Stars Too Bright (BL)

TEN

"Seven."

I nodded a greeting, only then remembering why Qin was here. It was still a little hard to believe since the chance came about so abruptly. Not to mention, it was totally out of character for Qin. I even started suspecting he had been possessed as well. Though, I kept these thoughts to myself. Who was I to talk about such matters?

"Are you really going to show me it?" I asked.

Qin cocked his head to the side, looking slightly confused. "I said I would, didn't I?"

I quietly stared at the other boy before laughing and raising myself on my toes to pat his shoulder. Atlas, my suspicions were confirmed - he was built like Thor. The muscle I felt was undeniably real.

"Yes. Yes, you did."

----

The ART department had it's own section within the school, with three small buildings built in a U formation and neatly positioned around a large fountain.

These buildings had a very contemporary look about them, made of straight lines and floor to ceiling windows to let in a tremendous amount of light.

As we entered the area, Qin gave a brief introduction to the buildings and their uses.

The centre building was mostly used for art performances or debuting galleries because of its open space, while the two side buildings are used for learning and practical; visual arts to the right and theatre arts to the left.

Today, I was led to the right, through a series of hallways showcasing previous students finished artworks. There was also a wide array of musical instruments displayed in glass cases with a photo of the people who used them. Apparently, they were all famous figures who'd attended this school sometime in their life.

I hadn't been in this building yet as my classes were mostly focused on academic studies, so seeing it for the first time had blown my expectations out the window. I was thoroughly impressed. The building itself wasn't that grand but the background and history that surrounded it showed the reputation of the school wasn't just for show.

Qin led me into a large room towards the back of the building.

Upon entering the room, I paused in the doorway and stared around with admiration.

This room was no different than the others rooms I had seen, but the layout was here was catered to those who used the space. A round podium was placed in the centre of the room with easels placed here and there around it. Though, the amount of easels was less than ten and moderately spaced.

"Do you like it?"

Qin asked as he walked over to a corner that was clean of any clutter and located near a large window.

"It's amazing." I replied truthfully, walking over to him and being careful not to disrupt anything.

Qin stopped in front of a canvas that was covered in a thin black sheet. It was placed on a stand and kept separate from the rest of the work place.

Qin reached for this sheet but didn't pull it off straight away.

He turned towards me and said solemnly. "I'm only showing this to you because you are a friend of Jin."

So, that's why he'd invited me? Even though I didn't understand the reasoning behind his words, I still nodded.

Seemingly satisfied with my response, Qin slowly revealed his most popular work to date.

The breath I held in anticipation came out in one large bellow. Seeing it in real life was much better than on the screen.

And yet, it was more than I had expected.

I wasn't a person who usually appreciated fine art. I would admire the aesthetics and process behind it but I'd never feel compelled to buy the final product. Yet, right now I found myself inching closer to Annabel, my chest stuffed with all sorts of emotion.

I reached out a hand to touch the painting but hesitated on whether I was allowed to or not. I glanced at Qin who was watched from the side, his arms crossed against his broad chest.

He gave a curt nod, and I didn't hold back any longer. My fingers met the rough canvas. It wasn't any different than any other painted canvas, but it was the aesthetics of the moment that made it feel much better.

As I ran my fingers along the painting, tracing the outline of the girl who looked sad enough to make my heart strings feel like they were plucked raw.

Suddenly, I felt a shock jolt through me when I traced her tears. I pulled my hand back and examined it closely.

Not quite believing what had just happened, I went to touch the same spot and felt that same shock, however it was also accompanied by a strange pull in my mind, like I had to remember something important.

Suddenly intrigued, I found myself moving closer to the painting and running my fingers across the rough surface until I reached the small bracelet on the girl's wrist. The tug grew stronger here, compelling me succumb to its calling.

Without hesitation, I ran my finger across the simple bracelet and immediately felt my vision start to violently shake.

"What the-"

After that, everything happened too fast to comprehend. I saw black spots appearing in my vision that was blurring horribly - like a mixtape that was being overwritten.

In the background, I also heard someone calling out my name but I had become disoriented with everything that was happening within me to bother about reality. I didn't even know if I was truly hearing right.

Eventually, I lost sight of everything and a memory rose in place of reality.

Only, this memory belonged to the late Seven.

Note: This story is unedited.