Strike At Midnight || Luka Couffaine

Chapter 2 ❧ Maintain Normalcy

"Hey, watch out!" I yell in panic.

"Woah!" At my sudden cry, Alix loses her balance. Thanks to the rain-drenched floor, she slides onto the ground beyond control and unable to stop before she crashes into the man.

With no time to think, I dart towards the elder wearing a red shirt with white floral patterns. I wrench him as gently but as quickly as possible out of harm's way. He drops his umbrella and Alix skids onto the floor, luckily, unharmed.

"Careful, Alix! Are you okay?" I shout over the rain.

She adjusts her helmet and gives a thumbs up. "Yeah, I'm sorry."

I sigh in relief. And return my attention to the elder. "Are you all right?" He doesn't answer and only blinks back at me. By the way he's looking at me, can he understand what I'm saying?

"你还好吗？(Are you all right?) Oh no! You're all drenched!" I say, picking up the fallen umbrella and returning it to him. "对不起。(I'm sorry.)"

"Thank you, miss. That would have been a disaster." He says, taking the umbrella. "There's no need to speak Chinese. My French is just fine."

"I'm very sorry. Do you need a towel?" I say, too preoccupied. I dig into my bag but he stops me.

"It's fine. It takes more than rain to stop this old man. I think you should get to your class or else you'll be late."

"I don't think-"

The school bell rings,signalling first period. Oh shoot. I run back to school, leaving a brief farewell to the strange man.

•●•●•●•●•

It's hilarious how I've been living in France for years now, but my French is still a disaster. Sure I can communicate with my peers without any difficulty, but it's writing essays that positively kills me.

"A 15 out of 40?!" Rose exclaims incredulously. "Selene, explain yourself!"

"I don't know! What am I doing wrong?"

Juleka scans my paper. "Your prepositions. You used À instead of De."

"When do I use De?" I ask, hopelessly. Someone cackles obnoxiously from behind.

"That's ridiculous, Selene. It's really unbelievable that Adrien would hang out with the likes of a moron like you."

"Hey, Chloe," I greet, unamused- not having the patience to tolerate any of her half-assed antics. Despite knowing Chloe as long as Adrien, we barely get along.

"Let's go somewhere quieter," Juleka says simply before leaving.

"Ooooh, she doesn't have to be so rude!" Rose says in frustration. "Why are you so complacent of her. You hardly talk back when she's criticising you."

"It's okay, guys. In fact, I'm not bothered by the slightest. Chloe is just being Chloe so let her be," I say, grinning. Even if Chloe's actions could get out of hand, I promised Adrien I wouldn't harm her. He didn't want a fight to ensue since Chloe and I fought so often as kids, exchanging cuts and scratches in the process.