Our Family Portrait

chapter 7: life goes on

Trigger warning for SA.

KYRAH'S BIRTHDAY had finally come along, and with it she was sixteen.

Her birthday landed on a school day and Kyrah treated her birthday like any other day because she had no one to celebrate with.

In the past, her mother had always been delighted to celebrate her birthday. She allowed Kyrah to stay home from school and they would bake all day while they watched movies. It was magical.

Now, Kyrah spent her birthday waiting for it to be over.

Kyrah requested for a day off from work at the convenience store which Mr. Tan Ramos had gladly accepted. He had told her to relax and enjoy her special day which she had laughed at and assured him she would.

Kyrah placed a soft kiss on Noir's head as she wore her sneakers at the door. The weather was getting colder and she had her coat and backpack on. Noir was at the door of the apartment, eagerly meowing.

"I gotta go Noir, or else I'll be late," Kyrah said with a small frown. The kitten had meowed as if disagreeing and Kyrah couldn't help but laugh. She made sure to fill up Noir's food and water bowl and with a quick kiss to her forehead, she was out the door.

Kyrah had visited Dr. Right's office about a month ago, and had been glad to hear that Noir was completely healed and so was her wrist. She had realised that she didn't know Noir's gender so she had been referring to Noir as 'it' which she didn't like.

Dr. Right had been happy to tell her that Noir was a female, and even offered her a black collar for the kitten, which she had gladly taken.

Dr. Right has assured her that if there was anything she needed, if she had any concerns, she could always come back to the clinic.

As Kyrah stepped off the bus and walked into the halls of her high school, she felt the dread of a long day weighing on her shoulders.

Kyrah didn't get a "Happy Birthday" from any teachers, even when they could see it was her birthday through the school's attendance database. Walking through the halls, it almost felt like it wasn't her birthday.

It wasn't until the end of the day that she received a phone call from an unknown number.

Kyrah picked up the call and slammed her locker shut after she placed her textbooks inside. She had a Calculus test soon and her essay about Othello due in English Lang tomorrow which she still had to get to.

"Hello," Kyrah greeted as she walked out of her school building, with hundreds of other students looking to get home.

"Hello, I am looking to request a painting from Rosa Nera,'' The voice replied as he seemed surprised by the sound of Kyrah's voice. She was used to her clients being surprised by how young she was and sceptical of her work, but when they saw the final product, they never complained. It was a deep voice, firm and commanding as the speaker had a light Italian accent. It reminded her of her mother.

"Speaking, what would you like?" Kyrah replied as she walked over to her school's field, away from the noise.

"I would like a portrait of a woman with olive-tone skin, short brown hair and brown eyes, with light freckles dusting her cheek and a bright smile. I would like for her to be holding a black rose," The voice requested.

Kyrah nodded as she pulled out her notepad and wrote down the man's description.

"Any particular choice of clothing?" Kyrah asked as some of her clients wanted the portraits to replicate lost photos and distant memories.

"A white top is fine, and I would like for the background to be a beach with bright blue skies and the crashing waves of the ocean," The voice replied with a thoughtful hum.