Luke was almost to his hotel room, in the only hotel in Auver sur Oise when Judd stepped from his own room. A long, lean arm, oddly devoid of grease and dirt, draped firmly around Luke’s shoulders; It could only belong to Judd. Judd used the arm to maneuver Luke back toward the dining room by explaining, “We’re supposed to meet Wynnona there.”

Like an odd announcement, Judd said loudly and very clearly, “Where have YOU been, Luke?” just as they past Angel and Marcus’s room. Judd had his thin grin that created those dimple lines in his scruffy cheeks.

Luke let it roll over him and sounded confused that Judd didn’t know. “I seem to recall talking and texting you earlier.” Luke and Judd slowed their steps as they waited for the door to open.

“Yeah, I’m playing dumb.” Judd whispered n and hurried off ahead.

Luke sympathized with his empathic friend, when even he could feel an inferno of anger pulsing behind him. He turned to meet who had influenced Judd’s decision to be scarce: Angel, Judd’s twin sister and one of Luke’s oldest friends. Luke muted his gift of true sight. Still, his 3rd eye also known as psychic vision, flashed with images that indicated she was tapping into Power, that undefinable element that enhanced their natural talents beyond the average person. Angel stood there in his mind’s eye with her dark chocolate curls starting to float. He could see her aura increasing in purple hues with each snap in and out of focus on reality. While her tapping foot, crossed arms, and frowning face were clear markers of anger, the shots of orange red in that aura confirmed the truthfulness of her body language’s apparent emotions and their intensity. The two sparked with a silvery static, indicating her emotions were rooted in anxiety.

“You know,” He hedged opening his arms wide with his palms up, “change can be a good thing.” He smirked.

She deflated. Her aura pulsed and quickly flared the orange-red and like a dud of a sparkler; fizzled. The silver still slid around her, zapping out into the area around her. An indulgent smile crept over her face. He was hoping it was his charm that lowered that hair raising power and not her precognitive talents. “You’re not supposed to be the adventurous one.” She accused as she came up beside him. She comfortably wrapped an arm around his waist and steered him toward the stairs again.

They’d begun their descent when Luke asked, “Really, is it that bad?”

She shrugged. “The vision may have been from her point of view or her attacker’s. we’re all there to watch the fallout.”

While this idea occupied one part of his mind, the other was noting that Angel was an Amazonian Basketball player compared to Jeanine. Looking at her, his eyes were level with the tip of her nose.

The notion that Angel had a violent vision caused his organs to slowly freeze in proportion to his growing acceptance of her premonition. He’d thought she read the cards. A vision was a different story. There was little wiggle room for interpretation from a vision unlike reading tarot or playing cards. Bile climbed his throat. Since, Luke had just met Jeanine, he was a bit surprised at such a visceral response to anyone stalking her. He shook his head a little, “You know, it may be not be her. I could still meet someone else when I’m out and about while you all sleep your vacation away.”

She smiled at his needling. “What’s her name?” she asked casually.

“Jeanine Prisby.” He replied cautiously trying to control his face.

Angel’s mouth broadened to a 10,000 kilowatt smile at seeing Luke’s grin as he said Jeanine’s name. It was his Yuletide present grin. His voice added weight to her name giving her presence and significance as if she were there with them regardless of how casually he said he regarded her. Angel shallowly agreed with him, “Hmmm… it could be another girl all together.”

Luke contemplated pushing Judd’s sister down the stairs for a moment. It was like contemplating taking out his own kidney for lying; not in the neighborhood of possible. Her blatant teasing caused such a typical annoyed sibling fantasy that would never happen. He hugged Angel closer instead.

She decided to confirm her suspicions, “What did you end up doing?”

“We looked at churches.”

She snorted with her laughter. “It’s a good thing some superstitions aren’t true.” Non-Christians didn’t burst into flame upon walking on holy ground.

“Yeah, funny.” He ignored her outburst, “You know, I think I might want to go back to school for architectural design. Those buildings were magnificient!”

She nodded in support allowing herself to be redirected, “That’s cool. You could definitely do it.” But Angel wouldn’t be entirely distracted, “What does Jeanie look like?”

“She’s petite.” He judged where he’d been staring to meet her eyes all day. It made her reach his shoulder. “Long, straight, black-ish-brown hair. Big, huge, brown eyes. Tan skin. I mean, it’s gossamer-like but tan. And she vibrates with energy like she’s struggling to contain herself. She muscled, toned from something like gymnastics and ballet, or was it gymnastics and yoga? And she gets this look; intrigued, amused, and mischievious all at the same time. And I li-” He paused. He almost blurted out how he noticed and liked how she looked at him.

He’d felt Jeanine’s eyes caress him all day. She had a thing for his hair and shoulders. Sometimes, she’d seemed awestruck. But that slowly shifted to curiosity and then, to hunger as the day wore on. That information was just his.

“Well,” Angel interrupted his musings, “That sounds great.”

“Smart.” He said trying to ignore that he’d spaced out for a moment, “She’s smart, too. She’s here researching evolution of women’s rights in France. She’s from Colorado and speaks French fluently. Did a tip calculation in her head in like a second. She had a brief summary of the history for each of the churches virtually memorized.”

They’d arrived at the dining hall. Judd raised his hand to catch their attention, though the room was only half full. The trio of men seated at a four top stood out. One was huge, a bald man in a cap, who would’ve looked menacing if he didn’t look quite so amused, as if a grin were permanently etched on his face. Judd and the other guy appeared to be about average height,. The young man with locks of curls dangling about his head was lounging with silent contentment watching the Judd.

Wyck shook his frosted spiral curls out of his eyes so he could talk to Luke, “Wynnona went to see her agent’s friend and should be back any minute.” He adjusted the leather cuffs on his wrists before leaning forward on the table and wrapping his long fingers around a cup of tea.

“Her real reason for getting us here instead of Acapulco,” Judd, whose mouth was all that was clearly in view, whined half-heartedly as he reached for a glass of wine.

Angel stepped around Judd to reach Marcus. In doing so, she playfully smoothed Judd’s hat off his head. “I wanted to go to Romania,” declared Angel just before she kissed Marcus on his smooth cranium . She sat next to this guy, the only man in the group taller than her and not so subtly placed his hand on her jean clad thigh.

Luke sat, “I think Paris was a great choice. Gives us some culture.” Then, he asked, “What did you all do today while I was meeting Jeanie?”

Wyck sounded a bit worn, “Wynonna dragged us all over this town checking out every site Van Gogh painted here. And his gravesite. She really likes Van Gogh. Evidently, there’s a print of each of his paintings next to each scene still in existence in this town.”

“Oh, that’s what that was about. I saw a poster next to an old church when I was jogging but I didn’t get a good look at it.”

“Hello, Everybody!” Wynnona’s voice rang from the doorway. She apologized to diners as she past them, mostly for hitting them with the garments she had hooked on her fingers over each shoulder. “I got the tickets and the clothes!” A tall, willowy, platinum blonde wove her way toward the group of Americans. Her hair draped in romantically, large curling waves down the front of her emerald dress suit.

Wyck got up to gallantly grab the clothes.

“I even got one for your girlfriend and her friend,” Wynnona announced. “We don’t get the limo treatment unfortunately. We’re supposed to filter in between the stars’ entrances and fill the theater.”

Wyck smirked with pleased surprise, “We’re going down the red carpet?”

“Of course,” She smiled her devilish, get-anything-I want grin. “I am an extra in the movie being premiered at the Grand Rex after all.”