Checkmate ⚢

Chapter 41 Fireworks

A loud voice boomed out over the microphone, announcing the start of the evening's festivities. It was the end-of-year party, and the Neos Athens University amphitheater had been turned into a dance floor, complete with banners, posters, balloons, and a hired DJ that Samantha recommended.

"WHO'S READY TO PARTY?!"

And an answering resounding cheer rose from the crowd, with the throwing of balloons into the air.

"IT'S THE END OF THE YEAR, SUMMER'S JUST AROUND THE CORNER, AND IT'S TIME TO CELEBRATE!"

For the Neos Athens University students, it was just the time to celebrate indeed. Final exams were finally completed, and the seniors were nervously awaiting the start of graduation and job searching.

Although all these aspects were important to Althea, Hana everyone, the current celebrations were directed at a different achievement: Their representative's win from the Ainsley Fine Art International Competition.

After some time they came down the stairs and into the amphitheater where a crowd had begun to gather in anticipation of the fireworks, Samantha and the others had found a table near the corner and were crowded around it on benches and chairs.

"You're here!" Liezel danced up to them in delight, carrying a glass of fuchsia liquid, which she thrust at Hana's hand. "Have some of this!"

Hana squinted at it. "Is it going to turn to make me release gas through my mouth or the other?"

"Where is the trust?" Liezel's eyes narrowed. "Anyway, it's yummy. Althea?" She offered her the glass.

"I think it's strawberry juice," Althea said, receiving the glass.

"Althea, I don't know what happened but you're too trusting with Liezel nowadays."

"I will take my chance," Althea said, sipping the juice from the glass. "Connect with other people, and your dreams will grow, right Hana?"

"I don't think that's what the passage means..." she said carefully.

"Hey, Hana!" Samantha called from the group, motioning for her to go near. Hildegard Natalya stood beside the redhead, drinking what seemed to be the same punch as Althea.

"Yes?"

"I really have to ask because I'm still confused but what does the fifth work even mean?" Samantha said.

"When traditional and modern powers mingle, the gate to an unseen world will open," Natalya repeated the verse.

"Yeah," Samantha said. "But we need to get more than that because we can't comprehend what it means."

Hildegard only nodded.

Hana's lips curled upwards. So her friends had been discussing the thematic significance, composition, and photographic attributes of her collaboration with Althea until now and she was embarrassed to admit that she hadn't explained it quite well to people who weren't that informed with art.

"Okay so you see," she began. "Traditional in this case means painting and modern means photography. An artist is born with certain instincts that continue to live within. Photography had its own particular set of challenges, and I had a lot of learning to do. But eventually, I began to feel similar creative energy to Painting. Althea also feels the same way with Photography—no paints to mix, brushes to clean, or heavy canvases to lug. Although in the end, we realized that the passion in us never left. We only changed tools and found ourselves improved when we returned to our old tools."