Checkmate - Chapter 12: Chapter 12

Earlier that morning, Althea forgot one crucial detail. She wasn't one who could forget that easily but because of her jumpy nerves from excitement and anxiety, she has a predicament to deal with now.
After reading Joshua's text that he'll be on his way to get her, she walked in slowly towards her painting room. Professor Tosca was already stationed in her seat and reading a magazine as usual. But today, it was about video games.
When the Italian professor noticed her, she said, "As always you're in time, Miss Lancaster. Come let's begin."
"Actually Professor, I have something to tell you."
"Oh?" Professor Tosca clasped the magazine shut and crossed her legs, "Sounds important."
Althea bit her inner cheek, ever since she lost her spark in painting; her mentor was there for her all the time.
Professor Tosca would give her painting lessons in her free time and they never went off schedule. Practicing and following their schedule was important for both of them with their busy lives. The Professor was strict and so was she.
They had their life rhythm blended harmoniously to accommodate each other. That is, until now—where Althea had to apologize for the disruption on the day itself.
"First of all, I'm in deep gratitude for all that you've done for me."
"Let's not make it sappy, Althea."
Althea smiled. "Yes, of course, Professor. I fear we can't continue today's lesson for I had a previous arrangement that I failed to mention to you before today."
Professor Tosca's eyes widened. She crossed her arms in deep stun that Althea feared that the woman was sent into shock. She finally mustered. "What arrangement is it so that you would give it a higher priority than this?"
"You said so yourself I should find myself a muse," Althea said. "And I'm certain I had found one."
Now Althea was sure that Professor Tosca was turned into stone. It was a long time before she even blinked. "Oh Nine Muses, Althea! Finally, a boy has earned your interest!"
"Umm," Althea's gaze fell to the floor, her cheeks warm. "It's not a boy."
"Oh!" Professor Tosca said, "Forgive me for implying, is he just a friend?"
"Even better," Althea couldn't help but grin. "I found a girl."
Professor Tosca bolted to her feet, startling Althea as she placed both her hands on her student's shoulder. "I'm so ecstatic for you, Miss Lancaster! And a girl, is she truly the one who can inspire you? Tell me, dear child. Did you ask her to become your model?"
"I did. And she will agree once I agree to be her model as well."
"Oh?" Professor Tosca raised an eyebrow. "Is she a painter too?"
"You could say that," Althea said, meekly. Unknown to her how her mentor would react. "She's a photographer."
"Oh," a disappointment was evident in her tone. "But she must be excellent at it if you found her so inspiring."
Althea's gaze bravely met the Professor's. "Yes, and she's wonderful."
"I see." Professor Tosca tightened her grip on Althea's shoulders. "Go get her, may the Nine Muses smile upon you today."
Althea loved the fact that Hana was serious in this. It made asking Professor Tosca for a break in painting lessons worth it.
Hana was clever, in a strange sort of way, but that didn't diminish her capacities as a person—or even as a photographer—on the contrary, it only amplified them, because she could see the world differently than others. But in a way, Althea found that charming about her.
Once and every while, Althea found herself staring at Hana's thighs, for Hana looked pretty in those red shorts and the orange jacket that she would most certainly dispose of once the sky starts blowing cold wind.
Often, Hana chose to speak about the unlikeliest things in the world and—by the end of what would be the most chimerical conversation of one's life—people would suddenly find themselves either charmed by her passion and deep-rooted convictions or completely averse towards her openness.
Althea was brought out of reverie when the strange girl who has been giving her condescending looks went out of her way from the props area and stood next to Hana, initiating a conversation with her.
She didn't hear the girl's question but Hana's voice was loud enough.
"Well, Andromeda always says that you will discover a lot about yourself through your photography."
"Seems like she says a lot of quotes," Liezel commented.
"Yes, she does!"
"Is that really hers or was it paraphrased?" she grinned, loving the rise she was getting out of her.
"Liezel!" Hana glared. "Is this you implying that she's a copycat again?"
Liezel merely snickered, the way her visible eye crinkle was enough to tell Althea that the Filipino girl had gained the same interest in the girl that she had laid eyes upon, and Liezel watched Hana with the same inquisitiveness and same desire to get to the bottom of her secrecy; she offered her help whenever she would seem in need of a hand and more than once had Althea noticed Liezel eyeing Hana's behind.
Something alien stirred inside of her, like a brewing a witch's cauldron the more she focused on them. So Althea decided to ignore them—ignore the feeling.
Everyone was, for a couple of minutes, productive until their nostrils whipped up an enchanting smell. The scent was apparent now, their stomachs anticipating being full but they try to ignore their innate desire, so they merely indulged themselves with the sinful aroma.
"Okay!" Hana suddenly yelled, "Wardrobe change and next location!"
Fallon checked their schedule with a pen. "Okay, next location is by the grove."
"Eh?" Hana asked. "It is?" She gazed back to the sky, unknowingly narrowing her eyes as she placed her pointy finger and thumb under her chin. "It's too early for that. I want the trees to give me some flares from the golden hour."
"Oi!" Samantha barked. "Don't tell me we're going to change schedules again!"
Hildegard hummed, crossing her arms with a pout.
Samantha had more to say. "If you change your schedules on a whim, why the fuck do you have to send us copies of your written schedules? Fallon even printed them out and handed them to us for you!"
"That doesn't sound really good at all," Natalya added.
Hana gave an awkward laugh, "S-sorry."
Fallon sighed but understood. "Now now, Hana is a creative girl and she does tend to change decisions often for the love of art. Our job as her friends and co-workers is to trust her judgment as she does to us."
"Well," Liezel drawled. "It does sound good if you put it that way."
Hana bared her teeth at the strange girl which made Liezel smile at Althea in a mocking sort of way.
Althea was about to ask what the second location but was interrupted when everyone speeded up on their tasks. She didn't want to destroy the structure of concentration. Althea didn't wait for Fallon or Natalya to inform her of what she should do next for she completely knew what clothes she should wear for that. She headed towards the trailer where she remembered to have last seen her luggage, and upon finding it in a dark corner of the changing room, she dragged it along the floor and placed it near the bed. Upon a closer inspection of this place, despite the fact of how rowdy the American girl was, she was the daughter of someone wealthy.
Althea opened her luggage by the locks and then rummaged through the many layers of clothes and purposeless items alike to find suitable attire for an elegant tea party.
She then heard light footfalls towards the door before it creaked open. Althea turned around to see Fallon with a heart-warming smile. "Do you need some help with your clothes?"
Althea found it easy to smile back. "Yes, and thank you."
A few minutes in, she got dressed quite fast, thanks to Fallon's help. They both proceeded outside to find a wooden folding table was neatly arranged just outside the gazebo as it overlooks the lake, a white table blanket on top of and the stylish manner in which Natalya had placed the cutlery upon it.
The table was laden with a feast fit for the royalties themselves, whole wheat bread baked by Natalya, topped with thick golden honey, layered cakes, cupcakes, and tarts. Raisin-filled muffins, savory meat-filled with pineapple sauce or olive oil, three kinds of different salads, all with chopped lettuce and baked tomatoes, and four different types of tea in four pots. There was also a huge bowl of grapes and other freshly picked berries that were in season.
She also saw Joshua's red and black chessboard on the table.
"Oh," Althea mused. Hana had so many ideas that she spiraled all into today's shoot. No wonder why she's restless and Hildetantly changes her ideas.
Joshua stood beside her, his face arrogantly amused. "I'm afraid I'm fairly ignorant of the fact that you also look stunning in red as well."
Althea didn't have the energy to be bickering with him. "Joshua, I prefer boys who sit still and look pretty."
Before Althea's remark was completely understood by her childhood friend, Hana went over to her side. Her eyes shining like stars and her mouth dropped to the ground.
Somehow, Hana's gaze, although in awe, made her aware of how unusual her fashion style is. Clad in a white long-sleeved shirt, the collar upturned with a black cravat around her neck, a red underbust corset with halter straps to accentuate her figure, and black high-waist shorts and black shoes.
"Althea, you look so awesome!" Hana said, swooning. Althea was reminded a little of Madeline and Heather who fawned on her every single occasion or achievement she stumbled upon.
With a slow smile forming on her lips, the Superwoman—Natalya—came to them with a can of red fresh body paint. "Let me paint your hands."
"Paint my what?" Althea asked.
"Ehehehe," Hana chimed in. "I wanted you to have some gloves but we kind of forgot to pack them so I asked Natalya if she has any paint to put on you."
"That would be so unusual to look at," Althea admitted.
"But that's prevalent in magazine portraits and Pinterest nowadays so I think it's cool!"
Althea chuckled, surrendering her hands. As she felt the cool and slight ticklish brush of paint in her fingers, Joshua decided to enjoy a silly banter with the photographer.
"Why were you taking photos of strangers that day in the park?" Joshua asked.
Althea whipped her head towards him, just in time to see his boyish grin directed at her with a subtle wink that implies something.
Hana—who was oblivious to the winking—flushed red like the red paint. "I don't know. Taking photos of strangers is thrilling."
"Are you sure it's just strangers in general?" he drawled. "Or there was something about Althea and me or, did you find yourself focusing more on Althea?"
Freaked out with what Joshua teasing Hana about, they quickly were intervened as embarrassment rushed within her, "Leave her alone, Joshua." Althea retorted.
Hana acted dumb, decided to play its role, or was really fawning. Althea couldn't tell. She shook away her daze so she could get a glimpse of what Hana was so damn excited about. The smile on Hana's face was nearly contagious, and the lilt in her voice as she said. "Althea is so beautiful inside and out! There's no denying that!"
Althea hoped the heat in her face didn't turn her cheeks blazing red, and for a moment, she silently debated telling Hana she needed to take a break from shooting.
But God, help her, she wasn't ready to leave Hana's side.
"I do mean that she was scouting out for beauties for her Finals," Joshua assured Althea, and then gazed back at Hana. "You should at least try to look less suspicious when taking photos."
"I was blending in with the environment!"
Joshua knitted his brows together. "You were still easy to spot on. I bet it was easier to just ask. Althea and I wouldn't mind modeling for you."
Hana placed her fingers together then took a long hard sigh. She even crouched. If it was a Japanese body language, Althea wouldn't know of it.
Althea stared at the delicate painting Natalya did on her arms. It was in a form of fingerless gloves and she found it pleasant to look at. Her paint-coated hands reminded her of when she was younger. The days when she enjoyed painting and could absolutely paint whatever she wanted and whenever she can. She was gifted. It wasn't hard—until the death of her mother.
When Natalya was done painting and retouching Althea's makeup, Hana had a hard time whether to include or remove the gold-painted metal crown on Althea's head.
Althea strutted to the table, ignoring the food that was calling her attention. Sure the crew could sneak in a few bites but she, and Hana was completely focused on the task at hand.
And somehow that was everything.
"Taken any good photos you like yet?" Fallon asked after quite some time after the sky darkened, implying an impending chance of rain.
As a photographer, Hana loved to use natural light. She called herself an expert on it but every expert has their weakness. Hana's weakness was darkness. Without the sun for its natural light, she wasn't satisfied with the photos she took from a secondary source of light.
Hildegard provided the secondary light, as she carried and pointed its light towards Althea.
"Hmm not yet," Hana bit her lower lip in contemplation. "They are good but not that good."
Ever since they got to the second location, Hana's flow of creativity faded. Even though she saved the best for last, she just wasn't feeling it. Althea was still beautiful, but Hana was losing her spark.
She gritted her teeth. Starting to hate herself for not doing any justice to Althea's beauty—she wasn't even doing justice for all the trouble she had caused to her friends who willingly came in their free time for her. Well, except for Liezel because she signed a contract but still, she wasted everyone's time and she let them all down.
She was starting to think if all her hard work was worth it.
"Hana," Natalya said, bringing her out of her train of thoughts. "If it helps, do you want to try the same outfit and location but with different hairstyles or the same outfit and same hairstyle but different locations?"
"Well," Hana laughed, guiltily. "We do have time—"
"—But time flies, Yoshida," Samantha said, her arms aching from carrying the reflector for two straight hours. "And experimenting means it'll rain soon and we have to wait it out then we have far too little time before it'd be dark soon."
"Eh, I know!" she whined. "Don't you think I know that?"
"Ugh, we're going to take all day." Samantha threw the reflector skywards before it fell on the space behind her. "Hana, we have time means you don't need to take a photo of everything."
"But the more photos I take, the better I get," Hana said.
"Not necessarily today!"
"Photography isn't a hobby—it's a lifestyle!" she said, pouting.
"Why what's wrong with the photos you have so far?" Fallon asked.
"I want something more but I can't think of something to do with the settings! It also doesn't help that the sky's decided to become a bit gloomy now so I don't need my shutter speed really high but then it's still really bright with the flashlight."
Hana was afraid to admit that she hadn't prepared herself for this dilemma. It was going smoothly the first few hours until everything came crashing down on her—the weight, the direction, the decisions. It was all becoming too overwhelming.
"You're allowed to make mistakes, you know," Althea said.
"Not when I'm going to get kicked out of the school for this last mistake!" Hana gushed, nearing tears.
"Look Hana," Althea went to her side, eyes softened. "If things could go a lot worse than this, I'm willing to continue tomorrow morning. I can skip my morning class."
"Don't you ever!" Hana gasped. She didn't know why Althea was being too kind. It felt surreal. "This wasn't the agreement; I couldn't ask that much of you."
"I want to."
"Nonsense!" Hana swallowed the need to cry and ignoring the heavy hopelessness that settled on her chest. "We can do this all today! Like Andromeda said, look for the silver lining!" She then averted her gaze towards the surroundings.
Beyond the table, a small path led into the woods, weaving between trees. It was gloomy now, but seeing the way the branches arched overhead, Hana suspected it would be beautiful beneath the sunlight that escaped dark clouds.
"That's it! I see life blooming here." She ran towards the spot.
Everyone else followed her at their pace.
Upon the model's arrival, she suggested. "Take it from a low aperture to make it look like surrounding me."
Hana's nose scrunched up a little. But she focused her camera on the model, followed the instructions, and clicked. The moment she stared at the photo, she realized that was good advice. "Oh! It looks beautiful!"
It was Althea's turn to show off a proud smile to Liezel.