Delicate Oath

Sixteen | Body Paint

Odette Sinclair

This morning I was left alone in bed as always but roaming my eyes, this room wasn't the same. This room was when I first came to Zuthya. My prison if you will. Looking over to the other side of the bed, I could tell at some moment within the night, he laid there. Now, no trace of him. Almost as if last night never even happened with his words. The repetition.

Slipping on a light lavender dress, I tie back my hair into two braided ponytails. I planned on painting today as well as exploring the castle a little bit more. If I'm stuck here, I might as well enjoy it. I paired the dress with simple white socks and no shoes.

Where is our mate? Maxi asks as I run towards the painting room.

Truthfully Maxi, I have no clue but that's okay. He's a big boy, he can handle himself.

Grabbing some paint from my drawer, I push her into the back of my mind, fully knowing that my excited mood turned sour yet sad. I shook my head knowing this didn't matter because I was only an agreement but I couldn't help but want to be something more, almost like there was something more than a heart's emotions being one sided. Something real; like mates.

•••

Splattering different blobs of reds, greens, violets, pinks, blues and oranges; I head over to the big bay windows sliding the curtains away, allowing the light to shine through. The outside worlds looks unchanged, unbothered and withered. The only difference is, there is no snow; just sunlight shining brighter than before.

Surprising to say the least, I open up the rest of the windows within the room before returning to the paints. Kneeling, I dab a brush into white paint, putting it all over the canvas.

That's what mother always taught me. Adding paint to it makes everything else blend nicely together. I would always laugh and say she was crazy but after I saw the difference, I understood and have done it ever since. Setting that one aside, I grab a thinner brush. Adding black paint, I outline a castle with the moon in the background with birds in the sky. The splatter of colors in the back make a beautiful sunsets and sunrises; warm colors on one side and cold on the other. The castle wasn't like the ones within the four kingdoms. This castle was slightly bigger with a small river in the back, one that particularly resembles the one here.

I've heard the book of Mortality holds secrets to a secret castle. Once lived by the goddesses themselves. The castle perished within the war so they say but mother has always told me that it could have been hidden, protecting itself from the greedy.

It makes since if you think about it. I've often thought about it. If the goddesses were at one point worried about what they created, would they make a way to destroy it? Start a new?

I shrug, mixing greens and blues together with a pitch of white, I start adding the grass; leaving out small spaces for flowers. I couldn't decide if roses or lilies should be places there but I decided to do both. Mother's and I's favorite flowers. Adding violet, grey and red into another, I fill in the outline of the castle. Being careful with each line of paint.

"What is your creative mind creating now?" I jumped, turning over harshly and seeing Augusto standing there ever so calmly near the door.

"I- How long have you been standing there?" Brushing my knees, I clean the brushes with the water bowl.

"Long enough to know that your enjoying yourself." He simply grinned at my sudden stutter.