Heir of the Champion: Chapter 1
Dream Painting
Stroke… Stroke…
The smell of paint filled the air as color was swept on the surface of the canvas. Stroke…
Blonde curls bounced and blue eyes sparkled with creativity as a paint brush glided across the paper.
A young girl, about the age of 15 held the brush expertly between her fingers as she globbed green paint on the bottom of the canvas. She quickly pulled the brush up in short strokes, the brush leaving behind small green streaks of paint.
She paused and flipped the brush so she could tap her chin with the tip of the wooden handle. She smiled and dipped the paintbrush in a cup of water beside her, which drained the color from it away, leaving it plain.
She stood up and took several steps back to admire her work.
The girl had a small and slender figure with peach skin and freckles dotting her cheeks and nose. She had gold waves of hair that tumbled over her shoulders and side bangs that framed her face. Bright blue orbs shone and complemented her dress that she was wearing. Her dress was dark blue, like the color of the deep ocean, and there was a white ribbon tied around the waist with the edges trimmed with lace, giving it a rather elegant look.
"... Just like the one in my dream…" The girl said to herself as she admired her artwork. The picture was of a white rabbit, its ears were pricked and eyes alert as it stared off into the forest of giant trees and big, blossoming flowers of all colors. It looked so real, you could hardly tell it was a painting at all.
The girl rubbed her cheek, leaving behind a smear of green paint on her face as she looked around her room, trying to find a spot on the walls to hang it up. Her eyes landed on a nice space above a white dresser, which seemed suitable for the painting to go.
"Eureka!" The girl announced with a laugh as she excitedly hurried over to the bookshelf and picked up a small box that fit perfectly in her hand. She popped the lid open and took two nails out, holding them in her palm as she put the box back down.
Next, she went to the canvas and picked it up carefully, putting the nails into place in the back of the painting before she stuck it into the wall.
"Finally, it's done." She sighed in relief.
The girl, known as Amelia Liddell, was the daughter of Alice Liddell. Alice had become extremely popular since her book was published, which held tales of queens, talking flowers and animals, and monstrous beasts such as the Bandersnatch and the Jabberwocky.
This book was originally a journal that Alice wrote as Amelia's bedtime story, but soon after, she published it and it became one of the best selling books in the country.
"Amelia! It's time for supper!" A woman's voice called from downstairs. "Coming, mother!" Amelia called back as she turned to the door and walked out into the hallway. They lived in a pretty big house, not necessarily a mansion, but it was still big. It belonged to Amelia's grandmother before she passed away.
Amelia walked down the hallway until she arrived at a spiral staircase, and she walked down the steps to get downstairs. Her mother, Alice stood at the bottom, wearing a dress of a similar color, but the design was different.
It was like looking into a mirror, Amelia was the spitting image of Alice, except Alice didn't have the freckles, and she looked a bit older than her daughter. Amelia has always been close with Alice, since her father passed away five years ago, they've been spending all of their time together.
Alice gave a small smile and walked up to Amelia, rubbing her cheek with her thumb. "You've been painting again, haven't you?" She asked. "… Maybe?" Amelia said with a sheepish smile.
"I can tell, you have paint all over your face and hands." Alice said as she crossed her arms.
Amelia looked down at herself and saw that she was right. Green, white and blue paint were all over her hands and up her arms too. "You'll have to show me the masterpiece after we eat." Alice said. "But you should probably go wash up first."
"Good idea." Amelia agreed as she walked past her and began to make her way down the hall.
She walked until she reached a door, which she opened and entered. There was a big bathroom with a wide mirror resting right above the sink. Amelia closed the door behind her and turned the water in the sink on. The warmth of the rushing water soothed her hands and washed the paint away. Amelia then cupped her hands with water and splashed her face, rubbing off the paint smudge on her cheek. She then added soap to her hands and washed the rest of the paint off, making colorful bubbles fill up the sink.
She put the soap back down, rinsed her hands and turned off the water. Then she turned to a towel hanging up beside her and she dried her hands off.
"And… done!" Amelia smiled to herself as she turned to the door and walked out. She brushed the remaining water on her hands off onto her dress as she walked, and she went further down the hallway before entering a large doorway. She went into the room, the scent of food making her stomach growl loudly.
"Boo!" Someone grabbed Amelia's arms, making her scream as she whipped around. Alice stood there with an amused look on her face. "Gotcha!" She laughed as she wrapped an arm around Amelia's shoulders.
"Moommm! That wasn't funny!" Amelia pouted. "It kind of was." Alice chuckled. "Anyways, let's go eat."
Alice took her daughter's hand and lead her over to a large table that had food platters on it. They were all covered with food cloches, which kept the identity a mystery. But Amelia could smell… Mashed potatoes, turkey or ham, bread, and maybe some soup?
They both sat side by side at the dinner table and three waiters and waitresses came into the room and took the cloches off of the food, revealing everything on the list that Amelia thought of.
"Yes! I love mashed potatoes!" Amelia smiled as she pulled the bowl over to her and she started scooping potatoes into her plate. "Also," Alice whispered in Amelia's ear, "I also managed to smuggle a cake inside, so we can have that for dessert."
The chefs that live in the house get jealous of other food easily, so they don't let anyone but them bring food into the house. And they can't bake either, so Amelia was impressed that Alice managed to do that.
"Oooh, it there an occasion?" Amelia asked as she and Alice started eating. "No, I just wanted something sweet that isn't burned pie." Alice said with a soft laugh. "Yeah, me too." Amelia smiled.
"So, what did you do today?" Alice asked. "I hope you at least went outside at least once."
Amelia stuffed mashed potatoes in her mouth as she thought of an excuse. "Uhh… I was busy!" She said quickly. "Plus, It's too cold outside, winter is right around the corner you know."
"Yeah, I noticed. So then you locked yourself in your room all day?" Alice asked.
"I… guess you could say that. But I was working on my artwork." Amelia said.
"... Now I really want to see the painting. You know what? Lets forget dinner. You go upstairs to your room and I'll bring the cake up there." Alice said, which made a huge smile appear on Amelia's face.
"Okay! I'll be in my room then!" Alice smiled as she shoveled the rest of her mashed potatoes in her mouth and stood up. "Alright, I'll be up in a few minutes." Alice said as she stood up as well.
The two then went their separate ways and Amelia made a dash for her room, throwing open the door and leaping onto her bed. However, she just bounced off and ended up falling on the floor. "Oof!" She squeaked as she landed on the carpet below.
"Well… That was unnecessary." She said to herself as she got up and dusted off her dress. She looked around her room and walked over to a small table in the corner. She pulled it out of the corner and put it in the center of the room, and then grabbed two pillows and put them on the ground for them to sit on.
"There. All ready for cake!" She said as she sat down on one of the pillows.
However, outside, someone was staring at her through the window, his nose twitching. "... Alice?"
To Be Continued...
(AIW doesn't belong to me)
