A Meeting In Paris

At times the pain washed over her in such a complete way, that Jo was debilitated by it. She would spend several moments on the ground unable to move; arms clutched around her body, teeth clenched and eyes watering as she bit back the sensation. Those times were rare though. More often than not, it was totally manageable or completely nonexistent.

Tonight was one of those lucky occasions when only small aching pulses came. They were spread out sparsely over the thirty minutes that she had been waiting. Any real traffic inside the walls of the Louvre had ceased in the six hours since the building had been closed, long before Jo had arrived.

Katie had indeed picked a secluded spot, if only she could have shown up on time. Jo passed the time by wandering the grounds and examining the architecture. Here and there were hints of things she recognized from the original construction, but there were entirely new buildings too. The Palais du Louvre was the kind of thing you didn’t forget, even after two hundred and seventeen years of not having seen it.

The pain swelled inside of Jo’s head bringing with it a sound; a piercing noise that filled her skull and dulled her other senses. It morphed into a gargling, throaty sound that was part scream, part high pitched tone. As she touched her head the pain began to subside.

She blinked, letting her eyes readjust to the night air. For a brief moment her perception seemed was heightened. She could hear the slow flowing waters of Seine River and taste something in the wind that couldn’t quite be identified.

“Jo! Jo!” a voice called from near the museum proper, “I’m here Jo!” as Jo turned she could already tell by the excited and eccentric tone who it was. Katie, with one arm raised and waving, rushed over the concrete toward her. “Sorry, I’m late!” she yelled as she stumbled on some unseen obstacle and tumbled to the ground.

Jo ran to help her up, trying her best not to trip herself. She’d elected to wear heels, she really hadn’t considered that she might be running. When she reached her, Katie was already climbing up, unscathed. Jo took her hand, “You’ve got to be more careful, Sonnenschein.”

Katie’s eyes took on a child-like quality at the sound of that word, “I know,” she pulled herself the rest of the way to her feet. Brushing back the side of her bangs, Katie smiled for a moment and then pounced to embrace Jo, “I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” Jo patted her back. “How long has it been now?”

“You were gone for—“ Katie put her finger to her lip to think, “—two years.” She held up two fingers and leaned forward indicate the amount of time passed.

“Two years?” Jo repeated, “It’s frightening how fast time just flies by.”

Another jab of pain.

Jo winced slightly and Katie stepped in closer, “Are you okay?”