I arrive at the art class early. It’s held in the city center, somewhere on Porcelain street. The Taxi stops in front of a one story, brick building. Not sure what to do, I thank the Taxi and wait by the door. I don’t have to wait alone. Almost immediately a sleek, blue car pulls up and a girl around my age gets out. My eyes immediately go to her multicolored hair, which is tied up in a loose bun. She checks something on a piece of paper in her hand, probably the address, and gives a thumbs up to the car. She turns to face me.

“Hi, are you going to the art class?” She asks as the car drives away.

“Yes, this is the right place, isn’t it?” I wonder.

“I think so. Last year it was somewhere else. I’m Tay Conner.” She holds out her hand. I shake it.

“Rhea Hale”, I reply.

We talk for a little while as more people arrive, and I come to see that Tay is very friendly and happy to be the one talking 90 percent of the time. From the corner of my eye, I see two shapes moving toward us.

“You know, I heard that someone famous lives there”, a giggly voice says. I turn and see two girls, one with silver hair and black clothes, the other in jeans and a Xale Ballet hoodie. They stand near us, but they don’t talk to us. They continue their giggly conversation.

“Hey, that’s Bel and Catharin! They were here last year too”, Tay says.

“Oh. I wasn’t here last year. We only moved to Hani a few months ago”, I say.

“Cool, where did you live before that?” She asks, but I don’t have time to answer.

The door opens and a middle aged, brown haired woman greets us.

“You’re early! Here, come in, you can wait inside for the rest of the people. I’m Honey, your teacher”, she says, a smile on her face. We all come shuffling in.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The classroom has twelve wooden desks, each with a chair on either side. On the desks are papers, some sort of worksheet and oh-so-many supplies. I even see a pile of laptops in the corner.

I sit at a desk in the corner near the window, hoping that Tay sits with me. Instead, she greets a boy walking in, and they sit at the front together. I don’t let my disappointment show when she glances my way.

Soon more people arrive. They either sit with a friend, or alone. No one sits by me, which I understand. I’ve never looked the friendliest, with my downturned lips and sharp eyes.

Almost all the desks are filled and one more person walks in. I’m sure I’ve seen him before. His eyes dart around the room before landing on me.

“Can I sit at your desk?” He asks me.

I hesitate for a moment and nod quickly.

“My name’s Rhea, by the way”, I say as he sits on the other side of the desk.

“Jason”, he says quickly, in a voice that suggests he was confirming what I already knew.

It’s then I remember him. I’d seen him once before in real life, as well as on the netscreens. Jason Bennet. Born to celebrity parents. A Gifted. A Seer. An Orphan. He’s the kind of person you don’t forget.

The door closes. Honey starts talking.

“Alright, let’s get started!” She says.

...:::...

To my surprise, it’s Jason that begins the conversation.

“Have you taken any art classes before this?” He asks, not looking up from his self-portrait.

“No, not outside of school. I do a fair amount of drawing in my free time though. What about you?” I reply.

He shrugs. “I’ve been to a few, but I only got into art around a year ago. Luckily I’ve improved since then”, he says with a half-smile.

I look at his sketch. True to his word, it’s already amazing. I look back at my own, which hasn’t progressed passed the shape, and start sketching again.

After awhile, Jason talks again.

“Do you know anything about drawing eyebrows?” He asks out of the blue.

“Yeah, I’m pretty good at it, I guess”, I reply, looking up.

“Good”, he smiles, “how do you get them to be a good shape?”

I help him, and soon we start talking more comfortably and less formally. We play an old game where we take turns asking questions about each other, until we can’t think of any more.

“I guess that’s it then”, he says with a smile.

I nod, before exclaiming, “Wait! I have one. What’s your favorite plant?”

He rolls his eyes, a smile on his face before replying. “I like birch trees, I guess. But roses are by far my favorite.”

“Why?” I wonder aloud.

His smile falters the tiniest bit. “They remind me of my mother. That’s part of it. But I’ve always loved their scent”, he says.

I nod, and when neither of us can think of any more questions, we finish the class in silence.