The Lost Girl (Complete)

Chapter Twenty Six - The Art Studio

Mind still a mass of questions by the time that Celestia was able to sit down with a cup of tea, she knew that the only way to settle down would be to speak to Sang.

She knew that it was getting late but with no one else to speak with, there didn't seem many other choices.

With the phone on speaker, she sat almost frozen as the sound of someone picking up at the other end filled the room.

"Hello. Blackbourne residence," the male voice greeted politely.

"Ah, hi, it's Celestia," she replied, wincing at the timidity lacing her words.

"Hey, sweetie. It's Uncle Sean. Is everything ok?"

Celestia smiled, "Yeah, I think so but I was wondering if Sang might be home?"

"She's not at the moment but she'll be back in about an hour. Is it anything that you can talk to me or one of the others about? Or, I can come and pick you up if you'd like."

Biting her lip, Celestia realised that her need for answers outweighed her embarrassment. "Well, you might actually be able to tell me something since you knew my mother when she was young." Taking a deep breath, she began to explain about the visit from the mysterious Derrick and his desire to meet with Sang, her voice growing slightly hoarse by the time she managed to get everything out.

Sean remained quiet, only making an encouraging sound when she hesitated over describing the reaction that man had had when she'd told him about her mother's death.

A sigh sounded through the speaker, "I never expected to hear that name again. Yeah, we all knew Derrick back then. In fact, most of the guys here grew up with him but the last I heard, he left for the military while his parents and sister all split off to go their separate ways. He did seem like he cared about Marie when she was about seventeen but since Sang had already cut her ties before then, I can't answer any questions about what might have happened between them."

Trying to quell the surprising disappointment brewing in her chest, Celestia rubbed at her eyes tiredly and tried not to notice how uncomfortable she felt sitting in the otherwise empty house. "Thank you for telling me about him anyway. I wasn't sure what to think when I saw him standing in front of the house."

"That's no problem at all, sweetie, but you know that if something like that ever happens again you shouldn't get out of the car. It could've been anyone and if they'd decided to attack you..." He left the sentence hanging as she felt the colour slowly drain from her face.

"Y-yeah, I didn't think too hard but next time I'll just keep driving."

"Good girl. Do that and call one of us. We'll definitely come, ok? Now, about Derrick. I'll let the others know and you've given me his number so one of us will give him a call. Did you want to come along if he does want to meet up?"

"Yes, please," she answered with certainty. "It will probably be my only chance to find out what happened back then. He might know what happened to her." He might even have an idea about who her father was.

... ... ...

Propped on a stool, with her hand moving gently, Celestia was grateful for the chance to lose herself in the painting. The few days since meeting Derrick had seemed long as she also tried to acclimatise to both college and work but she was most certainly loving how filled her life suddenly seemed. The inclusion of the noisy and overwhelming Blackbourne clan made her past life seem like a bad dream - and that was definitely something she could never have imagined.

"Interesting," a voice murmured from over her shoulder, the sound startling her as the classroom and other students suddenly came back into focus. "The colours are soft and very subtle in some places but I can tell even after this short time that you know exactly where each line should go. It's wonderful to see that your mind's eye can so wonderfully be transferred to the canvas," the man laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, smiling with a sage wisdom that she could never hope to achieve, "but there is also much to be said for painting with pure emotion rather than trying to put together a picture. Perhaps that's something we can work on during your next assignment, Miss Blackbourne."