[116 Days Left to Live]
The office was filled with its usual chatter. Typing on computer keys, phone calls being made, journalists swapping stories across desks. But amid all the movent and noise, Zephany remained motionless in her seat beside Pia, staring into space.
Her knuckles were resting against her cheeks, her eyebrows knotted in deep thought. She seed distant, as if her mind was a thousand miles away from this bustling room. Pia glanced at her from the corner of her eye and pressed her lips together in curiosity.
"Good morning, Zeph!" Pia called softly, tilting her head in an attempt to et her friend’s unfocused gaze.
For a mont, there was no reaction. Zephany remained staring at her computer screen, although it was black and inactive. It was only after a few seconds that she blinked and turned her head toward Pia.
"Good morning, Pia." Her voice was quieter than usual, nearly a whisper, a weak thread tying her back to the present mont.
Pia pressed her lips into a small, understanding smile. "Zeph... you okay today?"
Zephany nodded briefly, not trusting herself to say much more. She turned back toward her black computer screen and fell into silence once again, ignoring the bustling world around her.
Unknown to Pia, Zephany’s mind was far away — thinking about Kendrick and all the struggles he seed to be going through.
She pressed her knuckles a little harder against her face and sighed quietly. "Is Kendrick... okay?" she whispered to herself. "He’s been busy all the ti lately... always in his room... always online... or gone without a word."
In her mind’s view, she could picture Kendrick sitting at his small corner desk in their ho, staring into his phone or his computer. Sotis when she walked past his room, the light under his door was still on late into the night.
"Is he working part-ti online?" she wondered quietly. "Is it... money problems again?"
The last ti Kendrick tried applying for a job in person, it hadn’t gone well. She rembered how dejected his face looked when he ca back ho afterwards. It seed the rejection struck him hard.
"That’s when I noticed... his art studio has been closed for a while now. He barely enters it. Did... did people stop asking him to do paintings?"
Her mind wandered through these questions, trying to piece together what might be going on in his life. "Or... is it sothing else?"
She sighed once more, thinking, ’I wish I could do more... but all I know how to do right now is help him cook, and hope it eases whatever is troubling him.’
Suddenly, her phone buzzed on the table in front of her, interrupting her trail of thought. She jumped slightly, nearly dropping it, then pressed the ho button to illuminate the screen.
Pia noticed this and turned toward her, eyebrows raised in curiosity. "Who’s ssaging you?"
Zephany pressed her lips together and glanced at Pia. "It’s... a friend."
Pia nodded, not asking anything more. She reached into the echo bag beside her and pulled out a milk tea cup. "Here... a little sothing to lift you up."
Zephany accepted it with a small, appreciative smile. "Thanks, Pia."
"It’s no problem." Pia nodded warmly. "Just rember... I’m here if you need soone to talk to."
For a mont, Zephany seed unsure whether to say sothing more. She pressed the side of her phone against her thigh, thinking, ’I’m fine... I shouldn’t trouble her with my worries.’
Then quietly, she whispered, "I’m fine... no worries."
Pia nodded again, although deep down she wasn’t entirely convinced. Nonetheless, she chose to respect her friend’s words and not press further.
Zephany pressed the button on her phone, lighting up the ssages once more. There it was. The photo from Kaelion filled the small phone’s screen.
In the photo, Kaelion stood in a gallery filled with paintings. His hands were casually resting in his jeans’ pocket, wearing a comfortable black leather jacket. His lips were curved into a mischievous, charming smile — the kind that seed to say, "Guess where I am?"
Beneath the photo was a ssage from him. "Do you like paintings, Idol? I’ll buy you any painting you like. I’ll send you pictures of all the paintings on display here. You can choose from it."
Zephany pressed the phone against her lips. She paused and pressed it a little tighter, letting her mind wander. It wasn’t the charming photo of Kaelion that made her smile. It wasn’t him at all. It was sothing else. It was the spark of an idea blooming in her mind.
"Wait... this might be it... this might be a way... a way I can help Kendrick without him feeling weak... without him thinking it’s ."
She turned away from the phone briefly and pressed her knuckles against her forehead, thinking hard.
"It’s perfect... If I ask Kaelion... soone rich... soone well connected... to buy Kendrick’s paintings... Kendrick will get a huge amount of money... more than enough to clear his worries... buy proper art supplies... find his passion again... without feeling sha... without feeling weak."
Her pulse started to quicken. She pressed her phone against her lips once more, letting a nervous but excited feeling rush through her.
"It’s a win for everyone."
For a mont, Zephany remained silent, thinking carefully about her plan. If she made this move, it could be a way forward for Kendrick. She nodded quietly to herself and pressed her phone to her forehead, letting the feeling sink in.
"It’s okay... nobody has to know it’s . Kaelion can be the face... the buyer... Kendrick will think soone rich fell in love with his art... soone who wants to appreciate him... soone who believes in him."
For the first ti in days, sothing seed clear to her. There was a path forward. There was sothing she could do to help without making Kendrick feel powerless.
She turned her phone back on, pressed a few keys, and started typing a careful ssage back to Kaelion.
"Hey... actually... there’s sothing I need help with."
For a mont her finger hovered over the send button. She pressed it, and the ssage flew off into the digital ether.
Sowhere not far away, Kaelion felt his phone buzz in his pocket. His eyebrows rose in curiosity when he saw it was from Zephany.
He opened it and read carefully. "I know it’s a strange request... but... can you buy so paintings from a friend of mine? His na is Kendrick. He’s a wonderful, but struggling, artist. It would really help him a lot... I can pay you back afterwards."
For a mont there was silence. Kaelion remained staring at the phone, thinking. Whatever Zephany asked him, it seed to co from a deep, sincere place. There was a softness, a vulnerability in her words.
He pressed the phone to his forehead briefly and sighed with a small, affectionate smile. "Idol... you should know you never need to pay back... Whatever you want, just say it. Send his portfolio or a few photos of his paintings. I’ll buy them imdiately."
Zephany pressed her lips together and nodded to herself. "See... it’s going to be okay... Kendrick... you’re going to find your way back... I’ll make sure you do."
She turned her phone off and pressed it against her forehead once more. Few people knew this, but Zephany was far from poor. Her years of clandestine missions under The Archive, working as a Null, had filled her bank account many tis over.
She had more than enough to live on for a dozen lifetis. But nobody suspected it. To everyone else, she was just a weak, ordinary woman — a clumsy, struggling journalist who fell easily under pressure.
"It’s okay... nobody has to know it’s . Kaelion can be the face... the buyer... Kendrick will think it’s soone rich who fell in love with his art."
Her grip tightened on the phone. "This is the best way I can help him without hurting his dignity."
For the first ti in days, a spark of happiness glimred in her. Her worries seed a little lighter. She felt hope, not just for Kendrick, but for herself, for the future. A future where the people she cared about could find peace and happiness in their passions.
As she pressed her phone against her forehead, letting the feeling sink in, the phone buzzed again. It was Kaelion.
He had already responded. "Send whatever you have — portfolio, photos — I’ll make sure it sells imdiately."
Zephany nodded quietly. "Thank you... thank you for understanding."
She opened her gallery and started selecting photos of Kendrick’s paintings. There were canvases filled with rich colors. Deep blues, vibrant reds, and dramatic purples. Each piece reflecting a piece of Kendrick’s soul.
"It’s not much. It’s not a huge portfolio. But it’s sothing. Sothing that shows his talent."
She attached a few photos to her ssage and pressed send.
So monts later, Kaelion replied. "Got it. I’ll take care of it."
Zephany pressed her phone against her forehead once more and whispered to herself, "Hang in there, Kendrick. You’re going to be okay. I’ll make sure you’re okay."
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