The door
to the studio hung open just a crack and angry screams assaulted us as we
approached. Luke and Lucy looked to me as if I knew what was going on.
I shrugged
my shoulders in the universal I've-got-no-freaking-idea way and crept to the
door. I could have just slipped
into their minds, but listening to people talk both out load and mentally was
hard to track and gave me a pretty big headache. At that moment, what they were
saying, or rather screaming, to each other was more interesting.
We didn't
want to budge the door and draw attention to ourselves, so Luke pushed his head
through. He bobbed in and out so quickly I almost missed it. Being able to walk
through anything was mighty handy at times.
I nudged
him. "Well?"
"Higgins and Mr. K. They both look pretty pissed."
They sounded
it too. I'd never heard Headmaster Higgins yell at any of the teachers, or
students for that matter.
He wasn't
a pushover by any stretch, but he'd always been level headed—until today.
Higgins
shouted at Mr. K. "How could you enter her without permission from me? Do
you realise what you've done?
This could ruin the school and everything we're doing here."
Was
Higgins talking about me?
Mr. K
replied with the same volume and anger. I could imagine the vein over his left
eye bulging. "You have no idea how talented that girl is! She should be at
the best art school in the world, not hidden here like a freak of nature. It's
my job to make sure she has a future when she leaves this god-awful place, and
I'm not letting you, or the people you work for, stand in my way. Or
hers."
They must
have been talking about me, but it made no sense. Why didn't Higgins want me
entering the contest, and why did Mr. K hate this place so much?
"Don't
you mean, the people we work for? They employ us both, and you'd do well
to remember that, Mr. Krevner. Their reach extends beyond the gates of this
school."
I
couldn't believe it. Was the headmaster actually threatening my art teacher?
What was going on?
"You
will pull her from that competition and clean up the mess you've made, or your
days here are numbered. Am I making myself clear?"
Something
crashed into a wall, and my friends and I jumped back in surprise.
"Everything
is very clear. You use her and her gifts, rent her and all these kids out to
the highest bidder as spies. You make billions on these Rent-A-Kids, as they
call themselves. And now you want to snuff her chance to shine doing what she
truly loves? No. If you want to destroy her dreams, you can do it yourself.
I'll have no part in it."
Footsteps
approached the door. I tripped back, grabbed Luke and Lucy, and the three of us
ducked around the corner of the building. I peeked out just as Mr. K stormed
from the studio, his face bright red and contorted in anger. Not his best look.
Headmaster
Higgins followed him out moments later. He adjusted his navy blue suit and
plastered a calm mask over his face. His midnight black skin did not reveal his
recent spike in blood pressure the same way that Mr. K's pasty complexion had,
but the tight way he held his shoulders and the fists he made of his hands
spoke to his anger.
Tears
stung my eyes, and I swiped at them with the back of a hand still stained with
splashes of paint. If they pulled me from the contest, hundreds of hours of
hard work would be wasted, and my future would get flushed down the toilet.
That couldn't happen!
When both
men were gone, the three of us snuck into the studio and closed the door behind
us. My enthusiasm had drained out of me like dirty bathtub water. I sniffled
and wiped my traitorous eyes again.
Lucy put
her arm around me. "Cheer up, Chica. We'll figure this out, I promise.
They can't keep you from this, not after all the hard work you've done. And
you'll be leaving for New York soon. Luke and I will join you there, and we'll
make all of our dreams come true, just watch!"
I tried
to smile, for her sake, but the smile didn't reach my eyes.
Luke rubbed
my head as if I were his pet dog. "Where's this painting I've been hearing
so little about?"
I swatted his hand and couldn't suppress a small, but genuine, smile.
Luke could always cheer me: funny, gorgeous, and so much like a brother it sucked.
"Over
here."
The
canvas draped over my painting appeared undisturbed. A sigh of relief escaped
me. At least nothing had happened to it. "Close your eyes."
They both
groaned but did as told. Fear and nervousness buzzed through me as I pulled the
canvas off. What if they hated it? What if everyone hated it and my dreams of being a real artist died
before they could even be born? My lungs clenched with stale breath and I
exhaled before I got too dizzy. "Okay, you can look."
They
stood there, jaws dropped, stunned into silence. They either hated it or
totally loved it.
"Um, is this a bad or good silence?"
Lucy pulled
her mouth closed and swallowed before she spoke. "O.M.G. Sam, this is the
most incredible,
unbelievable
thing I've ever seen in my life. You painted this?" "You like
it?"
Her
mental voice slammed into me. 'Would I lie to you? It's amazing!'
Relief
flooded me even as I laughed at her joke. I could read minds, sure, but she was
the human lie detector. No one dared lie to her.
Luke
hugged me and whispered into my ear, "I'm so proud of you, Sam. This is
truly epic!"
We stood
there staring for several minutes. This painting represented so much about me,
my life, my future... everything. I hated to leave it even for a minute, but my
stomach protested its neglect with a loud rumble.
Luke
grabbed my hand. "Come on, let's feed you. My treat."
With the
buzz of success filling me, and Luke's hand in mind, I entertained a what-if.
What if I could get past the whole brother thing with Luke? I took in his tall,
well-defined frame, his dark hair and bright blue eyes. Gorgeous inside and
out, but... nothing. No spark at all. Such a pity. Of all the guys at school,
he was the only one I could even imagine being with, but I couldn't force the
chemistry and neither could he. We walked to dinner hand in hand, and I
consoled myself with the fact that I had the best friends a girl could want.
Not a bad consolation prize after all, and worth a hundred boyfriends.
It sounds like such a unique and intriguing read! As an added bonus it's a series with the final book released this month!
Check out http://KimberlyKinrade.com for more info :)
Have you read Forbidden Minds?
Is it as good as it sounds?
Much love!
Lettie
Xxxxx
p.s Sorry for formatting in the post- couldn't get the text and blogger to co-operate!
