the evening star [paris - elise]

In the midst of Paris’s busy streets, a yellow taxi cab pursued toward its destination, carrying a petite blond woman in its back seat. Sidewalks flocked with couples, some walking hand in hand as excited chirps of laughter tumbled from their lips. Figures began to blur, morphing in a haze among st the twinkling lights that shined likes fireflies on a warm summer’s night. From inside the cab, the blond pressed her forehead against the window’s cool glass. Eyelids slowly fluttered shut, hands clutching tighter to the thick plastic coating of the violin case in her hands. Her stomach churned, flipping and flopping from the building of nostalgia that flowed along the cells of her blood stream. Anxiety gripped at the strings of the heart, causing its rate to rise as knuckles turning white from clutching with a death grip. It’d been almost a year since she’d been in France. In that time she’d traveled the world with the orchestra, playing in front of crowds while finding different pieces of her torn soul. Danielle had never thought she’d return back to France, being wise to which company to audition for. Yet, there was a recital to take place in Paris – one of the country’s most romantic cities. Even if her family was nestled away within another French city, Danielle still felt at unease.

Another Vision plagued her dreams at night. This dream had no resemblance in any manner to other visions she’d had. Typically a vision would play out as a scene in a movie; various or even one person within the context. Sometimes the images were in vibrant colors, others in a fine black and white outline. This particular nightmare held no color, blurred images coming from a different perspective she’d never encountered before. It felt as if she were controlling the premonition, seeing it through her own crystal eyes as her body moved on its own accord. The only thing Danielle could recall were a pair of bright green eyes, the only splash of color within the mundane painting. The woman even spent days staring into pupils of every living being around her, trying to find that exact shade that appeared in her dream. With no luck she pushed the vision into the back of her mind, busying herself with reality. Maybe this wasn't part of the future, but instead a normal dream occurrence. Ever since that meteor hit earth everything in her life changed – and now here she was; traveling through Paris, starting right back at the beginning with a bundle of nerves that rattled her bones.

Brakes squealed to a stop, gear shift pulled into park as a thick French accent echoed in the air. Blinking back her confusion, Danielle sat up, rubbing her reddened forehead from leaning against the glass. Blue eyes traveled along the top of the seat to stare into the currency machine, hands later digging into her pocket to pull out some bills to hand to the cab driver. Grabbing her bags from the floor, the blond made sure to clutch tightly to her violin case as the climbed out of the vehicle to step in front of the hotel. Glancing slightly over her shoulder as the cab pulled away, Danielle quickly glanced around the surrounding area. The smell of a French restaurant across the street wafted tantalizing dishes, clanging of plates as roars of drunken laughter vibrated in the air. Blinking at the figures in the distance, the woman drawled in a deep breath before stepping forward. Heeled boots clanked against the lobby floor heading in the direction of the front desk to collect room keys.

Once situated the French woman slowly made her way down the elaborate hallway decorated in replicated famous paintings. She gazed at each picture while keeping an eye on the bold room numbers on the wall. Finally reaching the destination, she entered the room, making sure to lock it behind her before throwing a bag onto the freshly made bed. The curtains drawn shut, hiding the hustle and bustle of the French corridor. There was no reason to be nervous. This hotel was safe, five stars even, but money was no problem to the aristocrat. On top of that, her family knew nothing of her stay here in the city, far to immerse in their own lived to even pay attention to the company their only living daughter played for. Yet, their parting was bitter sweet, non-existent even as the woman just picked up and left. Her father had tried to contact her, sending letters of disappointment at her behavior and demanding that she’d return home at once. For all of Danielle’s life she was pleasing others, submitting to the social standings of the wealthy. Even if she was bred to live that life, that didn't mean her free will wanted to be caged to repeating the same cycle over and over again.

Opening the suitcase to pull out its contents, she settled everything in their right place before turning on the television. The news was playing in the background, French men and woman debating over politics of the upcoming influx of supernatural sightings. Reaching up to gently trace the outlines of her pointed ears, Danielle quickly changed the channel, pulling her thick curly blond hair back over her ears to cover their deformity. An old classic movie was playing as she slowly began to change into a pair of night clothing, stopping suddenly to look back at the door thinking she’d heard a knock. “Bonjour?” she called out, her accent thick as no answer came forth. Maybe she was being far to paranoid. Pushing the sinking feeling away, the blond gently crawled into the bed, reaching toward to turn the lights off as the TV glare brightened the room.

1: Bonjour = hello