The Rebel

V

My mind wanders while the pencil is dragged along the cream sheet of my newly returned sketchbook, doing as it pleases without my knowledge of the outcome. Sharron is humming along to the silent melody of a song only she can hear. It's a rather pleasant tune for most of my focus to lean into.

This is one of the reasons she's perceived as a strange character. She has an easily lost temper, one that I've only seen fully snap once - it did terrify me to my core. However, very few stick around long enough to witness the contradictory part of her personality which is docile and homely for my soul. She knows when she's done something wrong, and despite her pride, she will apologise to set the record straight.

Just like every other time I need fresh air, she's brought us to the only open park in town - our spot. It's one of my favourite places to come to when life is piling on top of me. The wildlife is protected, accommodated for. The vegetation is always in a vibrant state, to match the season. Animals roam freely, as it is their right to do so. After all, they live out here and we don't.

There have been countless times where I've just waited in a tree to draw a wild stag passing through, to capture a lively bunny hopping around as it explores the beautiful surroundings it knows it belongs in. Those are some of my favourite pieces, art that captures a moment in someone else's life.

Normally, when I pass through, it is during the day. Tonight, the sky is blotched with ink. A certain 'je ne sais quoi' is creating a mystical atmosphere. An aura of busy peace as the city thumps in the background, while a place of true nature crawls along at its own pace.

As it is a frosty night, my eyes are able to detect the waves of the icy breeze waltzing across the steady pond. The rays of light from the close-by buildings stretch over the horizon, posing as stars since the polluting smog removes the real burning balls from view. It's disappointing how the world owns no care for what we need to survive, no admiration for what was here before us. It won't be long until we are suffocating by our own reckless behaviour.

There was a movement made by an ever-growing corporation to make the world eco-friendly. Most countries have joined the bandwagon, investing in affordable preservations. Our city is taking its time to open their eyes, always looking through rose tinted glasses as though they are superior because they have money - as if that is going to protect them when the world falls into chaos.

With my phone hanging from the gap in my teeth with a string, it paves the way for my graphite to twirl from outlines to shadows of the cityscape. The tiniest details of each object must be appreciated. There's a tiny gap in an alleyway that I have left blank, hoping to incorporate my handsome shadow later on - if he allows me to do so.

"How's it coming along?"

"The scenery you haven't been paying attention to, or the sketch?" I giggle. A sharp sting ignites in my thigh from where she's hit me for being cheeky, nothing new really.

I pass over the mass of pages, the book is going to run out soon. I sit back, absorbing the full image in front of me while she inspects my rough work. I love to recreate sunsets and city nights. Even with the bright hues of the multicoloured lights erupting around us, it has still been rather simple to make it seem dark and hopeless.

"Even with the hints of colour, it's still eerie. You're getting better at this. Are there faces in the lights?" She wonders vocally, my eyebrows scowling from the odd question. Resting my head in her neck, it is revealed that I have in fact drawn demonic faces in each buzzing burst of electricity. "I guess so."

Dropping the pad into my bag, I allow myself to breathe freely for the first time today. "So what's going on? You've been avoiding your family an awful lot lately." Shrugging back to her, I collapse onto my back in the hope she'll drop it.