Chapter 12: The Painting

Rakisa was alone in the art classroom when she noticed the model stool where Theo had sat the day before. She sensed that something must have happened to him because he had been missing for about three weeks.
*What happened to him?* She reflected. *I shouldn't be worried about him. He was obnoxious and..."* She made a muttered remark and started to draw.
After a few minutes, some students entered the room for the art class and saw what Rakiza had painted. And they expressed various queries and opinions.
"Who exactly is she?" The short-haired girl remarked.
"Is that what you want to be, Rakiza, a lady warrior?" The petite student said and frowned.
Rakiza said nonchalantly, "She was Queen Maruja of the East."
"And you’re fantasizing about being a queen now," the redheaded girl stated.
"Where did you acquire the idea for a self-portrait costume?" Theo's voice from behind was firm and unfriendly.
Rakiza startled as she saw Theo coming in the room and approaching her.
"Are you deaf?" asked Theo of Rakiza.
"Of course not!" snarled Rakiza, adding, "I just don't like the way you talk to me."
Teri Morte, the burgundy-haired girl, remarked sarcastically, "Easy lady, you're the nerd, not him."
"My reference was her huge painting in a castle," Rakiza said.
"What castle are you referring to?" Theo asked, his face stiffened and his brows furrowed, "How did you get into that place?"
Rakiza raised her voice and said, "First and foremost, Mr. Monsanto, it's none of your business who took me inside that castle."
"It's my business to know," Theo stated unequivocally.
"What?" Rakiza’s face whitened, annoyed, "How did it come to be your business as well?"
"Just tell me which castle you're talking about. That's all I needed to know, "he said coldly.
"It was from..." She couldn't recall how they got to the castle. "All we were doing was dancing on a garden patio and..."
Teri remarked cynically, "Are you on drugs?"
"No! Teri, don't accuse me of doing drugs," Rakiza retorted.
"Rakiza, drug addicts are all over the place, and you act and speak like one of them." Teri added.
Rakiza retorted, "What if I told you that I knew you were using weeds with some outsiders?"
Teri's eyes rolled with surprise and said, "You know what, you don't belong at this school."
Rakiza took the fight, "Unless you are not human, everybody can belong anywhere, Teri. Including this school. "
"You are garbage, and you know it." Teri yelled.
Rakiza said, as she dipped her brush in crimson paint, "If that's what I am to you, well, I don't care."
"Your presence here has tarnished the school's reputation for embracing rag kids like you," she snorted as she rushed to her seat, grumbling.
Theo sat next to Rakiza's chair and asked, "Who escorted you to the castle?"
Rakiza smiled and asked, "Is there anything else you'd like to know?" Nikolas Augustus took me to the castle and I enjoyed being with him; I enjoyed being with him because, unlike you, he is such a gentleman and knows all the good things for me."
"Are you marked?" Theo inquired.
"What are you talking about, Theo?"
Is he doing something special for you? Is he giving you a gift?
"He gave me flowers, white lotus flowers and white roses; are you satisfied?"
"Throw those flowers away or burn them," Theo told her.
Rakiza's eyes widened, "Wow, and who are you in my life to command me to do horrible things?"
"Keeping such kinds of flowers is a bad sign, "Theo said quietly. Just do what I say."
"What if I don't throw it all away? What would you do?" Rakiza challenged Theo.
"Okay, I'll do it for you." Theodulf moved to his seat, unhooked his sling bag, and drew out a drawing pad as Prof. Malden entered the room and made his way to his ramp.
Professor Malden started to say, "Today, we're going to create a medieval armor freehand and with reference."
Rakiza almost tripped over her paintbrush, which was still dripping with paint. Teri and the other two females were frowning at her. But Theo was distracted by his phone and didn't pay attention to what the professor said.
"Excuse me, professor," Teri grumbled, and asked the professor, "Can I make a comment?"
"Go on, Teri," said the professor.
"I believe you should change the theme from medieval to modern, Sir," she advised.
"And why would I do that? Do you have any problems regarding medieval drawing, Teri? " Professor Malden asked.
Teri continued, "Because some "ingenuous winner" had a glimpse of what your plan is."
Teri's complaint made Rakiza's blood boil. Teri was clearly disappointed at not winning the first prize. This was despite the fact that she had finished Theo's portrait ahead of others, most notably Rakiza.
"What made you say that, Teri?" Professor Malden inquired. His gaze shifted from Rakiza to Teri.
Teri rose to her feet and moved towards Rakiza's direction, clearly intending to embarrass her. She came to a complete stop beside Rakiza's easel and painting and lifted Rakiza's painting.
Rakiza was surprised by her movements, as she couldn't move and speak at the same time.
Theo, who was next to me, reacted, "You have no right to make a scene using that painting, Teri."
But Teri continued, not hearing Theo’s advice. Instead, in a loud voice, she announced, "Look at this painting, Professor Malden. What can you see? "
The room was already packed with students, and Professor Malden was staring at Rakiza’s still wet painting. He couldn’t believe what he saw. He frowned.
"Are you spying on my lesson plan, Zanier?" asked the professor.
"No, I would never do that, Mr. Malden."
Teri hissed, "Don’t lie to Professor Malden Rakiza."
Theo pondered the question, "What would Rakiza gain from eavesdropping on Professor Malden's lesson plan?"
"So, tell me, where did you get the medieval theme idea?"
"It just occurred to me to draw a painting of a woman in a castle."
"Don't believe her lies, Professor. She wanted to be the best of all the students by tricking us all. " Teri snapped.
"I never touched your lesson plan, Professor. I was sitting alone when I remembered the portrait of Queen Maruja and..." Rakiza stopped talking.
"Is this Queen Maruja?" The Professor asked.
"Yes, she was," Rakiza said.
"But it appears to be you, Rakiza," Professor Malden said suspiciously.
"I can’t make you believe my story, but I was telling you the truth. I never touched your lesson plan, Sir. " Rakiza gathered her things and left the room.
"Wait!" The professor stopped Rakiza, "If you are telling the truth, then why are you skipping this class?"
"I just don’t want to escalate the situation, professor." She stepped outside the room.

Later that day, Rakiza met her friends, "Did you get kicked out of art class because of that painting?" Susan muttered and smiled.
"Why are they kicking you out? You are the best of the best in terms of painting." Chin seconded.
"And you are the school winner of the contest, which they must be proud of." Muriel said, and snorted. "It's their loss, Raki, not yours."
What’s that painting you are carrying? " Muriel took the canvas out of Rakiza’s grasp and stared at the painting. "This is you, Rakiza."
"Was it a sin in your art class when you drew yourself?" Chin asked.
"No, but..." Rakiza replied.
"Well, please leave us," Theo said as he followed her.
"What brings you here?"
"We're collaborators on a project," Theo said flatly.
"What? " Rakiza revolted.
Theo explained to Rakiza, "When you left the room a few minutes ago, Professor Malden decided to change the project for today, and he came up with a new idea."
"And what’s the new idea?"
"We have been tasked with finding a beautiful creature in the forest to paint."
"With that idea, no one needs a partner. See you in the dorm, girls," Rakiza said as she dashed into the woods. "Why is he so domineering?" mumbled Rakiza angrily and settled on a rock.
Theo followed her, "You, on the other hand, really like this place. I knew you'd notice how much this reminded you of me. "
Rakiza gathered her belongings once more to look for another location, but Theo quickly grabbed her arm.
"Let's talk about some important things, Rakiza," he said solemnly.
Rakiza pushed Theo even harder, saying, "Go away, Mr. Monsanto!" She punched him in the shoulder, causing him to cry out in agony.
Theo was in excruciating pain. And blood splattered on his grey shirt. "What did you do?"
Rakiza's eyes widened in horror, looking at the blood on Theo’s shirt. "You won’t bleed from just a punch."
"I'm fine," Theo stated, taking a step back.
"But you're bleeding," Rakiza had lost her temper and was concerned about Theo, so she suggested, "You should see a doctor in our school clinic."
"No, I'm okay," Theo said, his voice becoming firmer, adding, "Just take my advice and throw away all the flowers in your room," Theo said as he ran into the dense forest.
Rakiza was taken aback by what she saw of Theo.
She mumbled, "He is wounded."