The Key to my HeART

29 My HeART

H A R P E R

Keilne stared down at me from the coffee shop wall. The portrait Max picked was of her standing on a cliff at sunset. She's staring down at the Dread King's castle below, warhammer in hand. Her hair blows in the wind and her mouth set in a hardline. Her grim determination is evident. I felt a bit like a wilting flower in her presence.

Keilne's picture was mounted on a faux canvas, my original JPEG expanded to fit it. I had worried something like this would stretch the image, distort it, but wherever Max found the service had done an excellent job. The details weren't lost and Keilne looked as crisp as ever. My website and contact information included to the left of the canvas.

"Isn't she awesome?" A young girl said at my elbow.

I looked down at her. She wore a green hoodie with the Cedar Middle School wildcat logo on it. She looked up at Keilne with a broad smile, showing her purple braces.

"Do you play Fortress Siege?" I asked.

"Yeah! I usually play humans, but maybe I'll have to roll as an elf tonight."

"If you're on the Silver Mist server, look up Keilne and you can fight alongside her." I motioned to the portrait.

"That's your character?" She lifted a red eyebrow at me.

I couldn't help but laugh. "I even drew that portrait of her."

"No way! You?" She looked at me, then at Keilne, her ponytail swishing back and forth with each jerk of her head.

"I can make you one," I offered. "As a gift from one Fortress Siege player to another."

"Really?"

I took my backpack off my shoulders and rifled around for a pen and loose paper. I scribbled my email address down for her. "Email me a screenshot of your human and I'll put a little something together."

She clung to the paper. "You're the best, uh," her eyes darted to my nameplate next to the canvas.

"Harper."

"Molly." I shook her proffered hand. "Really, the best!"

She flounced off, hurrying to a table of other middle schoolers who were hard at work on their homework. She waved my scrap of paper excitedly, gesturing over to me.

Lexi entered the coffeehouse and walked right past Molly. She spared a look for the excitedly flapping middle schooler.

"You giving away free art?" She asked and took her place to order. "Latte please," she looked at me.

"Make it two, please."

Lexi paid and we stepped aside from the counter. I kept us close to Keilne, though. I was protective of her. Protective and proud.

"I cannot believe Max Draven did something so...nice?" Lexi looked up at Keilne. Her expression was neutral. For someone who wore her emotions on her sleeves, she was remarkedly quiet about my art hanging in the coffee shop.

"You don't think it was nice?"

Lexi shrugged and grabbed our lattes from the barista. She led us to two open couch seats directly across from Keilne's portrait.

"Do you think it's nice?" she asked, sipping. "It's your artwork he displayed without telling you."

I didn't answer right away. The whole thing shocked me a little, but it didn't make me angry. I liked the push it gave me. I spared a glance at Molly. Her head was down, bent over homework, but her excitement had made me happy. Others would be excited by my work too and that would also make me happy.