Note: sorry, not much happens in this chapter! But here it is... there's going to be way more stuff happening in the next few chapters, and not just stuff with Erika. And all of y'all who review- you guys rock!





"Hey."

Adrian Garret glanced up from his sketch to meet the effeminate voice who had just commanded her presence. To his surprise, his eyes met Erika's.

"Hey," he replied nonetheless. "What are you doing?"

Erika sat next to him, with her arms dangling over her knees.

"Sitting next to you," she replied. "What, is that a crime?"

"No, guess not," Adrian managed. "Are you in the Cliffhangers?"

Erika grinned. "Yeah," she began. "You just haven't seen me the past few days because I've been a pain in the ass the past few days and was paying for it."

"Are you new here too?" he subsequently asked.

"Yeah," she said. "Just got here a few days ago," she added.

"So what do you think of this place?" he questioned.

She shrugged. "Fuck if I know. You?"

"I love it."

Erika's head snapped to face him. She was somewhat taken aback by his answer. "Whoa, strong statement there," she remarked. "Why?"

Adrian reflected before he responded. "It's like home," he said finally. "There's people I can actually relate to. The scenery is beautiful, too."

"Yeah, I guess that would appeal to you since you're an artist and all."

"It does," he agreed. "You don't think it's beautiful?"

Erika shook her head, but keeping his gaze. "It doesn't mean anything to me."

Adrian pointed towards the mountains that towered over all life. "Look. Look at the way the clouds hover over the mountains. Picture what it would be like to climb it, to reach the top and have your head in the clouds."

Erika shook her head. "See, I just don't think that way," she explained. "I'm not a dreamer."

Adrian stared at the girl before him with a knowing smile. "You know, I think the difference between you and I, is that I see the simple beauties in life. You're searching for them, but in vain."

Erika merely shrugged at his assessment. "Well, whatever."

Adrian flipped a page in his notebook. He shoved the notebook in her lap. "Here," he said. "Draw it."

Erika looked at him incredulously. "What? No."

"Why not?"

"I can't draw, and you know it," she said insistently.

"What does it matter?" he replied. "Depicting real-life objects just heightens your awareness of detail. Makes you realize that beauty is all around you."

"Not happening," she said, like nothing he said could change her mind.

"Here," he said, turning to her. "Want me to help?"

Her look was still incredulous. "I'm not drawing it, Adrian."

Adrian's eyebrows furrowed. "Why not? What's the big deal."

"It'll be a waste of time, and I can't draw anyways."

"Art is never a waste of time," Adrian said sternly, defensive. "Do you hear me?"

"Yeah, I hear your words fine,"Erika said, switching to biotch-mode. "It's too bad they're not registering."

"What are you doing here anyways, if I'm just wasting my time," Adrian said, transferring his gaze back to his notebook.

A pause. "I don't know," she responded finally.

Adrian furrowed his brows once again. "I deserve a better answer than that."

Erika rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'll draw it," she said, giving in. "But you're the one making a big deal."

"Alright," he said. "Just draw what you see. You see the way the mountain looks like that? Just draw it as you see it," he explained. He reached over and stoked a pencil across the page. In a few more stokes, an outline of the mountain took shape. "Like this," he handed the pencil to Erika. "C'mon."

Erika took the pencil from him uncertainly. She scrutinized the paper in awe, and shifted her gaze to the boy who had formed the lines on the page. "You really know what you're doing huh?"

He returned her gaze. "What? Yeah, I hope I do. I've done it all my life. It's all that I know."

She continued staring, somewhat uncertainly. "It must be amazing," she began. "To know what you were put on this earth to do."

Adrian blinked. "I just consider myself lucky that I discovered it so soon," he said.

"Everyday, I totally don't know what to do with myself."

Adrian was somewhat surprised at the statement. "Erika, what are you here for?" he asked outright.

Erika's stare switched to incredulous. "Excuse me?"

"Did I offend you?" Adrian questioned.

"What the hell do you need to know for?" Erika demanded.

"I don't," Adrian said. "I was just asking."

"Well," Erika said eventually. "I'll tell you one thing about myself. One reason I'm here. My dad- he's shit. I've never even seen him my entire life. I went behind my mom's back to contact him a few months ago. He lives in a prison. He was convicted of three counts of first degree murder. Can you believe that? Isn't it crazy?"

"Is he guilty?"

"How am I supposed to know. He said to me in letters that he was innocent, that.. Oh, whatever. I don't know what to think, honestly."

Adrian locked his gaze with Erika's. "I never knew my father either, you know. He died sometime around when I was born. I lived with my mom, we weren't too financially stable and moved around a lot. My one prized possession was this," he said, tapping the sketchbook. "But, you know, I was happy. I had my mom, she was such a strong woman. I have a lot of respect for that. But she committed suicide after some rough years. Life was hard, but she always told me never to give up. But she went and did it nonetheless. But I wouldn't dream of holding a grudge. I learned everything I know from her. She was somewhat of an artist, too. Not like me though, just in the way she saw life."

Erika blinked as she registered what he just told her. "So what happened?" she asked.

"What, after my mom died?" he asked. Erika nodded. "I was sent to live with my uncle Malcolm," Adrian shook his head as he spoke the next few words that came out of his mouth, a slight smile on his countenance. "He didn't understand me in the least."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. So he sent me here."

Erika looked at him in a side-glance. "You glad?"

"Like you can't believe. This place is my sanctuary. That's not the way you see it, I know."

"Yeah. I really don't know what to make of it, honestly," Erika said.

"What is there to make of it? What do you mean?"

Erika just stared at him, shrugging. Her answer could not be put into words. She felt harbored by this place, but at the same time, she desperately sought life for herself. She wanted her father, strange as it sounded. Sure, he was a convicted murderer, but he was still a human being, wasn't he? Just because he committed some horrible act, didn't strip him of his place as her father.

"You know, you have such chiselled features."

Her head snapped to Adrian. "What the hell, Adrian?"

"Your face is so well proportioned. You have a strong jaw."

She stared at him incredulously. "Yeah? So? What the fuck is up with you?"

His blue eyes met her green. "Can I draw it?" he asked.

Her stare turned all the more incredulous. "You want to draw my portrait?" she asked quietly. "What the hell for?" she demanded, her tone now loud.

"Do I have to have a reason?" Adrian questioned. "I want to."

"You're totally not making any sense," she stated.

Adrian's visage was unreadable. "Why does anything have to make any sense? Can I, or can I not?"

"Okay, you're freaking me out," she said. A slow, genuine smile subsequently spread across her face. "But alright, I s'pose you can."

Adrian smiled in response. "Thanks," he replied. "Just make sure you're facing me," he said, as he scrutinized her facial features and structure. "You have a beautiful profile, too," he commented.

Erika rolled her eyes at the comment. "Adrian.. Do me a favour and shut up."

He merely grinned. "I'll do my best."

Adrian stroked his pencil across the page. Erika sat there, feeling somewhat stupid, and surprised with herself for sitting there idly as a cute boy she had just encountered drew her portrait.

"Do you always draw people you just meet?" she questioned idly.

Adrian shrugged. "If it's worthy of my time," he said.

"I'm worthy of your time?"

Adrian glanced up from his page to meet her curious gaze. "I'm drawing your portrait aren't I?"

"Yeah," she responded, an incredulous, small, smile forming on her features. "I'm not sure why, but what the hell."

"I'm just going to draw a quick sketch, ok?" Adrian informed his drawing model. "I'll try to be quick, so you don't have to wait around so long."

Erika shook her head. "I don't care, Adrian. It's not like I'm drawn everyday. And it's not like I have anything better to do."

"Alright," Adrian said, as he continued gliding his pencil across the page in small strokes. He moved the pencil to the side and used one face of the lead to continue. The technique produced soft, dark strokes on his paper.

"This feels so fucking weird," Erika commented as she watched him work. Never before had she seen a concentration so intense as an artist's.

"What, that your features are scrutinized and put onto paper?"

"Yeah, something like that."

Adrian smiled slightly. "I promise, I won't make it look bad. With you as my model, however, I don't think it'd be possible."

Erika rolled her eyes in irritation. "Adrian, stop it."

"What?" he asked.

"Just, shut up and draw."

"Has no one ever told you how beau-"

Her gaze was commanding. "Shut up, Adrian, unless you want to be smacked."

His stare was somewhat bewildered, but his concentration returned to his work. "Alright," he said. He hadn't met many girls who were so irked at flattery, especially a girl as pretty as Erika. It wasn't like she exhibited a delicate or perfect beauty. It wasn't that at all. Her features were hard and angular, but there was a beauty there, in all its fierceness. It was in how her features were proportioned and conformed perfectly with her personality. It was in the depth and boldness of her eyes. It was a beauty unlike any he had ever seen, and he wanted to capture it.

"Here, I'm done."

At the announcement that he had completed, Erika leaned over uncertainly to see his drawing. As she laid eyes on the depiction, her eyes widened. There was so much depth and tone in the picture, a portrait to her broad shoulders. It was thoroughly shaded and depicting. As Erika stared into the portrait, she saw herself reflected in the bold, fierce eyes. The shading provided heavy contrast to the pale skin tone. She stared in awe. He had her features depicted perfectly. From her angular jaw, to her protruding cheekbones, they were all drawn before her. In the picture, her pale blond hair was upswept into a ponytail, as it was at that moment. She studied her portrait further. Her full lips were in a sly smile, one eerily reminiscent of the one set on her countenance as she studied Adrian's work.

As Erika tore her eyes away from the portrait, they turned to the boy who had produced the breathtaking depiction. She stared at him in awe and amazement. He had to smile at the look of wonder in her eyes.

"Holy shit, Adrian," was all that left her lips.

He shrugged. "You can keep it if you want."

Erika nodded. "Thanks, yeah, I will. I don't know what to say."

He shrugged again, maintaining her gaze. "You said enough," he said merely.

"It's like I'm looking into a mirror, you know that? You're one hell of an artist."

Adrian smiled. "It's all yours."

"Thanks," she repeated.

"You're welcome," he replied simply.

A solid gaze transferred between the two. It was interrupted when a figure came trotting over.

"Hey, Erika, up for some ball?"

Erika looked over, irritated, at the figure, none other than Scott Barringer.

"Yeah, just give me a minute," she said, not even glancing towards Scott. Her irritation was clear from her tone.

Seeing he had interrupted something, Scott said hurriedly, "K, see you on the field," and he trotted off.

Erika turned to Adrian, locking her gaze with his. "K," she began. "I gotta go put this away. Thanks, again."

She smiled, and he returned it.

She began towards the girl's dorm once again, when she turned around to face her artist. "Oh, and Adrian?"

Adrian glanced up to her, "Yeah?" he asked.

"Thanks."

"Anytime," he answered. Adrian smiled to himself as he watched her trot off to the girl's dorm.







Erika Lavalier entered the girl's dorm, to find the Cliffhanger girls crowded around Daisy's tarot cards.

Juliette glanced up as she entered the dorm. "Hey Erika. You're back early," she said.

Erika merely smiled broadly at the assessment, and walked over to her bunk to stash away Adrian's portrait of her.

Shelby's brows furrowed at Erika's response. "What's up with her?" she asked to nobody in particular.

Daisy smiled mysteriously.

It was then that Kat noticed the paper in which Erika held delicately. "What is that, Erika?"

"Oh this?" Erika said, lifting the portrait in all its splendour. "Adrian's doing."

"Oh my god!" Juliette squealed as she walked over to see it the drawing closer.

The rest of the Cliffhanger girls trailed after Juliette.

"Wow," Kat assessed.

"You know, I've been with Auggie for like a long time and he never did this for me," Juliette said to Erika. "It's so pretty!" Juliette continued. "Did you ask him to draw it for you or did he like, volunteer."

"He asked me if he could draw my portrait," Erika explained, as if still bewildered. "Yeah, I was confused too."

"So what happened?" Shelby questioned casually.

"Fuck if I know," Erika replied.

"Erika.." Kat began.

"No, seriously. I have no idea what the hell happened. It just did."

Juliette giggled.

"She's shy on the details, huh. I wonder what that could mean," Shelby contemplated.

"You're getting way off track," Erika replied. "Anyways, I have to get out of here," she said, placing the picture onto her drawer.

Shelby smirked. "Let me guess- the janitor's shed?"

Juliette giggled again.

"No! I'm going to play football with Scott," Erika explained.

"Yeah, sure you are," Shelby said.

Erika smirked and flung a pillow at her. She subsequently departed from the dorm.