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Amber awoke the next morning to an impatient sun stealing through the slits of her blinds. She remained still, looking around her room with sleepy eyes. She had no illusions about the night before; everything that happened in Grandma’s room was real. So many questions ran through her head, questions she would have to have answered. The responses wouldn’t change her decision, but they would make her feel better about what she was going to do.
She forced herself out of bed to the closet where she began to pack. Grandma bought her a new wardrobe for the trip; most of the items were still in packages. She placed them into the new suitcases and combined them with her old items. She wasn’t a heavy packer; her mother always complained she never had enough clothes whenever they travelled. She had no idea what the weather would be in Paris this time of year, let alone West Africa. She would have to search it on the net before they left for the airport.
Grandma stepped into her room with a guilty look on her face.
“How you feeling, baby?”
Amber shrugged. “Confused.”
“I know you have a lot of questions. It’ll give us a lot to talk about on the flight. Are you ready to go?”
Amber sat on her bed. “I don’t know.”
Grandma sat beside Amber. “You can still change your mind.”
“No, I can’t,” Amber replied. “How do you say no when you’re told the fate of the world is in your hands?”
“That’s a good point,” Grandma admitted. “For what it’s worth this will be easy.”
“Have you done it before, Grandma?”
“Done what?”
“Picked a Sana.”
Grandma looked away. “No. But I was trained to and I’ll be with you all the way.”
“Great,” Amber said as she frowned. “We both won’t know what we’re doing.”
“Shush, child,” Grandma scolded. “My father will make sure all goes well.”
The doorbell rang and Amber answered. Javan entered with a wide smile on his handsome sepia face.
“Bon jour, ladies! Ready for your trip to the City of Lights?”
Amber looked at her grandmother and Javan. “You knew?”
Amber didn’t think Javan’s grin could get wider, but it did.
“Of course I knew. You’ll love it!”
He took their bags to the jeep and they set off for the airport. He took the highway instead of the back roads, arriving at the airport in thirty minutes. He parked at the departure curb then took out their bags.
“I’ll keep an eye on the bungalow Miss Corliss,” Javan said.
“Thank you, Javan.”
“You have a great time, Amber.” He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek then kissed Grandma on the cheek as well. “Be good, the both of you.”
Javan waved as he walked away.
“Such a sweet boy,” Grandma commented.
Amber said nothing. She stared at Javan as he walked away, her hand resting on the cheek Javan had just kissed.
“Stop mooning and come on, girl.” Grandma tugged Amber’s arm. “Such behavior is unbecoming of a Seer.”
Amber walked backwards waving at Javan until he sped away. She turned to Grandma who shook her head.
“Boy crazy, just like your mother,” Grandma commented. “It took me everything in my power to keep that girl from getting pregnant before she was married.”
“Grandma!’ Amber exclaimed. “That’s way too much information!”
“You’re on your way to be a Seer, Amber. We must speak as equals now.”
“Well, since we’re equals and all, I think I need to call Mama and Daddy and let them know where we’re going.”
Grandma’s eyes bulged. “We can’t!”
“I don’t mean tell them we’re going to Marai. I know they won’t believe that. I’m still not sure I do. But I have to tell them we’re going to Paris. They should at least know that much.”
Grandma nodded. “That’s true. Let’s get checked in then we’ll call them.”
The check in went smoothly. They boarded the small jet then hopped to Atlanta. They had an hour layover before their connecting flight to Paris. Amber gave Grandma her cell phone and she dialed Amber’s parents.
“Hi baby!” Mama sang. “I wondered when you were going to call us.”
“Crystal, it’s Mama.”
“Mama? Hi Mama. How are you doing? How’s Amber?”
“She’s fine. Look Crystal, Amber and I are taking a little trip. We’ll be gone a couple of weeks.”
“A trip? Where? You didn’t say anything about a trip.”
“I know baby. This was kind of last minute.”
“But still Mama, Amber is down there to spend some time with you. I don’t think she was expecting to go somewhere else.”
“Amber’s fine, Crystal. She’s excited about going.”
Crystal was quiet for a moment. “Where are you going? Jacksonville? Charleston?”
Corliss cleared her throat. “Paris.”
Crystal was quiet again. “Mama, I don’t recall any towns near Hilton Head called Paris. Oh wait, there is Parris Island.”
“I’m talking about Paris, France, baby.”
“Sam! Sam!” Crystal screamed. “Mama, don’t you hang up this phone. Don’t you dare!”
Grandma rolled her eyes and Amber giggled. She listened to Mama’s hysterical voice as she told Daddy. The next voice she heard was his.
“Hello Mama Corliss. What’s this I hear about you taking Amber to Paris?”
“Well Sam, Ben and I planned this trip a long time ago, but he died before we could take it. Since Amber had such a long time to visit, I thought this would be a good time to take advantage of all that saved up money.”
“Mama Corliss, I understand how much you love Amber and how much you love spoiling her. But this is serious. You should have discussed this with Crystal and me first. We might have agreed, but under the circumstances I’m afraid we’ll have to say no.”
“Son, I understand how you feel, but it’s a little too late for that. Amber and I are at Hartsfield waiting for our connecting flight.”
“You’re what? Mama Corliss, do not get on that flight! I will personally reimburse you for your tickets.”
“Sam, don’t worry about a thing. We’ll be just fine. We’ll call you as soon as we land. You two enjoy the Vineyard. Tell your Mama and them I said hello.”
Grandma hung up and cut off the phone before handing it back to Amber.
“Do not turn that phone back on until we’re in Paris,” she ordered.
Amber saluted. “Yes ma’am!”
They boarded their Air France flight to Paris. Grandma had purchased first class seats, Amber’s second first class flight. They settled in side by side for the eight-hour flight. Amber won over the flight staff as always with her polite charm and Grandma added to the take over with her elderly grace.
“Get some sleep,” Grandma advised. “We may have a long day tomorrow.”
“Why didn’t you tell grandpa about Marai?” Amber asked, totally ignoring Grandma’s’ advice.
“You know how your grandfather was,” Grandma answered. “Do you think he would have believed me?”
“I guess not. But he was your husband. You’re not supposed to have any secrets from him.”
Grandma laughed. “You’re showing your age, baby girl. By the time I met your grandfather I didn’t want to say anything about Marai.”
“Why not?”
Grandma looked solemn. “I thought I made a big mistake by leaving. It took me a long time to get used to this world and when I did I didn’t like what I saw. I couldn’t understand why people hated each other just because of the color of their skin. I often thought about going back. But then I met your grandfather and fell in love.”
Amber looked skeptical. “Grandpa didn’t seem like a romantic type.”
“He was old when you met him,” Grandma said with a smile. “When I met him, he was an eighteen-year-old bricklayer with arms like the branches of a live oak and a smile that made me dizzy. The first time he kissed me I thought I was going to melt.”
“Eeww!” Amber exclaimed.
“I know you’ve kissed a boy by now.”
Amber sipped on her orange juice. “I don’t have a problem with kissing. I have a problem about you and grandpa kissing.”
“We did a lot more than that.”
“Please, Grandma.”
Grandma laughed. “Get some sleep, girl. This is an eight-hour flight.”
Amber thought she would be too excited to sleep but she was wrong. When she awoke they were on the final approach to Charles De Gaulle airport, the sun hidden behind a rank of grey clouds.
“Bonjour!” the attendant announced. “Welcome to The City of Lights.”
Amber looked out her window to the airport below. Paris sparkled in the pre-dawn darkness, earning its nickname. She reached back and shook Grandma.
“Grandma, we’re here!”
Grandma woke up and looked toward the window. “It seems we are.”
They disembarked then made their way quickly through the terminal. Taxis waited outside like mechanical sentinels, whisking travelers away to their varied destinations. One particular taxi driver caught Grandma’s attention, his dark skin in stark contrast to his bright yellow shirt. A leather jacket hung from his narrow shoulders, barely reaching the top of his skinny jeans.
“Grandma, are you checking that young man out?” Amber asked.
“Don’t be silly, girl,” Grandma replied. “He reminds me of someone from home.”
“Javan?”
“No, my real home. Marai.”
Bonjour, mademoiselles,” he said with a distinctive accent. “Where can I take you?”
“L’Hotel Bristol,” Grandma replied.
“Et pouvez-vous dépêcher s'il vous plaît?”
Amber didn’t understand the taxi driver’s reply for he answered in French. She stared at Grandma in wonder.
“You speak French?”
Grandma smiled. “A special talent of a Seer. You can, too. Try it.”
Amber tapped the taxi driver on his shoulder. “Excuse me, but how far will we be from the Louvre?”
“Not far,” he replied. “I hope you get a chance to see all the sites. Paris is a beautiful city.”
Amber was stunned. Though her ears heard the man’s respond in French, the words registered in English in her mind. Her words apparently were spoken in French for the driver responded without hesitation.
“Cool! I’m taking French next year!” she exclaimed.
“Get in the car, baby girl,” Grandma said with a smile.
Amber was captivated by the ride to the hotel. They drove through the roundabout encircling the Arc de Triumph. In the distance she could see the Eiffel Tower. She nearly fainted when she saw the hotel, an elegant building built in a 19th century style. The front entrance glittered with lights like Christmas.
“Grandma! This is beautiful! How can you afford this?”
“Your grandfather and I save up a long time for this trip,” she replied. “We didn’t plan on spending this much for a room but you and I won’t be staying long. I decided we needed to pamper ourselves before we set out for Marai.”
They checked in and went immediately to their suite. The huge room was filled with antique furniture and dazzling paintings. An enormous king size bed filled the bedroom.
“I hope you don’t mind sleeping with an old lady,” Grandma said.
“Not in this bed!” Amber fell backwards into the lush comforter and closed her eyes, a blishful smile on her face.
* * *
CORLISS SHOOK HER HEAD as she ambled into the bathroom. As she closed the door behind her a serious expression ruled her face. She reached into her purse, extracting a small leather pouch. She opened it and poured its contents into her hand. The grey dust she held was old, older than her, probably older that Marai. She raised her hand to her mouth, prepared to blow the powder onto the mirror. The dust would transform the glass to a portal where she could communicate with her father. She would tell him their location and he would send someone to meet them. Corliss pursed her lips then stopped. There was still time, she reasoned. Two days was not a long time, especially in the life of a Maraibu. For Amber, it could be two wonderful days in one of the most beautiful cities in the world before the weight of responsibility came crashing down. She put the powder back into the pouch and placed it back in her purse. Marai could wait a little longer.