MY LITTLE ARTIST

ONE

Camila

Dispelling the vivid rumours that I was a lost cause had been more than exhausting over the past few years, let alone this stupidly long summer. Sonja had requested my dosage of zombie pills to be upped while Wanda worked daily to feed me until I could no longer eat.

They assumed that my years worth of negative report cards could be cured with pills and stacked plates, my social worker believed therapy and a friend would suffice instead.

Personally, I just wanted to escape them all!

Thankfully, my wish came half true. As of today I was officially a student at the Miami Arts and Literature College, live in campus and finally detached from my chaotic and heavily unwanted 'family'. A fresh start was exactly what I needed.

"Camila? Do I have a Camila?" A young but camp teacher spoke, I raised my palm from the middle of my first class "Come with me baby, just a quick word!"

I stood with a clamped jaw while the new faces followed me out of the room. I hadn't even opened my note book and already I was in some kind of unknown trouble "So nice to meet you! Just this way!" I followed the suited man with a slow stride, breathing through my nose silently as I contemplated my actions from the empty dorm to the so far teacher-less class.

I really hadn't done anything wrong yet?

"What did I do?" I asked "Is breathing a crime now?" The man laughed "You're not in trouble Camila, I'm Sam, head of student well-being!"

Gasp.. clearly my fantasy of things being different in college were just that.. a fantasy!

"My well-being is just fine" I mumbled.

"Listen" Sam turned half around "I'm not here to ambush you! Just wanting to give you a warm welcome!" I paused, rejecting his invitation with folded arms. He sighed, lowering his head with a slow smile "I'm sorry, I understand this is a lot on the first day! I promise, next time I won't be so abrupt"

I rolled my eyes into the wall beside me "Can I go back to class now?"

The man looked defeated, sad he couldn't coax me into his predictably camp office "Yes, that's fine!" He replied "Please do come and see me after though, I just want to go through some things with you!"

"I thought it was just a welcome!" I spat, now irritated by the not so subtle 'check in'

"It is! But a welcome is something I prefer to carry out in detail! I want us to start off the year with a positive relationship!"

I scoffed under my breath with a sarcastic smile, turning away from the man to return towards the class I had tried so hard to be early for. I couldn't help but be annoyed, my reputation this far in life wasn't the best and I'd promised myself that it wouldn't continue in college.

Thankfully my teacher hadn't yet arrived, I sat back down at my paint covered desk and glanced across the room at the various canvases and brushes that decorated the space like a hoarders show room.

I had always loved art, when I was younger I used to paint the walls and cut up Sonja's favourite magazines to make collages about Greek gods and conspiracy theories. My dream was to go to school for creativity, make a career for myself and escape the life I was so bored of living.

"You need to get your supplies out, it was in the brief" a small voice from beside me spoke "I don't mean to sound rude, just you look miles away!"

I turned my gaze towards the blonde braids with a vacant stare "I'm Nova!" She smiled, awkward but relatively harmless "Second year, I had to retake because I got sick, long story!"