Genius (CENTURIES series: Book #2)

7

Mia had experienced some embarrassing and humiliating stuff in her life before – like the time in high school where she didn't realize she hadn't locked the door to the public bathroom and a hot guy had walked in and seen her taking a massive dump. That had taken some time to get over, especially since that guy was someone she had to see on a daily basis and had to work with in class.

This felt pretty much like the same situation.

Mia was stuck in class with her other classmates and was working hard on the drawing of Eli's body, but she just couldn't focus. Every time Valenches walked by her or commented on her progress, her cheeks flamed up like a red beacon and made her feel utterly self-conscious. The fact that she was drawing the very person she had fornicated with didn't help of course.

He had seen her panties. Her thong, for Pete's sake. He might as well have walked in on them doing it. While Valenches's handsome and charming person might've been involved in some of the other girls dirty imaginations here at school, he certainly wasn't a part of hers. But the fact that he knew what she had done, she knew – as any normal human would – he was thinking about what exactly she had done, and more importantly, who she had done it with. She hadn't told him and he hadn't asked, probably because he knew it wasn't his business or maybe because he just didn't want to know. He seemed willing to move past the whole thing, but nevertheless, there was an awkwardness between them. At least on her behalf.

Mia was working on the intricate details of Kali's eyes on Eli's torso when she suddenly felt Valenches stop up and admire her work. Again, Mia blushed and tried to stop her hands from shaking.

"Interesting," He commented. "Why did your subject choose this particular Hindu goddess above the rest of them?"

Mia swallowed and slowly pulled back from her canvas. "I, uh... I'm not sure."

"You're not sure?" Valenches echoed. "Have you talked to your subject recently, gotten to know more about him?"

Besides the moment yesterday when he had told her to stay away or he'd give her hell? No, she hadn't.

Mia shook her head and Valenches then sighed. "Alright, Mia. I don't want you messing up this work, so I'm going to give you a little extra assignment this weekend," He said, crossing his arms. "I want you to spend some time with your subject and I want you to really get to know him. Enquire him about his past, see where he thrives, ask him what made him imbed all of this ink into his body," Valenches ran his finger over the faint outline of Kali's lolling tongue. "Why Kali? Why England? Why Dali? Why. That's your assignment; To ask the question why, so we the rest of us can understand your art and say that's why."

Mia just blinked speechlessly as Valenches gave her a short nod and then continued on to the next station where her classmate was drawing a pack of cards building a house out of hands.

She looked at his art and realized she could understand it, interpret it; It wasn't about doing things the opposite or the wrong way, it was about finding new ways to look at things, to try them differently. Instead of using your own hands to build the house of cards, why not let the cards show you how it's done?

She then looked back at her drawing and realized what Valenches was trying to tell her; She had to let her subject – Eli – tell her how to understand his art by letting him show her so that she could do what her classmate was doing; interpret it in a way so that the whole world could understand it too, without him having to provide an explanation.

That was the goal – that was what would make her a brilliant artist, and that was what she wanted to become; She wanted to be able to tell a story worth thousands of words with just one image. In a way, that's what Eli had done to his body; dozens of images, not a single line written.

Mia therefore knew what she had to do this weekend. However hard or difficult it might become, she had to get through to Eli. And what exactly was the best way to do that, and more importantly, where was the best place to do it? Not there at the school where he was out of place, mopping the floor and cleaning the walls with his art covered by his janitor suit. No, Mia had to catch him where he was at home – where his life really was and where he thrived, as Valenches had said.

– It would appear she would be going to a certain Low Point to get what she needed.

~~~

Come Friday afternoon, Mia had a plan in her head. All she needed was an address.

"Hey, Zoe? What is the address of that club you sometimes go to?" She had called Zoe over the phone.

Loud rock band music played in the background of Zoe's line as she replied. "Are you talking about Low Point? Why are you asking me about that?"

"I, uh... my art professor Valenches has been giving me a hard time lately," Mia said, only half-lying. It was needless to say, but of course she hadn't told neither Zoe or Anna what had happened between her and Eli. She was a little ashamed to be frank, and since it was a one-time-thing, there really was no reason to share it, hence she wasn't going to tell Zoe what she was actually going to Low Point to do. At least not the whole truth. "Valenches said I've lost my inspiration and that I need to go find it. I figured I might as well give your place a try since I'm getting kinda desperate."

– Never mind the fact that she already got her thrust of inspiration – pun fully intended. She just had to ask him for a little more, to go a little deeper – this time there was no pun intended.

"Oh." Was Zoe's reply. "Uh, Mia, you know I love you and I'm totally not a racist, but I don't think it's a good idea you go there alone. They're cool and all, but you're a foreigner to them and honey, you're white as fuck. It's kinda of a gang club, and well, you're not really the kind of people they roll with."

"Because I'm white?" She asked incredulously. "Are you serious?"

"I'm sorry, I just gotta be upfront with you. We don't live in a perfect world where everyone is extroverted and welcoming of all kinds. If you're really going to Low Point, you deserve a heads-up. There's a reason why it's called that."

"They're people, Zoe, I'm people too," Mia argued. "White or not, I get to have my fun at clubs, too. If they don't want me there, they can just tell me."

"Trust me, they will," Zoe sharply said. "You know, I could just go with you. I'll stay out of your inspiration bubble or whatever, but if it'll make you feel safer—"

"I'll say it again, Zoe, they're people," Mia flatly replied. "I know you said you're not racist, but you're starting to sound that way."

"I'm really not, Mia, it's just these kids grew up on the street. They'll take one look at you and dub you as a rich, bigoted, Pasadena kid."

"Well if they got a problem with that, they can feel free to come up and say it," Mia dryly answered. "I'm going and that's final."

"Alright, it's up to you, but don't say I didn't warn you. I'll text you the address. Call me when you get back and let me know how it went. And Mia? Be safe."

"Of course, I will. Thank you. Bye, Zo," Mia smiled and hung up her phone.

Now she was officially going on a real hunt for inspiration, a hunt that according to Zoe, might actually end up being dangerous.

• • •

Short chapter, but I'm still working extremely hard atm. There'll be much more Eli in the next one.