispered Lily, her hands joined in her lap.

— "What does the color of the Dome reflect?" I asked.

— "The Dome," Lily began, "is there to protect the civilization of Los Angeles from any intrusion harmful to its inhabitants. Unfortunately, the evil is already here. The color indicates just..."

Lily looked away to look up at the sky, taking care to select each word as if they were of crucial importance at that moment. After a few seconds, she resumed.

— "The color of the Dome indicates the degree of danger in which the population of LA is in. Fortunately, the inhabitants are not aware of this information, for good reason. There would be a high risk of riots if this were to become known. We have to buy time."

— "But we don't have any!" cried Faïz in a furious voice. "Zoe must return to Paris."

Lily addressed me again in her sweet voice.

— "We can get you out of LA tomorrow if that's what you want."

— "No!" I exclaimed without thinking. "No, stop thinking for me, stop trying to protect me. Yes, a part of me is afraid. I listened to you, but I will never leave you. I have a role to play in this story. Death does not frighten me, but on the other hand, what could happen to each of you terrifies me. You're my family now."

Lily, with wet eyes, hurried to hug me. Her embrace reassured me and gave me the feeling of being invincible. When she detached herself from me, she looked up at her son.

— "Faïz, promise me you'll take care of her," she begged him.

He shook his head, his eyes closed in disapproval, likely feeling things slipping away from him. He then turned around and walked inside the villa without saying another word, while Lily still held me in her arms. She did not try to hold him back.