Chapter 8

GREGORIO nodded. "Teenagers are aggressive. When they want something, they immediately do it without thinking about it."

 The six students bowed and listened.

 "All right, take a break. Lunch is also coming up. I'm canceling my teaching all day." He added. The students secretly enjoyed what they heard.

"Yes!" Noel said in a weak tone of voice.

"Did you say something, Noel?" Gregorio asked him.

"Nothing," Noel answered while nodding his head. His fellow students secretly laughed at Noel.

"I'm leaving, you already know the rules here inside the Mansion. When it's lunchtime, you should be in the kitchen." Gregorio reminded them.

"Yes Sir," they answered at once.

ALYSSA was about to get out of bed. She didn't realize that she had fallen asleep after their lunch. She picked up the small alarm clock that was sitting on a table next to the bed.

"It's four o'clock in the afternoon," Alyssa whispered to herself. She got out of bed and carefully placed the alarm clock on the table.

Alyssa was still yawning when she went to the bathroom, she washed her face and brushed her teeth.

Where are Maggie and Daisy? Maybe they were in the living room and they didn't even wake her up. In her mind.

Alyssa quickly changes her clothes.

Alyssa combed her hair and smeared some powder on her face, she also applied lip balm. She looked at herself in the mirror again before finally leaving the room.

She opened the door before she could get out, she heard a crash that she thought was coming from the third floor. Alyssa left the room and carefully closed the door.

She heard the crash on the third floor again. Alyssa shrugged. Maybe her fellow students were in that room. So, she started to walk, she went up the stairs to the third floor, she slowly stepped.

When she reached the third floor she went to the room, Alyssa saw that the door was slightly open so she peeked. She saw the artist, he seemed to be busy painting. The artist seemed to feel her presence because he stopped what he was doing.

"Who is there?"

Alyssa finally opened the door, she was ashamed of the artist.

"I'm sorry Sir, I thought my fellow students were here. I heard crashes that sounded like they were coming from here in the room." She explained shyly. The artist smiled at her so she took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, I'm coming out."

"No need to say sorry Alyssa, it's okay," Gregorio removed the eyeglasses he was wearing and hung them on the neckline of his t-shirt. "Would you like to see what's in the painting?" He asked the girl.

"If I don't bother you, Sir."

The Artist smiled. He invited the girl. "Of course not, Alyssa. Come on, come here."

Alyssa felt a little nervous, but she still stepped closer to him.

"Wow!" She exclaimed when she saw the painting. Alyssa's eyes widened as she stared at the painting. She could not hide the joy she felt at the beauty of the artist's painting.

"Is it beautiful?" Gregorio asked Alyssa.

She nodded in response. She could not take her eyes off, in the painting.

"Can I touch the painting, Sir?" Alyssa asked. She was so fascinated by what she saw.

"Sure," he replied laughing. "There are some parts of the painting, I haven't painted yet. If you want, you can continue."

"Me?" Alyssa asked in shock. She pointed to herself.

Gregorio nodded in response.

 "Are you sure, Sir?" She could not believe what the artist had said.

In response, the Artist handed the paintbrush to her.

"Sir, I might just ruin your painting," Alyssa said regretfully. The rain forest is in the painting, that's one of her favorite drawings.

"You're good at drawing and painting Alyssa. So I know you'll take care of that. Especially, I remember that's what you want to draw, the rain forest." Encouraging the artist to the girl.

Gregorio stood up and helped the girl to sit down. He handed her the paintbrush.

Alyssa's fingers were shaking as she started. She felt fascinated by the drawing so she continued to paint. Alyssa saw the artist reach for a chair that was there and he sat down next to her. Although Alyssa was nervous in the presence of the artist, she preferred to pay attention to the painting.

"See, you're great!" Gregorio praised Alyssa when she finished painting.

Alyssa was happy with what she heard, she even shuddered. Although, she was also pleased with what she did. She even wanted to kiss the painting.

"Write your full name Alyssa and sign it,"

She suddenly glanced at the Artist at what she heard from him.

"Sign?" Alyssa asked him, maybe she was just hearing wrong. He nodded at her.

"But Sir, I'm not the one who made it. You are the owner of the painting."

"That's okay Alyssa. Then I have remembrance from my student." The artist replied, holding the girl's right hand. "All right, sign the painting now."

"But Sir, isn't that a cheat?"

"Hahaha, of course not. Because it's just my display in the mansion, right here in this room. It's like I have remembrance of you and even of your fellow students when you go home. So that I won't be sad when you're no longer here." Gregorio pretended to make his face sad.

"Is that so," she said. "All right Sir," she also agreed. Can she still refuse? the painting is so beautiful then she will sign it.

Alyssa began to write. She was just in the letter 'A' when the door suddenly opened.

"There you are!" by Maggie, she was with Daisy.

Alyssa was shocked. She dropped the paintbrush accidentally.

"You startled me, Maggie," you can see the shock on Alyssa's face. She was about to pick up the paintbrush on the floor, but the artist picked it up right away.

"Daisy and I have been looking for you for a while, you suddenly disappeared from our room," Maggie said, stepping closer to Alyssa, while Daisy was standing in the doorway. "Aunt Alicia called on my phone," she added.

"Why did Mom, call you?" Alyssa asked Maggie in surprise.

"She said you don't answer her call."

Alyssa patted her forehead. She remembered, she put her cellphone under the pillow. "My cellphone is in the room."

Alyssa glanced at the Artist. At that moment he was silent. "Sir, I'm sorry, we'll leave you here," Alyssa said goodbye to him.

"It's all right, Alyssa. Be careful going downstairs," he reminded the three girls.

"Yes, Sir thanks for the reminder,"  Alyssa replied politely.

"We're leaving Sir," Daisy said goodbye, still standing in the doorway.

"Let's go!" Alyssa said once pulling at her friend's hand. She had forgotten about the painting that was supposed to be signed.

The three girls left the room, leaving the Artist indignant.

He regrets that the girl's signature on the painting did not continue. Alyssa would have been among the two students, whom he had already victimized.

Gregorio gripped the paintbrush in his hand tightly.

"It doesn't matter, there's another day. You're lucky now, but next time I'll make sure you don't escape!" He whispered in the air, referring to Alyssa.

Gregorio sighed, he took the painting and left the room. He would just hide the painting that Alyssa finished, he would just find the right time for the girl to sign it.

"WHAT did you do in that room?" Maggie asked Alyssa just after talking to her mother. What she was referring to, was their workplace.

"I just helped Sir, finish the painting he started," Alyssa replied.

Alyssa approached her friend, Maggie was sitting near the window, she was reading a Novel. Alyssa sat across from her.

"The painting is so beautiful!" She mentioned it to her friend.

"What painting are you referring to?" Maggie asked.

"You didn't see it because we left the room right away. Sir, asked me to sign the painting so that he would have a remembrance of us. But I didn't continue to sign because I lost it in my mind when you and Daisy came." Alyssa said.

Her friend Maggie snorted. "Hmph! I'm not sure I'm involved, because I'm just a kitten." Her voice was tinged with sadness.

"Don't be sad there Maggie, Of course, you're with us, you're also a student of Sir," she's consoling her friend.

"It's nice here in San Victoria," Maggie changed the topic. "It's a pity and we will only stay here for a few days. It's quiet here, unlike in Manila, the car horns are very noisy. The air is polluted,"

Alyssa sighed. "Yes, I love this place, this mansion. Most of all, I'm going to miss our fellow students."

"Maybe it's just Carlos?" Maggie's teasing her.

"Of course not," Alyssa felt both her cheeks blush.

"Admit it, you also like Carlos," Maggie said as she tickled Alyssa.

"Stop it, Maggie." She grabbed her friend's hands. Maggie just laughed.