Checkmate - Chapter 41: Chapter 41

A loud voice boomed out over the microphone, announcing the start of the evening's festivities. It was the end-of-year party, and the Neos Athens University amphitheater had been turned into a dance floor, complete with banners, posters, balloons, and a hired DJ that Samantha recommended.
"WHO'S READY TO PARTY?!"
And an answering resounding cheer rose from the crowd, with the throwing of balloons into the air.
"IT'S THE END OF THE YEAR, SUMMER'S JUST AROUND THE CORNER, AND IT'S TIME TO CELEBRATE!"
For the Neos Athens University students, it was just the time to celebrate indeed. Final exams were finally completed, and the seniors were nervously awaiting the start of graduation and job searching.
Although all these aspects were important to Althea, Hana everyone, the current celebrations were directed at a different achievement: Their representative's win from the Ainsley Fine Art International Competition.
After some time they came down the stairs and into the amphitheater where a crowd had begun to gather in anticipation of the fireworks, Samantha and the others had found a table near the corner and were crowded around it on benches and chairs.
"You're here!" Liezel danced up to them in delight, carrying a glass of fuchsia liquid, which she thrust at Hana's hand. "Have some of this!"
Hana squinted at it. "Is it going to turn to make me release gas through my mouth or the other?"
"Where is the trust?" Liezel's eyes narrowed. "Anyway, it's yummy. Althea?" She offered her the glass.
"I think it's strawberry juice," Althea said, receiving the glass.
"Althea, I don't know what happened but you're too trusting with Liezel nowadays."
"I will take my chance," Althea said, sipping the juice from the glass. "Connect with other people, and your dreams will grow, right Hana?"
"I don't think that's what the passage means..." she said carefully.
"Hey, Hana!" Samantha called from the group, motioning for her to go near. Hildegard Natalya stood beside the redhead, drinking what seemed to be the same punch as Althea.
"Yes?"
"I really have to ask because I'm still confused but what does the fifth work even mean?" Samantha said.
"When traditional and modern powers mingle, the gate to an unseen world will open," Natalya repeated the verse.
"Yeah," Samantha said. "But we need to get more than that because we can't comprehend what it means."
Hildegard only nodded.
Hana's lips curled upwards. So her friends had been discussing the thematic significance, composition, and photographic attributes of her collaboration with Althea until now and she was embarrassed to admit that she hadn't explained it quite well to people who weren't that informed with art.
"Okay so you see," she began. "Traditional in this case means painting and modern means photography. An artist is born with certain instincts that continue to live within. Photography had its own particular set of challenges, and I had a lot of learning to do. But eventually, I began to feel similar creative energy to Painting. Althea also feels the same way with Photography—no paints to mix, brushes to clean, or heavy canvases to lug. Although in the end, we realized that the passion in us never left. We only changed tools and found ourselves improved when we returned to our old tools."
"Deep!" Samantha raised her glass in a cheer. "But I bet Thea can relay the information better than you."
"Hmmph!" Hana replied. "You will get more formal and harder words from her."
"You better get back to her," Natalya teased. "You wouldn't want to lose sight of her."
Hana perked up. She then looked around and discovered that they had been joined by Professor Tosca and Professor Andromeda, who were—she saw with surprise—shaking hands with Professor Oakley, who had put the flower headband away and was being the model of decorum. Andromeda had her arm around Tosca's shoulder. The rest of her friends were sitting in a group; Hana was about to move to join them when she felt a tap on her shoulder.
"Oh god, Althea," Hana grabbed the glass with the remaining liquid and placed it on top of a coaster on a nearby table. She held onto Althea, fearing her lover would topple over. "Don't tell me Liezel handed you a spiked drink."
"Never have I felt the need to hug someone so tight in my life," Althea admitted. Her face beet red and words slurring as her world roamed around. "To crush them against me as if they were to disappear if I don't. Never have I seen so many colors. Never seen the entire spectrum of visible light contained in just that room. Never, I don't think, have I ever felt so free?"
"Althea! Hana!" Two women called them. Hana turned around to see Professor Andromeda smiling at her—and Professor Tosca standing beside her. "I'm glad we finally found you."
Professor Tosca wasn't dressed up at all; she wore jeans and a loose shirt that at least wasn't stained with paint. "What's wrong with Althea?"
Hana grinned at them. "Her drink got spiked. So you're moving in together, I take it?"
"Yeah," Professor Tosca said. She looked as happy as she'd ever seen her.
"Oh dear, if Professor Faulkner finds out," Professor Andromeda slapped her forehead and helped bring Althea to Professor Oakley who can at least give her a concoction to make her a little sober before the other Professors find out.
Hana was left alone with Althea's mentor. "Were you ever actually going to let her believe you can't take care of yourself or were you just saying that to get her to finally move in with you?"
"Hana," Professor Tosca said, "I am shocked that you would suggest such a thing." She grinned, and then abruptly said. "You're all right with it, aren't you? I know this means a big change in your life—"
Hana snorted. "A big change, huh? My life has already changed totally. I really learned a lot this year. You do not get the things that you dream of; you get the things you work for.
Professor Tosca glanced over toward Althea, who had been giving a miracle cure to sober up. She was sitting on a chair, the older women pampering her. "I guess it has," the Italian woman said.
"Change is good," Hana said, staring back at Althea whose mouth curled up at the corner in an amused smile.
"So it is." She said as Professors Andromeda and Oakley headed their way.
"Hana!" Fallon called. "Fireworks!"
Hana hit Professor Tosca lightly on the shoulder "Thank you, Andromeda!" she gave her old mentor an abrupt hug and went to join her friends. They have seated along in a line: Althea, Liezel, Fallon, Heather, Madeline, Samantha, Hildegard, Natalya, Joshua, and Charles. She stopped beside Althea.
"I don't see any fireworks," she said, mock-scowling at Fallon.
"Patience, photographer," Fallon said. "Isn't that what the fourth canvas meant?"
"To see it through, patience is important," Liezel reminded her.
"I thought it was the third canvas."
"Hana, the third canvas is 'Do not compare yourself with others, do what only you can do.' How can you forget? It's literally your work." Fallon reprimanded.
"Oh well. No wonder I've been so confused." Hana said.
"Confused is a nice word for it," Althea said, but she was clearly only somewhat paying attention; she reached out and pulled Hana toward her, almost absently, as if it were a reflex.
Hana leaned back against her shoulder, looking up at the sky. Nothing lit the heavens but the stars; soft silver-white against the darkness. She remembered the painting Althea made for her when she was soaring through the night skies like a witch.
"What happened to me after I drank that juice?" Althea asked, quietly enough that only she could hear the question.
"Liezel did something in the drink," she felt Althea tense. "Relax. Professor Oakley gave you some prairie oyster and I don't know how it got that name when I saw her put some eggs, vinegar, and black pepper in it."
Althea laughed at that, softly, and slid her hand up Hana's arm and to her shoulder. Her fingers played idly with the soft skin. "It's a traditional hangover cure."
"Eh is that so? Then I guess it worked. You didn't even know what you drank and now suddenly you're sobered up."
Hana recalled the lessons she learned this year to become the better artist and the better version of herself right now: Those that try to achieve their dreams must go through hardships. There may come times when she will fail and lose sight of that dream. But she must never let the flame in their heart go out; burn that flame brightly, and strive for the ideal place.
"Hana, look," Althea said, breaking her out of her reverie. She tightened her arms around her, and Hana raised her head; the crowd was cheering as the first of the rockets went up.
She looked as the fireworks exploded in a shower of sparks—sparks that painted the clouds overhead as they fell, one by one, in streaking lines of golden fire, like angels falling from the sky.
Putting her arm around Althea's shoulder and lightly toying with her soft blonde hair, Hana slowly turned Althea's face towards her and leaned in with closed eyes. Althea returned the kiss, her warm soft lips pressing against Hana's with urgency and feeling that stole Hana's breath away and made her legs wobble.
Breaking the embrace, Althea smiled at Hana, who enthusiastically returned the expression, her heart leaping in joy. An unspoken understanding passed between them, and they were finally at complete peace with each other.
Words, in this case, were completely unnecessary.