CHAPTER 53: LIII - THE FLOWER FESTIVAL

Christina giggled and skipped from the dirt parking lot onto a beautifully laid stone path.

She wore a black lace dress with a tight V-shaped leather bodice over the top. The dress flared out into a frilly tulle skirt, stopping just above her knees. She completed the outfit with glossy black high heels.

Etienne followed behind her and stared at her outfit in awe. He looked down at his own outfit — a plain polo shirt and khakis — and sighed.

He sped up a bit and walked next to her, "Wow, Christina. You look amazing. I didn’t expect you to get so dressed up for an outing like this. I would’ve done more."

Christina glanced at him and grinned, "Etienne, this isn’t me dressing up. But I’m glad you like it. Honestly, I was afraid I was a little underdressed..."

Etienne laughed, "Trust me, you’re fine. I’ve always wondered something though. Why do you still call me Etienne? Money, Gio and everybody else we grew up with has called me Prince since I was a kid."

Christina stopped skipping and turned to Etienne slowly. She put her long manicured nail to Etienne’s forehead and stated, "I don’t call you that because I know the real you. To me, you’re not the Prince of Astoria; you’re the same scrawny kid who geeks out about anime and struggles to stay awake in class. And your parents weren’t the King and Queen; they were nerds who cared about their toy build quality more than anything else."

Etienne bit his lip and nodded.

Christina moved closer to him and put a hand on his shoulder, "I-I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought them up."

Etienne shook his head furiously, fighting back tears, "No, it’s fine. They loved you like a daughter. And you’re right; that’s exactly what they were. They created their own corner of the world, their own utopia, and all they cared about was maintaining it. I’m jealous of what they had."

Christina stared at him with commiseration and nodded her head slowly.

Etienne forced out a pained smile, "Mom and Dad would’ve loved what you’re doing now. I was looking you up the other day, you’re a huge deal, Tina. You have hundreds of thousands of followers, you’re working with so many big brands, and...actually, help me out. What’s the deal with those people you’re always taking pictures with? I see you always tag the photos ’The Collective.’ Is that your group?"

Christina nodded and smiled wide, showing off pearly white teeth, "Yup. The Collective is an art and photography group that puts together these really cool high-concept art books every couple of months. That’s actually why we’re here at this flower festival."

She grabbed the camera swinging around her neck and held the viewfinder to her eye, "I need to get ready for the next art book."

"Christina could not have picked a better place," Etienne thought to himself, "This place is only a few miles from the farm Nairobi is investigating. If she runs into any Black Company members like we did, I’ll be able to help."

Etienne couldn’t help but smile, "So that’s why you dragged me out here to the boonies? How do you know I wasn’t going to go out and buy your art book? Now I’m going to know what some of the pictures look like."

Christina pouted and crossed her arms, "We could’ve gone somewhere nicer if you’d answered my calls. I called you at least thirty times since the All-White Party, and you ignored every single one. I’m surprised you even reached out today."

Etienne scratched the back of his neck, "Sorry, Christina. I didn’t mean to ignore you. I’ve just been...busy. There’s been so much to deal with since I got back...and honestly I’m just getting started."

Christina stepped in front of Etienne and hugged him tight, "I know, Eti. But don’t forget, your friends miss you. Sometimes, your responsibilities can wait. Try and make time for us."

Christina slowly let go of Etienne and looked at him with an excited smile, "Now come on! Let’s go see these dahlias! I hear Canby’s flower festival is one of the best in the country, not just in Oregon!"

Etienne scoffed and put his hands in his pockets, "That’s just something they say on the advertisements. I doubt that’s even true."

Christina and Etienne walked on the beautiful stone path and looked over a short wooden fence at a cascading field of multi-colored Dahlias. The most striking part of the vibrant tapestry was how uniform it was. Every flower was the same height, the same shape and sat on its stem the same way; all of them competed to be the most perfectly spherical flower in the patch. The only discernible difference was the color.

Etienne stared at the flowers in awe, "This is incredible. How have we never been here before?"

Christina snapped photos of the flowers at different angles, "Isn’t it absolutely gorgeous? This is why it’s good to try new things sometimes, Eti. You might find something that changes your life."

Etienne squinted and noticed a thin grass path snaking through the flowers.

He pointed, "Hey Tina, look. There’s a path right through the flowers. You wanna see if they’ll let us walk it so we can get a closer look?"

Christina shook her head, "Now why in the world would I want to do that? I want to be an observer, not a participant. I would feel terrible if I knocked one over , this outside path is perfect."

Etienne nodded his head and followed along as Christina snapped picture after picture.

Christina continued to take pictures from different angles.

"Have you talked to Money at all?" She asked nonchalantly, "Last time I talked to him, he was trying to get ahold of you. Like desperately."

Etienne frowned, "I saw his missed calls this morning before I called you. Do you know why he wanted to talk? I thought he just wanted to hang out."

Christina shrugged her shoulders, "I’m not sure. I think it’s something about the Fellows. Every time he talks about that stuff, I tune out. There is so much drama and subterfuge. It’s exhausting just hearing about it."

"The Fellows?" Etienne thought to himself, "Money needs my help with the Fellows? I really need to call him back..."

After an hour, they reached the end of the path. A small patch of multi-colored dahlias met them, spelling out the word "Thank you."

Christina put her hands together, "That is so sweet. This place is amazing."

Etienne rolled his eyes, "Wasn’t much of a festival though. There weren’t any vendors or stalls. No activities to do..."

Christina tapped her chin, "Hmm...you’re right. The website said there were supposed to be vendors, but..." She poked him in the arm with her elbow, "You still loved it, anyway!"

Etienne let out an involuntary chuckle and looked at the ground. He shook his head, "I need to be honest, Christina. I haven’t been all that busy. Well, I have, but that’s not why I’ve been ignoring your calls. I’ve been avoiding you. I’m sorry."

Christina looked at him, confused, "Apology accepted, but where is this coming from?"

Etienne sighed, "I enjoyed hanging out with you today. It was really fun. But I’ve changed, Tina. I’ve changed. I know how you feel about me. But I’m not the boy you used to like anymore."

Etienne paused for a second and inhaled deeply before continuing, "You know me better than anyone, and I’m scared that the more we hang out, the quicker you’ll realize I’m almost like a different person. And maybe you won’t like the person I am now..."

Christina grabbed his wrist and pulled him into a tight hug, leaning her head on his shoulder.

She spoke between quiet sobs, "I don’t know much about this old self and new self you’re talking about. But what you just said sounded like something the Etienne I know would say. So you’re alright with me."

She lifted her head and placed a soft kiss on his cheek, smiling sweetly at him, "Let’s get to know each other again if that’s what it takes. But I’m not losing my best friend again."

Etienne’s phone rang, the annoying ringtone immediately ruining the tender moment. Christina pulled away from him and crossed her arms.

"You should get that," She spat out, the annoyance clearly evident in her voice, "I’m sure it’s important."

Etienne bit his lip and stared at Christina while answering the phone.

"Hello? Wait what? Slow down I ca—what happened to Shota? I’m coming right now. Send me your exact coordinates. I’m already close."

Etienne tossed his keys to Christina, "You can take my car home. I’ll come to get it soon. My friend is in trouble nearby, I need to see what’s going on."

Christina watched as he sped back down the way they came, kicking up rocks in his wake.

"How close are they? Is he really going to run all the way there?" Christina thought to herself.