Page 6 of Fire of the Fox

“No, ma’am.”

“Wonderful! I was hoping I could have a word with you then.”

My stomach dropped, but I kept my polite face in place. I followed behind her towards her office, but the entire walk, I was frantic on the inside. My nerves bounced around my gut as all the possible reasons for why she needed me floated around my head. We were only two weeks in. Had I already done something wrong? I made a mental list of all the homework and reading assignments we’d done. Could I have missed one? I didn’t remember not doing an assignment, but maybe that was the problem.

Once in her office, she shut the door behind us. “Go ahead and take a seat, Bria.”

I swallowed hard as I sank down in one of the brown leather chairs across from her desk. I decided to focus on the details of her space to keep my mind busy with anything except my mounting worries.

It was then I noticed all of the stunning paintings hanging around her room. The majority of them were landscapes, and each was beautifully detailed. The artist had a clear and steady hand with a unique vision of the forest, ocean, and meadows. The attention to detail, along with the vibrant color scheme, was a dead giveaway as to who painted them.

“These are paintings by Luca Romano,” I said with awe flooding my voice on his name. I tried not to focus on how embarrassingly that had come out as Professor Lichen rounded her desk.

Luca Romano was an Italian painter, and he was someone I had admired for as long as I could remember. He was a prodigy, a truly gifted artist who transported his viewers into every painting he did. If he painted a mountain range in winter, you could practically smell the fresh scent of newly fallen snow. If he painted the forest in fall, you could hear the chime of the wind blowing through the autumn leaves. If he painted an ocean, you could almost feel the sand beneath your feet and in between your toes. He was who I aspired to be as a painter.

Painting was my entire world, which was why I was majoring in art. Well, sort of. My major was technically art education. My dream was obviously to be a painter, capturing the beauty of the world within my brushstrokes. The thought of painting the things I loved always made my heart swell with an undeniable passion.

But it wasn’t realistic.

There was no guarantee that my paintings would make me money, so my Plan B was to be an art teacher. Close enough, right? Yeah, not really, but it was a bitter truth I’d had shoved in my face my entire life.

Some dreams just couldn’t happen the way you wanted them to.

Professor Lichen sank down in her desk chair. A light filled her eyes as she addressed me. “That’s right. You know of Luca Romano?”

“Of course,” I said, eyes wide and excitement bleeding into my words. My previous worries of why she’d called me in here were momentarily forgotten and replaced with my need to gush with a fellow fan. “He’s my favorite painter. I have photobooks of his paintings and prints of his work in my room back home.”

Her expression turned warm then. She settled her hands over a folder on her desk and leaned forward. “Well then, that’s going to make this conversation even more exciting. I’m actually good friends with Luca Romano.”

My composure broke, and my mouth fell open. I nearly slipped out of my chair in my effort to lean in closer.

“What? You are?”

“I am. I’m also involved in the study abroad program here. Have you ever thought about studying abroad?”

“I mean, I haven’t actively thought about it, but of course it’s something I’d love to do if given the chance.”

“I’m glad, because I think I have a great opportunity for you.” She grabbed the folder and held it out for me. “We have a program for art majors where you can study abroad in Italy. One of the most exciting parts about this program is that you get to study under Luca Romano himself.”

My brain stalled, and it took a moment for me to recover from my shock. “L-Luca? The Luca Romano?”

She laughed. “Yes, the Luca Romano. There are, of course, other great classes and experiences that come with studying abroad there, but that’s definitely a big one.”

I flipped through the papers in the folder as I tried to process what Professor Lichen was telling me. There were pamphlets of a few different types of lodgings, a mock-up itinerary of the different museums and trips students would take, and all the amazing courses that would be offered. There, among the course work, was a photo of Luca Romano on a stool as he focused on the canvas before him. The breath in my lungs got stuck as I studied the image of the man.

Never did I think I’d meet Luca Romano. He was like a god in the art community, and I was a mere peasant among the thousands. Who was I to even dream of meeting him, let alone be given the chance to study under him? It felt like my heart was going to explode thinking about it.

“After looking over your high school portfolio and seeing the final product of your first piece for class, I really think you’d be perfect for this program.”

I swallowed hard and tried to calm my racing heart. “Me? Really?”

“Really. It’s a once in a lifetime chance, and I know with the skills you already have, Luca can help you hone that talent even further. You could go far in this industry.”

“I-I—” I gave a small laugh and shook my head.

This day had started like any other, yet now I was faced with the greatest news I could ever have been given. I was at a loss for words as excitement stole them right from my lips. My dreams, my future, my hopes suddenly seemed possible. It was as if they were being handed to me on a silver platter.

No more pointless wishing.

---