Shadows' encyclopedia - The Prodigies of Arahsmurd book 1

In Berenice's heart 🎀

Rebecca ran without looking back. Passers-by thought she was crazy. What the Goth had seen was not insignificant. Her pulse was racing... The young adult ran past the bakery and into Berenice's flat. 

With her mobile phone in hand, she sent her a flurry of messages. The minutes ticked by and Rebecca went round in circles. She thought hard about the young redhead who had just been bitten: "Will she be all right? Can we save her? Is it too late?".

 A neighbour offered to wait for her on the landing, but she declined. She was in a daze. She had to talk to someone, as her stress was mounting considerably. She kept an eye on the news for line 14, but nothing had been announced. Nothing seemed to have happened according to the RATP... After an hour, Berenice Martin arrived calmly. She was holding a baguette and her bicycle. Rebecca threw herself at her... Her best friend was confused. She hadn't expected to find her here.

"Berenice, my hands are shaking!" she said, hugging her.

"Rebecca, calm down, you're hurting me! We'll go up to my place and you can tell me all about it..."

Her childhood friend was worried about her. Berenice quickly put her bike away and invited her to get on. Rebecca looked ghostly; her anxiety attacks were preventing her from breathing properly. Berenice tried to soothe her. The steps creaked. A musty smell enveloped the whole building. On the upper floors, cobwebs hung down the walls, attesting to the caretaker's lack of attention to detail. Rebecca leaned against the wall in front of the door, out of breath and in uncontrollable respiratory distress. 

Berenice quickly took out her keys. She unlocked the door to her flat, decorated with manga figurines and colourful frescoes. Although it was small, it was full of all kinds of treasures and spacious enough for two people to move around without jostling each other. Berenice loved art and Japanese series, as well as boxing, the sport she practised as an extra-curricular activity. She drew whenever she had free time. Rebecca took a seat on the mini sofa in the living room. Berenice poured her a glass of water, then slipped into her small bedroom to get a stool. She returned to the living room, opened the window to let the air circulate and put down the chair. Rebecca stared at the floor, confused. The Gothic girl's jerky breathing echoed unpleasantly in the confined space. Berenice had an urge to smoke; dealing with her friend's fits of rage was stressing her out. She seemed elsewhere and irritated. Rebecca's fingernails were digging into her arm without her feeling anything; her tetanised muscles were unresponsive. The young Goth was tense at seeing her best friend in this state.

Berenice checked Rebecca's condition and offered her some anti-stress capsules from her first-aid kit. Her friend refused, catching her breath and coming to her senses. 

"Breathe in and out!" exclaimed a worried Berenice.

Rebecca slowly recovered by drinking a large glass of water. Berenice helped her and stroked her forehead to relax her. The young Goth was feeling better and better, thanks to the presence of her friend. The redhead resurfaced in her thoughts, plunging her once again into a vortex of dread. She got up from the seat, her face wet as she tried to call for help. Berenice stopped her and met her gaze. She turned her head towards his face, pressing her forehead gently against his. A few minutes passed in stunned silence. Berenice stroked her friend's shoulders, head to head, like a coach encouraging her before she stepped into the ring. She was trying to give Rebecca good vibes. Rebecca was breathing more and more normally. Berenice's method was still working. Rebecca caught her breath and calmly recounted the facts.

"I've just seen something crazy... unimaginable!"

"What?" asked Berenice as she sat down on her stool.

"A mysterious man... He was in the underground, following a girl... No, me... He probably wanted to bite me, but the girl sacrificed herself to save me! She must have been our age and he bit her right in front of me. She's in danger, we've got to help her!"