Seeking Nightmares ZHARINA MARIE STEPHANIE LUGO
Strips of sunlight began to scatter inside the art room, reminding me to finish the painting before ten o'clock in the morning. Colors of blue, violet, and white-dominated my artwork as it radiated emotions that I own as of the moment. "How much is this one? Five Million shards?" I hummed towards my balcony, making sure Elias was listening to me. "Yes, madam. And the client is very excited to see you too." He answered and carried a tray containing my favorite glass teapot filled with Jasmine tea. "That's nice to hear. Tell the others to prepare my dress." I stood back, monitoring the canvas for flaws. "And your emotions are not in its right place, Elias. You better get some sleep." His emerald eyes glimmered as he nodded and left the room. The birds' chirping created a soothing melody as I passed through the garden hallways made of vines and glass. This was the only path towards my bedroom that lessens my human interaction inside the palace. Without my shades, I'll be seeing through someone's emotions, and I'll hate carrying the burden of not being able to help them. "Good morning, Madam!" Alida bowed and avoided my eye contact. She was one of my favorite servants, busy taking care of my plants in the garden. "Good morning Alida!" With a blink of an eye, glowing threads began to slither away from her head. Colors of yellow and orange lines surrounded her. And all I knew was that she would be jolly and cheerful for the whole day. "You're going to have a nice day today." I smiled and entered my room. "We are fifteen minutes earlier, Madam Aislinn ." Elias checked his watch and opened the umbrella. We strolled outside the Louvre Museum, listening to the soft patterns of water from the fountain. "It's been a while since I got this close to reflective objects," I whispered and gazed upon the glass pyramid. The absence of my reflection was not new to me, but staying here out in public might scare anyone that would notice my peculiarity. Gladly, there were no people today, and the whole museum accepted my request to open it just for us this Tuesday morning. "And he's here." The client finally arrived with a set of guards trailing behind him. His face was full of happiness, waving towards our direction while his Hawaiian-inspired polo shirt and khaki shorts danced with the wind. "Would you prefer to see his soul before talking to him in person?" Elias asked. "It will be fine. I've been negotiating things for a thousand years already." I smiled and waved back. My guards handed the painting to the client while we had a short conversation in my cafe. "Thank you so much for the royal accommodation, Miss Aislinn. It's an honor to purchase the painting and visit you here in Paris." Jacob gave me his calling card. As he was about to ride his car, he waved goodbye and found my eyes behind the shades. "Oh, and one more thing. In case those emotions would turn messy again, you can call me anytime." This time, his thoughts entered my mind as if the voice was naturally
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