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A Blank Page
Chapter 21
By Flummox

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Rayne looked at herself in the mirror. She was standing in her parents’ bedroom, taking advantage of their full-length mirror. She needed it to see her whole body. She had to make sure she looked okay after all.

“You’re not freaking out again, are you?” Evalyn asked from the hallway.

Rayne smiled. “Nope! Just making sure I look okay, whadda ya think?”

Evalyn stepped into the room to join Rayne in her self inspection.

Today she was wearing the grey dress with the black lace stitching on the bodice. She had worn it only once before, last week when she had had the movie marathon with her father. She liked the look, but it was very different from what she wore yesterday. Yesterday she was colorful and bright! This dress… it had no color at all. It wasn’t that it made her look drab or boring or anything, it was just a stark difference from yesterday. She didn’t want to wear the same thing two days in a row though.

She chewed on her inner cheek, running things over in her mind.

“Is it weird to go from bright and colorful yesterday to dark and cold today?” Rayne asked, “Should I change? The teal skirt is more colorful.”

“You look fine Rayne.” Evalyn confirmed, before she could ramble further.

Rayne’s eyes met her older sisters through the mirrors reflection.

Evalyn was smiling at her with raised eyebrows.

“You don’t need to be colorful every day just because you’re an artist going to an art event.” Evalyn said lightheartedly, “You artsy types overthink things.”

Rayne giggled, then went back to staring at her reflection and chewing on her cheek in contemplation.

“Your sister’s right princess.” Jameson declared, stepping into the room with a garment bag slung over his shoulder, “You look beautiful, and we need to get going. I’ll meet you both downstairs, I have your dress for tonight.”

Rayne relented with a nod. She knew her sister wouldn’t lie to her, and if both her sister and father said she looked good, then that’d be good enough. She nodded and followed her sister out the door.

Sebastian and their mother were waiting by the door, both looking at their phones. When they descended the stairs, the duo looked up. Catalina clapped her hands together, Sebastian just smiled.

“You look wonderful sweetheart.” She declared as she pulled Rayne into a hug.

Rayne squeezed her back, and soon they were headed out the door. It was 9:43, the gallery opened at 11. After the hour drive Rayne would be left with a few spare minutes to compose herself. She didn’t have to do much to prepare as everything was still set up from the day before. They piled into the van and were soon on their way.
 

~o~O~o~
 
Rayne looked around the gallery. The doors had been opened for 30 minutes, yet there were very few people present. She was kind of disappointed. Today was supposed to be the day with all the special guests, but so far it mostly seemed to be the families of the winners. She knew all the judges would be around, and she was tempted to go find and Berny and ask what was up, but she was worried that might come across the wrong way.

She took a deep breath. Asking wouldn’t change anything. There was no sense in getting herself all riled up. She should just focus on what was happening around her now.

She looked around. Her parents were taking another look over her work. They were standing side by side with her father’s arms around her mother’s shoulder. Her mother was pointing at something in the piece they were currently looking at.

Across the room her siblings were looking at another artist’s work.

“How are you this morning Rayne?”

Suddenly pulled from her thoughts, she started at the sound of the voice. Turning to her right, she looked up into the face of Mrs. Wilkins. The judges arm was linked with an older man, who looked down at her through spectacles perched, seemingly quite precariously, on the tip of his nose.

“O-oh! Good morning Mrs. Wilkins.” She greeted, “I’m doing great, thanks.” She turned to the man, “Good morning, um, Mr. Wilkins I’m guessing?”

She offered her hand in greeting, which the large man took. His hand dwarfed hers, but was surprisingly gentle. The man smiled and nodded, “I’ve heard good things about your work young lady, I look forward to seeing it for myself.”

“Well, I hope I can to live up to what you’ve been told.”

“I wouldn’t worry about that.” He chuckled a deep hearty chuckle before continuing, “I’m easier to impress than my wife here.”

Rayne smiled as Mrs. Wilkins rolled her eyes and ushered him along. “Go be impressed then.” She said, “I still have some talking to do with Rayne here.”

Once they were along, Mrs. Wilkins turned back to Rayne. She looked the younger girl up and down, her gaze suddenly more appraising. The woman’s gaze felt like what Rayne imagined a painting would feel – if a painting could feel – when a person judged it. It wasn’t necessarily a bad feeling, but it wasn’t good either. She suddenly felt much more self conscious than she had a moment ago.

“No nerves?” The older woman suddenly asked with a sly smile.

“Well I never said that,” Rayne answered, blushing lightly, “But I’ve been learning how to better manage them, and they aren’t bothering me as much as they would have a month ago.”

Mrs. Wilkins nodded absentmindedly, looking her up and down again. The older woman rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

“I never would have known.” The woman said softly, almost too quiet to be heard.

“Never would have known wh-” Rayne stopped midsentence. Oh. That. Berny had mentioned that her official records for the event would be changed to reflect what was on her student records. That meant Mrs. Wilkins, and likely all the other judges, knew that Rayne was really Raymond. Rayne wasn’t really Raymond. She knew that. But that wasn’t what the records would say.

She bit her lip nervously and resisted the urge to look at her feet.

Mrs. Wilkins smiled more warmly. Her face was no longer calculating. “I just wanted to assure you that neither I, nor any of the other judges, will tell a soul.”

Rayne nodded and swallowed nervously, “Th- thank you Mrs. Wilkins.”

“That’s nothing to thank me for dear.” Mrs. Wilkins replied playfully, “That’s just common decency. It’s a private matter, on one else has any right to know. Hell, we judges shouldn’t even know.”

Mrs. Wilkins patted her shoulder gently before moving to catch up with her husband.

Rayne sighed with relief. It seemed ridiculous that she had ever feared they might kick her out. The human mind could really screw with itself when left to its own devices.

She turned back to look across the gallery. A group of men and woman had just walked in together, they all looked very official. The men of the group all seemed to be wearing suits, the women were wearing skirt suits, pant suits, or other professional clothing. The group ranged in age, some elderly, others much younger, but they all shared that same look of professionalism. The conversation they were deeply engaged in was interrupted only when Berny briskly approached them. Rayne couldn’t hear what was being said, but she could clearly see greetings and pleasantries being exchanged alongside handshakes. After another moment the group slowly split up and dispersed to look at the exhibits, some pairs and trios still engaged in conversation.

She took a deep breath. The moment she had been preparing for all month was upon her. She looked around. None of them were headed in her immediate direction, most were headed to whatever exhibits were closest to the doors. Being a bit further back, she had a bit more time to prepare herself.

Wait, was that man staring at her? He was standing near the door with his arm linked with a women’s. He turned to her and whispered something before separating from her and walking in Rayne’s direction. Something about him was very familiar, and Rayne was left wracking her brain for his identity, trying to remember who he was before he reached her.

“Rayne!” He said from a few feet away, “It’s good to see you. You mentioned you liked painting and drawing, but you didn’t say anything about liking it this much.”

Suddenly it hit her. It was Donald, the man who volunteered to oversee the youth group in Lakewood. She had only met him once, and had been distracted and focused on other things during the few minutes she spent with him. That explained why she hadn’t immediately recognized him.

“It’s good to see you too, um” She wracked her brain for his last name, “Mr. Patterson. I have a habit of downplaying what I do.”

“I’ll say! These are fantastic.” He agreed adamantly, moving to look at the nearest piece before continuing lightheartedly, “And I thought I told you to call me Donald.”

Rayne blushed lightly at the man’s compliments.

“So, um, if you don’t mind me asking, what are you doing here Donald?”

He turned back to her, “Oh, of course, well, do you remember when I mentioned that I was a psychology student at the U of BC?”

Rayne thought for a moment, she did vaguely recall something along those lines. She nodded.

“Well I’m writing my thesis on the effects of art on the human psyche and the therapeutic benefits of both creating and viewing art. The faculty of arts received an invitation to this event, and after hearing about it from a friend in the department, I approached the chair and requested to attend alongside them. He okayed it, and here I am.”

Rayne nodded thoughtfully, “I see. Is art really that therapeutic though?”

“Absolutely” Donald confirmed, nodding enthusiastically, “The creative process in particular is very helpful. It allows people to express themselves in ways they normally couldn’t – or wouldn’t. It can help them manage stress, their feelings, boost their self-esteem, the list goes on. In fact, art therapy has evolved to become its own field – albeit a small one – of psychology.”

Rayne nodded slowly, turning to look at her work. It made sense. Art had long been one of her escapes. One of the only things that could make her feel better when she was feeling her worst. It wasn’t surprising to hear that there was an actual reason for that.

She turned back to Donald, “Now that you mention it, I know exactly what you mean. Art has always been something that helped me. That was the reason I got into it. The process of creating something made me feel better, it helped me when I was at my lowest.”

He stared at her for a long moment. She had to make a conscious effort not to squirm under his gaze, or to look away. Finally, he blinked and slowly nodded. He turned to her work, before glancing back at her.

“I’m going to go find my wife, but we’ll be around to see your work before the night is through.”

Rayne smiled and nodded as he turned to walk away. A moment later she saw him link arms again with the same woman from before. The woman pointed at one of the displays on the opposite side of the room and they moved off in that direction.

Throughout the next hour more and more people arrived. All of them were dressed nicely, and their levels of interest varied dramatically. With some, it was immediately apparent they were only here for some good publicity. They spent most of the event looking at their phones, or discussing business or politics with their associates. Then there were those who seemed to be genuinely interested, they walked around and talked with the students about their art, school, as well as dreams and aspirations for the future. Donald and his wife, as well as most of the guests from the University of British Columbia fell into the second category.

Rayne had been walking around her display with a woman from the Vancouver Art Gallery, her name was Sharon Dale, but she was very insistent that Rayne call her Sherry. Not Ms. Dale, not Sharon, Sherry. They had been discussing her various pieces, but now they had made it back to the beginning.

Sherry turned to Rayne, “So tell me, what’s next for you?”

Rayne looked back at her, “Um, what’s next for me? What do you mean?”

“What’s next for Rayne?” Sherry repeated, “You’ve proven yourself to be quite the capable artist, in a variety of mediums, so what’s next? I imagine you’ll finish high school of course, but what’s after that.”

Rayne pursed her lips and rested her chin in her hand, “I haven’t really thought much about it in a while. There’s been so much going on lately, I haven’t had time to.”

Sherry nodded, “Well after this weekend I imagine you’ll have more time to think.”

Rayne looked at her blankly, “Why is that?”

Sherry looked back at her with a similar expression, “Tonight’s the last night of the event. Isn’t that why you’ve been busy?”

Rayne blinked a few times as her mind caught up, “O-oh, yeah. Of course. Between school, homework, and the art event I’ve been busy. Right.”

Sherry smile gently, “If you have other things going on right now, that’s okay Rayne. Everyone does.”

Oh, of course. Everyone had other things going on. Everyone was going through life altering realizations and questioning the very nature of their existence. No biggie.

She shook her head rapidly, as if shaking away that headspace. Now was not the time.

Rayne looked back at Sherry – who had a growing expression of concern – and forced herself to smile.

“You’re right.” She said, “Everyone has things on in their life, and my concerns are probably pretty insignificant compared to some of the people in this room. I’m just a teenager after all.”

Sherry did not look convinced. “There’s no ‘just’ about it Rayne. Being a teenager is hard, we’ve all been there. Do you want to talk about it?”

Rayne blinked and her smile wavered, but she quickly put it back on. She smiled and waved a hand. “Oh no, I’m fine. Talking is what my therapist is for.”

She had been joking, trying to make light of the conversation so she could change the topic. Clearly she miscalculated, because Sherry looked more worried now. She was frowning heavily and her eyebrows were raised and knitted together.

“A therapist?” Sherry asked, “What possible reason does a girl your age have to talk to a therapist.”

Rayne’s smile broke now. She bit her lip and tried to think of a way to defuse the situation. How had it gotten here? To this point where she felt like she was on the verge of breaking down? Mere minutes ago, they had been talking about her work.

“Sorry to interrupt your conversation, Rayne, but would we be able to talk for a moment?”

Rayne’s head snapped up from where her gaze had fallen to the floor. Her mother was standing there. Catalina had unknowingly come to her rescue.

“O-oh, of- of course Mom.” She turned to Sherry, “Please excuse me, but it was very nice talking to you.”

She quickly stepped away to join her mother. They stepped around a corner and into a hallway leading out of the main gallery. As soon as they were around the corner from the woman, Rayne stopped to close her eyes and take several deep breaths. When she opened them again her mother was staring at her with concern.

“Are you okay sweetie?” Catalina asked worriedly.

“Yeah Mom.” Rayne replied, nodding slowly and closing her eyes again, “I was just getting a bit overwhelmed. You came at the perfect time.”

Rayne waited for her mother to say something, to say why she had come, but no words came.

Finally, Rayne opened her eyes and looked at her mother. “What’s up Mom? You needed to talk to me?”

Catalina nodded, but Rayne could tell she was uneasy about something.

“There you two are!”

Rayne looked out into the gallery to see her father approaching with Berny at his side, and another man trailing behind them.

“What’s up Dad?” Rayne asked.

Catalina and her father shared a look before they said anything.

“A news crew is here.” Jameson finally announced, “From CTV Vancouver.”

“O- oh.” Rayne acknowledged, taken off guard, “Okay.”

“They want to interview all of the finalists.” Catalina continued.

“Oh.”

How did the expression go? Out of the frying pan and into the fire?

“However,” Catalina continued, “They need parental consent.”

“Okaaaaay.” Rayne said slowly, “Are- are you going to give it to them?”

Jameson smiled reassuringly, “Only if you want us to princess. It’s completely your decision.”

“Would I be on tv?” She asked hesitantly, turning to look at Berny.

Berny looked at the third man, who up until now had been standing a respectful distance away. He immediately stepped closer.

“Hello!” He greeted charismatically, “I take it that you’re Rayne?”

When she nodded hesitantly, he offered a handshake.

“I’m Adam O’Donnal from CTV Vancouver.” He introduced himself as they shook hands. “I’d be happy to answer this and any other questions you might have.”

She gave another hesitant nod. He took it as a sign that he could continue.

“Yes, it is highly likely that you would be on TV, we’re prerecording for thanksgiving tomorrow, so it would air tomorrow night on the 6’o’clock news, but there’s no guarantee. We want to interview you and all your fellow finalists, but we will likely only select a few of the interviews to use. Even the one’s we do select will likely be edited to be shorter. Our director has the final say. We would also like some footage of all of you together, as well as some footage of your work. Does that sound like something you could do?” He smiled warmly and looked at her expectantly.

She turned to look back at her parents, unsure of what to do.

“How about,” Berny spoke up, stepping between Rayne and the news anchor, “You give Rayne a few minutes to talk with her parents.”

Adam frowned, “Very well, but we want to start soon, so please don’t take long.”

Berny slowly dipped his head in a nod, “I’ll be sure we get back to you shortly.”

The man turned and stepped away.

“Thanks Berny.” Rayne whispered to the man before turning back to her parents. The old man just nodded in acknowledgement before stepping away to let them talk.

“What do you think?” Jameson asked once they were alone.

Rayne shrugged, “I dunno. I kinda want to do it, but I’m scared.”

“What are you scared of baby?” Catalina asked, wrapping an arm around her daughter’s shoulders.

“What if someone recognizes me and makes the connection.” She whispered.

“Rayne, sweetheart,” Jameson began, “No one will recognize you. You’ve come a very long way.”

Rayne bit her lip, “Well what if someone recognizes me as Rayne. Some people think I’m just your niece visiting from Nova Scotia. How do I explain this?”

“Have you been telling lies again?” Catalina asked playfully, trying to lighten the mood.

Rayne rolled her eyes, “It was Eva’s idea.”

“Of course it was.” Jameson chuckled, “What are we gonna do with that sister of yours?”

Rayne couldn’t help but smile.

“Rayne, honey,” Catalina began, “This is your decision. Whatever you decide we’ll support you, but if you want to do it, do it. If someone recognizes you then we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

Rayne looked at the floor for a long moment before taking a deep breath, “Okay, I’ll do it.”
 

~o~O~o~
 
She stood with the other contestants in two rows. Five in the back, five in the front. Of course, being younger than the other contestants, she was shorter, and therefore in the front. No one to hide behind.

They were standing near the entrance, the gallery spanning out behind them. In front of them and a bit to the right stood Adam O’Donnal and his partner, Kate Winchester. They were facing away from the teenagers, towards the cameraman that stood just past them. The camera was already rolling, and the two news anchors were engaged in conversation. They had been talking about the event, and what the students had gone through to qualify for this final event. Rayne had tuned it all out. She didn’t know what they were saying, or what they were really talking about, she was just focused on not fidgeting or squirming or letting her nerves betray her. She squeezed her eyes shut and opened them again, trying to force herself to pay attention.

Kate had just finished saying something and now Adam was taking over.

“After the break we’re going to have an interview with some of the finalists, ask them about their process and take a look at some of their works. I’m sure it’ll be great. This is Adam O’Donnal.”

“And I’m Kate Winchester. CTV Vancouver, don’t go away.”

The camera stopped rolling, and the two news anchors turned to face the group.

“Okay guys!” Kate said, clapping her hands enthusiastically, “You can return to your exhibits now, we’ll be coming around to visit you and take a look at your work.”

Rayne took a deep breath. Welp, that was the easy part. Next came the hard part. She walked over to where her family was waiting to escort her back to her area.

“You ready for your fifteen minutes of fame, li’l sis’? Evalyn asked teasingly.

Rayne groaned, “Why did I agree to this again?”

Sebastian shrugged, “I dunno. Why did you?”

Rayne groaned again.

“Everything’ll work out fine.” Jameson chuckled, patting her on the shoulder, “And you agreed because you earned this.”

They reached her exhibit and she turned around to watch where the crew was heading. Thankfully, not towards her. They seemed to just be going around the gallery in no particular order, just to whoever was the next closest. By her estimate that would put her somewhere in the middle. That meant she had some time to try and collect herself. She closed her eyes and began some breathing exercises. They helped, and soon she was feeling a bit better, but all too soon, the news crew was setting up in front of her.
 

~o~O~o~
 

“Hi Rayne, how are you this afternoon?” Kate asked her cheerfully before holding the microphone out to her.

They were standing next to each other, angled slightly inwards so that they were half facing each other and half facing the camera.

“I’m uh,” She hesitated for a second before answering. Should she lie and say she’s doing good? Maybe say how excited she was for this opportunity? Say how blessed she was to be here maybe?

Screw it.

She might as well be honest and have fun, chances are this wouldn’t make the final cut anyways.

She shook her head slowly, “I’m freakin’ out Kate.”

Kate laughed and brought the microphone back to herself, “Why is that Rayne?”

Rayne huffed out a heavy sigh before looking back at the news anchor and smiling, “I was nervous enough just to be here! That was before you asked for an interview.”

Kate smiled, “Well there’s nothing to be worried about, we just want to know a bit more about you and your work. I’ve been told that you’re the youngest artist to reach this stage, by a significant margin too. How does that make you feel?”

“Overwhelmed!” Rayne declared dramatically, drawing another laugh from the anchor. Rayne laughed with her, “I mean, everyone in the competition was just so talented, and I don’t just mean the finalists. There was so much talent at every stage, and at every stage the judges picked me to move forward. So yeah. I am nervous and overwhelmed.”

“So how long have you wanted to be an artist?”

“I actually never considered trying to turn art into a career until recently.” Rayne explained, “For me it was always just a form of escape and a way to express myself. I did it just for fun. I never even expected to make it far in this event, but now, I don’t know. Maybe it is something worth pursuing.”

“Tell ya what, how about we take a look at your work, and afterwards I’ll tell you if it’s a worthwhile pursuit?”

Rayne laughed into her hand before nodding, “Okay, sounds good to me Kate.”

Kate looked directly at the cameraman. “Alright! Let’s go!” She declared before waving for the cameraman to follow.

Rayne led them to the manners of death.

“Alright,” Kate resumed once the cameraman caught up, “So talk to me, these five pieces were what got you this far, correct?”

“Yeah, that’s right!” Rayne confirmed enthusiastically, “It’s a series of five pieces, all with a single overarching theme. Each work has its own title, but the series as a whole is called ‘The Manners of Death’. Care to take a shot at what the theme is?”

Kate hmmd dramatically before answering, “I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that the theme is death?”

“Nailed it.” Rayne declared before continuing, “The manners of death are ‘Natural Causes’, ‘Accidental’, ‘Homicide’, and ‘Suicide’. Each of these pieces is my interpretation of one of those, except in the case of natural causes. That one got two.”

Kate nodded, “Okay, so which one’s which?”

Rayne giggled, “Oh but that’s the fun part. I’m not gonna tell ya. If someone wants to know they’ll have to figure it out!”

Kate laughed, “And how do we do that?”

“Well,” Rayne began sarcastically, “You can tell by looking at them. That’s what you’re supposed to do with art. Look at it. Maybe be emotionally moved or touched, but that’s optional.”

Kate laughed and rolled her eyes, “Alright well, maybe we’ll comeback to that at the end, but for now let’s move on.”

Rayne laughed and nodded. They made a quick circuit of her exhibit, stopping occasionally to further discuss anything that caught Kate’s eye. Soon they arrived back at the beginning.

“Alright Rayne,” Kate began, “It’s been fun, but it’s time for us to wrap up. Before we go, and before I give you my verdict, can you tell us about your process?”

“My process? Hmm,” Rayne held her chin in her hand and looked up at the ceiling for a moment, “I dunno, that’s a hard one. For little pieces, like what’s in my sketch book, I just scribble out whatever’s in my head at the time. For my bigger pieces I usually just wait for inspiration to strike. It can come from anything, something I read about, a game I play, something someone says, or from an old family photo. From there I just-” She threw her hands up, “I dunno, from there I just do what I do!”

Kate laughed one last time, “Alright Rayne, I told you I’d tell you whether or not this was worth pursuing, and my verdict is that it definitely is. So, as you put it, just keep doing what you do.”

Rayne smiled, “Thanks Kate.”

Kate smiled and turned back to the camera, “This was CTV Vancouver, at the Talented Youth Art Exhibit in Mountsview. Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving, good night.”

The camera’s recording light blinked out, and Kate lowered the microphone. She turned back to Rayne, “Thank you for your time Rayne, I’m glad you and your parents decided to participate.”

“I’m glad too.” Rayne agreed, “I wasn’t lying about being nervous, but I ended up having a lot of fun!”

“That’s good to hear,” Kate said, smiling, “And I just want you to know, I wasn’t just saying that because we were being recorded. You’re truly talented.”

“Thanks again.” Rayne said quietly, “It means a lot.”

Kate nodded and left to rejoin her crew as they moved to the next exhibit.

A short time later the gallery came to a close. Oddly, or perhaps to be expected, the guests who had seemed disinterested and only there for PR became overly enthusiastic for the duration of the news crew’s presence. Shortly afterwards they went back to looking at phones or discussing other things. Just as he said he would, Donald came and looked at all of her work with his wife. He didn’t mention knowing her though. Rayne realized a short time later that it was likely to preserve her privacy. If his wife knew that Rayne and Donald knew each other from the youth group Donald oversaw, then by default she would know more about Rayne than she should.

At some point the man overseeing the auction came by too. Each of the finalists were allowed to enter a maximum of five items in the auction, and her final decisions were due.

Her ‘Manners of Death’ series was her main item. She had insisted that all five pieces be auctioned together, as a single item. The auctioneer who had asked for her entries had pointed out that it might not do as well like that, and that some people may only want one or two of the series’ installments. She didn’t care. To her it was meant to be together, and that’s how she’d sell it.

Next up for auction was a large acrylic painting titled, titled ‘View of Space’. She had originally intended it to be an attempt at abstract art, but it had turned out more surreal than abstract. It was of a single eye in the middle of a white field. She had done her best getting the shape of the eye just right. An eyebrow arched above it, and she had used a fine tipped ink pen to draw the eyelashes. The eye itself was where the surrealism came in. The pupil was a green planet, finely splotched with different shades and small shapes to give it a bit more texture. The iris was a ring of stars, bursting out from the green planet. The stars ranged from various shades of mostly blue and grey, but with some splashes of brown and green too. Around the iris, where a real eye would be white, this one was black. Black like space. Faded into the background of space, one could make out other planets with slight hints of color. In between the planets there were specks of bright colors – more stars.

Her water color painting of the lake near her house was also up for bidding. The one she had done based on a picture taken from the rock where she liked to sit. It was simply called ‘Lakewood’. She didn’t know how it would go over, but she wasn’t stressing about it. What happened, happened.

Her fourth piece was a still life, done in oil paint. ‘Candlelight’, as it was titled, was an image of a table. The table was covered in various everyday objects. There were books, papers, keys, a pair of sunglasses, and – the classic still life subject – a bowl of fruit. Standing close to the center, but just a bit to the left, was a tall candle. Everything else was arranged around it. Because of the light being central, the objects cast shadows in all different directions, and were painted in a variety of hues accordingly. The candle was the only source of light portrayed, causing for the painting to be quite dim. Normally, she found still lifes to be boring both to make and to look at, but this one had been enjoyable because of the way the shadows were different on every object.

She had struggled to pick a fifth piece. The portrait she had poured all her energy in for the past week was obviously one of her higher-level works, but that… it was special. Other people wouldn’t get it. She would hold on to it for now. Maybe give it to her grandparents if tomorrow went well.

Finally, after many minutes of deliberation, she had entered her sketchbook into the auction on a whim. It was full after all, not much more she’d be doing with it anymore. She doubted there’d be much interest in the sketchbook of a 14-year-old however.

The dinner was due to start at 6:00, that gave them an hour to get ready and make the short drive to Mountsview hotel and resort, which was kindly allowing them the use of its grand dinner hall. That was where the dinner and auction would be held. There was a garment bag out in the van, and her sister had brought a makeup bag stuffed full of everything that she said Rayne would need.

“Where should we go to get ready?” Rayne asked as she rejoined her family. This was the one part of the plan that had never been set in stone. She had a different outfit for the dinner, but home was too far away to make it there and back in time.

She stopped and looked again at her sister and mother. They were both wearing different outfits than they wore earlier.

“You two already look ready.” Rayne observed.

“Don’t worry,” Catalina said with a wink, “We’ve got everything figured out. Your sister and I are ready to go, this way we can focus on helping you.”

Catalina and Evalyn proceeded to lead Rayne from the room, they walked down a hall and straight through a door. A door that clearly read:

Authorized Personal Only

Rayne hesitated for a moment, “Ummmm.”

Evalyn grabbed her hand and pulled her through, “Don’t worry, we’re authorized.”

Catalina laughed from in front of them. They turned through another door and finally arrived at their destination. It was a small room, with just a few chairs. Both the garment bag and Evalyn’s makeup bag had already been brought in.

“Berny said we could use this room.” Catalina explained, “We’ll get you ready here and then meet up with Seb and your father.”

The next half hour was, after changing into the dress, a whirl of activity. Catalina and Evalyn did Rayne’s hair and makeup, touched up her nails and nit picked over other small details. They spent several minutes in intense deliberation over what jewelry to use, then yet a few more minutes contemplating other accessories.

“Ooookay.” Evalyn finally declared, “I think we’re done!”

“Where’s the mirror?” Rayne asked excitedly.

“There isn’t one sweetie.” Catalina said gently, “You’ll just have to take our word that you look beautiful.”

Rayne smiled and looked down at herself. She was wearing a dark, cobalt blue sleeveless dress. It had a boat neckline and hugged her body – but not tightly. Just enough to show curves that she shouldn’t have. She did have them though; her mother and sister had done some kind of padding to make her body look a bit womanlier. The dress came down all the way down to just above her toes. She had a thin white belt around her waist, and a few bracelets on each wrist. On her feet she wore simple brown sandals with just a bit of a heel.

Usually it was her sister who did her hair, but tonight it was her mother. Catalina had started by making a single thin braid on each side of Rayne’s head, just behind her ears. She had then pulled the two braids, along with all the hair in between, together into a ponytail. She had then taken the ponytail and – using some pins – had turned it into a thick bun.

“Oh wait!” Evalyn cried, digging in her purse, “I know!”

She pulled out her phone and held it up.

“Smile!” She said, giving her sister only a second to compose herself before snapping a picture.

“What are you doing Eva?” Rayne asked, giggling at the spontaneity.

“We don’t have a mirror,” Evalyn explained, walking over to Rayne, “So this is the next best thing!”

The sisters and their mother looked at the picture.

“See?” Catalina asked, “You look beautiful.”

“I look like a deer in the headlights.” Rayne countered.

“Only because your sister took you off guard.” Catalina responded, “Now c’mon. Your father and brother are waiting.”

They navigated back down the hall and re-emerged into the gallery. Jameson and Sebastian were facing away from them and engrossed in a deep discussion with Berny. The old man cleared his throat and nodded towards them. Jameson and Sebastian turned around.

Rayne immediately felt herself blush now that the three of them were looking at her. She reached up to brush a few stray hairs back behind her ear.

“H- how do I look?” she asked uncertainly, giving them a small smile.

“Absolutely stunning.” Her father replied, stepping up and pulling her into a hug.

Sebastian just nodded his agreement.

After he let her go and gave her a kiss on the forehead, Jameson stepped back.

“You really do look beautiful my dear.” Berny complimented her, “Now I must be going, but I’ll see you at the dinner.”

Rayne thanked him and watched as he left.

“Hmmmm.” Jameson mused, holding his chin in his hand.

Rayne turned back to him, he was staring at her.

“You’re missing something.” He said slowly, giving her a sly smile. Suddenly his face lit up, “Wait, I think I know.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small felt box.

“This should do the trick.” He said as he held it out to her.

Rayne just looked up at him in confusion.

“It’s from your mother and I.” He explained.

“As congratulations for the art gallery.” Catalina added.

Hesitantly and with shaky hands, Rayne reached out and took it. After another glance from her father to her mother she flipped it open. Inside was a pair of earrings, and below them a necklace.

She couldn’t hold back the gasp when she saw them.

The earrings were little dark blue raindrops with a silver band running around them. At the top of the raindrops they connected to tiny, short silver chains ending in the hooks.

The necklace matched the earrings. It had a raindrop pendant of the same design, only larger. The silver band running around it was slightly thicker, and it was suspended from a silver chain.

She looked back up at her parents in shock. Her mother had moved to stand next to her father and he had wrapped his arm around her waist.

“We had looked for something art related,” her father explained, “But everything we saw was-”

He looked at her mother, “How did you put it?”

“Tacky.” Her mother finished for him.

“So we thought,” Catalina continued, “Your name is Rayne, and you’ve always loved the rain.”

“Your screenname is even RaynyDayz, right?” Sebastian pointed out.

“So, this just seemed,” Catalina continued, then paused, looking for the right words.

“It just seemed right.” Jameson finished for her.

Tears welling in her eyes, Rayne sniffled.

“They’re perfect.” She said, giving them a smile.

“You hold those tears back now.” Evalyn ordered gently, stepping up and offering her a tissue, “You’ll ruin your makeup.

Rayne gave a watery laugh and took the tissue, dabbing at her eyes.

Rayne reached up and took out the tiny studs she had been wearing and replace them with the rain drops. They dangled just a bit below her earlobe.

She put the studs in the box and slipped out the necklace. She offered it out to Jameson.

“Would you?” she asked, turning around when he took the necklace.

“Of course, Sweetie.” He replied, slipping the necklace over her head before fastening it behind her neck.

She looked down at the pendant, “It’s so pretty, it looks like it could be a sapphire.”

Catalina laughed quietly.

Jameson leaned down to whisper in her ear, “That’s because it is a sapphire. They all are.”

Rayne whipped around and stared at her parents wide-eyed.

“Are you serious!?” She asked, stunned by the news.

Her reaction sent the family into laughter.

“What?” Jameson asked, “Did you really think we were going to give you something small and cheap for such a big accomplishment?”

Rayne tried to tackle him with a hug, but he just scooped her up off the floor and spun her around.

“Thanks Daddy.” She whispered in his ear.

When he set her down she ran over to her mother and gave her a hug too.

“Thanks Momma.”

Her mother just laughed and hugged her back.

“Now then.” Evalyn began, “We should probably get going if we don’t want to be late.”

Sebastian laughed and nodded.

“Yeah, I mean, that is if Rayne, ‘Momma’, and ‘Daddy’ are ready.” He said, teasing his little sister for the juvenile language.

“Hey.” Rayne replied, crossing her arms over her chest and puffing out her cheeks, “I’m a girl, If I want to, I’ll call my mom, Momma, and my dad, Daddy, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Sebastian laughed.

“Yeah,” Evalyn agreed, “you’re right! There’s nothing he can do about it. And there’s nothing you can do about us pointing out that you sound like a five-year-old!”

Sebastian howled with laughter while Rayne pouted.

“You guys are mean.” Rayne replied with a huff, she knew they were kidding though.

“Ah, come on Sis’.” Evalyn replied, throwing her arm around Rayne’s shoulders as they walked towards the doors, “I’m your big Sister! Seb’s our big brother! It’s practically our job to tease you!”

“But no one else can.” Sebastian was quick to add, “Otherwise, it becomes my new job to knock the crap outta them!”

“And besides, you are the baby of the family.” Jameson piped up from in front of them, drawing more laughter from the whole family.

“Exactly!” Rayne fired back with a big smile, “So as the baby of the family I reserve the right to call you my Daddy sometimes!”

 

~o~O~o~
 

They arrived at the dinner hall a few minutes before 6:00, giving them some time to find their table. On their way in, a sharply dressed man asked if anyone had any dietary restrictions. After quickly answering his questions they proceeded into the main hall. The dinner hall was a large, long room. It had beautiful polished hardwood floors, and large pillars embedded in the dark green walls. At the front there was a stage with a podium and microphone, with a large screen behind it. Currently the screen just displayed the words ‘Greater Vancouver Talented Youth Art Exhibit’. Each of the finalists had a large six-person table reserved for them and their family close to the stage. Rayne’s table had room for one more so she had invited Ms. Mira to eat with them, rather than be delegated to a table further towards the back.

Rayne took her seat and looked around. She knew this was her chance to talk to more of the esteemed guests, but what was she supposed to do? Just walk up to them and talk? That was just awkward and uncomfortable. She was temporarily saved from making a decision, however, for right at 6:00 Berny took to the stage.

“Good evening to all of our esteemed guests, my fellow judges, teachers, and most importantly, our student artists and their families.”

He took a moment to look around the room meaningfully.

“I won’t talk for long – at least not right now – I just wanted to give a brief summary of the nights events. Dinner will be brought out shortly, we have a wonderful four course meal prepared for you. As this isn’t a true formal event, feel free to walk around the room and mingle between courses. For any who are interested, we have bidding stands along the wall for the silent auction.”

As he said this he gestured to the wall to his left. Craning her neck to see over the crowd, Rayne could see ten stands.

“There are ten stands, one for each of our very talented artists. At each stand you’ll find a few different bidding sheets, one for each of the pieces that artist is auctioning off. I know some of you have already taken a look, and you may have noticed that there is already an amount listed. These students worked incredibly hard on these pieces of art, so it is only fair that they get what their work is worth. No ripping them off!”

A wave of laughter ran through the audience.

“Now I’m sure none of you would intentionally do that,” Berny continued with an easy smile, “But I also know many of you are not experts in the field, so, the amount listed is the minimum value we have determined each item up for auction to be worth. This number was determined by a collaboration between the events judges as well as the Vancouver Art Gallery and the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Arts, so you can be sure that the number is a good assessment of value. Bidding will close at 9:45, with the winners being announced at 10’o’clock sharp. Be generous people. These kids have worked hard.”

He looked around again.

“At 8:30 we will have some final announcements and the official closing ceremony, so until then, have fun!”

He signaled someone with his hand, and a long line of waiters began to walk out through a door in the back. Each had a covered plate in each hand, and they systematically served each table moving from front to back.

A tray was placed in front of Rayne and uncovered. A small, steaming bowl of soup was revealed that left her mouth watering. The waiters for their table offered the adults wine, and asked the kids if there was any particular drink they would like.

Sebastian and Rayne said water would be fine, Evalyn asked for wine and was immediately asked for ID. The rest of the table laughed as she blushed furiously and gave a lame excuse about forgetting it in the car.

Jameson and Catalina looked at her with amusement to which Evalyn just shrugged. The waiter left then, with an amused smile on her face.

Rayne was just finishing her soup when she heard a familiar squeal.

“There you are! I’ve been looking for you everywhere! Oh my gosh, you’re so pretty!” She turned just in time to see Cynthia running towards her and stood up before the girl pulled her into a big hug.

“Those earrings – Oh! And that necklace! They’re gorgeous! You’re gorgeous Rayne! Wow!” Cynthia gushed on and on, while Rayne just stared at her.

“Cynthia?” Rayne finally managed to ask, “W- what are you doing here? I thought you weren’t allowed to come?”

“That’s what I thought too!” Cynthia said excitedly, “But then this morning, I get a call from Berny. Asking if I can make it! I don’t know why, but I’m here!”

“That’s amazing!” Rayne exclaimed, happy for her friend, “I wonder why though? I feel like they wouldn’t do that for no reason.”

Cynthia shrugged, “Who knows? I’m sure we’ll find out eventually.”

Rayne nodded in agreement.

Soon a bell was rung, announcing the second course was being brought out, and Cynthia departed for her table.

The second course was a light salad, which was again thoroughly enjoyed. After she finished Rayne stood, figuring now would be the time to do some of that mingling Berny had mentioned. She looked around wondering where she should go. Many people were engaged in conversation, and as her eyes drifted across the room she found one pair of eyes staring back.

Dr. Malone sat alone at the judges table. The other judges were off visiting other tables and having conversations with other guests, but Dr. Malone sat there, watching her as she now watched him.

Before she could lose her nerve, Rayne found herself approaching him. When she reached his table, he stood up.

“Good evening Rayne.” He said in greeting, offering a handshake.

“Good evening Dr. Malone.” She replied, taking his hand.

They stared at each other for a long moment and thoughts rushed through her head. She thought about how intimidating he had been at the second showing, and how small he had made her feel. But then she remembered what Berny had said. That he had fought for her to make it to the third showing. That he was a big reason in why she hadn’t been cut.

He was just opening his mouth to say something when she spoke, beating him to it.

“I just wanted to thank you.” She said, “For fighting for me. Berny said- he said that I likely would have been eliminated if it weren’t for you.”

Dr. Malone looked away for a moment, across the room to where Berny was talking with someone else.

“That man talks too much.” He said, looking back at her and frowning, “Regardless, you’re welcome.”

“Why did you do it?” Rayne asked suddenly, before she even realized what she was saying, “Why did you push for me to make it?”

He blinked and jerked his head back a bit before staring at her.

“What do you mean why did I do it?” He asked, taken aback.

“Well it’s just-" Rayne began before pausing and pursing her lips, “At the second showing. You didn’t seem to like me much – actually, I kinda thought you hated me. Why would you go from, um, being almost cruel, to advocating for me?”

The man pursed his lips and tilted his head. His eyebrows came together and he looked almost sad.

“Rayne,” he began softly, “I don’t dislike you, let alone hate you, and I am very sorry if I came across as cruel. I just-”

Dr. Malone shrugged and held his hands up helplessly, “I don’t understand kids. The younger they are, the harder a time I have with them. I admit, at first, I was too quick to write you off. I was grumpy and thought a child as young as you had no business being there, but I never intended to hurt or embarrass you. Then you impressed me. More than anyone else in the competition had. I’m bad with kids my dear, but I like and respect you more than I do many people older than you. I hope you can forgive me.”

Rayne blinked. She hadn’t been expecting that. She licked her lips and looked at the floor for a moment.

“Consider it water under the bridge.” She said, looking back at him and smiling warmly, before continuing light heartedly, “But how can you be bad with kids, Dr. Malone? I’m sure you a were a kid once too, you can’t have been born a grouchy old man.”

Dr. Malone laughed a deep laugh, “I’m afraid I was my dear. Maybe not physically, but certainly mentally. I never understood my peers growing up. I was always more comfortable talking with adults than kids, and kids have never been comfortable talking with me.”

Rayne giggled, “Well, for what it’s worth, I like talking with you Dr. Malone. Or at least I do now. You kinda terrified me for a while.”

The man laughed again, “Yes, I seem to have that affect on people.”

The dinner bell chose to ring then.

“I should get back. It was nice talking to you Dr. Malone.”

The man gave a deep nod, “Likewise.”
 

~o~O~o~
 

The third course was prime rib. At this point Rayne was starting to get full and wasn’t able to finish. She was contemplating finding a waiter to opt out of dessert when a man approached the table.

“Rayne Danahy? Correct?” The man asked, he looked to be in his early thirties and was very under dressed for the event. Whereas all the other men wore dress pants, a dress shirt, and a tie at the very least, this man was wearing jeans and a navy-blue suit jacket over top of a white t-shirt with what looked like comic book panels printed on it.

“Um, y- yes.” She confirmed, standing up to offer a handshake, “And you are?”

“Great! I’ve already asked two of the other artists if they were you!” He said excitedly, as he took her hand, “Embarassing that. Asking if they were you and then having to walk away when the weren’t. Anyways, I’m glad to have finally found you! Oh! My name’s Milton, Milton Braidly!”

Rayne giggled – he spoke incredibly fast, it made his voice very entertaining to listen too – and covered her mouth, “Why didn’t you just ask one of the judges? I’m sure they could have pointed me out.”

Milton touched a finger to his chin and opened his mouth, but then slowly closed it and looked off towards the judges table.

“I didn’t think of that.” He said absentmindedly.

“Doesn’t matter now!” He continued, his attention snapping back to her. “I saw your art at the gallery, and I must say, it really caught my eye! You weren’t around at the time so we didn’t get to talk, hence why I had trouble finding you, but we can talk now!”

“I’m glad to hear you liked my work.” Rayne said politely, “May I ask what piece was your favorite?”

“Your sketchbook!” He declared happily.

“M- my sketchbook?” Rayne asked hesitantly, taken off guard. She didn’t understand why he would be impressed by that, it was filled with scribbles and drivel. A third of the work was incomplete, and another third was just random practice for things such as hands, feet, faces, or anything she found she had trouble with.

“Yes!” Milton declared adamantly, “Brilliant decision that! None of the other contestants – or finalists – or whatever you want to call them. None of the others thought to do that!”

“O- okay.” Rayne said uncertainly, she didn’t see where this was going.

“It show’s that you’re human, there’s more to you than your best pieces. All the others, you see, it was clear they only had their best works on display. But you, you had a range of works. Some great, some less great. It made you easier to relate to, and it shows just how much you have improved in such a short time frame.”

“How do you know it was in a short time frame.” Rayne asked sceptically. She had never met or even heard of this man.

He chuckled.

“You’re a little girl.” He announced, as if it were obvious.

Rayne flinched at that, “I’m not a little girl! I’m fourteen!”

He laughed again, “Exactly! A little girl!”

She put her hands on her hips and glared at him, causing him to laugh some more.

“I mean no offense,” he said, holding his hands up defensively, “My point is that you’re fourteen. How long of a time frame could it really be? You can’t have been actively working at improving your art for more then a few years. A few years is a short time frame, especially when you’re not dedicating yourself to it full time.”

She pursed her lips. He had a point.

“Your sketchbook,” he continued, “Is the only reason I’m interested in your work. Nothing else you – or anyone else here for that matter – did particularly appeals to me.”

Her family had been watching the exchange in amused silence up until now, but now her parents stood.

“Excuse us,” Catalina began, “Mr. Braidly was it?”

“Please,” he insisted with the same wide-eyed excitement he had had for the whole conversation, “Call me Milton.”

“Milton.” Catalina continued, “What do you mean when you say you’re interested in our daughter’s work.”

“Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Danahy I presume,” He greeted, offering each of them a handshake, “Your daughter is very talented, I would like to work with her.”

“W- work with me?” Rayne asked, baffled by how fast this was moving, “What exactly do you do Mr. Braidly?”

Milton glanced at an Ms. Mira’s empty chair. She had gone to peruse the silent auction.

“Do you mind if I sit?” He asked, moving to sit down before they answered, “Let’s sit.”

Rayne slowly took a seat next to him.

“How do you feel about comic books, Rayne?” Milton asked before staring at her intently.

“I’ve always loved stories,” Rayne answered slowly, “and I’ve always loved art, and comics combine those, so I guess they’re okay.”

“If they combine two things you love, then why are they just okay?” Milton asked intensely, “Why aren’t they incredible? Fantastic? Your favorite thing in the universe?”

Rayne shrugged, “I’ve never really liked super heroes.”

“Oh, but Rayne,” Milton replied, shaking his head slowly, “Comics are so much more than just super heroes. So much more!”

Rayne shrugged, “That’s the only kind of comic I’ve ever really heard of, other than things like the Archie comics I guess, but the art style in those never appealed to me and I found the plots boring and not that funny.”

The man nodded slowly.

“What’s this all about?” Jameson asked, growing irritated that he and Catalina were mostly being ignored.

Milton quickly looked between Rayne and her parents several times before settling on her parents.

“I work in the comic industry. I’m an editor for my company and in charge of talent acquisition,” Milton explained, “because of my position, I was asked to represent my firm at this event, but I wasn’t expecting to get much out of it. Not the right art styles for comics you see. Pretty still life paintings don’t usually fit into comics, but then I saw your daughter’s sketchbook.”

He whistled softly before continuing.

“And boy oh boy, she gets it. Her sketch book blew me away!”

“What about my sketch book impressed you though?” Rayne asked, still trying to understand, “half the work was unfinished or just scribbles. The other half was random practice.”

“Exactly!” Milton exclaimed, talking rapidly “Pages and pages and pages of practicing basic human anatomy. Most people don’t get how important that is. Many artists don’t get that. You do. And your ‘scribbles’ and unfinished works? I saw drawings of characters! Video game characters, monsters and dragons, angels and demons, knights and wizards and more! You might not like drawing super heroes, but you like characters, and you already told me you like stories, right?”

Rayne nodded hesitantly.

“Without even trying,” Milton continued more slowly now, “Without having any interest in them, you have an amazing foundation for the art of drawing comics. The style you use for many of the drawings in your sketchbook is perfect for comics.”

Milton balled his hands into fists and brought them to his chest.

“I wasn’t expecting to see anything worthwhile here – I didn’t even plan on attending the dinner, I expected to be unimpressed and disappointed but Instead I was inspired. I want to work with you. I want to help you write and publish your own comic.”

Rayne just stared at him for a moment. This was unexpected.

The dinner bell rang again, announcing dessert.

The man seethed and seem to be restraining himself from cursing.

“I’ll be back.” He said meaningfully, “Think about what I said, and don’t go anywhere. I. Will. Be. back.”
 

~o~O~o~
 
Dessert was small bowl of ice cream. Rayne had never managed to find a waiter and ask them not to serve her, so a bite was enough for her. Thankfully, Sebastian was more than willing to finish it off for her.

“So,” Catalina asked between bites of ice cream, “What do you think about this Milton fellow and what he said?”

Rayne shrugged and held up her hands helplessly.

“I don’t know,” She answered, “I’ve never really been into comics.”

“But you’ve always liked stories and reading.” Sebastian pointed out, spoon hovering between his two bowls of ice cream, “And comics just combines those with art.”

“And like he said,” Evalyn quickly added, “it doesn’t need to be about super heroes. You could write some kinda high fantasy comic. That’s always been your favorite thing to read, right?”

Rayne dipped her head in acknowledgement.

“The big problem is that I’m in high school,” She said, “I’m sure writing a comic would involve deadlines, and I doubt I could make those right now.”

“And you’re not sacrificing your grades to write comics.” Jameson interjected meaningfully, Catalina nodding next to him.

“Wait,” Ms. Mira spoke up, joining the conversation, “What’s all this about comic books?”

Rayne filled her in on everything that had happened when she was away from the table.

“I see.” Ms. Mira mused, “But if it’s deadlines you’re worried about, might I point out that you’re not completely new to them.”

Rayne stared back at her blankly.

“Rayne,” Ms. Mira continued, “You started and finished a pretty big project in the timeframe of a week. I told you it’d have to be done by Friday and it was. That was a deadline, and not for anything academic. It was something you wanted to do. Completely optional. And you did it phenomenally well.”

Rayne just blinked and kept looking at her.

“All I’m trying to say,” Ms. Mira resumed with a gentle smile, “Is that if you really want to try this, I’m sure you can. Milton is obviously willing to work with you and accommodate your schedule.”

Rayne nodded slowly.

“Now, have any of you been by the auction stands?” Ms. Mira asked excitedly, changing the subject.

All of them shook their heads.

“You haven’t?” Ms. Mira gasped, “Rayne-”

Rayne held up her hands to stop her.

“I don’t wanna know Ms. Mira.” She said with a shake of her head, “Not yet. I’ll wait for them to announce the winners.”

Ms. Mira sighed and tilted her head slightly.

“Fiiiiine.” She agreed after a moment, “I won’t say anything.”

Rayne smiled and rolled her eyes. She had been trying really hard not to get her hopes up about the auction right up until this point. Hearing how things were proceeding wouldn’t exactly be getting her hopes up because it was actually happening, but at this point she might she might as well just wait to hear the results.

It wasn’t long before Milton briskly walked – almost ran actually – back to their table.

“Have you thought about my proposal?” He asked quickly, calmly, and politely, but with the same underlying frantic excitement that threatened to boil over any second. The man was growing on Rayne. His mannerisms and way of talking just made him enjoyable to talk to.

“I have.” She replied, glancing quickly at her parents, “We have a few concerns though.”

“Of course, of course.” He said, nodding his head rapidly, “Please, tell me what they are, and we’ll see what I can do to alleviate them.”

“Well,” Rayne began, “I’m just in high school, right? My studies are my number one priority. What will you do if school gets in the way of the comic? Because I won’t allow the comic to get in the way of school.”

“I completely understand,” Milton replied, dipping his head in a deep nod, “In fact, I agree with you. It would be important to all parties involved that you prioritized school. In fact, if your grades fell, we would drop you as an artist.”

“O- oh.” Rayne replied, taken aback. She hadn’t been expecting that.

“Anything other concerns?” he asked, folding his hands and rubbing them together.

“Okay, well,” Rayne continued, “I think we’re both confident that I can handle the art side of things, but there are two parts to a comic. Art and story, and not counting school assignments, I’ve never actually written anything before. What if what I write sucks?”

Milton nodded rapidly once again, “I’ve actually already thought this might be the case, and have discussed it with the editor-in-chief. We’ve come up with a few possibilities.”

“Th- the editor-in-chief?” Rayne asked, her eyes widening. Jeeze, this was really moving fast. Milton was serious.

“Yes, yes, the editor in chief,” Milton confirmed, his head bobbing up and down. Rayne couldn’t help but be reminded of a bobble head.

“We’re not just going to publish the first comic you make,” Milton explained, “While, we might – if it completely blows us away. What’s more likely to happen is that we’ll meet with you occasionally, and have you focus on practicing writing and drawing. 14 is awfully young to publish a comic after all, but you have all of high school to practice. Maybe in that time you’ll come up with something good. Maybe you won’t. When you graduate, one of two things might happen – that is assuming you wish to work in the industry. Option A: you’ll continue to work on figuring out your own story. Option B: we’ll pair you up with an author with a story we’ve approved that would fit your art style, and you’ll work together.”

“Wait,” Catalina interjected, adding herself to the conversation, “You’d go so far as to find a story for Rayne to draw for her? You’d work with her even if she’s bad at writing? I’m sure there’s tons of people out there who’d like to publish a comic. Why go so far for our daughter?”

She seemed skeptical.

“Mrs. Danahy,” Milton began, turning to address her and clenching his hands together under his chin, “You are absolutely correct. There are many, many comic artists out there trying to get published. We receive over a hundred proposals every day. We have an entire department – My department, talent acquisition – dedicated to finding that one comic artist worth publishing, because the thing is, lots of people want to publish a comic, but very few among them are good enough. Some have no artistic ability. Some have no writing ability. Most have neither. Most of the art is poorly drawn, and the stories are filled with clichés and Mary Sues. Ideally, we look for someone who can both write and draw, but they’re rare. So we also look for illustrators and writers who are good enough to be published solely based on their skill in their respective areas, and we try and match their styles together. Sometimes it works phenomenally. Sometimes, ehhhh, not so much.”

He paused for a moment, seeming to realize he was rambling. He blinked a few times and looked around, as if searching for his train of thought and planning to snatch it out of the air.

“The point I’m trying to make, Mr. and Mrs. Danahy,” He finally continued, glancing between Rayne and her parents, “Is that Rayne is almost good enough to be the illustrator for a comic, and she’s only 14. We want to work with her to develop her skills, both in writing and illustrating, and hopefully create something amazing.”

Jameson nodded slowly, Catalina pursed her lips.

“And what if,” Catalina continued, “Rayne decides she doesn’t want to work in comics? What if at the end of high school, at the end of all the time you invest in her, she decides she’s not interested?”

The man stared at her and blinked once, twice. He looked at the floor for a moment before returning his gaze to Rayne’s parents.

Rayne suddenly felt bad for him. He had been so excited and enthusiastic, and now he suddenly seemed to have deflated.

“If,” Milton began slowly, his words calmer and more measured than they had been all night, “Rayne comes to that decision on her own, then I will respect it. I will be very disappointed to lose someone so talented, but I will understand and respect it.”

He turned to look at Rayne, “You are only 14 after all. Just a little girl. Very young to be committing to a career.”

Catalina and Jameson shared a quick look. Cataline nodded slightly, almost imperceptibly. Jameson smiled and nodded back.

“Okay then.” Jameson said, looking back to Milton, “We’re okay with it for as long as Rayne’s okay with it, but it’s up to her when she wants to stop. When she decides she’s done, she’s done, and we won’t want to hear from you again.”

Milton opened his mouth to speak but Jameson cut him off.

“And my wife is a lawyer.” He said, looking at the man meaningfully, “A very good lawyer. So, when I say we won’t want to hear from you again, I mean we will not hear from you again.”

Milton threw his head back and laughed.

“Very well Mr. and Mrs. Danahy. You have my complete understanding.” He turned to Rayne, “It was a pleasure meeting you Rayne, I’ll be in touch.”

He turned and began to walk away.

“Oh! And Mr. Braidly!” Rayne called after him.

He stopped and turned to look back at her.

“I am not little.”

He threw his head back and laughed at the sky again.

“Of course you’re not.” He said sarcastically, then he turned and left, leaving a blushing Rayne behind.

“So what kind of comic will you write?” Evalyn immediately asked once everyone was seated again.

Rayne smiled, it didn’t take much thought.

“High fantasy.” She answered immediately, confidently, “Wizards and magic, dragons and knights, dwarves and elves, angels and demons, and all the best parts of fantasy.”

Evalyn looked excited. Sebastian, Catalina, and Ms. Mira looked amused. Jameson looked fiercely proud.

She put a finger to her chin and looked up thoughtfully, “Maybe throw in some slavery and cannibalism.”

Evalyn’s jaw dropped. Sebastian went eyed wide. Ms. Mira almost choked. Catalina did all of the above. Jameson blinked a few times, then laughed.

Rayne giggled at their reactions.

“High fantasy isn’t always bright rainbows and happy princesses.” She explained simply, “Sometimes it’s dark.”

Grinning, she snatched her bowl back from the still baffled Sebastian and took a spoonful of half melted ice cream.
 

~o~O~o~
 
“I hope everyone’s been enjoying their evening.” Berny spoke into the microphone, “I know I have.”

“Unfortunately,” he continued, “All good things must come to an end, or so the saying goes, and sadly this event is no different. We’ll now begin our final announcements and closing ceremony. Of course, the doors will stay open until the auction ends and the winners are announced. If anyone is unable to stay, the results will be posted on the Mountsview Gallery website first thing in the morning, and we will be in touch with both the buyers and sellers.

His gaze drifted across the room.

“When this event was first conceived just over a year ago, back when it was just an idea, we were unsure how it would go. We didn’t know if there would be enough interest, or – god forbid – even enough talent. We couldn’t have been more off base. We were…”

He blinked a few times and lifted his hands helplessly

“Astounded. Stupefied. Amazed. Overwhelmed. Touched. Inspired. Awed. Dumbfounded.”

He looked around meaningfully. The room was dead quiet.

“All of these words – and more – cannot adequately describe how I felt. The level of talent we saw, the caliber of the people we met – and I don’t just mean in artistic ability – was beyond anything I expected in my greatest dreams. So, I give you my deepest thanks. Thank you very much for sharing your work, and yourselves with me. I feel no shame in saying I was brought to tears by your work, and I will fondly remember this experience until the day I die. Thank you.”

A moment of silence crept across the room as he made eye contact with each of the ten finalists.

“A round of applause,” He finally said, “For the future of art. Because it’s in this room.”

To say the applause was ear shattering would be an exaggeration. There weren’t nearly enough people present for that, but it did go on for a long minute before finally dwindling off.

“Now,” Berny continued, “We have some awards to give out.”

Wait, what? There had been no mention of awards until now.

Rayne looked at Ms. Mira in confusion. Ms. Mira just shrugged and smiled.

Berny smiled and chuckled.

“I see some of our artists looking perplexed, yes, you heard me correct. We have some awards to give out. Would all of our finalists please join me up here?”

Oh God. That sounded scary. She didn’t want to go up there. Not in front of all these people. All of these… rich… powerful… influential people. Fuck. Just breath. Juuust breath. In and out.

“Rayne,” Evalyn whispered, “It’s gonna be worse if ya don’t get moving.”

She snapped back to reality. She stared wide-eyed at Evalyn for a moment before looking around. All the other artists were moving to the small staircase up to the stage. She was the only one who was yet to move. Evalyn was right though. If she didn’t start moving then people would surely notice that there were only nine of the ten finalists on stage. Which would draw even more attention to her.

“You okay sis’?” Sebastian asked. He looked worried. The whole family did.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Standing, she gave her most reassuring smile and nodded to him. In her fastest-without-looking-panicked walk, she moved towards the stage. They only had to wait an extra second or two for her. Not too bad.

“Now that we have everyone up here,” Berny continued, “It is my great honor and pleasure to award each of you with a $1,000-dollar scholarship. Courtesy of the Canadian Council for the Arts.”

There was another round of applause. Berny walked along, shaking each of their hands.

That was exciting. One thousand dollars really wasn’t that much considering the price of post-secondary education, but it was certainly a start.

“Now,” Berny resumed, back at the podium, “Obviously we would prefer that this scholarship be used for something relating to the arts, but you can use it to study whatever you wish to study.”

One of the students turned to leave the stage.

“Now hold on there,” Berny said warmly, “We’re just beginning, don’t leave just yet.”

Just beginning?

“That was an award for making it this far. You earned it, but there’s more to come. We have several individual scholarships to award tonight.”

The screen behind them changed. There was a list of awards displayed now.

Best use of Paint – Acrylic

Best use of Paint – Water colour

Best use of Paint – Other

Best use of Pencil – Graphite

Best use of Pencil – Colored

Best use of Pencil – Charcoal

Best use of Ink

Best Multimedia Piece

Best Landscape

Best Portrait

Best Still Life

That was just what Rayne saw at a quick glance. The list went on for a while longer.

She looked down at her family’s table. Her face must have been quite the sight, because her sister, mother, and Ms. Mira broke into giggles. Jameson and Sebastian just grinned huge grins.

The other teenagers around her were whispering to each other excitedly.

“Shall we begin?” Berny asked, turning to look at the line of teenagers with an amused smile.

The line shifted instantaneously at his words. It was as if they all realized simultaneously that they were still standing on a stage in front of the provinces most influential people. As if a switch had been flipped, they went from silly, giggly teenager mode back to professional young artist mode.

Berny smiled and pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket. Opening it, he pushed his glasses further up his nose, and read.
“We’ll start with the awards for outstanding accomplishments in various mediums. Some of these also have a runner up award where we thought it fitting. The scholarship is for $1,000 dollars, with runner ups receiving half that. Without further ado, our first individual scholarship of the night, ‘Best use of Paint – Acrylic’. For her painting, ‘Jungle’, Alyson Eccleston, please step forward.” As he said it, the screen behind them changed again, now showing a high-resolution image of the painting in question for anyone who may not have seen it.

He turned to look at one girl in the middle of the line as the hall filled with applause.

Hesitantly she stepped out of the line. She paused then, unsure of what to do. Berny motioned for her to move closer. When she reached him, he smiled reassuringly to her before turning back to the audience.

“We chose ‘Jungle’ for this award because of the fine attention to detail and the skill clearly employed to properly blend the colors together to maintain a natural appearance. He shook her hand warmly and whispered some words of congratulations in her ear. Beaming, she moved back into line.

Berny continued, “Runner up, Charlie Pickering’s piece, ‘Time Lapse’.”

Again, there was hesitation and some encouragement were required from Berny, but the boy made it up there to shake the man’s hand. Once again, an image of ‘Time Lapse’ appeared on the screen.

“As you can see,” Berny began, “’Time Lapse’ is a surreal piece. Charlie did an excellent job of choosing both complimentary and contrasting colors and blending them together perfectly where he needed to. Ultimately, the fine details of ‘Jungle’ were what decided it.”

Charlie stepped back into line.

“Moving on,” Berny continued, “’Best use of-”

“Now hold on one moment.” A voice interrupted him from the side of the stage. Everyone turned their heads to see Mr. Smith stepping onto the stage. Behind him followed the other judges.

“Can’t let you have all the fun.” Mrs. Tanner said from behind him.

A laugh ran through the hall.

“Be my guest,” Berny said politely, passing off the list to the Mr. Smith, motioning to the podium as he did so.

Mr. Smith nodded in thanks and stepped up to the microphone.

“For best use of ‘Paint – Water color’. Tricia Jordan’s ‘Raging River’. Tricia would you join me up here?”

The girl standing next to Rayne stepped out of line and moved to stand next to Mr. Smith without hesitation. He introduced her piece and said what the judges had like about it and why she had won.

From that point on the judges rotated the announcing of scholarships. Each one would announce the winner as well as any runner ups and then pass things off to the next.

Mrs. Tanner announced ‘Best use of Paint – Other’. It went to someone who had used oil paints. It was a less popular paint nowadays, because it took a longer time to dry than newer alternatives such as acrylic and water color, but it could be used to make very realistic looking paintings.

After that Jackie Ferguson had announced ‘Best use of Pencil – Graphite’.

Now Mrs. Wilkins was stepping up to the podium.

“Good evening,” she said in greeting, “the student this award goes to impressed me in many ways. She showed an understanding of art beyond her years, not just in skill, but in the meaning of it too. It is my honor to present the scholarship for ‘Best use of Pencil – Colored’ to Rayne Danahy. For her work on ‘A Solemn Guardian’.

Rayne blinked a few times. She knew she needed to move, that she was supposed to join Ms. Wilkins at the podium, but all she could do was stare at her parents. They were sitting at their table, and her mother was crying, but had a big smile on her face.

Snapping back to reality, Rayne moved forward towards where Mrs. Wilkins stood, watching her. Taking slow measured steps, Rayne joined her.

Mrs. Wilkins placed a hand on her shoulder before turning to face the audience.

“This piece is remarkable for several reasons.” She began, “Firstly, it is very emotionally capturing. It touches on a subject that almost everyone can relate to. Secondly, the medium she used – colored pencil, more commonly known as pencil crayons. Pencil crayons are not commonly viewed as the most – ahem – mature artistic medium. They are more commonly viewed as something elementary school children scribble with than as a tool capable of creating-”

She gestured to where ‘A Solemn Guardian’ was displayed on the screen behind her.

“This. She blended the colors together masterfully, took advantage of the lighter shades and subtleties pencil crayons can create, and used them for finer details as well.”

Finally, Mrs. Wilkins turned to Rayne and spoke to her directly.

“Congratulations Rayne, I look forward to your future works.”

The next award was a bit of a blur. Harrison Cooke moved onto the stage and announced the winner of ‘Best use of Pencil – Charcoal’. When he finished, Dr. Malone stepped up.

“Alright.” Dr. Malone began, “I’m here to present the award for ‘Best use of Ink’. But this reward is a little bit different, so as much as I’d like to just get it over with, please bear with this grumpy old man as I tell you a bit about just why this reward is different.”

He looked around the room slowly, glanced back at the artists for a moment, then scowled.

“The thing about the ‘Best use of Ink’ award is that none of our finalists really deserved it.”

A wave of muttering and chatter quickly rolled through the audience.

“Let me finish.” Dr. Malone continued, holding up his hands, “Don’t misunderstand, our finalists are truly exceptional – well, most of them are – but none of them really had much of a focus on using ink in their work or bringing out its best features. Some of them played around with it a bit, but did any of them really deserve an award for using it better than the rest? No. To be honest, there were artists eliminated earlier in the event who were more skilled in using ink than our finalists. So there we were, standing around trying to decide what to do. Do we give the award to someone who doesn’t deserve it? Or get rid of the award all together? Finally, it strikes me that there is someone who deserves it. She did remarkable work with ink, and her personality contrasted starkly with her work, much like the blackness of ink does with paper.”

He looked around again, now leaning on the podium casually.

“Now, to explain where I’m going with all this. Why this reward is different. Well, this girl I’m speaking of isn’t one of our finalists. She was somehow eliminated after the first showing. Cynthia Gnoll, wherever you are, will you join me up here?”

A squeal sounded from somewhere towards the back of the audience, causing people to rotate in their seats to try and find the source. It didn’t take long because the girl had jumped to her feet and was running across the room.

“No rush Cynthia,” Dr. Malone said with a small smirk, then he pointed to the line of finalists, “It’s not like the reward is going to be given to one of them if you take too long.”

Soon she was running up the steps, two at a time. When she reached the top, she hesitated, as if suddenly aware that everyone was watching her.

Dr. Malone raised an eyebrow sceptically, “Now you slow down?”

A chuckle ran though the audience. Cynthia smiled weakly but didn’t move.

Dr. Malone tilted his head to the side slightly, “Come now, where’s that confident girl who called me a – what was it? A senile old man?”

Another laugh ran through the audience.

Cynthia cracked into a big smile and moved to stand next to him at the podium.

“Oh, all I said was ‘senior citizen’,” Cynthia spoke into to the microphone, confidence returning, “’Senile’? Nah, that’s just what you said. I’m beginning to think you may be right though!”

The audience continued to laugh, uncharacteristically, Dr. Malone joined them.

Finally, he continued, “As I had been saying, Cynthia may not have made it to the finals, but her level of skill working with ink is leaps and bounds ahead of any of our finalists, so we asked her to be here tonight.”

The screen behind him changed to display a few of Cynthia’s different pieces.

“There is no single piece that this award is for. Any of the pieces in Cynthia’s portfolio would suffice. Many artists use ink just for outlining, but Cynthia really brings out its other strengths in her work. She uses it for fine details, and complex textures. Just as important as knowing how to use it, is knowing when not to, and Cynthia accomplishes that too, through her use of negative space to create contrast. Ink fits her style perfectly.”

Finally, he turned back to Cynthia, “Congratulations.”

She shook his hand and turned to leave. When she was about to pass Rayne she paused, turned, and threw her arms around the younger girl, squeezing her tightly.

Rayne giggled and hugged her back, then she was stepping off the stage. Rayne was happy to see Evalyn run over and grab Cynthia by the hand, then lead her over to their table.

Now Berny was stepping back up to the stand again.

“Finally, back to me is it?” Berny began, “Unlike my colleague, Dr. Malone, I see no need to ramble on, I’ll just jump right back into things.”

He smiled and another laugh rolled through the audience.

“The next scholarship,” Berny continued, “Is for ‘Best Multimedia Piece’. Multimedia refers to an artwork that combines many different mediums to create a single piece. The winner of the scholarship for ‘Best Multimedia Piece’ is Rayne Danahy, for her work on ‘Bearing Witness’, one part of her series, ‘The Aspects of Death’.”

Rayne blinked and turned to looked at Berny. She had been watching her family and Cynthia. Another one for her? He had said there were several individual scholarships, it hadn’t occurred to her that one student could win multiple. But sure enough, with a blink of the screen ‘Bearing Witness’ appeared behind them. Slowly she stepped out of line again and approached the podium again.

“Now I’m sure Rayne will correct me if I’m wrong, but she used acrylic paints for the building and two figures, and Watercolor for the sky. The city skyline in the middle separates the two and was done with pencil in ink. Rayne showed her skill with the brush well here, both in the color blending and matching of the acrylic and water color respectively, but also in the details. The night sky she painted is truly marvellous isn’t it? The ink skyline also helps the ease the transition from the softness of watercolor to the stronger acrylic.”

He turned to her and shook her hand, “Congratulations Rayne.”

She shook his hand, and should have then returned to line. She should have. But she didn’t.

“Can I say something?”

The words had left her lips before she knew what she was saying.

Berny looked at her, blinked twice, and shrugged. He gestured to the podium.

She stepped up to it. Oh jeeze. Next to Berny the podium only came up to his belly. It didn’t look that big. She stepped up to it, and it came up to her chest just below her neck. Why was she doing this? A glance at her family’s table told her why.

“H- hi.” She said, immediately blushing that her voice was barely audible, even over the speakers. Oh god. What in the hell was she doing?! Everyone was staring at her, expecting her to say something deep and meaningful.

Suddenly Berny was beside her. He reached over her shoulders and adjusted the microphone for her.

“H- Hello,” She tried again. Much better. Or worse maybe. Her voice could clearly be heard now, but that made her blush again at the sound of her voice. Was that really what she sounded like?

A long moment passed. She spent that long moment silently cursing herself in every way she knew for getting herself into this mess.

She made a decision. She had committed herself, no backing down now.

“I just, um, wanted to address what Dr. Malone said a minute ago. About Cynthia – the, uh, the girl who was just up here. In case you forgot.”

She blushed even brighter at her own words. It was two minutes ago, how could they have forgotten?! Ugh. Just keep going.

“The reason Cynthia called Dr. Malone an old man, it was because, uh, well it was because she was coming to my defense. Sticking up for me when I was too shy and insecure to stick up for myself. She always supports me, even when it’s not in her best interest – I mean, mouthing off to a judge?! That could have gotten her eliminated! I don’t think it did, but it could have. A lot of people do that actually, support and stick up for me I mean. Family, and friends, and teachers, and now the Judges here. Anyways, I really admire Cynthia. Both for her amazing skills, and because she’s an amazing person. She’s always happy, and cheerful, and nice, and I think she deserves to be a finalist every bit as much as I do, aaaaaaand now I’m rambling, aren’t I? Well, uh, I guess it means maybe the whole shyness thing is getting better, huh?”

She chuckled nervously – still blushing – and looked around. She was expecting people to be holding back laughter – Or hell, just straight out laughing, but instead she saw warm smiles. A lot of very warm smiles. It made her feel warm too.

“Thanks.” She finished, then she stepped back and turned to move back into line.

Berny paused her by gently grabbing her shoulder.

“That kind of support and friendship is very special.” Berny said slowly, “Both Cynthia’s willingness to support her friends, and Rayne’s willingness to step out of her comfort zone to acknowledge it. Can we have a round of applause for both Cynthia, and Rayne?”

The applause came. Rayne just stood there with her hands folded in front of her, trying not to cry.

After a solid thirty seconds it ended, and Rayne reclaimed her spot in line.

“Shall we continue?” Berny asked, and they did.

Several more scholarships came and went – Rayne even won one more.

“For ‘Most Thought Provoking Piece’. Rayne Danahy’s ‘The Manners of Death’.”

Those were the words Dr. Malone had said when he announced it. He went on to talk about how ‘The Manners of Death’ wasn’t exactly a single piece like the scholarship suggested, but because of how closely related the individual pieces were, they had made an exception. He discussed the symbolism and themes, and the greater meaning behind it better than Rayne ever could have. When he offered her a handshake, she couldn’t help but hug the man instead. He had returned the hug, albeit very awkwardly. Then he went on to say remind everyone present that ‘The Manners of Death’ were being auctioned off that night, and that if anyone hadn’t had the chance to bid and wanted to – on ‘The Manners of Death’ or any other piece up for auction – they would be closing soon.

Shortly after that the award ceremony came to a close. Berny announced that everyone was free to go home, or stay for the auction results, but either way, the results would be posted first thing in the morning.

Rayne was dead on her feet at that point, and as much as she wanted to stay, she and the rest of her family wanted to go to bed more. Not before Cynthia gave her the biggest hug she ever had though.

Soon they were on the road. Rayne slept most of the drive, and didn’t complain when her father carried her to bed. She managed to at least change into her pajamas by herself though.

What a day. What a weekend. Hell, what a month.

She was asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

---

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Holy moly this was a big one.

Might have been the biggest one so far, I’m not sure.

It was also the penultimate chapter of part one.

The whole story thus far has been building up to this point, so I hope I was able to meet your expectations. The next chapter will be the thanksgiving dinner finale, and then, when I resume, Rayne will be off on a new phase in her life.

As always, thank you so much for taking the time to read. If you would spare a bit more time to comment or message me, I’d greatly appreciate it. The encouragement inspires me to keep going.

If you spotted a typo or a mistake or something that just didn’t make sense in your reading, please don’t hesitate to point it out to me. Learning from mistakes is how I improve, and I know that this chapter in particular was absolutely riddled with them before editing began, so I’m sure some slipped through.

Thank you again for your time, and I hope this finds you in good health and cheer.

Flummox