Exposure • Tamber

Chapter 14: Black & White

Anika glanced over at Amber and frowned.  She had been silent for the entire class so far and even her movements as she drew were noticeably harsher than usual.

"Everything ok, Amber?" Anika asked, gripping her pencil nervously.

"Fine." Amber replied flatly, pressing another hard line across her page.

"Alright." Anika responded hesitantly, turning back to her sketch pad with a frown.

Their model for the day hadn't shown up so their professor had told them to draw whatever they wanted that day. So far Anika had a few lines and swirls.  She realized art was not one of her talents.

Amber's eyes focused on the page in front of her, her pencil leaving a thick line across it. She started mumbling to herself as she used the edge to draw in the shading along the edges. Stepping back she let out a sigh as she set her pencil down and let her eyes scan the page.

What had started out as a lazy doodle had morphed into something else entirely. The longer she sat there, the more she thought about the night before. What she felt, somehow making itself seen on the page in front of her.

The left of the page held the shape of a door. The pencil marks smooth and light creating the large frame. The door was shut but bleeding through the cracks of the door was the image of light. Fighting to pierce through the barrier, the glow pressing against the frame and splintering through the cracks, like its purpose was to break free and shed light on the rest of the drawing.

The right side of the page was the image of a woman. Dark hair, loose curls, dark eyes. She was surrounded by darkness. Dim shadows of varying shades of gray, swirling around her haphazardly.The shades of gray darkening and sharpening near the edges. Shadows turning into piercing darkness, seeming to be consuming the woman, trying to pull her into the blackness surrounding her. Sharp spires reaching for her, holding her back as her arm reached out for the door, desperate to let the light in.

Anika stood from her place behind her sketch pad and stepped over behind Amber, taking in her drawing.

"Amber, thats—"

"I think I messed up." Amber cut her off, ripping the page from her sketchbook and crumpling it in her hands.

Anika watched with a concerned look as Amber threw the crumpled page into the trash can behind them and dropped down on her stool.

"On.. on the drawing?" Anika asked hesitantly.

"No." Amber sighed. "With Tara."

"Oh sweetie." Anika frowned, "What happened?"

Amber brought her pencil up to the blank page and started drawing again. "I fell in love with the stars. Then I wanted the stars to admire me back."

—

"Ugh." Tara groaned as she walked into the apartment, "I think I messed up." She dropped her bag on the floor and walked to the couch, dropping off the arm to land face first in the cushion.

"Uhh, care to elaborate?" Mindy asked from the table, homework spread out in front of them.

"With Amber." Tara mumbled into the cushion before pushing herself up. She pulled off her coat and threw it over by her bag and leaned back into the couch, letting her head drop back against the backrest.

Mindy shut their textbook and clasped their hands together on top of it, giving their attention to Tara completely.

"She won't respond to my texts and she didn't show up for tutoring today." Tara lifted her head and looked over at Mindy.