Muse

Chapter Thirteen

*Knight's perspective*

I opened my eyes. The room was bright and I was wildly uncomfortable, but I opened my eyes.

"Where am I?" I managed to say. No one responded for a moment but then Laura's groggy voice became apparent, telling me that I was in the hospital.

"You've been here about a week." Laura said. I stared at her for a moment, unsure what had happened before I remembered.

"I am so sorry," I said. I felt terrible that I had put her in danger. It could have been her lying in a hospital bed unconscious for a week. I couldn't bare to think about it.

"It's not your fault." Laura paused before continuing. "Your Fathers' been arrested."

"Good," was all that escaped my lips.

"The police said I can be your guardian when you leave the hospital," I turned my head to see Auntie sitting to the other side of me.

"Auntie," I took her by the hand and squeezed it, checking that she was real. "Auntie,"

"I know, kiddo," Auntie squeezed my hand back. "Laura should get an award, she hasn't left the hospital for a week." 

"I love you." I wanted to say, but I couldn't. I wanted to show it, not say it. I was still exhausted. I smiled at Laura and shut my eyes again. I returned to my slumbers, a swirling land of dreams and healing.

I slept for a few more days, and then two days later I was discharged from hospital and I went straight to work. I had moved into Auntie's immediately, and so did Francis and Joshua. She had a decent sized house but my brothers still ended up sharing the sofa bed.

I had retired to her garage that doubled as her art studio. Every few minutes someone would come in and check on me but no one stayed long. I was busy.

Auntie had left me in there with free range to use her materials. I took a canvas that was one metre wide and one-and-a-half metres tall and covered it with with a pale yellow. I then continued adding different colours. After several weeks of work, it was finished. It was a generally quick piece but it took me a while to get it right. By the time I was done my wounds had healed nicely.

Laura had visited me every day but I had Auntie ask for her not to be brought into the art studio and we had spent about an hour everyday in the family room chatting and bonding. She had treated me like a poorly puppy at first but by the time I was done she was treating me like an equal.

"Are you ready?" I asked Laura. She nodded excitedly and I led her into the art studio. "I need your help to finish it, though."

"It's beautiful, how-" Laura gazed at it with love. "How can I possibly help?"

I mixed the paint poorly so the colours did not mix. The actual piece consisted of yellow, white, and orange. However the paint I had mixed was primarily different shades of red, pink and purple. I put her hand into the paint and moved her hand into position. I aimed it up so that it was perfect and pushed it onto the canvas. We held it there for several seconds before I allowed her to peel her hand off. I then also covered my hand in the paint and did the same.

"What's it called?" Laura asked.

"It's called-" I thought for a moment but I already knew the name. I knew its name before I had even mixed the first layer of paint. "It's called 'A New Muse, by Alexis Knightingale and Laura Johnson.' What do you think?"

"It's perfect." Laura took my painted hand by her paint hand and pulled me close.

"I want this to be my future." I said, I didn't know what else to say but this, the truth. Laura shut her eyes and moved forward, I copied her an our lips met. I could feel the sparks in my chest and my love began to burn so brightly for her that I knew that I needed her, only after a few months. I knew that she was my muse, she was everything I had been looking for.