Graphite || h.s

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

A soft humming filled my ear, as gentle strips of sunlight floated into the window. The humming sound was coming from outside somewhere and, slowly but surely, it was beginning to lull me to sleep. The flick of my wrist became lazy, and my pencil strokes lighter. Before long, I was struggling to keep my eyes open and the art work on the desk in front of me started to blur.

"Sadie?" My eyes snapped open as I turned in my chair, distributing my attention to Cara, the face to the voice.

"What?"

"Can I see your work and copy some of it?"

"Sure." I mumbled, blindly clutching the piece of paper I'd been drawing on and passing it over. Returning my focus back to the window, I watched as small insects scuttled across the ground and swallows wings breathed with the wind.

Art class was always a little monotonous, but it gave me time to think, and observe the world. Nature always seemed just that little bit more beautiful during art class. Usually because I had minutes to throw away and appreciate that which the eye often chooses to ignore.

Sometimes, I didn't even focus on what was happening outside. Sometimes, I'd concentrate on the people inside the room, watching their movements, their interactions, their facial expressions.

The one that most intrigued me most though, was a dark, mysterious one who always slid himself into a seat at the very back of the class. I didn't know his name. He didn't appear to be very social and seemed like the guy in class that spent the lesson drawing tattoo designs, instead of what he was supposed to be doing. His own skin however, didn't show any sign of permanent ink anywhere.

I collected a few more sheets of paper from a tray in the corner of the room, and reseated myself, pencil in hand. I knew what I wanted to draw. I had the image in my mind. Softly grazing my pencil against the paper, I began to tactfully draw a set of eyes. The eyes were enclosed by thick eyelashes, and the thick brows were knitted together. By the eyes, lay small crinkles and the eyes looked almost tired. I gently shaded the surrounding skin, and signed my name in the corner, before looking carefully at the drawing. It was just a quick sketch, but somehow it looked so realistic. The eyes captured the light in the right way, and even the eyebrows were both exactly the shape I wanted.

Folding the piece of paper, I stuffed it into the front pocket of my jeans, placing my pencil behind my ear. For a while, I sat once more in a comforting silence, until the sound of the school bell interrupted my thoughts. Slinging my small satchel onto my shoulder carelessly, I escaped the quiet of the classroom and joined the chaos of the hallway. Shoving and pushing ensued, all carried out by people much larger than myself.

Being small sucks. It really does.