THE CITY OF LIGHTS

I suddenly wake up, panting. Rachel, who is sitting next to me, asks me with a worried expression, "You okay?"

I nod and ask her back, "How long have I been sleeping?"

"About two hours." She replies.

I look to the seat near the aisle and see Phoebe with her phone in her hands. She is probably texting her dumb friends about how she is going to Paris, the fashion capital and is going to post the best pictures ever. And her friends would reply with "Oh my God! You are going to have so much fun there! LOL."

Even though there is nothing funny about it, cause they are just going to be jealous of her. However, they are still going to like her picture. Honestly, I don't understand people sometimes.

Phoebe sees me staring at her and snaps, "What? You don't have something else to do in your life?" Normally, I would say something sarcastic. But I am so shaken from the strange dream I had, that I just turn my head towards the window.

I still don't understand why I saw that dream. Is it because I miss my Dad so much that I start seeing him in a surreal world? Or because it really happened at some point in his life? Most probably it's the former option, but for some reason I can't get rid of the thought that my father at some time must have had the most extraordinary powers ever.

Of course, this isn't true and I am just imagining things because till now I've read too many fantasy novels.

But one thing still bothers me- the purple light in the scene. That shade of purple has an uncanny resemblance to something else that I saw today. I turn towards Rachel, who is now watching some show on the screen in front of her with her headphones on.

I tap on her shoulder; she removes the headphones and asks, "What?"

I clear my throat and ask, "Do you still remember Angelica?"

Her eyes widen. "The girl with the purple eyes?" She confirms in an almost whisper like tone.

I nod and say, "I felt really weird around her, you know, almost like I was about to cry."

Rachel puts on a confused expression. "Cry? I was pretty scared by her. I mean she looked like someone who was straight out of a horror movie."

I raise my eyebrow and taunt her, "Well, you looked pretty confident for someone who was had just seen a person they're afraid of."

"What was I supposed to do? Should I have started saying, 'Hi, you scare the hell out of me, and you look like a witch.' Huh Carry?" Rachel points out.

She is not wrong. But still how is it possible that a teenage girl could make one person sad and the other afraid.

I would tell Rachel about my dream, but not now, not here. I know that just hearing my father's name would bring her to tears and I didn't want to cause chaos in the plane. Instead I say, "Maybe it's us, going to Paris, away from our home. We must be imagining things."

She looks at me skeptically but instead of arguing, she simply puts her headphones back on.

I am not lying but do I believe that myself? No. I know there is something weird about that girl. And deep down, I know she is related to my dream. But I am not telling anyone about them unless I know more, which is highly unlikely.

I try to go back to sleep but that doesn't seem to happen, so instead I call the air hostess and ask her what is available for lunch. Since we are travelling by first class, thanks to our Aunt, there seems like a thousand options for food. After what is like an hour of the air hostess' recitation of the number of meals they had, I ask her for a simple mac and cheese with coke.

This makes her frown, as she had wasted her time pronouncing the most difficult dishes ever on a person like me.

But the 'class' that I lack is made up for when Phoebe orders her food. She asks for dishes that I've never even heard of in my life. Cause most of them are French, she flaunts her accent as best as she can. And somehow, I instantly know that something bad is bound to happen.

"So, you would like a filet mignon, a parfait, soup l'oignon, a french vanilla soufflé and one mousse ao chocolat." The air hostess confirms the order.

Phoebe stares at the woman and asks, "I'm sorry, what was that?" The air hostess, confused, doesn't say anything but looks at Phoebe.

"Mousse ao chocolat? It's pronounced mousse-o-chocolat, not whatever garbage you were saying. Let me ask you something, why did your boss let you enter this plane which is going to Paris, a city in France, when you don't even know how to pronounce basic french dishes. If you want to work in a plane next time, try one in America. And at least say the dishes that are in English right." Phoebe finishes with a smile.

The air hostess purses her lips, as colour rushes to her face. Rachel notices it too as she quickly jumps in and apologizes, "Sorry for my sister. She just loves French, maybe too much." She finishes while throwing a glance in Phoebe's direction.

I join the conversation to have a little fun of my own."Yes, you see our Phoebe here has several problems. She has various mental issues that turn her into this annoying little brat that sometimes you just want to hit her on the head and hope that she never recovers. You're welcome to do so by the way-"

Phoebe cuts me off before I can say anything more. "Oh shut up Caroline! Why don't you find some friends and then talk to me? Now can I have something to eat or is that too difficult?" She asks the hostess with an annoying tone. The hostess turns around and walks while stomping her feet.

"You're getting snot in your mousse 'ao' chocolat," I joke while stretching out my arms. Phoebe gives me a dirty look but does not say anything.

Rachel is the one who is truly furious."You could have been nicer to that lady," She says angrily to Phoebe, who is now again on her phone.

"Are you kidding me? I just told a hostess off for not pronouncing French right, I am basically from France right now. Try to read the vibe Rach," She says while laughing.

My stupid, idiotic sister thinks that she became French because she was rude to a pretty normal woman. I would say something but that is just going to be useless. So instead, I take out a book from my bag to read.

Finally, my mac and cheese arrives and I start digging in. Phoebe's dishes also arrive one by one. I see her place her phone at an angle and click a picture. She repeats this around a hundred more times.

After a while, she points the phone towards me, and I instantly regret what I say, "Oh no, I don't want any pictures of mine on your Insta."

Phoebe looks at me with fake pity and says, "Aw, you think I want to put your face on my phone. I was taking the picture of that gorgeous view behind you. Its very sad that you think I would ever want your ugly face anywhere near my phone. Now get out of my frame."

By this time, I have a million insults in my mind. But I know what would truly annoy her. Instead of shouting at her, I take the bowl of food and place it right in front of the window.

"There, take your picture now." I say with a sour face.

Rachel puts her hand on her head and groans, "What would it take for both of you to stop fighting?"

I keep my eyes on my food and reply, "For her to be a normal person for a change."

Rachel sighs and says, "Like that's going to happen any time soon. Do you mind if I have your mac and cheese? I'm pretty hungry. I didn't order anything cause you know..." She tilts her head towards Phoebe.

I keep my bowl on the foldable table and slide it towards Rach's direction. She takes a fork and starts eating as well. "Wow! this is good. I am so happy you didn't order pork or something, otherwise I wouldn't be able to eat anything."

Rachel is vegetarian and absolutely hates meat. I could see the disgust on her face when Phoebe's fish arrives. "Speaking of pigs, look at what she's doing." I point to Phoebe, who is struggling to drink her soup because of the cheese crust on the top.

Rachel shakes her head and asks her, "Hey Pheebs, you need help with that?"

"No, leave me alone!" She shouts.

Nevertheless, Rachel takes her fork and scrapes the crust off. "There."

Phoebe tries to say something annoying, but doesn't seem to take the words out of her mouth. Instead she drinks her soup while texting her friends.

"Why do you need to help her? You know she's never going to return the favour." I complain.

"It's fine." She shrugs and goes back to eating.

When the food is finished, I open my can of coke and start gulping it down. I give Rachel a bit as well.

I'm pretty full myself, so I keep my drink on the table and pick up the book I was reading before- 'Julius Caesar'. I would read something new, but I'm just not in the mood. Besides, a story about an emperor who gets murdered by his best friend, sign me up.

Rachel by now has closed her eyes, and Phoebe is nowhere to be found. I look all around, and don't find her anywhere. Honestly, I don't care; if I'm lucky she must have jumped out of the plane thinking that she is a skydiver.

Unfortunately, she comes back within two minutes and sits on her seat.

I open the shutter of my window and see the darkness that has taken over the sky. "Close the shutter, nerd!" I hear Phoebe shouting at me. By this time, I've had enough.

"What could possibly be the case that you want the shutter close so bad? Is the moonlight too bright for you? Or are the stars disturbing the lighting of your photo? Cause if they are, I'm so sorry, Your Majesty, that I can't control them. What the hell is the problem for you?" I ask her with an angry tone.

She fixes her eyes on me and says "Do as I say, nerd." She emphasizes on the last word.

I fixate my eyes on her as well and answer back. "No."

To avoid further drama, I take out my earmuffs from the bag and put them on to enjoy my book without any disturbances. I keep reading about how Brutus stabs Caesar and how he explains to the crowd of Rome why he did it, as if that justifies everything. Honestly, Brutus is literally one of the most stupid people I've read about.

First- you love your best friend, and then you realize he's a bad guy because some of your other friends say so, then you kill that best friend and finally, you get killed yourself. However, it does make for a good story.

I finish the book in about two hours, and keep it back in my bag. I recline my chair all the way to the back and cover myself with the blanket that has been provided to us. I simply stare at the view outside. And again, start to think about that weird dream.

Was the man in the dream even my dad? I mean he looked like him but many people have pale skin and light silver blonde hair. What bothers me are those indigo eyes; the ones that I have inherited from him, like his other features.

They look like they are their own element. They are very....unique, to say the least. Nobody I ever saw has eyes like him. This somehow makes me sure that the boy was definitely my dad.

But why? Why that specific dream? I've been telling myself that its all because of the novels I read, but I know that it isn't. I wish someone could tell me or at least helps me in figuring it out.

First, I think about Mom. She was definitely the closest person to my dad but I know that hearing his name, she would not bawl like a baby as Rachel will, instead she will hide her emotions and feel terrible inside. So, I cross her out.

That leaves Phoebe; stupid and narcissistic Phoebe. I can just imagine her being like "Oh my God, stop dreaming then, geek." Then she would post a picture of herself with a happy face and the caption being like- #Helpingmynerdysis. Thus, I do not have anyone to talk to, yet.

I realise that I'm really parched. So, I press a button and tell the waitress who comes to me to bring me some water. She goes at the back and instantly returns with my bottle of water.

While I'm drinking, I hear the pilot make an announcement that we would be landing earlier than expected which will be in about one hour. I am a little thankful for that, since I am literally dying to see my cat.

I see air hostesses going around to ask if any passenger wants dinner. I tap on Rachel's shoulder, who has already half woken up from the announcement.

"They're serving dinner. You want anything?" I ask her.

She now fully wakes up and asks me ,"What you're getting?"

I shrug my shoulders and reply, "Most probably, chicken wings." Rachel gags and presses the button above her.

An air hostess (Not the one that Phoebe had told off) comes and has a notepad in her hand to take our orders. I ask for the wings and Rachel asks for red sauce pasta for herself. She turns to Phoebe to ask if she wants anything but she had already reclined her chair all the way to back and has now closed her eyes.

As the air hostess goes away, I see our mom hastily coming towards us. "Everything okay?" she asks us. Both of us nod in reply. My mother instantly notices Phoebe sleeping with the blanket barely covering her. She smiles and covers her fully with it "She looks so peaceful when she's sleeping."

"Let's hope she doesn't wake up." I jokingly say.

"Caroline, please." She says and pushes her curly black hair back. "I heard there was some issue with an air hostess." I choke on my coke cause I immediately laugh at that.

Rachel shoves me in the elbow and turns to mum, "She scolded the air hostess for pronouncing some French dish wrong."

Mom sighs and asks, "Then, why did an attendant tell me immediately if one of my daughters is mentally unfit?"

I turn my eyes to the other direction and say, "That might've been on me."

My mom tilts her head towards me, "Carry, I know you are not a fan of your sister but she is your family. Please, don't go off telling strangers that your own sister has a mental problem."

I throw my hands in the air and protest, "I felt bad for the lady, ok? She was just another normal person and Phoebe told her off for literally nothing, well not nothing; she did that to become a rude French lady. Please don't ask me what that means."

Mom nodded and says, "In a way, I can't argue with you. Don't worry, I'll talk to her when we reach Paris. Till then, no one says anything. Now,have you ordered dinner yet?"

We continue to talk until our food arrives and mum leaves us to eat her own dinner. Rachel doesn't wait a minute and starts eating her pasta immediately. I slowly eat my wings savouring every bite. I'm just waiting for this god damn plane to land now. So that I can go to my room and do whatever I want there without Phoebe constantly commenting on me.

After all of us have finished our dinner, we hear another announcement. "Passengers, This is your captain speaking. As you know we are expected to land by 9:50 p.m. That is why I request you all to get ready for landing in ten minutes."

A speaker gives us instructions as we are instructed to wear the headphones. Everybody in the plane fastens their seat belts and gets ready for landing. We land quite smoothly and are on the ground in no time. We reunite with Mom and head out of the plane.

I have to admit one thing- Paris is amazing. At night, the city looks fabulous. I see twinkling stars above us in the purple blue sky, it was hard not to awe at them. Rachel holds and shakes me. "It's so pretty!"

"Okay." I say calmly while removing her hands from me.

Phoebe starts taking pictures immediately. "Later." Mom sternly says to her. Phoebe groans and keeps the phone in her pocket. I see a big board in front of me that says 'Charles de Gaulle Airport'. We finally walk inside the airport.

Mom tells us to wait in front of the gate so that she can pick our luggage fron the conveyor belt. She comes after a while with something else in her hand besides our luggage. Its my cat-Coco. I take her from mum's hands and start petting her.

"If that thing ever comes near me, I'll kill you." Phoebe warns me.

I simply nod and say, "Sure."

Mom turns towards us and starts speaking, "Caroline and Phoebe, I want you to behave. If you want to fight, go back to America by yourselves. All I want us to do is have fun as a family. You understand?" I nod and Phoebe says "K."

My mom walks out of the airport and we follow her. There we see a black Mercedes right across the street. "Why does Claire always have to make a fuss?" Mom complains while shaking her head.

"Why is that a problem?" Phoebe asks right back.

We cross the street and get in the car. Mom says something in French, and the driver starts driving. I notice the city shining bright despite it being night. Coco also bobs her head up to see the amazing view. I see her eyes reflecting back at me. Those bright blue eyes were in awe.

"Where is the Eiffel Tower?" Rachel asks Mom who is sitting with her.

"The Eiffel Tower is not built on the road." I inform her.

Rachel frowns and says, "Oh."

We reach a place where a dark alleyway is next to us. The driver stops the car and tells Mom to head down the alleyway. Mom gives the driver a tip and directs us to follow her.

Okay, I've watched enough horror movies to know that creepy and dark alleyways always result in something bad. Whether it's a killer or a clown, I don't want to be forever known as the stupid person who went inside a scary street along with the crowd.

So, to save my life (and possibly my family's life, though if they go, its not my problem.) I tap Mom on the shoulder and say "I don't think we should go in there."

"Wuss" Phoebe snorts. You know what? I'm hoping Phoebe meets a clown in there, so that they live with each other forever where they belong, in the sewer.

Mom tucks my hair behind my ears and says, "It's okay, I asked Claire, she said that nobody lives here and its actually a place for shops and bookstores."

I sigh and say, "Fine."

We continue on the path and I leave Coco on the ground for lookouts. She, unlike me, happily strolls, not being afraid of the darkness

Finally, we get out of the place and see a huge building in front of us. Instantly, it lights up and I hear that excited voice which I haven't heard for a long time. "Bonjour! Welcome to Palais de Beauté!"