The Earth Painter (27 page)

My heart was racing in my chest. I shivered as his fingers traced over my skin and into my hair. His hands were still in my hair behind my head, and my face was inches from his. His eyes…they were the same gray-blue eyes I’d looked into before, and yet they were different.

He was pulling my face to his. His lips were on mine, nibbling at them at first. I breathed in his scent. I’d never noticed the way it made me feel before. Soon his tongue
was tasting
my lips. I instinctively closed my eyes and let his mouth explore mine while I did the same. I braced myself, grabbing his arms. I’d never noticed how hard and muscular he was before. Had he always been like this?

For this not to be a real kiss for him, it certainly felt real.
Like he wanted to kiss me.
Like he needed to kiss me.

Suddenly, the door burst open behind us. We stopped to look up at Bio and
Chem
staring wide eyed at us.

Bio was the first to speak. “What the bloody hell are you two doing?”

Chem
entered the room and started looking around and under things. “Is there somebody hiding in here?” He had his nose high in the air and was sniffing. He sniffed me as he went by,
then
sniffed Theo. Suddenly,
Chem
stood still and looked at Theo more closely. Before he could say anything else,
Khai-Ree
came in yelling.

“I just saw Fritz. He’s over at the railroad track with his
Khai-Ree
. They have a train car with a hose running from it into the reopened tunnel to the well. I overheard them. He’s trying to blow up the well. I need to find my painter.”

Bio pointed to Theo. “There he is.”

Khai-Ree
moved closer and looked at Theo like he didn’t know who he was. “This is not my painter. A
Khai-Ree
knows his painter.”

At the same time,
Chem
stopped in front of Theo and me and sniffed us. I hated when he did that. It was like somebody’s dog investigating us, but worse.
Chem’s
eyes grew wide.

I looked at
Khai-Ree
who looked at Theo like he didn’t know him.
Chem
and now Bio were circling Theo while I tried to empty my head of that kiss so I could process what
Khai-Ree
had said. I shook my head and made my way to the door. “We’ve got to warn everyone.”

Everyone stayed put glaring at Theo like he had grown a second head or a third eye. Bio answered me without taking his eyes off of Theo, “Go then. You’re the only one of us here who can pull the fire alarm and yell…unless….?”

I was already out the door when I heard
Chem
answer him, “…unless Theo has suddenly grown a pair.”

I ran out the door just as the class was coming in. “Get out. Someone has rigged the school to blow up.”

They all looked at me stunned.

“Go!” I ran over to the fire alarm and pulled it.”We all ran out, everyone stopped in the parking lot, but I was afraid that wasn’t far enough. “Keep
going,
get far away before it blows.”

We ran out into the street, halting cars and running into the grocery store parking lot on the other side of the street. I watched as school janitors walked out the door, looking around. I couldn’t leave them there. I ran back. My friends called after me. “Move, get away there’s a bomb.”

I think they all recognized me as the target of the crazy girl, so they did as I said.

A few minutes later, just as fire trucks rolled up, whatever Fritz was pouring into the well combined.
It must have run up all the water pipes, because explosion after explosion occurred until the only part of the school still standing was the cafeteria because the school board had already had it connected to the public water lines.

The streets and parking lots filled up with people. Everyone was asking what was going on. I didn’t notice when the sciences showed up until
Chem
was tapping
me
.“
It
was Fritz alright. He stole a train car of sodium chloride and hid it at the old mill down the street. He piped it into the well. He didn’t bother to use humans as middle men either. This was all him—a direct supernatural attack towards the humans. This is such a gross violation of protocol. We must act.”

Bio and Geo were with us soon. He turned to them. We need a plan to cover this supernatural battle and make it look human.

“You could whisper the idea that Shelby and Brad did it.”

Bio shook his head. “We cannot incriminate innocent humans.”

I looked around at the spot where the new school was to be built. “Why not
have
Theo paint the new school, have it presented, then whisper to everyone that the school was demolished because the new school was built?”

The sciences all looked at each other and at me, like there was something I didn’t know. Bio finally spoke, “Go to the district building where the new plans are, get them to Walden to make a painting to present. Then, start whispering.”

It was unbelievable. Within minutes, there was a new school where there had not been one and everyone around me changed their conversation. Instead of asking what had happened, they
were all reminiscing about their memories of the old school and how sad they were to see it go. They honestly believed they’d all gathered there to watch the school’s demolition.

The sciences were so thorough that Ms. Jones was talking about how glad she was to have put off the production for the spring when it could be in the new auditorium.

It wasn’t until all had calmed down that I began to ask where Theo was. Again, I got that look. Bio pulled me aside. “Theo is not in a good state right now with…all that’s happened. It will probably be a while before he comes to Chesnee again.
If he ever comes again.
You need to move on. Forget all this and be a normal human. Live a normal human life.”

He then walked off and disappeared into the crowd. I was left standing there watching after him. I felt so empty and numb.

And that was the last contact I had with the sciences…or painters.

Chapter 27

I sat in the bright, white and black ultra- modern auditorium. I’d be walking out on the football field in a few minutes to accept my diploma. I took a deep breath and let it out. The new auditorium didn’t smell right.
It smelled clean and stark.
I missed the earthy smell of the old one.

A few weeks prior, I’d finally kissed Wayne, but it was just acting for both of us since he was in a serious long-distance relationship with Vonda Winters. She flew out to watch us and was somewhat pleased with my version of Lady
Oliandra
. I’d gone to prom with my group of friends, no real date. And my dad’s boss had offered him his own car lot to run up in Ashville, North Carolina. Mom had even checked into working as a decorator at the Biltmore House. They would be relocating in a few days, but I was staying because I would be attending college locally starting this summer and living in Grandma’s house.

I took another breath.
Still the wrong smell for an auditorium.

I wandered out the door and through the parking lot. I trudged up the hill to the site of the old Chesnee High School. I put my hands and face against the chain link fence that kept curious students out of the now cleared area.

I’d made it through the rest of the school year without Theo. I’d passed my classes, talked to my friends, and all the normal stuff that was expected of me. And yet, it felt like I was back to painting in plain gray when once upon a time I had painted a forest. I probably wouldn’t know the difference if it weren’t for Theo. Theo, who was so disappointed with my failure that he left and never came back.

“My word, of all the places I could find you… Here?
Really?”
I knew the voice immediately. I spun around to see
Khai-Ree
standing with a cloth covered canvas in his hands.

“My master sent me with a gift for you. He wanted me to tell you that he is sorry he couldn’t come himself.”

I half smiled. “I understand he’s having a hard time with all that happened.” A twinge of guilt for my failure gnawed at my heart. “I am too.”

“You have no idea.”
Khai-Ree
looked away and shook his head like he meant it. “Anyway, I know you are aware of my long held shame over losing my master’s work. Well, I have been vindicated. I did not lose the painting after all. It was in the blessed file all along.”

Khai-Ree
handed the work to me. “My master wants you to have it.”

I took it from him. “And you forgot you did it?” I still hadn’t removed the cloth but was about to.

“No, that would be the mystery. It was most definitely blessed, but I never presented it or filed it. But there it was all along in the blessed cabinet.”

I took off the cloth to find myself staring into my own eyes. It was me. Curly haired, freckled, me in the exact dress I wore for the Renaissance play. I looked at
Khai-Ree
. “Me? But…Theo doesn’t paint people.”

“I know. The whole thing is beyond anything we can figure out. Theo says his inspiration was intoxicating to the point it altered his memory.”

I held it out from me. It was stunning. A word I would never use to describe myself, but looking at my likeness made by Theo’s brush, there was no other way to describe it.

“It may also explain why you noticed Theo.”

I looked up at
Khai-Ree
finally understanding. “Yes, his creatures know him.” Then I looked back at the painting. “And I’m his creation.” No wonder he’d been so protective—ready to go to battle for me. And… of course, he thought I was beautiful. He felt that way about all his work.

“Holly!” I looked over at my parents coming up the hill to me. “What are you doing up there? It’s time to put on your robe and get in line.”My parents didn’t notice
Khai-Ree
with me. “What’s that you’ve got?” My dad came around to look at the painting. “Holly, that is beautiful.”

I smiled up at Dad. “It’s a gift from a friend.”

Mom looked at it. “It is lovely.
Your friend from the fish camp?”

I nodded, holding back the tears. “He is talented. He can make anything look good.”

I didn’t even care what my mom had to say at the moment. “Dad, can you put this in the car for me? I’ll be down in just a second.”

My parents
left,
and I spoke to
Khai-Ree
again. “Please tell Theo I’m sorry about the well. And thank him for…” I thought about all I was thankful for. “...for everything.”

Khai-Ree
bowed and was gone.

I looked at the ruined site with new hope

Things hadn’t turned out the way I’d wanted. I’d tried and failed and tried and still failed, but in the process, I had changed. Maybe that was the point of all of it and not the task itself.

I headed to the new auditorium to put on my cap and gown and march with my friends. And, somehow, find a way to be ok with gray again. What else could I do? At least I had the painting and my room—Charleston, to know it was all real and not some fantastic dream.

Epilogue:
Khai-Ree

I was not made for this. I was created to be
Khai
-
Ree
-
Hlo
-Theo, Assistant Painter to Theo—not care taker to a man. I stood next to my master watching as the doctor questioned him. Dr. Stephanie Coats was her name, and she seemed to have genuine concern for Theo as she spoke in a quiet and gentle tone.

“Now, tell me again who you are,” she inquired, leaning forward in her chair. “Can you remember your last name or how you got here?”

My master rocked back and forth, back and forth with the sketch pad and pencil in his hands. I wasn’t sure he even heard her questions. I nudged his arm. He looked up into my eyes. The teasing in his was gone. Hollowness took its place. I tilted my head towards the doctor. Theo appeared to understand the gesture and replied by looking at her.

“I’m Theo. I was a painter, but now I can draw… See?”

He turned the sketch pad around to show Dr. Coats what he’d been working on.

Dr. Coats took the pad, her eyes grew wide. “Yes, you can draw very well. Do you know this girl? Can you tell me her name?” She flipped the pad back around to face Theo. “She’s Holly. I did a really good job didn’t I? She’s beautiful. I’m really proud of the freckles.”

Dr. Coats smiled. “You did an excellent job. I like her freckles too. Now, think really hard. Is Holly someone you know?
Your sister…girlfriend?
Can you tell me how to get in touch with Holly?”

“She knew me because I painted her.” Theo’s eyes grew large and wild as he answered. “That’s why she saw me when no one else noticed I was there. I painted her picture one day in April. I saw her face in my head, and I had to paint it. Then
Khai-Ree
lost my painting. I was so
angry about that. I kind of took it out on him. But somehow it got blessed and now she’s real. And now I’m real, and I can draw. I used to paint but now I can draw.”Theo took the sketch pad back from Dr. Coats flipped to a clean page and started drawing. He looked back at the doctor, “Can I get some more ice cream. I really like it. It’s cold and creamy, and I can taste it now.” He looked back at his pad and resumed drawing.