PECULIAR GREEN EYES

PECULIAR GREEN EYES
Blank disappeared from the hall once again before it fell into total chaos. People scrambled for his artwork, while I remained frozen.

I think Shawna’s the one who pulled me outside the building and pushed me into a van. The rest of the time, I can only remember crying and regretting meeting Blank. I even slapped myself when I realized I moaned about aunt Mellow and it turns out she’s the love of his life.

I only now awake with embarrassment in my room, thinking about how I fooled myself in front of a man who had sold his heart to another woman, whose actions proclaimed his feelings to her.

The world knows Christopher was in-love with Mellow. I mean, he took her to the car race event, where he only ever invited his fiancee. He even changed completely after meeting her; he stopped avoiding cameras and preferred to be seen with her, traveling often to Country Zee to see her, and even wrote a will handing the entire wealth of his family to her.

If that’s not love, what else could it be?

“Nectar, come down for lunch?” mom’s grumpy voice echoes from outside my door. I ignore it, stirring in bed and turning away from some of Blank’s artworks on one wall only to meet with the others pasted on another wall.

“Ahhh!” I scream, resulting to pressing my face into my sheet. I stay in that position for a while before my phone rings. I ignore it, but it keeps ringing, so I answer the call and put it on loudspeaker.

‘Tar?’ Dad’s voice comes through. Mom has heard the news, and she’s probably mocking me for it. I wonder if he has heard it too. ‘I froze your accounts, dear. I’m truly sorry, but your mother was on my neck. When I come to see you, I will resolve the issue with her. I promise.’

I don’t say anything. Instead, I cut the call. In the process of doing that, a notification pops down on my screen from my email.

I tap the notification to see the full information.

‘Dear Nectar Diza Lupin, we saw your art reveal at the recently concluded art convention, and have deemed you suitable for a one-week painting project with one of our artists. We look forward to your reply. From Hazmat Art Gallery.’

Hazmat Art Gallery. I don’t know who the hell they are. I don’t even like co-artistry stuff because if I end up doing a very good job and like the work so much, I won’t have the full rights to the work. So there’s no need. Plus, I don’t even know if these people are scam. I could fall right into a trap for all I know.

Shawna’s always the best call for advice in cases like this one.

‘I know Hazmat. Very legit,’ she says after I tell her on the phone. ‘Do forward the email to me, though, so I can crosscheck the email address to be sure it isn’t a guise.’

“So are you saying I should agree?” I ask while forwarding the email to her.

‘Wait.’ After a while of silence, she finally responds. ‘It’s not scam, baby girl. Accept it. This could be your breakthrough. You don’t know how envious I am of you right now. How are you feeling about the Blank incident?’

Shawna figured I had a crush on Blank by herself. But I didn’t tell her the feelings were deeper. If she figured that out too, then certainly Blank did as well.

“Him painting aunt Mellow? That’s no big deal,” I lie.

‘I know how much of a nemesis she is to you. But if you come online you would see how the internet is going up-side down with doubts. People are bringing out theories about Mellow being the very first human Blank draws. They say there’s a fling between the two. Mellow herself hasn’t responded, though.’

If only they know the truth, the internet would tumble more. But I don’t tell Shawna.

“I talked to dad a few minutes ago. He seemed calm. Aunt Mellow isn’t an online person. She probably doesn’t even know what is going on. I’ll talk to you later.” I cut the call immediately before rising to a sitting position, crossing my legs on the bed.

Then I send a reply to the email.

>>>>>>>>

Shawna agreed to follow me to the meeting site. Hazmat gallery had sent me an address where we would meet and discuss the contract.

Shawna books a cab to the place. The moment I enter the vehicle, I notice something about the driver. But it’s only until when we reached our location and got out that I realized the man was East, my long forgotten uncle.

He looks shabby now, and really old, way older than dad—even though compared to age, he isn’t much older.

“The email said table five, right?” Shawna comments as we enter the restaurant, causing me to set the matter of East aside.

“I think so,” I reply.

Each glass tables in the luxurious restaurant carries four chairs; two chairs at each of the two longer sides. While three of the chairs in table five are empty, the remaining on is occupied by a dapper-looking man who looks like he’s in his mid-forties.

“Nectar?” he asks when he notices us, standing up and extending a handshake to me.

I receive it. “Yes, sir. You’re from Hazmat?”

“Yes, yes. And… she is…?” he points at Shawna, who waves.

“I’m her friend. Don’t mind me,” she replies.

“You didn’t bring your lawyer?” the man asks.

I jerk my head toward Shawna. “She’s my lawyer.”

“O…kay? Have a seat, please.” Shawna and I sit side by side, facing the lawyer and another empty chair. “As you already know, I’m a representative of Hazmat and a solicitor for this case. Our top artist recently recommended you to co-work with him. Here’s the contract.”

I go through the contract. One of the things that get me more is the part where I will live with this top artist for an entire week. That’s what moves me to ask the one question that would bother me for the rest of the day if I don’t ask it.

“So, where’s this artist of yours?”

The lawyer jerks his head behind Shawna and I. “He’s late, but, thankfully, he’s here. Behind you.”

I whip my head to the back to see a man entering the restaurant. He approaches us, clad in all black. When I say all black, I mean—a pair of black pants and a baggy shirt, as well as a nose mask and a baseball cap.

He sits down next to the representative, facing Shawna and I.

“Please understand that our client cannot reveal his face here, as that may complicate things for you,” the solicitor’s saying, but I’m more dissolved in the looks of this ‘top artist’.

Firstly, there I noticed the familiarity of his walking pattern and his figure when he came in. I had ignored it then as just coincidence.

Now, there is his eyes. A pair of peculiar green eyes with a lot of intensity attached to it.