I watched as the artist before us presented her series of paintings of the flowers in Central Park. Jean was leaning against the steel frame that held our photos. He seemed just as nervous as I was, but he hid under a calm exterior. These were the times that I was thankful for being able to suppress my emotions.
"Now for our final presenters, Jade McKnight and Jean Umberland." I nodded at the guide and pulled the curtain away from my photos. Pictures of sketches from my mom's old lines, our friends eating at New Amity, .99 caliber casings sprinkled over red cloth, and there was a single photo of a dismantled gun in front of a rose bush.
"From fashion, to my friends, to even the weapons that are concealed in society. I give you photos from my life, but I do not tell you the meaning of them. We all view the world through different eyes. Therefore, I leave the interpretation of my world to you all." I stepped down from the mini stage and watched as Jean took is watch out and checked the time.
"A record time, Jade. Nicely done." He flashed a smile at me before putting the watch away and standing in front of his curtained photos. "I have spent the last week with my camera and the city around me. I went to Central Park, to Long Island, to the construction sites, and I ended my journey at my home, The Lochmount. In each location, I have identified my view of beauty and preserved it in my photos. Of course, you all do not want to hear the process... So without any further delay, I give my art."
He pulled the curtain down as if he were a matador. The violet fabric dropped to the ground as the crowd edged closer. The sunset over a skeleton building, the close-up of a camellia, the waves tunneling as it reached the shore, and the final photo was of myself when I was with Claudia in the school garden.
The crowd applauded us, our work. We presented separately, but we were a single group. My mom saw me from her spot in the crowd while my dad was glaring at Jean. He probably did not like that photo of me. As I went back on stage, the guide led the group away from us.
"You were amazing." I didn't look at him, but I did my best to sound happy. He slipped his hand under my chin and forced me to look at him. His eyes were back to their normal golden-purple. I smiled and pulled my chin away from his grasp, now is not the time. "Though, I would like to know how you got that photo of me."
He laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. "Would you believe me if I said I climbed a tree and took it before passing out?"
"Maybe."
"Maybe?" A smirk crept to my lips as I began to walk towards the group. He was still trying to explain himself when I reach Katherina and Claudia. The three of us shared jokes before walking to the buffet table. Stevie and Darrin stayed behind to help Jean pick up his jaw.
"What happened?"
"Yeah, Jean is acting like a lost puppy."
"Nothing major. I…" I stopped walking and looked at him from the corner of my eye. He was back on his feet with the guys at the desert table. They were talking in hushed tones as my dad walked by them. "I need to go check my final painting. Be right back."
I made a beeline to the mini stage and picked up my finally photo. It was of the party from when I met Jean. Out of all my photos, this was and always will be my favorite. The dresses, the people, the set up, and sitting at the table was Jean with his stare fixed at the camera. We never met before that, but it felt like I've known him since before that.
"The good old days." I traced his head and closed my eyes. I have always been a forceful kid, but I didn't force his feelings. The very same feelings that he made clear tonight. Covering the photo, I stood up and spun around. My dad stood behind me, so I nearly rammed into his chest. "Oh, damn."
"Can we talk?" He took a small step back and stared at me. His stare wasn't the usual cold and amused one, but somewhat happy and caring. It was kind of comforting. "Please?"
"And yet he has manners." I sighed and linked arms with him. He lead me through the gallery rather stiffly. His eyes looked nervous, as if someone he knew would see him. "What's up?"
"I'll have to get used to walking with my family in public. Things are very different back home." He patted my hand and stopped in front of a painting of a rose garden. "I love your mother, I was surprisingly glad when I heard that she was pregnant. The day you were born, I ran throughout the house trying to find out which room you and your mother were in. When I heard you cry, I walked in and saw you swaddled in her arms. You mother had me walk over to the bed before handing you to me. Oh, how you were small. Even then, you refused to do what you were expected when you were expected to do it."
"That's great, but…"
"You cried when you first saw me, we managed to get you to stop with a bit of difficulty. Right after, you opened your eyes and I felt a bit glad. Every part of you was like your mother, even the small bit of electricity that came from your hair. It was your eyes that gave you away as my daughter, the color and the look you give to people you see." He smiled to himself, we continued to walk through the gallery. I raised an eyebrow at him and he laughed, it was genuine. "You still look at people the same way. It's as if you are amused to see them, ready to kill them, or you are hiding something. I handle business associates the same way, but when I look at you with that same look… I guess you can say that I am proud to call you my daughter."
"Thanks, but where is this leading?" I loosened my grip on his arm and turned to face him. His lips were pressed together tightly and his jolly look was replaced with that of seriousness.
"I want you to know that I never wanted either of you two to leave. In that way, I can be overprotective. Exposing you to such a large world, I wanted to keep you away from it. To keep you where everything was familiar to me. Your mother thought that it would be best to bring you here before returning home. This way, you can protect yourself." He stopped in front of a drawing of a witch with a vampire and a werewolf. It was drawn by Lira Smith, she always did find ways to mock me. "Do you know the truth about where I live and what I do?"
"You're a mafia boss in the Country of Hearts. Before meeting mom, you flirted with Alice constantly. The queen is your sister and you have a hare along with two boys working for you. About everyday, you have a tea party and you do not care what time period it is… To you, every time change is tea time." I snaked my arm away from his and turned to face him completely. He starred at me with a mix of shock and pride. "Did I forget to mention that in this world, you are nothing more than a book character?"
This caught his attention, I laughed as he tried to make sense of the situation. Everything about him was written in a story in this world. Just not my mom or Jean's parents. It was as if they never existed there.
"Really? Calisto never told me." He ran his hand through his hair as he spoke. I laughed lightly and watched as he registered this information. "She doesn't know does she?"
"Nope. Only my friends do. We know all about the Country of Hearts, Clover, and Diamonds. I will say, besides you, the Tweedles are my favorite characters." I held my chin and thought about it a while longer. A scowl slowly formed on my face as I though of Alice loving just about every man in the countries. "Alice, you bitch."
"Exactly my thoughts about her." A small smile formed on his lips. I smiled at him and let him lead me through the gallery. From the back of my mind, I could imagine what the Country of Hearts looks like. Hatter Mansion was/is my house, the queen is my aunt, and the my dad is a tea-loving badass. "Now do you see why you can't go to California?"
"Forget the west coast, Wonderland sounds badass." I leaned on his arm as we walked over to the group. Mom smiled at us while the others looked shocked. Claudia and Katherina were practically beaming with their smiles, I could feel their fangirling. "As long as I can bring all of my friends."
"Naturally." He whispered his answer in my ear. I let my ears perk up before going over to my friends. They greeted me warmly while their eyes wandered back to my dad briefly. I swatted their arms every time Claudia or Katherina looked at him. Mom must have done the same when dad smiled back at them.
"Pack everything that you were planning to take to Cali, we are going to our home." I looked at Jean while taking, but I was addressing everyone. They nodded and we shared a quick group hug before the finalists were announced.
"Jean Umberland and Jade McKnight, Claudia Lunar, and Darrin Price. Please bring your final pieces to the main stage." I instantly took Jean's hand and dragged him over to our mini stage. We took our final photos and ran back to the main stage. Darrin had his last painting behind him while Claudia held her last sketch tightly. "First, Darrin."
"A shadow's light and a fire's ice." He showed a painting of an icy flame casting light in the otherwise dark painting. The announcer nodded and then motioned to Claudia. "Now, Claudia."
"A Cheshire's final smile and the moon's final stage." Her sketch had shadows in the corners, but there was a cat's eyes and smile. The smile had no teeth, but it made sense as she turned the painting to it's side and the cat suddenly became the night sky under a crescent moon. Another nod from the announcer and Jean lead me a little further up. "Finally, Jean and Jade."
"A stranger turned friend..."
"A friend turned partner." Jean and I revealed our photos and held back our expressions. Jean's photo was of when he caught me after I fell out of a tree. There were leaves in my hair and in his, we were smiling like idiots and we didn't care. His dad must've taken the photo and he must've touched it up.
"Thank you, the results will be announced shortly." We walked off the stage and left our pieces up on stands. Everyone talked until he returned. "Jean and Jade, come claim the prize."
