Her Witch, Her Demon [WxW]

2. The Gift

Surrounded by art lovers, critics, and patrons in the prestigious Castle Art Center (CAC), Meredith Huang couldn't believe that she actually got to participate in the art fair. She'd dreamed of this ever since she was a freshman back in college. Four years later, her dreams had come true.

When Meredith first received the email that she'd been invited as a participant, her first thought was that this was a prank. But her boss, Jane Mendez, assured her that it was no prank. Jane was heavily involved in the art industry and had connections everywhere. So when she said the email was real, Meredith believed her.

Meredith had always considered herself lucky to work as Jane's assistant right after college. She learned more from the woman about the business of art in two years than she did in art school after four years.

Anyway, it turned out that Jane was right. This was no prank. The invitation to exhibit her paintings at CAC was real. Not willing to waste this marvelous opportunity, Meredith prepared her three best paintings for the art fair. And now here she was in Castle Art Center.

"I love the strokes," said one of the few people in Meredith's stall. The woman's eyes were fixated on the large painting of a lustrous landscape full of life and color.

Everyone took turns asking Meredith about her painting. What inspired her to paint something that looked like it was right out of a fantasy world? Which modern artist was she inspired by? What was her process in making art? She answered each question as best as she could. It was an overwhelming experience, and for a moment, Meredith felt like someone else, as though she was observing herself from outside her body.

How was she even here? Look at all these people, so well dressed, elegant, and talented. She didn't doubt her own talent for a second, but it still felt unreal being here, rubbing shoulders with the very best artists in the country.

How she was able to engage with the art admirers without spacing out was a mystery to her. A few people demanded to buy her paintings, offering a price she didn't even think they would accept. The day she received her email, Meredith had planned to price her paintings all below a thousand dollars. But her best friend was horrified about the idea.

"This is CAC," Alicia had said. "Only the best of the best get to exhibit their art there. If they accepted you, then you're one of the best. How the hell are you going to sell such great art for $700? No one's going to think it's valuable enough to buy."

"So how much should I sell it then?" asked Meredith.

Alicia shrugged. "I don't know. Try seven thousand or seventy."

Meredith gaped at her best friend like she had lost her damn mind. But she'd known Alicia a long time to know that she was not joking.

So $7000 it was. For her two smaller pieces, she charged them three thousand each. Meredith had expected people to actually think it was a ridiculous price. It seemed that she was rather the ridiculous one for thinking that way. The day wasn't yet over, and she'd had so many offers, most of them willing to pay twice the actual price.

Making a choice was getting harder by the second.

"Twenty-five thousand. I'll take all three for $25,000."

The words sucked the noise out of the air and silence reigned supreme. Meredith froze. No, it wasn't the money that had shocked her but rather the familiarity of the voice. She'd heard it before - a voice so soft, and yet so firm, it radiated power. The way Meredith's heart spiked at the sound of the voice, there was no mistaking who it was.