[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/7LAlKcq.png[/img][/center]


[i][b] Canal Saint-Martin Neighborhood, Northeastern Paris[/b][/i]

As they usually do in the summer, the residents of the neighborhood of Canal Saint-Martin came out in droves to the banks of the canal to partake in all that the scenic area. Some people chose to picnic along the banks, enjoying a meal as they looked out over the waters. Street musicians strummed their guitars all along the streets which were dotted with cafes and boutiques, all of which were packed with customers. Residents and tourists alike walked along the iron footbridges which crisscrossed the canal, while others chose to ride up and down the waterways by boat.

Etoile made his way through the district flanked by two of his followers. The neighborhood had a vibe that radiated youthful energy, and Etoile hated it with a passion. The truth was, there was little that the Fae thug did not hate. He felt that the hierarchy of the Fae world was stagnant and weak. They hid from the human mongrels, allowing the humans to rule over the earth, relegating the Fae and other supernatural beings to a [i]lesser[/i] existence. They hid in the shadows, living their lives as something less than what they were. Less than Fae, even less than human. The so-called Hounds of Humanity had shown the Fae and other supernatural beings just how weak they had become, becoming more of a threat to the supernatural underworld than they had seen in centuries. They had actually done him a great service. For decades, Etoile had preached about the virtue of Fae dominance. He had championed the cause of war. War with the humans, and later, the metahumans. However, his calls to action had been largely ignored by those in control, even the one Fae who he thought would have been sympathetic to his cause, The Ambassador herself.

“Stupide chienne.” He mumbled under his breath as he weaved through the crowded streets, not bothering to conceal his presence from the mongrels that infested the city like a plague of vermin. 

Although the humans and by extension, those supernatural beings who refused to do what must be done disgusted him, he was so very close to having in his possession and item that would grant him the power he needed to assure his place in history. The artifact was an item of immense power, which, if the legends were to be believed, would grant the one who wielded it the power of a god. Though he had been looking for the artifact for decades, he had never had any real leads on its whereabouts, until now. Ironically, the shard of the Divinity, as it was called by historians and scholars, had been right under his nose all of this time. It wasn’t locked away in some heavily guarded vault in a museum, or under lock and key in a government facility. It was in the private art collection of Jacob Cadieux, a well known art collector, and if rumors were to be believed, a notorious gangster. 

This fact made procuring the shard problematic. Or it could have been. Fortunately, Etoile had the best thief in all of France in his employ. For the human woman, snatching the shard from Cadieux’s chubby little fingers would not be a problem. 

Or it shouldn’t have been. 

However, despite the knowledge of what would happen to her and everyone that she had ever cared about should she not come to him with the shard at the predetermined place and time, she never showed up. Etoile did not know if the woman had failed to get his item, or if she had succeeded and decided to keep it for herself. In truth, he did not care. She had failed him, one way or another and that failure would prove to be costly. Seline would have to be made an example of, which was actually quite a pity, as he had genuinely liked her, at least as much as he could allow himself to like a human.

[i]Quel gâchis[/i] Etoile said as he saw the home that Seline shared with several family members. 

[center]***[/center]

Just like most days, Sophie Cantrell sat lone in her room with her nose in a book. Although the it was had been a beautiful day, even with the sun setting, it was beginning to look the night would be just as pleasant, she had no interest in doing the things that most girls her age were doing on evenings like tonight. She did not want to go out and run around the canal chasing after boys or looking for cheap thrills. She had much better things to do. She had grand adventures to set out on, where she would meet interesting folks from all corners of the globe. There was great romance, heroes, villains, and even gut wrenching terror for her to experience.

All within the pages of her stories. 

Within these stories she could become anything that she wanted. She could be a warrior princess battling evil hordes that threaten her land. Or she could be a treasure hunter setting out on the adventure of a lifetime trying to find a rare historical artifact, fighting against criminals and time itself trying to save the future of mankind. She could be a super hero, fighting the good fight. She could live any life that she wanted, and for even just a little while, she didn’t have to live her own life. While she was visiting these far away lands, she was never hungry, and she never had too look for alternate routes home to avoid certain people that tended to take great joy in making her life as miserable as possible. 

As Sophie began to get engrossed in a tale of mythic heroes setting out on a journey to confront the evil that threatened to consume their world, the sound of breaking glass and surprised shrieks pulled her back into the here and now. Startled by the sudden disturbance, Sophie got up from the small desk that she had been sitting at and went over to her bedroom door. Sensing that something was not quite right, she cautiously opened the door and slipped out into the hallway. Silently, she crept down the hallway. When she reached the stairs, she began to make her way downstairs, then she suddenly stopped. She saw three men and  woman that she did not know in the living room. Laying lifeless in the far corner was her cousin Tanya, and her aunt Nicole was cowering on the couch, begging for her life. 

“Où est Seline? “ One of the men demanded. He was tall and lanky, with short dark hair. The man had a strange charisma about him which caused Sophie to be oddly drawn to him. She took another step down the stairs toward her family when her uncle Raul charged the man, however the man brought his arm our an upward, almost like a gunslinger in the old American West, pointing his fingers at her uncle, when the room suddenly exploded in a red and green flash. The next thing she knew, her uncle was laying on the floor, and her aunt was screaming. Then there was another brilliant flash of colored light and her aunt fell silent.

Sophie began back up the stairs toward her room, but she was stopped by a firm hand on her shoulder. She spun to look at her attacker with wild-eyed fear. However, as she looked on her sister who held a finger up to her mouth indicating to be quiet relief washed over her. Seline beckoned for Sophie to follow her back up the stairs. Seline led her younger sister back up the stairs and down the hallway toward her bedroom, which was directly across the hall from Sophie’s room. Once inside, Seline ushered Sophie over to the window and motioned for her to climb out the window and down the large tree that stood in the front yard. Once Sophie had climbed down the tree, Seline followed her, then grabbed her by the arm and rushed down the street, not looking back until they reached the Gare de l’Est, where they boarded a train and got as far away from their house and the intruders who had destroyed their lives as possible.

[center]***[/center]

The sun had begun to set on Paris as Scott walked the streets along the Seine. The streets were filled with couples, both young and young at heart who couldn’t pass up the purely magical scenery. As he observed the various couples before him, Alexa’s absence became all the more noticeable. Her negotiations for Winstone International had taken longer than she had anticipated, and she refused to let him just stay at the hotel. She had urged him to take advantage of the trip and explore the city without her, though she did suggest that he keep an eye out for a nice bistro for a late night bite to eat. 

He had done as she had suggested, he had gone for a walk and saw a number of tourist attractions, many that he hoped to revisit with Alexa by his side. He went to the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame. From there he visited the Louvre  and the Arc de Triomphe. He had even taken in a ghost tour in the famous Paris Catacombs. Now, he was just taking a stroll along the river before returning to the hotel to wait for Alexa to get back from her business meetings, then he’d take her to the bistro that he had found.

As he walked along the river, he suddenly could hear panicked voices somewhere in the crowd.  
					
“Qu'est-ce que tu as fait?! Qui étaient ces gens?” a young female voice asked. There was something about the way that she spoke that shook him. Maybe it was the raw emotion in the girl’s voice, the anger…the fear. Scott scanned the crowd, and then after several moments he found them. Two young women stood out among the crowd. He didn’t know what they had been through, but he could see that they needed help. So he cautiously approached them, being careful not to startle or otherwise shake them more than they already were.

“Est-ce que tu vas bien?” Scott asked in his best French. The two women looked at him blankly as he spoke to them. Their discomfort at his approach was easily seen as they sized him up, trying to see if he was a threat. Then, the older of the two women’s eyes grew to the size of saucers as she looked past Scott, to something, or someone behind them.

“Etoile.” The woman said. “Nous devons partir. À présent.” She said as she turned to go in the opposite direction. Then she turned back to Scott.

“Come. Now.” She said, compelling him to follow them.