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I don't own anything but Ellie, Jazmine, Charlotte, and the plot.
Chapter 2
"Hey guess what, guess what?" Ellie poked her shoulder with each word. Charlotte batted her hand away not even looking up from her from the glowing screen of her phone. "Charlotte, guess what!?"
"What?" she barked, slightly annoyed. After leaving Nelson and Murdock, she had visited three other firms. All of them turned her down, and rather rudely at that. She had had a long day, and wasn't in the mood for Ellie's childish behavior.
"I got a new job!" Ellie squealed, her green eyes practically glowing from excitement.
Charlotte placed her phone on the coffee table and grinned. "Oh my gosh Ellie, that's great! I didn't know you were looking for a job, though."
The younger girl merely shrugged. "Can't work at Starbucks forever, right? Gotta work my way up. And pay the rent. I ran into Astrid's friend, Vanessa. Me and Jaz used to hang out with her a lot when we were little. She works at an art gallery, and I stopped by there to see if I could get Madeline and Adrian a present for their new house in Queens. And when she asked about me paying, I told her I'd need to wait until I got a better job to buy the painting. And she offered me a job, right there on the spot!"
Charlotte raised an eyebrow. "You're going to have to dye your hair a proper color if you're going to have an actual job," she pointed out, gesturing to Ellie's wildly curly hair. It started navy blue at the roots, then faded to sky blue into teal, and then mint green at the tips. Everything besides the navy blue was extensions. Though it was gorgeous and suited her personality well, most employers didn't approve of it.
"I asked her about it, and she told me it was fine. Just need to take my extensions out. She did say I'd have to dress up a bit more to counteract my hair, though," Ellie replied. "Speaking of which, can I borrow some of your lawyer clothes? I don't have any professional looking stuff."
"Yeah, sure, just make sure to ask me first," Charlotte said, and went back to her phone. "When do you start?"
"Um, about that… I start tomorrow morning."
-o-
"Where is that girl?" Vanessa muttered, glancing at her watch. She had told Ellie to be at the gallery by six, if she wanted the job. It was already ten minutes past that, though she did know New York traffic had a tendency for being unpredictable…
"Hi, Ms. Marianna," Ellie greeted with a sheepish smile, surprising Vanessa. The girl had practically popped out of thin air; Vanessa hadn't even heard her walk over. Ellie's current attire was much different than yesterday's sweatshirt and leggings, much more formal and mature. Not revealing mature, but mature in a way that she looked like a woman, instead of a girl.
"I'm so sorry for being late, traffic was terrible and I was stuck on 15th for ages," she apologized with a small frown. "I'll try to avoid taking a cab next time."
Vanessa waved it away with a flick of her wrist. "Its fine, traffic is usually hectic in New York. Though you look very…" she paused, not knowing what to say without offending her. "…out of character."
Ellie gave her a shy grin, as if she had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. It made her look even younger than her nineteen years, and made Vanessa feel old in comparison. "These are all my roommate's clothes. I don't really own anything this professional. And judging by the way you dressed yesterday, I couldn't show up wearing a galaxy print hoodie and my Converse."
"I rather liked the galaxy print," Vanessa commented. "Very abstract." Ellie giggled in response.
"Well, I assumed your clientele wouldn't appreciate it as much as you and I do," Ellie replied. The older woman often forgot that Ellie was a legal adult – she seemed so carefree and joyful most of the time, and it was odd to hear her speak with such a vocabulary. Then again, this was the girl who started high school at eleven. She was incredibly smart, under her childish exterior and gleeful smiles.
How was she so different from emotionless and coldly logical Astrid, who – despite her flaws - was one of Vanessa's oldest friends and the closest thing Ellie had to a mother? And what had happened to make Ellie's sister so cynical and disrespectful, while Ellie was sweet as honey and forever optimistic? She may never know.
"You're just going to walk around, describing the paintings in a way that makes sense to you. Put as much emotion and detail as you can. If they ask about buying, steer them over to me," Vanessa explained when Ellie asked about her specific duties. "Just look at the paintings, and don't say what you see, tell what it makes you feel. And ask about what the client feels also."
Ellie let out a small laugh. "You sound like Jaz, when she was taking her psychology courses. But yeah, I got the basis of it. Thank you so much again, Ms. Marianna, for hiring me."
Vanessa gave her a small smile. "No problem Miss Dare. Just get to work."
-o-
"That reminds me of rain." Fisk glanced over at the young woman who had almost materialized out of thin air – one second he was alone, the next she was there, looking at the painting in front of them with a tilted head and her lips pressed together tightly. "The dark blues and misty greys perfectly embody a rainy and dreadful day, and the vertical brush strokes mimic rain drops falling from the clouds. It's as if sadness, sorrow, and depression were all painted into a canvas. It makes me sad just seeing it."
"What's it called?" Fisk asked, raising an eyebrow, eyes still on the girl. She wore a gauzy mint blouse, a black pencil skirt that depicted a Monet-like floral pattern. Her hair, which was so black it almost looked blue, was pulled into a bun on top of her head, a few loose curls framing her face. She was barely five feet tall and couldn't have been more than sixteen – what was she doing at an art gallery?
She merely shrugged. "I dunno, actually," she admitted, her bluntness almost childlike. "I'm BS-ing it as I go along. Probably 'The Storm Within' or something philosophical. You'd have to ask Ms. Marianna."
"Can I help you with something?" he asked finally, becoming slightly irritated by her dismal answer.
"Actually I'm supposed to be helping you," the girl replied cheerfully, either unfazed or ignoring his annoyance. "I work here," she informed him with a huge smile. Most people would say it was fake, but she just seemed too happy for it to be anything but genuine. "I'm Eleanor Dare, or just Ellie. Can I help you, sir?"
The name sounded vaguely familiar. "Did you grow up here?" he asked. "In Hell's Kitchen?"
Ellie nodded enthusiastically. "Born and raised. My mother moved here about twenty or so years ago, right before I was born. You'd probably know her – Jessica Dare?"
"Never met her," he replied, though he had heard of this woman before. The name Dare was also incredibly familiar, dancing on the tip of his tongue. He would have to ask Wesley to investigate this girl.
"Bummer," she said with a frown, but quickly brightened back up. "Are you looking for anything specific?" she asked suddenly. "Realistic, modern, pop, abstract…?"
"An abstract painting would be nice," he said finally, after a few seconds of thought.
"You might want to go ask Ms. Marianna then," Ellie concluded, gesturing to an older (older than Ellie, at least) woman with wavy, shoulder length hair wearing a plum dress. She was rather attractive, at least to Fisk she was. "I'm not really an abstract person, to be honest. But she's all about emotions, and being honest about what you feel, and all that mushy stuff. I prefer pop art, or impressionism myself."
"Very different styles," he commented. "Though I feel as if pop art suits you."
Her smile was like the sun – bright and radiant and beaming. "Thank you! Now, go talk to Vanessa. She doesn't bite. Usually. Just don't make her angry. Good luck!"
We shall meet Astrid - Vanessa's friend and Ellie's mother figure - in the next chapter.
I don't know exactly what chapter I'll work Jazmine into though. But she will be there somewhere.
-MJ2001