New Ways

FIFTEEN

Amery

We had a Digital Fine Arts workshop today, a class I shared with Derek instead as both Gwen and Jean-Pierre did not choose this subject as a final year elective. We had a wide variety of artists that contributed to digital fine arts museums across the country come down to Parmont to teach us about this area of specialisation.

Our facilitator for the day was showing us a short film about one of the most famous digital artists to date, Addie Wagenknecht. Interestingly, she was based in New York and one of her artworks, a chandelier made out entirely of security cameras, had been sold at an auction for $16,000 in 2013. The amount of money you get these days in exchange for just about any creative object that you are able to produce. Now that's the kind of money I want to make, for the kind of job that I want to do.

Derek was thoughtful enough to bring some homemade sandwiches knowing that I rush to school sometimes without bothering to eat the breakfast my maids had prepared.

"You have some more?" I giggled, pointing to his backpack. "I'm so hungry I don't even know why."

"Because you didn't care enough to sit down and eat the breakfast that's been served for you back home," he muttered matter-of-factly and handed me another transparent bag of sandwiches.

I shrugged indifferently and scanned the classroom as I continued munching on the egg mayo sandwich Derek just gave me. My gaze fell on a sleeping Seth, sitting diagonally two rows away from me. He had his arms folded and his mouth open, his head hanging from his neck and occasionally landing on Sigrid's shoulder. The girl would smack her brother awake from time to time when that happened, before turning her focus back to the huge projector screen in front.

Sigrid had her long brown hair down today. In a way her hairstyle was quite similar to my own, with curls at the bottom except that I think mine were of more volume than hers. I couldn't help but wonder what her real ethnicity was. Sure, everyone knows she had an Indian surname so that makes her Indian, but compared to Seth she actually looked more of a normal white girl than an Indian one. She had way fairer skin as opposed to Seth, who had darker skin and was a bit more... hairy. The only common genetic features that both of them shared were their hazel eyes and brown hair.

Could she be adopted? She was actually really pretty and Seth was, well, just average. They couldn't possibly be biological siblings, right?

I felt my cellphone vibrate in my blazer pocket and I placed my sandwich in Derek's lap while I fished my phone out. It was a text from Gwen that said, "Ladies'? Now? I'm in the next classroom and bored as hell. JP not speaking much."

"Where are you going?" Derek whispered alarmingly, nodding in the direction of the screen as I rose from my seat.

"Girl time with your sister," I patted his head. "You can have the rest of that sandwich."

I slowly slid out of my seat and tiptoed to the back of the room. I gently placed my hand on the doorknob and as I was about to turn it, the door swung open. Losing my balance, I fell on the floor and landed on my bum.

Great, just great, I thought. I only wanted to go to the ladies' and this was what I got.

Hearing the loud thud, the whole room turned their heads in my direction. I saw Derek bolt up from his seat, preparing to come to my rescue. But everybody froze when the girl who had caused me to fall on my ass spoke up suddenly.

"Did anybody see my phone?!"