Tied

My illustrious lordship, I'll show you what a woman can do.

I woke up with a scream caught in my throat.

There were blurred images pasted to my eyelids, snapshots of a vivid dream. I rubbed my face, hands still trembling, trying to remember. Pictures… paintings… Gentileschi?

One of my favorite painters for sure, but it was still weird to have dreams about her. Especially such horrible dreams. I groaned and pushed myself off the bed, glancing at the clock. 6:20. I had just enough time to get in the bathroom before Zhenia. Way too tired to comprehend the idea of actually moving, I curled up and rubbed my face furiously in an attempt to generate energy. My hands were unusually rough, even after all the sketching I had done yesterday. I looked down to find them covered in paint, dark shades of navy blues and greens and reds. What the heck?

I dashed to the bathroom, hands hidden beneath my pajama shirt. Burning water blasted from the faucet as I scrubbed desperately, little flakes chipping off one by one. It was only then that I noticed the words. Scribed in dark ink, almost like a tattoo, on my forearm.

My illustrious lordship, I'll show you what a woman can do.

Crap.
My mother was going to kill me.

As soon as the paint had completely disappeared from my now pink and raw fingers, I raced back to the bedroom and yanked on a long-sleeved t-shirt. It was August and extremely hot, but no one could be allowed to see this. This, whatever it was, because honestly I had no idea and it was kind of freaking me out.

Getting ready took a few minutes of grooming, my curly blond hair resisting the straightner with all its might. My face was paler than usual in the mirror, green eyes bloodshot. Foundation and some mascara helped, but I still looked like an extra for a zombie movie. I exited to the kitchen, doing my best to calm down. As a strong believer in the supernatural, these words were a huge deal. It could be a sign. I didn’t know from where, but surely it was important. A sign, just for me.

I knew it wasn’t so, but I chose to believe it anyways. I was making breakfast when my twin brother finally came down, clothes wrinkled and hair only slightly combed, yawning. “Good morning Zhenia!” I called cheerfully, plastering on a fake smile. “Ready for school?”

Zhenia didn’t respond, just grabbed a muffin. He was chewing when he looked over at me, brow wrinkling. "Aurore... Why are you wearing a long sleeve shirt? It's only August. You'll be burning up!"

My smile slipped and panic threatened. If my parents knew… "N-no reason. I'm uh. I'm a little chilly." I shrugged to prove my point. I know it isn’t convincing, but what else can I do?

When he left to finish getting ready, I sighed in relief.

Our mom called us to the car a few minutes later. My bookbag is a lovely dark pink, heavy with work from my advanced classes. After throwing it in the car and making sure Mom wasn’t looking, I pulled down my sleeve for inspection. The words were still there, darker than ever, somehow familiar.

I caught Zhenia staring, mouth shaped in a surprised O. There’s something in his gaze that says he knows something, but when I glared, he turned back. We piled into the car and I leaned against the foggy window, trying to ignore the tingly feeling on the skin of my arm. The surroundings demanded my attention, the natural habit of an artist to observe everything winning me over. I could barely glimpse swirls of color beyond the glass, a myriad of dark blues and greens, a faraway dream breathing colors into the living world.

My illustrious lordship, I'll show you what a woman can do.