A ray of light shone over my eyes.
I woke up, my body aching all over. It was only obvious because of the awkward way that I slept — next to my mom, on my knees, with a hand lying on my mom for comfort, and my head on the bed. She stared deep on to my eyes, searching for something far behind my eyes.
My head reeled as I got up. I walked to the bathroom and stared into the air as I brushed my teeth. Questions came flooding into my head, and I decided what I would do for the rest of the way — investigate who the actual fuck this "Aezren" is.
I plopped onto my bed, my heart thumping with anticipation. I typed "Aezren" into the search bar.
And then,
Search.
Random images of historical figures and old men on Facebook popped up. Something caught my eye – multiple articles about ancient paintings by Aezren auctioned off for 300 Million USD each. It wasn't the amount of money they were auctioned off for that caught my eye, but rather the paintings and the painter. It was a girl about 16 years old with bright olive skin tone and Ombré hair, with blurry yet clear as glass face. Her name? Lavinia Addams. That's me though.
The painting had a macabre presence—ghostly and translucent, as if the image hovered just beyond the surface of the canvas, despite its undeniable opacity. Its composition echoed the ornate drama of the Baroque, but stripped of vitality, as if the style itself were mourning. She looked up in grief, human skull in hand as she were making an offering or grieving one's death. Seemingly tears from her face went down her neck. Every expression of mourning was undeniable, even though her face was smudged and blurred intentionally. It looked the way it would've if I had squinted my eyes to look at the face.
"Click to watch the Auction Video"
I clicked.
*****
"Ladies and Gentlemen! I present to you, "The Dawn of the Night" by a peculiar painter, signed Aezren! Do not be discouraged, since it has an interesting story to it. Whoever touched the woman in the painting, Lavinia Addams, is said to have died with a smile! Moreover, all of this painter's paintings have such myths!In addition to that, the dyes and colors have been proven by scientific research that the dyes and colors used in this painting have never been seen on Earth, Mars Saturn–any planets that we humans have ever discovered!"
People murmured, and then,
"We have 40 Million!"
*****
After a series of debate, it finally got sold off for 301 Million USD...to Sebastian Dorne. To Lucien's Dad. Was that why Lucien decided to approach me in the first place? Was it not because he was genuinely nice? I mean... What did I even expect?
I leaned back my lips twitching. "No.. I'm not going to cry. Not again."
A soft sob left my lips. Tears rolled down my face.
I rushed to the bathroom and washed my face, hoping it would make me stop crying. I felt betrayed and lonely.
"I thought he kept talking to me because our situations are similar" I talked to myself, "But I guess not."
I needed somebody to blame, and it was Lucien.
I took my phone in hand and stared at Lucien's contact till my eyes bled dry.
My fingers hovered over his contact. Should I call him? Would he even pick up? I could already picture his face — those calm blue eyes, the ones that always felt so steady. Would he even care if I asked him why? Why did he even pretend to get me?
My hand shivered, hitting the call button "accidentally". I didn't cut it though. He picked it up, although unexpected.
"Hey, what's u-" I cut the call. Then again, I wanted to live in my own fantasies and not listen to his side of the story.
*****
My throat felt hoarse and dry. I took down bottles of water. But it didn't work.
"I want to die..." I murmured, "But I'm too scared of death."
I shut my eyes tight, hoping to be taken away by the white void again.
***
Enjoyed my story? Please drop a comment or Power stone to encourage me~
Also, wanna take any guesses to answer Lavinia's questions? Poor girl needs some help!