Shadows' encyclopedia - The Prodigies of Arahsmurd book 1

A weekend in hell 🎀

The week passed quickly. Bad weather hovered over the Ile-de-France―Parisian region. At the Laurences' house, tensions soared. Rebecca ordered her parents to stop visiting the psychologist, as she felt he was not competent. Christine, her mother, was concerned for her despite her lack of time due to work. Ryan accepted their daughter's request without much thought. He did not like to see her suffer. With his phone in hand, he dialled the psychologist's number to cancel the next appointments.

Berenice ­―who lived in Paris―was waiting for her best friend at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France―the biggest library in Paris―to study. Rebecca was at least ten minutes late. Exasperated, Berenice Martin looked at her watch, which read 11:05. The grey clouds were forming small showers, the very evidence that a stormy episode was coming.

Rebecca quickened her pace. As she got on the train, she ran into her old school friends. She hated them. These girls laughed every time they met her. They would even talk about her delusions about vampires, ghouls, etc. Things that Rebecca kept bottled up inside. Away from the group, the young adult sat by a window, her eyes glued to her mobile. She sent Berenice some apologetic notes and told her where she was. One of her former classmates stood behind her, keeping her back to her. Her toilet water was attacking her nose. The brunette turned around and said something inappropriate.

"So Black Dracula, what's new?"

Rebecca ignored her.

"Are you deaf now?" the young brunette insisted insolently.

"I've got nothing to say to you," Rebecca said dryly.

"Speak to me in a different tone of voice! Otherwise, I'll kick your ass!" the bad girl shouted, "oh, I forgot! If I touch you, Supergirl will show up."

The gang of friends laughed. Rebecca felt vulnerable. She sank into her seat, surrounded by the girls who were laughing. Some pulled her hair and others snatched her bag. The reckless goth threw herself at them to take it away. One of them managed to find her diary, which she opened for all to see. She came across a sketch of a dark-haired young man with sharp teeth. The expression on his face looked bloodthirsty, certainly what Rebecca described as a vampire.

"My hero," the young brunette read with a sneer, "he haunts my thoughts. He is a mystery I would like to solve" ―Rebecca gritted her teeth and clenched her fists― "Who was he? What was he doing? I..."

Rebecca interrupted the reading and punched her. The girl collapsed and writhed in pain. The other girls rushed at the goth girl. The train slowed down as it approached the station. No one wanted to intervene: this kind of fight happened every day on Parisian transport. Her former comrades pushed her off the train, onto the platform of another city near Paris. Desperate, Rebecca collected her belongings and her slightly dented diary. She suffocated with sadness and began to cry. Passers-by came to her to help her. Now that she was alone and in a terrible state, people felt more able to help her. Rebecca declined the support of the passengers. The girl slid down a wall inside the station. Her heart sank and she began to mourn. Her pocket vibrated; Berenice's name appeared on the screen. Rebecca did not have the strength to answer...

Night fell and Rebecca's parents were worried sick. She could not be reached. Christine sat by the window, waiting to see a figure. A few blocks from their home, she saw her daughter in a sorry state. The young adult reached the doorway and collapsed. Her mother embraced her and pestered her with questions. She was worried about her condition.

"What's the matter?"

"Forget it, these are things you can't understand," Rebecca admitted, feeling bad about herself.

"You're acting like you were in high school," her helpless mother remarked.

"I'm tired of living..."

"Don't say that..." said a pained Christine, "you just need to take your mind off it."

"I'm not going to Picardie, if that's what you're thinking about," the desperate girl finished.

Her mother let her go back to her room under the helpless eyes of her husband who remained silent. For many years, the relationship between her and her daughter had been crumbling. Ryan was very patient with Rebecca, but she did not confide in him anymore. Christine was not particularly good at giving advice or psychological help. She was quick to become impatient, something she would never do with her own students. Rebecca's parents were doing everything they could to make her feel better. However, Christine was very often absorbed in her work and missed her duties terribly.