It was a radiant summer day in Paris, the sunlight casting a golden glow upon the cobblestone streets and elegant buildings. Families from across the globe reveled in the city's diverse architecture and renowned tourist attractions. Whether they were dining in upscale restaurants or marveling at historical landmarks, the winding streets were alive with vacationers soaking in the city's charm. Amidst this bustling scene, however, sat a solitary figure tucked away in a quiet corner of a public library.
A disheveled college student, surrounded by a variety of books, folders, and notes, typed away. Oblivious to the passing hours, he diligently worked on a set of assignments, even as the sun reached its zenith in the sky. Rings had formed around his eyes years ago and strings of gray hair poked through the black, making him look older than he was. He wore a purple hoodie with the college's faded logo on it and tan baggy shorts that didn’t match whatsoever.
As he worked the phone set to his side would light up with a notification every so often. A notification that he seemed set to answer later. It was only after another few pings did he finally look up as his phone rang out with a call.
Sigh
“Yo, Carmen?”
“Yup, hey Luca. How’s the vacation going?”
Luca paused for a second before answering, “It’s been fine. We’ve been here for like a week now and went to a few places.”
“Cool, what are you doing now? The family got any plans?”
“Yeah, we were thinking of going to some fancy restaurant mom’s been wanting to try. Right now, though? Just finishing up some homework so I’m not behind when I get back. Might go over the MCAT stuff again before packing up.”
“Damn. I know you wanna graduate early but I still don’t understand how you can handle having no breaks. Also, why read that stuff again? You probably have it memorized by now!”
“Whatever man. You know what my dad says, ‘practice makes perfect…’”
“Yeah yeah. Yo, do you think you can hop on for a bit before you gotta go to dinner?”
“Sure, I'll text if I can… Seeya dude.”
Setting the phone back to the side Luca sighed. Slumping into his seat a little he stared at his laptop and the library computer before typing away again. His laptop wasn’t the best but it could run a few small games. Currently he had a simple idle RPG and music running in the background as he worked. A small distraction so that he didn’t completely zone out while working.
After a few minutes Luca finally turned back to the library computer and put his head down to work on the last few anatomy assignments.
“After this I should be completely done. I can enjoy the last week of vacation without having to worry about class. I’m so glad the textbooks are all online…”
…
Hours of looking at a computer hadn’t done his eyes any favors. Kneading his head with one hand he attempted to look over his work. The last 4 assignments were turned in with a spray of digital confetti and any physical work books were now shoved deep into the recesses of his backpack.
‘7:00, damn. Whatever, we eat dinner late anyways.’
Packing up he finally decided to look at some of the notifications littering the front of his phone.
‘Carmen’s wondering when I’ll be on, mom says it’s almost time to go, and a weather alert?’
Weather Alert: Unusual Electrical Outages
Attention Residents,
The National Weather Service has issued a weather alert for the region due to a series of unusual electrical outages reported across several neighborhoods. These outages are believed to be caused by atmospheric disturbances resulting from a rare combination of weather phenomena.
Residents are advised to take precautionary measures, including:
Stay Informed: Monitor local news channels and weather updates for the latest information on the situation.
Prepare Emergency Supplies: Have essential items such as flashlights, batteries, bottled water, and non-perishable food items readily available in case of prolonged power outages.
Exercise Caution: Use extreme caution when navigating areas affected by power outages, as traffic signals and streetlights may be non-functional.
Residents are urged to remain calm and cooperative with emergency responders as they work to address the situation. Further updates will be provided as additional information becomes available.
“Huh, I didn’t really notice anything… must be lucky today?”
As if to mock him, his phone screen flickered quickly before restarting.
“Of course.”
Striding out the front of the library he inserted a single earbud and flicked back to the history podcast he was listening to. Unlocking his bike after only two or three tries he rode down the streets of France. It was a quick ride, only made possible by the fact that his family came to France every year. He tried to stick to the back roads and, although he had to dodge around some people, it was much faster.
The houses around him slowly changed. From apartment complexes to small townhomes, before becoming larger, fancier, and more elaborate. Small gardens began to appear as the homes became more and more expensive and more land was given to their front yards. Arriving at his parents' vacation house, after a short twenty minutes, he saw his mom tending to one of such gardens.
“Oh, Luca! You’re back just on time. How are you, my dear?”
“I’m doing fine mom, just tired. Where's Sara?”
His mom, Elise Ossani, pulled him into a light hug as she spoke, “In her room, probably. Your dad will be back soon. We can eat after he’s back from his walk.”
Resting the bike on the side of the house he nodded, “Ok.”
Stepping over the threshold he set in to relax a bit, his bag dropping to the ground. The house was as large inside as it was outside. As to be expected for a family of doctors and medical professionals. Generations of building wealth and investments let them enjoy such wealth. Both of his parents, actually, worked in the field. His mom has been working as a family medicine practitioner for over a decade and his father a surgeon for a bit longer.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
Slowly walking up the stairs in practiced movements, his footsteps measured and silent, he snuck up the stairs. He even took care to place his feet perfectly on the strongest sections of each step to minimize creaks. Sara’s room was close to the top of the stairs with his own just past it. On the other wall were their bathrooms and at the end of the hall was the master bedroom. Looking to his left he noticed that the door was ajar, just a crack, allowing sounds to leak out.
The clacking of a keyboard could be heard within, ‘probably playing *TOTALLY ORIGINAL RPG NAME HERE*.’
“YO, Sara!”
“Wha- Luca!”
Frightened slightly but still slightly happy she almost stood up to hug him but quickly went back to the game.
“Sorry, But I’m in the middle of a boss right now!”
“How much longer? Mom said we are leaving soon. You should get ready.”
“Aight. I should be finished soon.”
“Seeya, I’ll be in my room.”
After making a quick stop in his bathroom to wash his face he lay on his bed. His room was a rather simple affair, bland too. A desk sat on the back wall of the room in front of the window. His bed on the left and a massive bookshelf to the right alongside an in-wall closet.
‘I don’t think I have enough time to get a game in right now. I should text Carmen… Maybe after dinner.’
Sending the text was a rather quick affair and only left him laying back on the bed again.
“Maybe I should just read something until we leave.”
Letting his eye wander he looked for something to read. A pile of books sat on his desk but they were rather boring mindful reading—educational books. Approaching the massive ceiling-touching bookshelf he began to search for a book.
“History of the Catacombs by Charley Sticks… read it like 5 times. History of-, History, The Story-, The Human Bodies Secre-, The American- AH! I don’t think I’ve read this one in a long time and I could go for a generic fantasy.”
Cracking open the book he barely read past the first pages before his door bursts open.
“...Luca.”
“Yes? Dad?”
A flash of annoyance crossed Lucas's mind but it left quite quickly, ‘He didn’t knock. Again…’ They sat there for a second. Looking at each other. Silence filled the room with an awkward air as they just stared at each other.
With an exacerbated inhale, his father leaned on the door frame.
“Did you catch up? I know I said you can come but going on vacation during a semester is hard.”
“Yeah, I should be free now.”
“...Do you need anything? Money?”
“No… Did mom tell you to try and talk to me again?”
His father simply sighed.
“Yes, she’s still trying to get me to apologize to you.”
Shrugging, Lucas answered, “I’m guessing you won't?”
“Nope, we are a family of doctors, not historians.”
“We have enough doctors in this generation alone to fill a hospital! It’s not as if anyone will notice one less Ossani in the American health care system! Also, what about Sara? She’s going to major in computer science?”
“That’s different! At least she will have a future. A history degree would get you nowhere.”
Once again they eyed each other for a few minutes.
Luca’s parents with all their wealth, more than enough money in his college fund. Combine that with his own savings and he’d never have to take a loan—including medical school. However, he would only receive the cash on the condition that he got his medical license.
“Have you reviewed for the MCAT? I know it's in 2 or 3 years but you can’t fail it.”
“Ah yes, a test I could ace three years ago… years of tutoring and review wasn’t enough. Even Carmen knows that.”
“Ah yes. Carmen. Maybe instead of hanging out with those friends of yours you should be talking to some people in your classes. People you’ll be working with in the future.”
“What I do in my free time has nothing to do with you. And what do you mean by friends?”
“You know what I mean, Carmen and his dropouts. You only gained this sass after them.”
His heart started to race. Anxiety and anger filled his chest. Over and over again. He breathed slowly. Even as his vision became blurry. In. Out. ‘They aren’t dropouts, they are literally in trade school!’
“...I’m leaving.”
Before his father could say anything else Luca pushed past him.
“Wh- what? Luca? LUCA?! COME BACK HERE.”
His father's voice reverberated through the halls. Sara froze in her seat as it hit past her headphones. Quickly sneaking his bag onto his back and running down the stairs, passing his mom.
“Excuse me.”
“Wha- Luca?”
Jumping onto the bike he nearly peeled out of the driveway. Riding down the streets once again he took a variety of turns back into the city. The sun was starting to reach low and the sky was clear. A beautiful sunset that he would have enjoyed otherwise. The architecture, both old and new, being lit perfectly. He takes a few minutes to just ride around, clear his head.
“What do I do now...”
A quick look down at the watch on his wrist helped note the time ‘Around 7:45’. The silver and black clockwork ticked constantly. While the sound was annoying at times, it was comforting at this moment. The engravings delicately etched into the steel were calming.
“Ah shit-”
After nearly flipping over he noted, ‘Pay attention to the road, not the watch.’
“Phew~.”
‘I’m kinda hungry. Rip dinner I guess. Actually, what’s open right now? What could I do?’
Turning off to the side he parked his bike as he searched through his phone. The number of people passing him now began to dwindle as night began to set. Only a minute or so later a book title popped up in his mind.
‘The catacombs. Not the most aesthetically pleasing place to relax. Definitely interesting enough to keep my mind off things though… 15 minutes from here. Cutting it a little close, but I should be able to catch the last tour and get home by 9-10. I can even get some food on the way there.’
…
Walking around the corner he arrived at the visiting center. Swallowing the last bit of the burger and proceeded to throw the crumpled wrapper into the nearest garbage can and walked in. The center was relatively empty compared to most tourist spots. But, with a combination of the time and place, maybe it wasn’t that weird.
‘Only psychos like me would want to explore the catacombs after dark. Heh-’
With maybe twenty other people waiting off to the side he walked up to the counter, “Hey! I already paid for my tickets on the way here, the last tour today starts at 8:00, right?”
“Yes, you're a little late but they haven’t left yet. As you can see. May I see your code?”
“Of course, here.”
“Have you read the rules? They should’ve been on the website when you signed up.”
“Yeah. Didn’t want to drag the rest of the group if the guide had to explain them or anything”
“I see… Aaand, you're off! Have a great time.”
“Thank you.”
Taking a quick look around he joined the small group of around twenty people. They all had backpacks and were reading pamphlets so he could only assume they were doing the tour aswell. A mixed batch of people if he ever saw one but they seemed friendly enough. Walking over he saw a few of them turn their heads and one even stepped forward. A man with a friendly smile and glasses.
“Hello, are you joining this tour as well?”
“Yup, been to Paris every year since childhood and never gone. Thought I’d finally see what it was all about.”
“I see. I am actually an exchange student from America and have been living here since. I had pretty much the same thought, so… Here I am!”
Luca outstretched a hand as they spoke. A couple of people who were talking to the man originally also stepped up after seeing their greetings.
“Pretty good French to have only lived here a few years. The name’s Luca.”
“Thank you! I’m Will, and these two are Clara and Hunter.”