Chapter 9: What Made His Eyes Sad?

Theo clasped Rakiza’s chin in his bare right hand, his left hand twirling around Rakiza's waist. He kept his vacuous gaze on her, and she melted with it.
Rakiza could smell the anger that was about to explode in Theo’s action. His grip was tight. And she thought he was still angry about her not following his advice not to go to the ballroom party. She was in a precarious position at the time.
"You did it," Theo hushed as he held Rakiza tight as if punishing her for something.
Rakiza tried to struggle. But Theo was strong, holding her angrily. Then she heard someone calling her name from a distance. That drew her back to reality and pushed Theo hard. "What are you talking about?"
Theo moved away from Rakiza and stated, and said dryly, "You have ten minutes to draw me." He pulled off his shirt and posed, and then fell silent.
They were both silent while Rakiza drew Theo as quickly as she could in order to save time and end their meeting session as soon as possible. She couldn't stand being near him any longer. Something was growing inside her that she couldn't identify. She felt embarrassed but aroused by his touch, and her stomach churned the moment she smelled Theo's fruity perfume.
Rakiza closed her drawing pad and stated, "We're done," slid all her tools into her bag, and stood up, facing Theo. "Thank you for your time; you are now free from this session," she murmured. "You can’t bother me by coming late." When she turned to walk back to school, Theo grabbed her hand.
"I’m late because one of my friends has died. Her name is Ulrica. And we need to discuss something, "Theo said curtly.
"We have nothing to discuss, Mr. Monsanto," she snarled.
"We have so many things to talk about," he insisted, pulling her to face him. She was frail, and he could shape her into whatever he pleased.
"And what are those essential things you're talking about?" She asked, offended by his demanding tactics yet again, and said, "Okay, what do you want to tell me?"
He stared, let go of her hand, and turned his sight to the deep woodland that surrounded them. "You have to be extremely careful," he said angrily."What are you trying to prove?" She asked plainly, "Well, to tell you frankly, first impressions last."
"I'm not asking you to think of me as a good guy, because I'm not, but you have to listen to me carefully," he said as he turned to face her.
"Shoot it, I'm paying attention," she said. "What is it that I need to be cautious of? Is my life at stake? "
"How much do you recall about "A Tower, the night before?" Theo inquired.
Rakiza was surprised when Theo inquired about the A Tower. She was just vaguely aware of it at the time. She also had some hazy memories of the previous night's events.
"Aside from eating and dancing, tell me what else you remember," Theo asked matter-of-factly. And he never took his eyes off of her.
Rakiza took a deep breath and closed her eyes, attempting to imagine the place. And she saw him, Nikolas Augustus, approaching her and inviting her to join him on the dance floor. "We danced to the most beautiful music I have ever heard," she smiled, adding, "Nikolas was a good dancer. And after the music ended, he led me into a throne for a princess. And the curtain that covered the wall opened and revealed an LCD screen of paradise under the bright, shining sun. And then he said, "This is our future, and this will happen soon." She then opened her eyes and said, "That's all I could remember."
"You have no idea how you got home with your friends?" Theo inquired.
"I don't know. I simply thought we were too intoxicated to remember, "Rakiza explained, adding," Anyway, that's all I could tell you. Can I go back to my class now? "
"Yes, you can," he said, after a brief pause.
"Is there anything else you want me to do?"
"You can go now," he moaned, "but don't trust anyone, not even me."
Rakiza's friends were eagerly waiting for her to come back to the class room to see what happened to her drawing. All the girls wanted to see Theo in person and were excited to have a glimpse of him, but they failed. Theo didn't come back that day to their art class.

The evening was cold in the dorm, and Rakiza was restless, and even over dinner, she wasn't herself.
"Rakiza, what really matters to you?" Muriel inquired worriedly.
Chin concurred, saying, "You don't seem to be yourself since the masquerade party."
Susan was more focused on Nikolas than Rakiza, saying, "Nikolas was so elegant and handsome in a medieval way. And I envy you, Rakiza. "
"Are you okay?" Muriel inquired.
"Of course, I'm fine," she said as she rose to her feet, adding, "I should keep going; I need to finish my drawing of the half-baked model."
"Would you let us see your drawing?" Chin asked, excitedly.
"After the final retouch, you'll all be able to see him," she promised before leaving the group at the dining table.
Rakiza stayed up all night retouching, shading, and finishing her drawing. Her final touch caused her to mumble. "You looked good in my drawing, bad boy," she said as she closed the drawing pad and crawled into her bed. But her thoughts wandered to what made Theo's face sad.
*What made his eyes sad?* she wondered. *His friend had died, and he warned me of something. What’s the connection?* She closed her eyes and tried to sleep when she heard a dog howl from afar.
Rakiza's hair stood up from the howling. She dashed to the glass window and pushed it open slightly. And what she saw outside took her by surprise. The forest from which the howling came appeared to be lit in the midst. The light reminded her of a bonfire. She was looking out the window when she heard the man's husky voice call her name once more.*Rakiza.* She looked around but saw no one except Muriel, who was sleeping quietly in her bed.
*What's wrong with me? Why am I hearing voices?* She thought. She was about to close the window and return to her bed when she noticed her laptop on the small table she had opened. "Who turned on my laptop?"

The next morning, Rakiza asked her friends about her laptop one by one.
"I never touched your laptop, and you know that," Chin insisted.
"I'm the same way; I have my own laptop to play with, and I'm more familiar with its brand and features than I am with yours," Muriel replied.
"I was out of something and never got around to entering your room, so I am out as a suspect," Susan reasoned, laughing. Rakiza came to her own conclusion: "Perhaps I forgot to turn it off the last time I used it. In any case, I finished my drawing last night and it's ready for submission. Say hello to my friend, bad boy," she said as she took out the drawing pad and showed it to her friends, cadenced her voice.
The three girls fixed their gaze on the drawing and screamed in admiration.
"He's so handsome," Muriel exclaimed.
Susan was moaning and giggling.
"If you despised him, please match him with us," Chin chuckled. "I am ready to have a handsome boyfriend."
"What was his name again?" Muriel inquired.
Rakiza was irritated. "His name is Theodulf Monsanto."
She then rose to her feet and drew her bag, saying, "I need to submit this drawing, so I'll go ahead and do it."
It was too early in the morning, and a few students were coming in through the main entrance, including Rakiza. She was beating the submission deadline. She kept running and panting until she arrived at the art class room on the top floor of the school building.
"I've finished my drawing, Professor Malden," she dashed into the room and in front of her professor, "can I submit it now?"
Professor Malden accepted the portrait and stared at it for a few minutes, making his remarks. "You did it flawlessly."
"Thank you very much, Professor Malden."
"You turned it in just in time for the judging session."
Rakiza said with a smile, "I wasn't after the prize at all; it's more important to save my grades. Thank you for the chance you've given me."
He smiled at Rakiza. "The winner will be posted on the student wall in the lobby tomorrow."