Fragmented

Chapter Twenty-One

Alyssa's pencil scratched on the paper delicately. It was a soothing sound to her, calming any rattled nerves that had built up over the last few days. The tip made smooth gray lines, some sinuous and some straight, some thin and light and some thick and dark. Her hand was steady as she carefully added on a few miniscule details to the drawing.

She looked out the bay window that she was sitting at. A lone finch had been sitting on a branch quietly in the afternoon sunlight. It was now preening its feathers, smoothing them down after picking through them with its stubby beak.

Alyssa studied it for a moment, then turned back to her drawing. She made a few more swift strokes, adding on to the wings and beak. Sketching was a fun activity for her. It was a way to express what she felt, desired, and imagined. She could turn a flat, uninteresting piece of scrap paper into a wonder to behold.

The finch glanced at her through its beady black eyes, almost questioning what she was doing. For no reason at all, she felt she had to explain her actions to it. It was only fair.

"I'm drawing you, little bird. It would be nice if you stayed for a little longer. Then I can finish the patterns on your wings."

It chirped as if it was responding. She smiled and continued her sketching. Drawing was a very important part of the world. It could invigorate whole societies and inspire others to make their own pieces. It could also be depressing, incriminating, and even cause death. The details could be impossibly precise, or it could be as abstract as can be. Thinking about these things also calmed her in more ways than one.

The door opened behind Alyssa, startling her. She dropped the paper and pencil onto the floor, the pencil clattering on the wood and the paper slowly floating down like a feather. Looking behind her, she found Sabre in the doorway.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"U-um... just drawing."

"Ooh, can I see?"

"Uh, yeah."

She picked up the drawing and handed it to him. His eyes swept across the paper with interest. The bird was very realistic. It was almost like it was standing in front of him on the lined paper, ready to fly away with a flutter of its wings at a moment's notice.

He handed it back to her. "That's really impressive. Did you go to art school?"

"No, no I didn't." She looked down at her clasped hands in her lap. "I had private tutoring. I wasn't really allowed to draw with my strict schedule."

"Well, you're really good at it."

She blushed. "Thanks."

"So, what was your home life like? Were your parents like super against drawing or something?"

"Not really. I just didn't have time. I was always so drained after lessons with all the work I had to do, I didn't really have the motive or energy to make art."

"Well, you're free to make whatever art you want here." He gave her a reassuring smile. She smiled back, and that smile made her even more beautiful in his eyes somehow. She was already stunning, but with a smile like that-

"Guys! Guys!"

The door banged open. Alyssa inhaled sharply with surprise. Sabre turned to see Ryan running in with a worried expression.

"What's wrong?!"

"Th- the police are here! You guys need to hide!"

At the mention of the police, Alyssa paled slightly. Sabre, however, was just confused. "Why do I have to hide?"