Broken Pieces

Chapter seven

James drove me to the studio the next morning as planned. And I arrived five minutes early as I had planned to. After the other day's mistake I didn't want to go too early.

After we arrived, I'd told James to go back to the mansion, promising to call him to pick me up when I was done.

I was about to go in when I heard a somewhat familiar voice call my name. I turned to see Katherine walking towards me. She looked nervous and scared. She was so rigid with tension that I got a little worried.

We had only known each other for a day but her attitude was quite disconcerting to me. I felt like helping her and tried teasing her in hopes of lightening her mood.

"Is this the way you are before every photoshoot or are you just scared that I would come out more beautiful?"
        
She laughed and her body lost some of its stiffness. "Oh, I'm sure you would look better. I'm just afraid that your beauty will make me totally invincible."

I laughed too as we began walking into the building, feeling happy that my plan to lighten her mood worked.

"You really weren't just joking yesterday?"

I glanced at her, confused at her question and she clarified with a small smile. "The thing about not picking up your phone. I tried calling you at eleven pm but you didn't pick up."
        
I shook my head slowly and sighed dramatically. "I have my bedtime and if we are to be friends, Katherine. Never call me after ten pm, I'm a growing child and I need my beauty sleep."
        
She rolled her eyes at me. "You're no child, you are even a little too mature for your age and you can't seriously have a bedtime."

I gave her a look that made her eyes widen in realization and surprise. "You really do?"

I nodded and she gave me a weird look. "Do you still live with your parents or you just don't have a social life?"
        
I leveled her with an affronted look, feigning offence. "Well, I have being living my life that way and enjoying it. You should try it sometime."
        
We had reached the door of the studio at this time but Kate didn't notice. She was too busy talking. "I will try that, if you also try having a life."

I smiled as I heard the words I had heard from virtually everyone in my life.
        
I noticed that Katherine became tense again as she noticed we were about to enter the studio. I on the other hand, felt completely calm.  

So, maybe I was finally getting a hang of my anxiety issues.
        
People were moving around doing various things as we entered the studio — setting up equipments and what not. Marié came up to us immediately she saw us walk in.

She gawked at both of us and smiled. "I am so glad that both of you became fast friends." She turned to me. "If there is one person that can help you loosen up a little, it's Katherine."
        
Katherine smirked at me and Marié laughed at the look on my face. "Your haunted look gives you an air of mystery and is one of the things that makes you appealing but everyone needs to have fun at least once in awhile. Your conservative attitude shows you don't know what that is and don't want to."

Her words made me slightly uncomfortable. I wondered why a lot of people had been saying that lately. Marié suddenly linked her arms with mine and I flinched at the sudden contact, a reaction she noticed but ignored.

"Let me introduce you to the photographer, Katherine must have already met her at some point in her career." She said this while dragging me towards a woman casually dressed in faded jeans, a white t-shirt and white sneakers.

The first thought that came to my mind was how much I longed to be the one wearing that. But, Lucy and Andrea forbade me from wearing anything like that. They actually personally packed my bags to make sure.
        
The woman wasn't a great beauty but she was pretty in a severe way. She also looked close to thirty or more. She looked at me like she was studying me without glancing at Katherine, who also didn't acknowledge her.
        
"You are a walking art, no wonder you are popular with artists." I didn't know how to answer that since it sounded more like an observation than a comment.