Canvas Skin

The only sound in the spacious white room as she worked was her soft humming. The wide windows let in plenty of sunlight, but none of the noisy traffic on the street below. She got up from her seat at the high, empty table and went to the other side of the room.

From the row of stretcher bars lying against the wall, she selected two sets of matching ones and carried them back to the table with her, still humming.

”You’re a diamond that I’m afraid to touch,” she sang quietly.

She climbed back onto the tall stool, setting the bars down onto the white table, next to her staple gun. She slid each end of the bars into each other to create a large rectangular frame. As she bent over the frame, her thick glasses started to slid down her nose. She pushed them back up with the back of her hand, and brushed some dark hair from her face.

”You’re damn near flawless…”

The sound of the staple gun as she squeezed the trigger was painfully loud and she winced. She secured the corners of the frame together, and pulled on each side, to make sure they were stable. With a nod of satisfaction, she rested it against the side of the table.

She set a roll of canvas that would the fit the width of the frame down onto the table and rolled it out to the correct length. She picked out her shiny, brand new X-Acto knife from her bucket on the table and grinned. Just as she pulled off the safety cap, the door on the far side of the room slammed open.

“Jill! Jill! Jill!”

She jumped and the blade slid across her fingertips, slicing open the calloused pads. A few drops of blood dripped onto the canvas, stark against the plain fabric.

August came running into the room and skidded to a halt in front of the table. Her hip bumped into the edge, causing the frame to fall down, and the roll of the canvas to tumble over the edge of the table and roll out across the ground.

“Oops, sorry Jilly,” she said, but she didn’t sound sorry at all. “You will never guess what happened!”

The grin she threw at Jill showcased her perfectly straight, white teeth. There was white blonde hair falling all around her angelic face and her cornflower blue eyes were wide and sparkling.

“I go the spot for Fashion Week! I’m going to be walking in a Michael Kors show! Can you believe it?” she squealed. “I am so happy.”

“Augs, I have no idea who that is,” Jill sighed.

“You don’t have to know who he is. Just be happy that my model dreams are finally coming true!” She glanced down at the paints, brushes and canvas laying everywhere. “Now clean up this stupid art mess so you can go get ready. We are going out tonight!”

August clapped her hands together, and the metal bangles on her wrists clanked together loudly. In that moment she looked so perfectly happy and completely oblivious to her vivid flawlessness that it made Jill’s chest ache.

With one last little squeal she left the room, slamming the door behind her. Jill watched her go, blood still dripping from her fingertips. She shook her head and went back to cutting out a length of canvas, humming softly to herself once more. Blood smeared into the rough fabric as she worked.

”You tear this canvas skin apart…”