THEY ARE MY LIGHT. (MDLG Story.)

THIRTY-ONE: Meeting big Aubrey!

[THIRTY-ONE] [Another LONG ASS CHAPTER LOL!]

(Time Skip 5:00 a.m. Wednesday Two days until Christmas Eve!)

Aubrey Barrett's (POV) (ALL)

Groaning, I roll onto my side and rub the sleep out of my eyes before blinking several times. Looking over Mom to the clock on the nightstand, I roll my eyes when I see it's just after five in the morning. I hate waking up so damn early!

While I'm lying here I try to think back over the last day, but I don't really recall anything. I know I slipped when Mom was giving me a bath, so I figure I must've been in my newborn headspace.

Well, there's no point lying here trying to remember something I won't be able to and I know I'm not going back to bed anytime soon, so I may as well get up and ready for the day. This is probably a good opportunity to work on my last painting as well.

Without another thought I scoot out from between Mom and Ma, before making my way to the bathroom. It doesn't take me long to wash up, pull my hair into a french braid and get dressed in some paint clothes, before I head off to my studio. But first, I'll make a stop at the kitchen to grab some snacks to hold me over until breakfast later.

Leaning on the open fridge door for support, I consider my drink options. I decide to just grab an orange juice because apple will definitely make me hyper if I slip later. Not wanting anything too heavy this early in the morning I also grab a banana from the fruit bowl, then spin on my heels and make my way down the stairs to my studio.

Looking around as I stretch I consider what I should do first. I need to update my painting schedule, so maybe I should do that while I finish my mini-breakfast and wake up a bit more. I like to keep this schedule because it keeps everything organized and when I open my own gallery it's definitely going to come in handy. It will allow me to track how long each piece takes, especially when I'm working on a commission for a client.

It doesn't take me long to update my schedule and have my snack, but now I need to concentrate on the canvas that I've been frustrated over for the last week and two days.

Nibbling my lip, I flip the cloth away from it before stepping back and staring at my work so far, which unfortunately is not a lot. Usually with portraits I would be half done by now, but not with this one.

I have the base and background done, along with the first layers of the people, but that's where my issues seem to start. I've managed to outline their facial features and do some of the shading, but every time I try to put more definition, it all just seems wrong.

Sighing, I wrap my arms around myself and look over what I've done so far, every which way I can. As I do, I go over in my head all that I learnt from Mom and Ma about Alcina and her parents, and consult the almost hundred photos they were able to get for me to work off.

But even with all of this, I'm still not able to figure out what's missing. I mean, I chose bright and natural looking colors because I want it to be happy and loving, not dark and dreary, but that doesn't seem to be enough.

Portraits are my specialty, I'm so good at them that you wouldn't know it was a painting unless you were so close that the tip of your nose was touching it. But portraits are nothing if you can't show the life in the subject and I think that's what I'm best at, showing someone's soul.

With an audible gasp I finally realize what I've been missing! "That's it Aubrey! You haven't captured their soul!"

Smiling, I tilt my head and nod, sticking my tongue between my teeth while I concentrate on the painting that has caused me so much stress. Working slowly and meticulously I paint every single detail with the tiniest of brush strokes.