“You know what?” Georgie looked from the handprints to her friend. “That’s what I call art!”
Elenna giggled. “So do I!”
Georgie walked around the room to look closely at the walls. “You really have talent in painting. It all looks so amazing.”
The younger girl smiled shyly. “Thank you. I learned it from my mom.”
“My mom would never have done that with me. She wanted every corner of the house to look spotless. My dad would probably have done that with me but since neither he nor I could paint it’s definitely better that we didn’t do any experiments with the walls.” Georgie smiled as she turned around. “I once got in trouble because I painted over a really valuable, antique painting that my mother had inherited from her family in France. I hated that picture because the woman looked kind of creepy, so I took my finger-paint and painted a huge smile, big eyelashes and rosy cheeks over her ugly face.”
“How old were you?”
“About six, I think.”
“And what happened?”
“My mother was always really calm and never raised her voice or anything, but that day she really upset. I was lucky that my dad always defended me, because if it would have been for my mom I would have been grounded for at least a month.”
“Wow…” Elenna raised her eyebrows. “Was your mom that strict?”
“I wouldn’t really use that word to describe her but she was way more disciplinary than my dad. She was a bit like-“
“What on earth are you doing here?” Lewis just walked in, looking anything but friendly.
“Yes, she was a bit like Uncle Lewis, although they are not related”, Georgie said, ignoring the strict glance of her uncle. Elenna, on the other hand, felt her heart racing and she reached out for her friend’s hand.
Lewis stared at the fairies and mermaid as if he’d never seen anything more absurd.
“Auntie allowed us to paint the walls.”
“I know she did. And it looks…it is...nice.” He didn’t really know what to say because on one hand he was impressed by the little girl’s painting skills, but on the other hand he was shocked what they had done with a room that had cost him more than a good car. Instead of the expensive wall paper that was worth a fortune he now looked at half-naked women with wings and fins.
“Don’t you like it?”, Georgie asked.
“No, it’s…it’s very interesting.” He cleared his throat.
“So why are you mad?”
“Have you looked at the time, Georgina? It’s past midnight.”
She blinked innocently. “Already?”
He crossed his arms, looking strictly at the young girls. Elenna stared at the floor because he frightened her. “Go to bed now, both of you.”
Georgie sighed. “It’s not like we’re staying up that long every night. You’re always so buttoned-down! ”
“Do not talk to me like that, young lady.”
She rolled her eyes and mumbled ‘I’m sorry’, then she turned to Elenna. “You’re going to sleep in my room tonight, and tomorrow we’ll clean up the rest, okay?”
Elenna nodded. “Okay.”
“Good night, grumpy”, Georgie said teasingly as she walked past her uncle who didn’t show any reaction.
“Elenna”, he said, ignoring Georgie. The younger girl held her breath as if he pointed a gun at her. “I talked with the director of the school, and in the first week of January you will take the exam so they can evaluate your level. Is that okay for you?”
She nodded, obviously relieved.
“Do you need help with the studying? I’m afraid I can’t be of much help because I will barely be at home the next weeks, but I could hire a tutor. There are also many books in the library, just have a look. I don’t think Georgina will be much help either…” He looked at his niece who was very tempted to stick out her tongue at him, but she didn’t want to cross the line. She knew that provoking chief prosecutor Lewis Gilmore was not the best idea.
“Thank you, sir”, Elenna replied shyly. “But I think I can do it on my own. As long as I have books I'm fine. “
Elenna giggled. “So do I!”
Georgie walked around the room to look closely at the walls. “You really have talent in painting. It all looks so amazing.”
The younger girl smiled shyly. “Thank you. I learned it from my mom.”
“My mom would never have done that with me. She wanted every corner of the house to look spotless. My dad would probably have done that with me but since neither he nor I could paint it’s definitely better that we didn’t do any experiments with the walls.” Georgie smiled as she turned around. “I once got in trouble because I painted over a really valuable, antique painting that my mother had inherited from her family in France. I hated that picture because the woman looked kind of creepy, so I took my finger-paint and painted a huge smile, big eyelashes and rosy cheeks over her ugly face.”
“How old were you?”
“About six, I think.”
“And what happened?”
“My mother was always really calm and never raised her voice or anything, but that day she really upset. I was lucky that my dad always defended me, because if it would have been for my mom I would have been grounded for at least a month.”
“Wow…” Elenna raised her eyebrows. “Was your mom that strict?”
“I wouldn’t really use that word to describe her but she was way more disciplinary than my dad. She was a bit like-“
“What on earth are you doing here?” Lewis just walked in, looking anything but friendly.
“Yes, she was a bit like Uncle Lewis, although they are not related”, Georgie said, ignoring the strict glance of her uncle. Elenna, on the other hand, felt her heart racing and she reached out for her friend’s hand.
Lewis stared at the fairies and mermaid as if he’d never seen anything more absurd.
“Auntie allowed us to paint the walls.”
“I know she did. And it looks…it is...nice.” He didn’t really know what to say because on one hand he was impressed by the little girl’s painting skills, but on the other hand he was shocked what they had done with a room that had cost him more than a good car. Instead of the expensive wall paper that was worth a fortune he now looked at half-naked women with wings and fins.
“Don’t you like it?”, Georgie asked.
“No, it’s…it’s very interesting.” He cleared his throat.
“So why are you mad?”
“Have you looked at the time, Georgina? It’s past midnight.”
She blinked innocently. “Already?”
He crossed his arms, looking strictly at the young girls. Elenna stared at the floor because he frightened her. “Go to bed now, both of you.”
Georgie sighed. “It’s not like we’re staying up that long every night. You’re always so buttoned-down! ”
“Do not talk to me like that, young lady.”
She rolled her eyes and mumbled ‘I’m sorry’, then she turned to Elenna. “You’re going to sleep in my room tonight, and tomorrow we’ll clean up the rest, okay?”
Elenna nodded. “Okay.”
“Good night, grumpy”, Georgie said teasingly as she walked past her uncle who didn’t show any reaction.
“Elenna”, he said, ignoring Georgie. The younger girl held her breath as if he pointed a gun at her. “I talked with the director of the school, and in the first week of January you will take the exam so they can evaluate your level. Is that okay for you?”
She nodded, obviously relieved.
“Do you need help with the studying? I’m afraid I can’t be of much help because I will barely be at home the next weeks, but I could hire a tutor. There are also many books in the library, just have a look. I don’t think Georgina will be much help either…” He looked at his niece who was very tempted to stick out her tongue at him, but she didn’t want to cross the line. She knew that provoking chief prosecutor Lewis Gilmore was not the best idea.
“Thank you, sir”, Elenna replied shyly. “But I think I can do it on my own. As long as I have books I'm fine. “