There's a frown on his forehead as he concentrated on making sure not to let a sound. Heavy dewy fragrance float in the air, making the raven-haired boy to softly grunt as he dragged the thick paintbrush upward.
Colorful, wet, and sticky paint decorated the brick wall. They coat the green moss that was sticking onto each crack, and tiny, harmless bugs crawled away from the chemicals.
Lefric took a step back to marvel at his work.
A proud grin spread on his lips.
The red and dark brown bricks was the perfect canvas—Lefric drew a forest. It took him two hours to finish them. He took a deep breath, letting the scent of chemicals burn his nostrils. It's odd, but he found it relaxing.
Damp paint colored his fingertips to his cheeks and strappy sandals. Sister Antia would resent him for this. Not like any of the sisters liked him in the first place, but this! This is undoubtedly a perfect storm that could make the others kick him out for good.
Lefric gasped when he heard footsteps, so he quickly picked up his paintbrushes clumsily and abandoned the cans of paint on the ground.
His tunic was once white. They're now decorated with vibrant colors, crumpled and slightly tattered. He loved the tunic nonetheless. He didn't mind letting the paintbrushes which he held to add more layers of paint to his clothes.
It's like he added more memory of his mischiefs into his shirt.
"Lefric!" A very angry voice boomed from afar, and that's when Lefric finally let out a roar of laughter.
The black wings that attached to his shoulders flapped happily.
-
"You're a menace," Lefric's best friend, Maro, disapprovingly clicked his tongue as he busies brushing Lefric's messy black hair.
Lefric yelped when Maro tugged his hair a little bit too rough. Black wings flapped and slightly knocked the tiny table beside him. Maro warned him to stay still as he continued brushing his hair. The werewolf scoffed when Lefric murmured something under his breath, something about 'stupid dog'.
"I was bored, plus I'm an aspiring artist. So what else do you expect from me?" Lefric argued.
"To stay put like a good little bird and stop pissing off the sisters. You'll get your butt kicked out of the church,"
"They should've just let me go when I locked sister Charlotte in the storage room,"
"I forgot you did that. Was it worth it?"
"When I see her terrified face, I was on cloud nine," Lefric sighed, recollecting the memory.
Maro shook his head and set the hairbrush on the table. "All done. And please just stay in your room for the rest of the evening. I'm not sure why the sisters haven't thrown you out, but I'm worried for you,"
"You? Worried? About me?"
"I take it back. I hope they kick you out tomorrow," Maro spat. However, there's no malice in his words.
Lefric snickered before plopping down to the worn-out bed. He laid on his stomach because he didn't want to hurt his wings. Maro sighed, sitting on his own bed across from Lefric's.
"You're almost thirteen and still acting like a seven-year-old," Maro jeered, rolling his eyes as he scooted further toward the edge of the bed. He grabbed a thick book from the table and opened the page.
"And you're fourteen but acting like a fifty-year-old," Lefric countered.
Maro clicked his tongue. "Reading means that I'm smart, not old. Also, wash your hands. I don't want to clean up your paint-coated sheets,"
"Yes, mom," Lefric hummed, putting his arms under his chin and closed his eyes—clearly having no intention of doing what Maro just told him. Maro scoffed and began reading.
An hour ago, sister Antia gave him a lecture like always, yelling at his face and repeated the same old insults that didn't affect Lefric anymore.
The sisters didn't wash off the painting on the brick wall, though, probably too tired to do it because Lefric would've painted on the walls again. Like he always did for the past five years.
The sisters hated him, but Lefric didn't know why they didn't kick him out. Wondering why they never hit him, or never give him away to a family from a faraway land.
They just kept him in this old church, like a prisoner. Insulting him, giving him stale bread and tasteless porridge every day, setting up curfew, and gave annoying punishments for him every time he did something wrong. It's hellish.
Lefric wanted to run away multiple times. He wanted to see the cities, villages, meet new people, possibly meet a skilled artist. He wanted to sleep underneath the flickering stars, accompanied by serene ambiance of the night forest.
But the sisters always found him and brought him back. Lefric knew that there must be a reason for their persistence.
Why do they insist on keeping a troublesome raven in the church?
Lefric started to doze off while murmuring. "I'll get out of this place,"