Dark Faïz (Book 2) [Completed]

Chapters 4-1

When the SUV stopped on the asphalt of the aerodrome, it took me a while before I decided to take off my seat belt to get out of the vehicle. The jet, on the tarmac, was waiting for us. Lexy ended up opening my door, visibly impatient to see me get out of there. The sun was beating down strongly that afternoon in March. My two friends had finally managed to get their visas for Eros, which had been an easy task. Besides, William had almost given up on the idea of embarking on this adventure, but, according to him, Faïz had strongly insisted that they be on the trip. I couldn't say what was best for me. Indeed, I needed them because they linked me to a world with its share of reality, but knowing that we were putting them in danger was simply unbearable to me.

"Wow, I'm in a dream," whispered Lexy, amazed, as we walked down the steps of the jet.

"A dream?" said Asarys, shocked by her words. "I remind you that we have a ruby to steal from Draculette. We have well deserved this little luxury break!"

I rolled my eyes, exasperated, but at the same time happy to find that they remained themselves. At that moment, William passed in front of us.

"Okay, let's go. We are just a month behind schedule," he hastened to remind us.

"Where's Faïz?"

"Inside," he replied, quickly climbing the stairs, irritated by my question.

"Are you ready for the reunion?" whispered Lexy, who was following me closely.

"Of course she is!" murmured Asarys. "They haven't seen each other since..."

Asarys suddenly fell silent, aware of going too far in her words. My friend didn't want me to relive the painful memories of these past weeks. At that moment, an awkward silence settled between us. Even though I had built a solid shell, I was still unhappy with the absence of Victoria in our lives. Faïz had completely disappeared from the landscape, mostly in New York to escape the heavy family pressure and its heavy atmosphere. He was finishing his last year of university by correspondence, and it was rumored that Rachelle was once again part of his life. I didn't hold it against him. After all, if it could bring him even a tiny fraction of happiness, then it was all the better for him. He deserved it. For my part, I had spent quite a bit of time with William and Kayla, with whom I had gotten closer recently. She loved coming to Elora after school or on weekends. Finally, she had decided to stay in Los Angeles, at the mansion of the Seventh Earth, for the time of our absence. Julio and David would watch over her. I stopped dead after taking three steps in the large cabin of the jet. Faïz was sitting on one of the black leather seats in front of his computer, telephone at his ear.

"Yes Oscar. Please note, the tools used must be non-competitive... I understand... We will talk about this after my trip... Yes. See you soon."

He hung up immediately then ran his palms over his face before getting up to greet us. Faïz held out his hand to William, who reluctantly shook it. He then greeted my two friends with a courteous nod and then his gaze stopped on me. Although he stared at me with bitterness, his eyes ignited mine. I looked away so as not to betray all the feelings I had suppressed for him this last month.

"The carpet matches the seats," said Asarys, speaking to Lexy, who was already comfortably installed.

As I looked for an empty seat, Faïz walked towards me.

"Are you okay?" he asked gravely.

Troubled by his changing mood, I remained skeptical about the nature of his intentions. Was he sorry about his behavior last time, or did he just want to calm things down to avoid too much tension within the group during the stay on Eros?

"I'm fine. Let's focus on our mission."

I didn't bother to give him time to answer and left to sit, taking care to get around him without touching him. The girls on my left stared at me in a daze. Suddenly William stood before us all to speak.

"Before taking off, I would like to discuss a few important things with you."