The White Canvas Operation

TWENTY-ONE. (Sunny P.O.V)

Picture: Tea in Paris by Konstantín Rázumov.

'White Canvas Operation' phase twenty-two: sightseeing in Paris .

Le Bouillon Chartier. 7 rue du Faubourg Montmartre. Paris.

"That was delicious, Stella, thank you." My assistant smiles happily while we walk out the door of the restaurant holding our jackets in our hands, the spring sun shines above our heads and it's hot. "I wonder what the secret of their Chantilly cream is, I know it's just whipped cream with sugar and vanilla, but it was the best I've ever had."

"Good luck with that, I think it's one of the best-kept secrets in this city and... what's happening?" A group of people is running towards us and Stella holds me tight against her body while taking a step back, we lean on the wall of the building behind us to ensure that they won't run over us. Several police officers are gathered on the corner of the street shutting down the traffic and one of them is yelling orders in French at the passers-by that start running in different directions. A middle-aged man walks past us pulling his dog leash anxiously. "Qu'est-ce qui se passe?" My assistant asks and the man answers in French speaking very fast while walking away. I can hear the sound of a police siren and also two ambulances are arriving to the intersection when I hear Stella cursing quietly and she pulls my hand, dragging me in the opposite direction.

"What's wrong?" I ask out of breath but she shows no mercy and runs looking back over her shoulder from time to time.

"A branch of the Crédit Agricole bank at the Boulevard Montmartre, near here, is being robbed by some bad guys right now and one of them has claimed that he has a bomb..." My heart skips one beat while following her quickly, dodging the owners of the stores and waiters of coffee shops that have left their businesses in order to find out what's happening. "Those police officers have ordered to clear the area, they've evacuated some buildings and told people to seek refuge in cafeterias as far from that boulevard as possible..."

"Why are we running then? Shouldn't we be...?"

"Trust me, Sun..."Stella shoves my shoulders and we run into a building through an arch, it's cold in here between these stone walls where the sun can't shine and I'd like to stop and put my jacket on but she doesn't let me. We run on the cobblestones till we reach an inner courtyard decorated with geranium pots and a tree on a corner, walls are painted in white and the grey windows have black cast iron balconies. My assistant stops finally and helps me with my jacket while breathing heavily. "Are you okay? Come on, we need to get out of here: we're going to cross the street running and get into that building in front of us. Are you ready?" I nod firmly, grab my bag and follow her without hesitation. Stella makes sure that the street is clear before getting into another tunnel with an arch that leads us to another inner courtyard with cobblestones, but this is bigger and has a tree in the middle surrounded by bushes and even a fountain on one side. There're tables and chairs made of iron scattered around and it's pretty obvious that the neighbours on the ground floor enjoy this fresh area during summer.

"Where are we?" I ask confused while my assistant walks towards a gate closed with an iron fence that leads to a narrower street.

"We're in Paris, princess..."

"Really? And I thought we were in Tokyo..." I answer sarcastically since her explanation didn't satisfy me and I follow her through another hallway that leads to a new inner courtyard, not as well-preserved as the previous ones but still full of charm. Green grass grows amongst the cobblestones and the paint on the walls is peeling but it's the perfect background for the vine that climbs to the second floor.