Genius (CENTURIES series: Book #2)

35

Two Months Later

"For two years, this past student struggled with her art. I don't believe I've ever seen an artist so frustrated, yet so dedicated to her work. Countless of times, she scrapped her work and begun anew, simply because her pieces didn't speak to her. It was a process that finally begun to tear at her abilities and weaken her.

"One day, I came to her and told her to go find inspiration out in the world – I kicked her out of my classroom until she came back and wowed us all," Valenches chuckled out to the packed auditorium where Mia amongst them all sat. Smiling back, she looked down at her lap, remembering that time. "I'll admit today, I've never done that to any student of mine before and I don't plan on doing it ever again. But what she then came back with, not but a few days later, was enough to make me praise my own decision. Because the piece she came back with is the reason why we're all gathered here today."

Valenches looked out at the giant crowd from the podium. It was the start of a new school year and today was the day everyone gathered to meet last years most successful graduate to get inspired.

– That person was Mia.

"I had the incredible pleasure and honor of watching this art grow into a masterpiece day by day, stroke by stroke, shade by shade," Valenches continued. "This young artist found her inspiration within someone who had been through more than the mouth could express. Because of that, she chose to show us how he showed it to the world, through his own creative ways. The result of two creative minds colliding like that, was astounding.

"She chose to portray her subject in a way that's left so many of us puzzled, and yet hypnotized by such a unconventional polish. She showed that truly, you cannot judge someone by their appearance, by their outer layer – that some things, you must gaze upon with your heart instead of your eyes; feel, rather than observe.

"Furthermore, this young artist took it into her own hands to fight the prejudges and discrimination that so often hit the less fortunate – specifically people who stem from the street. After graduating here from the Alexandrettia, she started an independent charity that today helps people from the street from getting surpassed by better-set people, and helps them get good educations and jobs. She has raised over 100.000 US dollars and already ensured over 75 people an educational spot or a place to work. All in the course of just two months.

"Prejudice is what this young artist says inspired her masterpiece, which landed her 'last year's most successful graduate', yet she chose to name her masterpiece by another name. A name of which I can only say suits the portrait, as well as its description and model, perfectly. So, if you'll all please stand up; please help me welcome to the stage, last year's most successful alumni and our probable new future Picasso; Mia Rebecca Hanson."

Valenches stood aside from the podium and welcomed Mia with a smile. Mia smiled back and humbly rose from her chair as the auditorium broke into a loud applause in her honor. She walked up to the auditorium's platform where Valenches waited in front of the big blackboard, where the Fermat's math problem still stoically stood, along with her easel that now proudly displayed her portrait of Eli to the whole school.

This was where it had all begun. This was where her and Eli's journey had started. Standing in front of the Fermat's problem, next to the faceless portrait of him, she smiled to the new student body of the Alexandrettia who sat down and muted their applause to hear her speech. There were so many new faces.