Chapter 65
Cautiously we walk in to the art gallery and all I can smell is paint, expensive colognes and wood and something else that I can't quite tell. People from one corner to another are busy observing the different artistic paintings and sculptures.
There's a low hum in the room and some soft instrumental playing in the background.
At one side of the room, a couple of people are staring at a piece that looks like a blob. We all stop and stare at it. Vic whispers to me.
"I don't know what all these other people see, they're looking at it like there's something extraordinary there but there isn't. It's just paint and that's definitely a lousy blob. If I was any more underwhelmed I'd yawn right now, but I was raised better," he says and I chuckle quietly.
Kyrah smiles. "Well, if beauty is in the eye of the beholder, why not art? Although I honestly don't see anything special, it's just a blob, right? Snow would have done better with his tail dipped in a can of paint!" We laugh and people stare at us.
"Let's not attract too much attention okay?" Scott asks and we nod moving to the next piece of art, a sculpture of a woman with no arms, with a baby on her lap.
"Speaks volumes," Scott says, "Things are getting interesting in here, look at these." He points at some paintings next to the sculpture.
"Why are we here again?" Vic asks as he frowns.
"Yeah, what did the letter say?" Scott asks and I take the letter out.
"It says that we should find the gallery, which we have and the last part says: 'Open your eyes, seek and you shall find'... Wh-What is this? Some mind game or something?" I complain, trying to keep my voice down.
"Keep your eyes open? Seriously?" Kyrah facepalms herself.
"I know. I told you this was stupid," I say shrugging, wanting to leave immediately.
"Let's go home," Vic whines. "I'm already bored."
"Guys, guys, hold on, we've barely been here for ten minutes and you want to leave already? Come on! Roxy, you don't know what awaits you and your brother so don't quit. Let's walk around for a while," Scott says.
"Fine." I pout and he rolls his eyes, chuckling.
After walking around the large art gallery for almost an hour, I'm exhausted, Vic looks bored to death but Kyrah and Scott still look determined. I want to go back, so I turn to Kyrah who is on my right.
"This is hopeless. The pieces are all beautiful but I am tired, I want to go..." my voice trails off when I spot a lovely painting.
Not just a painting but one that seems to speak and remind me of so many things at the same damn time. It's not that perfect but I can tell what has been painted. I tap Vic's shoulder and point at the painting. His jaw drops.
"What's up?" both Scott and Roxy ask, staring at the piece.
"It's beautiful," I say, my voice trembling.
"It looks like a child worked on it though," Scott says, rubbing his chin.
"That's because a child did work on it," I say, moving closer to the piece.
"What do you mean?" Kyrah asks.
On the painting there's blue representing the ocean, brown for the earth and green for the vegetation. The sun at the corner has a smiley face. A few meters away from the ocean is a house and in front of it, there's a family of four, a mother, father, daughter and son.
I pause as a tear drops down my cheek. My eyes move to the farthest right corner of the painting. It's been written, 'by Roxy. T'.
"I painted this. This is my painting, Kyrah," I mutter as I tremble.
"Whoah! But how?" she gasps when she sees my name.
"I know, I don't look like the kind of person who would have drawn such a thing, but painting was my favorite thing to do with my dad. I have no idea how this got here at all," I say as confusion washes over all of us.
"I remember it used to be in the living room right where you could see it when you walked into the house," Vic says as he stares at the painting keenly.
I look at the painting again. This was me so many years ago. Right now, I'd probably paint a demogorgon biting my head off.
I've just been through too much!
Back then, I used to get lost by just looking at this piece. The blue color made me feel like I'm swimming in the ocean with the fish and the current moving along my skin. It's like a place to escape to without even going anywhere. A brief retreat to a home of pure bliss and sunny days and warm nights.
Before I know it, my hands are on the piece, stroking it gently. I lift it from where it's hanged.
Seek and you shall find...
I turn the piece around and I spot a blue sticky note at the back.
It says:
*'Close enough, soon it will be revealed to you.'*
*'S'*
Immediately I feel my temper shoot to a hundred percent.
"Wow! Just wow! Another clue that doesn't make any sense. Who is this 'S' or what does this 'S' mean?" I roll my eyes and groan.
"Well atleast we know all of this is leading to something, right? You found your childhood painting," Kyrah says and I agree. "And Vic, you didn't wear that suit for nothing." Vic smiles.
"That's true," I say and huff.
"Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen. This piece is not for sale," a man from behind us says and we all turn to look at him.
"And who are you?" Scott asks curiously.
"I am the owner of this gallery. John Louis Pierre and who are you?" he looks at all of us while straightening his black coat. His French accent is quite thick and his voice deep.
"Well, I'm the owner of this piece, I can have you arrested, you know." I place it back on the wall.
He smirks and shakes his head.
"I see," he chuckles. "Roxy, finally, I've been expecting you and your brother Vic," he turns to face Scott who points at Vic. "Alright, the two of you, follow me," he says and turns on his heel but my words stop him from taking any further steps forward.
"I can't leave my friends behind, they're my family too. They're all I have left." I pull Kyrah and Scott by their hands, "Let's go. If we get strangled by this man, atleast we'll die together, right?" I say.
"Fair enough," Scott says, "Lead the way sir," Scott tells the man.
We arrive in his office where he welcomes us and we sit on a large antique couch. Several art pieces have been hanged on the white walls of the room and a huge sculpture of a lion is on his large desk.
"Lovely to see you. I assume you have seen the message behind the piece?" he asks, then he walks behind the desk and he places his hands on it.
"Yes. Doesn't make any sense at all. Care to explain what the hell is happening?" Vic says. Kyrah is busy observing the room.
Scott is on his phone, but I know he's listening. He's probably recording whatever conversation we're having here in case anything goes wrong and unexpected.
"Have no worries, you'll soon understand. I'm not supposed to keep you here for long so let me hit the nail on the head." He clears his throat and stands upright.
I am hoping that he's going to tell us who or what 'S' is and what this is all about, but that's not what he says.
"Miss Trent, I bought your piece for three million dollars–" he announces and all our jaws drop. For a moment my heart stops.
"What?!" we all exclaim at the same time.
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