"She looks knocked out."

"How long was she outside?"

"I saw her lying there when I went to the parking lot."

"Hey! She's waking up!"

Alice opened her eyes slowly and saw four people standing around her. "Where am I?"

"You're awake!" a silver-haired girl squealed. "Billy, get her some warm water."

"Here you go." A long-haired blond boy handed Alice a glass. "Drink slowly. You don't want to rush yourself."

"But what am I doing here?" Alice asked drowsily.

A bronze-haired boy helped Alice up from the mattress. "Have you any idea how long you were unconscious in the snow? You could've died if Chan hadn't went outside."

"Joe, that's not important. What's important is that you're safe and sound." replied the Chinese girl. "Guys, we need to go back now. She's coming back."

I really should rest. I don't even remember where I came from. With the four of them gone, Alice closed her eyes and slept, but the bright lights penetrated through her eyelids. It wasn't until a figure appeared above her and blocked the lighting that she opened her eyes again. Who could that be? I thought they left already.

"Are you okay?"

Alice looked up to see a girl about her age with long, black silky hair, saffron eyes, a bag of art supplies on her shoulder, and books in her hands. She was clearly an avid student of literature and art. The girl set down her stuff and touched Alice's forehead. "What happened to me?"

The girl giggled and replied, "My colleagues found you outside lying down in the snow at the parking lot. You were really unconscious, and they gave you the best medical treatment they knew. Luckily, you had only hypothermia. Nothing that turning on the heater and adding layers of clothing plus blankets can't handle. Your forehead's sweaty. I don't have towels with me, but here's some tissue."

Now I remember. I was exiting the workshop when a blizzard struck. Alice took the tissue and wiped her forehead. "Thanks, uh..."

"Call me Shona. Who are you?"

"Alice."

"Welcome to my house, Alice. This is the guest room. You can go back home if you want, but I suggest you stay until you've completely recovered."

"Okay. I think I'll stay." I can't even go home right now, and going home would mean seeing Shun again.

"Great! But I can't really talk to you right now because there's an art fair in the grand ballroom right now. Plus, my personal art studio has to be cleaned up after what just happened."

"What happened?"

With Alice following behind, Shona went out into the hallway then downstairs and opened the set of double doors to her studio, which was a black mess. "Everything just suddenly burst into flames, and the fire took a long time to take out. The only thing that survived was a painting of a girl and roughly the art canvas on the opposite wall. I'm not concerned about the painting, but the canvas can't get ruined. What's my brother going to think? He built this studio for me as well as that ballroom. See for yourself."

Her brother built this? All by himself? I bet she won't tell me his same, so I won't even bother asking. Alice looked inside the art studio and gasped at how horribly burnt it was. "How is that even possible? What could've caused a fire to start in such a wide and air-flowing place?"

"I know, right? At first, I thought that my oil paints and paintings caught on fire by ember or something, but that didn't sound right. The only thing I could do was to cut off all openings or sources of oxygen and fuel. The fire did burn itself out after half an hours...along with other prized artworks of mine. Then there was the canvas..."

"That must have been a painful sight to see something that you love get taken away." Alice understood how Shona felt, but she experienced that pain in a way that was far more painful than a seeing a burning art studio. "Shona, is there a way that we can restore the studio to normal?"

Shona sighed deeply and replied, "We can, but it's going to be really hard to get enough supplies to take place of the materials destroyed in the fire. My main concern is the canvas on the opposite wall."

She's mentioned that canvas for the third time now. What's so important about that canvas? "Why is the canvas so important?"

"It's next to where my easel used to be. I place my artwork on it so they don't get stepped on, or accidentally transfer paint onto the ground. It's really expensive and difficult to find and buy now."

"Why don't I clean it up for you? You should focus on the art fair. I owe it to you for saving me, so this is my way of repaying you."

"Well..." Shona said hesitantly. "If you really want clean up the studio, then go ahead. Just pile junk on one side and what looks like usable material on the other. There should be a broom and a dustpan in there. I'll be in the ballroom if you need me."

Alice went inside the studio and carefully walked around the debris. "A lot of this stuff is still in good shape. Look at this painting." She walked over to the easel and stared at the painting of a navy-haired girl sitting courteously and smiling. "Thank goodness this masterpiece isn't destroyed. That would be a terrible waste."

She stepped closer but felt something under the part of the canvas she stepped on by the easel legs. "What a minute. Something's under here." She lifted up the part of the canvas that covered part of the ground. "It's a basement door? Why would anyone build a basement in here?"

Alice locked the double doors and pulled up the handle of the basement door. She descended the stairs to the basement, which was also an art studio but more musty and crowded. Despite the lack of creativity, the wall to her left appealed to her very much.

"A mural of a bug's-eye view of the grass and flowers in a meadow...I've seen this before."

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

"Shun, what are you doing?" Alice called as she walked down the steps. "I didn't know you knew how to paint. Need help?"

"Sure, I could use the extra pair of hands. Taking an art class this year sure came in handy. I had no idea that we had to participate in the annual Mural Paint Out held by the Art Department."

"I remember that. I was in the Paint Out last year. Let's paint." Alice took a thin paintbrush and outlined whatever Shun just painted. "Is this your first time taking an art elective?"

"Yeah. How did you know that?"

Alice stood up and giggled, leaving Shun confused by her actions. "I've taken art for at least three years and can tell that you're painting with the simple techniques. Watch." Alice took Shun brush and repainted the yellow daisies that Shun was working on. "Flower petals should be painted outside-in, not inside-out. See? They look more vibrant now."

"You're right. Is there a technique for painting grass? I want to make a swaying grass scene on the bottom."

Alice stared at Shun blankly. "Seriously, Shun? You can invent that."

"I'll do that...someday." Shun continued to paint the daisies as Alice worked on outlining.

It was about time for Alice to move up after finishing the bottom art, which was retouched by other veteran art students present, so she took a stepladder and stepped up. "Looks like you improved on the flowers. Want me to teach you how to make flying flower petals?"

"Alice, do all your art classes that you took involve drawing plants?"

"The collective term was drawing 'nature', but I can draw other things too." Alice leaned to the side to paint a bird. "See? A graceful sparrow in the—oh no!"

"Alice, watch out!" Shun immediately dropped his supplies and went over to catch Alice, who eventually opened her eyes after seeing that she wasn't falling. "Thank goodness you're okay. I think I'll work on the top part while you work on the bottom."

"Good idea. Actually, I think know a technique for painting grass, although it wasn't quite meant for painting grass. Want me to teach you?"

"Yeah. You can do that as a way of thanking me for catching you."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. I was kind of expecting that..."