Hasn't anyone ever told you not to Blink?
Blink and you're dead.
Blink and you're forgotten.
Don't Blink.
You've been warned. Good Luck
x x x x x x x
Meet Tunbridge College's walking mystery. A girl named Blink who eats candy to quell her smoking u...
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The bids of the other artists went quickly. They were introduced along with their paintings and after a small speech in thanks and luck to the winners, the sell was announced and they were ushered off the stage. The only participant left on stage was Blink who stood with her hands clasped behind her waist and her gaze focused on the ground.
Finally, Justin smiled at the sight of the brunette showing some kind of nerve. Maybe it wasn't nerve but it was the shy, innocent stance that rang false. She was quite the opposite actually and Justin smiled at the defiant girl. She could definitely put on an act.
"And now the remaining artist" the crowd was already up and on their feet, cheering endlessly while the speaker strained to be heard over the excitement. "How rude of us to keep her waiting" the crowd laughed. "Mr. Konstantinov's lovely artist... The Green-Eyed Beauty!"
Moving from behind the podium, the man kindly nodded at Blink, who of course returned it, before he moved on to shake hands with James. James took a confident stance behind the podium, gesturing to the framed canvases that were wheeled onto the stage behind the artist herself.
It was awe-inspiring...
It really was, but even a girl like Blink who was usually an expert at keeping her emotions in check began to feel a little guilty.
She was all for breaking rules, whether it be at school with Rellik or at an auction with James posing as some middle-aged man from another country to pull peoples money out from under them. But when it came to something that really mattered to her, something she usually invested so much time in, she didn't think she would be able to take peoples money and give them amateur work.
Hell, she was surprised no one had called her out on it yet. She wasn't one to brag— No, never. She knew half of the things she did in her life were shit, but even she could understand that these painting were subpar compared to her actual work.
"How lucky she must be to have such a positive response, yes?" James asked the crowd through a husky chuckle.
Still Blink looked at the ground, refusing to acknowledge the hundreds of people who looked at her with such admiration. She hated the attention honestly. All she did was simply paint a blank canvas and suddenly people were itching to meet her, to get to know her and buy whatever they could that had her name in the corner. No matter the cost.
"I'm sure you'd be happy to tell us what you have for the crowd today" his eyes were on her.
Another round of applause began as James swept a large hand from behind the podium and out towards Blink who stood at center stage.
In seconds the crowd's roaring applause settled to slow claps, which soon diminished into dead silence. They were waiting for her to start, to introduce her work, so that they could catch sight of the girl actually standing next to the work she'd perfected.
"Babe" Jameson muttered, smiling out to the crowd uneasily even though their eyes were still trained heavily on Blink. He'd introduced her minutes ago and as the minutes rolled by, her silence was beginning to get a little strange. "You'd be happy to show them, right?"
"Yes... I suppose," she flashed a tight smile to James quickly.
Walking steadily over to the row of canvases, she picked the one farthest to the left, sighing in relief when she caught Justin's naughty wink at her. If only she could grab his hand and squeeze it until all of her problems melted away like they usually did when it was simply the two of them.
"Boys" Blink gestured politely to the few men who had rolled the canvases onto the stage. As per usual, in an unrehearsed count to three, the plain white sheets that shielded the artist's works would be revealed. Urging the middle one to stay untouched, Blink counted fast and quick, not wincing as James did when the pulled sheets revealed blank canvases.
Not a single drop of paint laid upon the canvas, not even her signature, which Justin was pretty sure would still sell. These people seemed crazy over Blink's work and when the building suspense led to utter disappointment, he had no idea who to look to. Blink who stood with her back to the crowd as her eyes squeezed closed or James who looked livid.
As the crowd began a chorus of angry testaments and worry filled glances, Blink moved back to center stage. Her hands moving back behind her back and her eyes focusing on the angry individuals below her.
It was like now that she knew her canvases were disappointments and people were unhappy with her product, she could finally look them in the eye. As Justin continued to watch from the side, he sighed at what he was seeing.
The only reason Blink could now stare these people in their face and smile politely at their distress was because of her mother and the tight embrace she still had around Blink and her decisions. It was a sick kind of torture— Blink only finding satisfaction in herself when others were thoroughly put off by her and her actions.
James quickly worked to have the crowd silenced and as soon as his wish was granted, he too was glaring at Blink waiting for an explanation. Where the hell were the paintings everyone had bid on?
"As you all probably know, today I'm doing things a little differently" Blink spoke hesitantly, her words quiet after being put on the spot. She didn't need the mic because everyone in attendance was quiet enough to hear her whisper if she truly wanted to.
"The work my manager and I had originally planned to sell today was..." She trailed off for a second before shrugging nonchalantly. "We can settle and say, those works were not up to my standards. And for you, my buyers, you shouldn't accept anything less than perfection"
More of her mother's words...
"Unfortunately, like the other artists here, I don't have a portfolio for you today and I do apologize sincerely. Instead, I have only one frame that I'm willing to sell today. Willing may be an incorrect term, I admit" she cheesed, earning a laugh from the crowd.
Finally they were loosening up, their grim faces relaxing and their square shoulders easing back into their chairs. "This painting is very special to me and if I don't believe it gets a bid worth my time or its sentimental value, I will exit the stage along with my manager and my work."
She stood quietly for a few seconds taking in the nods of compliance and waiting for a single form of rebellion. She received none and with the lick of her lips, she turned and grasped the white sheet hiding her only true canvas.
