Chapter 10 #3
“Wow. Incredible.” Stone blocks the size of benches were scattered around the room, and we found a group of three set close together.
Everyone except Le Bec pulled food out of their packs.
He sat just outside our group, looking bored.
Martine opened jars of rillettes and tiny adorable cornichon pickles and set them out.
Nick produced a cured beef sausage and sliced it with his pocketknife.
“It’s the halal one that you like,” he told Noor.
She smiled, pleased, and unwrapped three small white packages whose distinctive odor had already told me they were cheese.
Youssef put a couple of baguettes next to the cheese and stacked five chocolate bars beside them.
Nick reached into his pack again and pulled out bottles of 1664 beer and lemonade.
“Did everybody bring a cup?” We all rooted around in our packs and produced camp cups.
Nick poured them all half full of beer except Noor’s.
He opened the lemonade and poured her cup full before adding it to the beer in the rest of our cups.
I wrinkled my nose. I didn’t like beer that much, and I couldn’t see how adding lemonade to it would increase its allure. “Santé,” he said, raising his cup.
We raised ours. “Santé.”
I took a tiny, I’m-doing-this-only-to-be-polite sip, prepared to be disgusted, but it was delicious: fizzy, citrusy, slightly bitter, just barely sweet, and entirely refreshing.
“This is wonderful,” I said. “What is it?”
“Panaché,” he said. “Welcome to the catacombs, mademoiselle.” We attacked the food like we hadn’t eaten in a week.
I tried everything. The duck rillettes, which were melt-in-your-mouth meat shreds of deliciousness; the sausage topped with a couple of crunchy, vinegary cornichons; the rich, gooey Brie; the hard, supple Morbier cheese with a thin layer of ash in the middle.
It tasted of mushrooms and nuts, not last night’s firepit, and I thought it would be amazing in grilled cheese sandwiches.
Le Bec didn’t eat any of this marvelous food, not even the chocolate. He just watched as we did, an unreadable expression on his face.
“Aren’t you hungry?” I said, when his staring started to seem weird.
“He never eats anything,” Youssef explained.
“That is not true,” Le Bec said. “I simply prefer other food.”
His tone implied that the feast in front of us failed to meet his standards. Nobody seemed to know how to reply to that. Finally, Noor cleared her throat and pointed at one of the walls. “The vampire pigeon is new since the last time, yes?” she said.
“You have not heard? Paris has its very own vampire.” He smiled. “The catas needed one, too.”
She shook her head. “No. It is a terrible thing, even as a joke. People are dying.”
Le Bec flicked her words away like you’d brush away a swarm of gnats. “You should be proud that Paris has a vampire.”
“Proud that there’s somebody out there attacking women? Why?” I said. “It’s appalling.”
“Because a vampire has the power to confer immortality.”
“His victims die,” Noor countered.
He gave a one-shouldered So what? shrug.
“Not always. In any case, a vampire is an improved version of a human. He is stronger; he has a better sense of smell and of hearing; he can see in the dark. He is more clever and more resourceful than humans. And like pigeons, he goes everywhere. He does not wait to be invited.”
“No,” I said flatly. Le Bec looked at me, raised an eyebrow, and turned away, not interested in my response.
I got up and stood in front of him. He didn’t get to ignore me like that.
“Vampires just attack. They don’t ask. It doesn’t matter how great what they’re offering is if they force it on people.
” I snorted. “And I think what they’re offering is just a different sort of death. ”
He waved his hand dismissively. “You do not understand. People do not know what is best for them. They need someone who does—someone who can change them.”
I rolled my eyes. “Just, no. Everyone gets to make their own decisions about their lives.”
“No, you are—”
“Also? Vampires don’t exist.”
He gave me a slow grin. “Are you sure about that?”
Before I could tell him he was delusional, he’d grabbed me, forced my chin up, and put his mouth on my neck. I felt his teeth pressing sharply down on my flesh, and I froze. I didn’t lift my arms to push him away. I didn’t scream.
Nick shouted, “Get off her!” and lunged at him as Le Bec yelped and pushed me away, hard. I landed on my back.
Nick had Le Bec by the jacket. “What the hell were you doing?” he yelled. Noor and Martine helped me to my feet and stood close, asking if I was okay. I was so shaken I couldn’t reply.
“It was a joke,” Le Bec mumbled, his hand over his mouth, eyeing me like I’d scorched him.
“Not…funny,” I panted.
“You are so humorless,” he scoffed. “Did you truly think I was a vampire?”
Hearing the contempt in his voice was almost worse than being attacked. He was trying to make me think I was the one who’d done something wrong.
Nick glared at him. “You don’t do that to people,” he growled. “Get out of here right now, and stay away from us.”
Le Bec scowled back. “Americans,” he scoffed. “You are so sensitive. I made a little joke, and you are offended. You think the entire world must adapt itself to your feelings.”
Youssef stepped up beside Nick. “I am also offended,” he said.
“You attacked a friend,” Martine added.
“ ‘Attacked’ is a strong word,” Le Bec drawled. “I was being playful.”
“You were being vicious,” Noor said.
Nick still had hold of Le Bec’s jacket. “You need to leave.” His tone was calm, but Le Bec’s smirk melted.
Nick let go and Le Bec stepped back. He flicked his eyes to each of us in turn, calculating what we might do.
Finally, he sneered, “As you wish,” and disappeared into one of the corridors.
Nick turned to me. “Are you okay?” I didn’t answer, afraid I’d start crying.
I didn’t want to cry; I didn’t want Le Bec to have made me cry.
Nick put his arms around me. I could feel him shaking. “I’m so sorry. I would never have brought you down here if I’d known this would happen. I would never put you in danger.”
“Did he hurt you?” Martine asked again. “It looked like he tried to…bite you?”
I nodded. “He tried, but he didn’t.” I felt his teeth on my neck again, and I put my hand over the spot where they’d touched me.
Nick winced. “That’s messed up. Let’s get out of here.
” As we made our way back to the access hatch, I flinched at every noise and shadow, convinced Le Bec was coming back for me.
Even surrounded by friends, I felt vulnerable.
When we’d climbed out and were standing on the street aboveground again, I started to shiver.
I hugged myself hard and tried to stop. I was fine.
I was safe; I was with my friends, not trapped, not alone.
Noor noticed me shaking. She zipped open one of her pack’s pockets, searched for a minute, then put something small and flat and bumpy into my hand.
“Eat this,” she said. “It will help.” It was a chocolate bar, the kind with whole hazelnuts. I unwrapped it and took a bite, crunching a nut, and felt tendrils of warmth spread through me.