Free Dark Masterpiece (Serendipity Series 3) by Brieanna Robertson

Pretend he was whole. He would fail, he knew,
but he would try. Evie’s kindness deserved at least that much.
     

Chapter Seven
     
    There was nothing more beautiful than a
sunset over the water. Traevyn watched as the sunlight sparkled
across the rippling waves and he sighed. It was fog free at the
moment, and he relished in the splendor of nature’s art. He heard
Evie’s laughter ring out. It diverted his attention from the sunset
to her and Seth. They were down by the shore hitting a volleyball
back and forth. The sunlight glinted off of the blonde streaks in
her hair and highlighted the brown so it looked bronzed. She
screamed as Seth hit the ball too fast at her, and she had to flail
her arms erratically to hit it in time. It shot off into the waves
as she accidentally punched it at a funny angle.
    Seth gave Evie an exasperated look, and she
dissolved into giggles. Traevyn looked back down at the drawing he
was working on. He continued to add colors and lines, making it
come alive, adding dimension.
    Evie glanced over at Traevyn as she waited
for Seth to retrieve the ball. He was drawing still. It was what he
had been doing for the past hour. They had eaten their pizza with
Seth and her exchanging most of the conversation. Traevyn had
listened quietly, had thrown in a comment now and then. He hadn’t
been rude or unpleasant, just quiet and reserved. He’d eaten, then
started drawing, and that’s what he had been doing ever since.
    “What are you looking at?” Seth asked,
coming up next to Evie as he tried to dust the wet sand off of the
volleyball.
    “Traevyn,” she replied softly. Seth glanced
over at him and Evie sighed. “Right before I went to ask him if he
wanted to come eat with us I heard him in his bedroom sobbing. I
mean really sobbing, Seth. Crying like his heart was
shattering.”
    Seth frowned. “Are you serious?”
    She nodded. “It was horrible.” She continued
to let her gaze roam over him. He had his knees up, the canvas
balanced on them as he drew. He had a slight frown of concentration
on his face and his ebony hair spilled all around him, glistening
in the light from the setting sun.
    “Why don’t you go talk to him?” Seth
suggested.
    Evie stared at her brother in confusion. Seth
was not known to be all that empathetic.
    He shrugged. “Maybe he could use some
company.”
    She sighed as she glanced back at Traevyn.
“Just put the volleyball back in the trunk when you’re done.” She
headed up the beach and sat down next to Traevyn. “What are you
working on?”
    He gazed at his drawing for a moment, then
glanced up at her. “Tell me what you see.”
    She studied the drawing. It was a rough
sketch of the ocean, the waves large and chaotic, yet serene
somehow. The sky was gray with fog, and the tendrils of it were
reaching out and curling around the silhouette of a man with long
hair. Through the gray covering was a thin shaft of sunlight,
enough to give the silhouette a shadow. The shadow was a misshapen
heart that was rent in two and looked like it was bleeding. Evie’s
heart twisted painfully at the image, but she tried to keep it
professional. She didn’t want Traevyn to know she suspected
anything. He didn’t know she had heard him crying. “This person is
staring out at the ocean because it is peaceful to him,” she said.
“The fog represents darkness reaching out its fingers to grasp him.
The shaft of light shows that he sees just enough light and beauty
in the world to remind him of what hurts him the most, which is
symbolized by the shadow.” She looked up at him to see if she had
come anywhere close to the mark.
    “Very good,” he said, his voice hushed.
    Evie pointed to the still blank fourth of
the canvas. “It isn’t finished yet.”
    He gave a thoughtful frown. “You finish
it.”
    She looked up at him in surprise.
    “I want to see how you would complete it,”
he said, setting the canvas aside. “Do it whenever you like and let
me know when you have