"Woah! I've never been to a museum before now I get to go to a museum for monsters!" Linda exclaimed in excitement.
"Yeah, yeah. I've been to S.U.M.S Museum numerous times so there's really nothing eye catching here for me anymore" Bella said to Linda.
"Even those portraits over there?" Cassie asked Bella, pointing at a section that was filled with enchanted canvases.
"I think they're new. I haven't seen them before" Bella replied.
"And what're we doing, standing here? Let's go check it out!" Linda said.
"I don't see anything special, let's go" Cassie said after staring at the portraits for five minutes.
"Cassie, wait. I've seen the picture on this portrait before. This is portrait of the founder of S.U.M.S, Mrs Scarlett Harlem!" Linda said.
"Wow, she looks way better than principal Margaret, no offense Bella".
"None taken. It says here that these portraits are alive" Bella said to Cassie.
"They are? How?" Eugenia asked stepping back a little.
"Oh my goodness!... Mrs Scarlett... Everyone, I swear, she just blinked!" Eugenia panicked.
"I didn't see anything" Linda said.
"Neither did I" Cassie concurred.
"Cassie, wait. Look!" Linda said, pointing at the painting. Everyone gasped as the picture of Mrs Scarlett turned her head and started staring at them.
"This is so creepy" Bella said taking a few steps back.
A writing suddenly appeared on the portrait:
"In the era of the school's inception, magic flowed freely and alliances were forged amidst the enchanted corridors. The threads of our stories are woven into the very fabric of the school's existence".
"Did you guys see that? It just..."
"Hey guys, I think this is a portrait of Eamon and Seraphina" Linda said staring at another portrait.
"Wow, Eamon is really handsome and Seraphina doesn't look that good to me" Victoria said.
"You're obviously blinded by jealousy because Seraphina is gorgeous" Cassie said to her. A writing appeared on the portrait:
"Our love was deemed forbidden so we concealed it in the shadows. Yet, the echoes of our affection linger in the walls, immortalized by these living canvases".
"Why is there a painting of the amuelisk?" Linda asked.
"I think it has a message too" Cassie said and walked to the painting. She looked closely and a writing also appeared on the painting.
"In crafting the amuelisk, I unknowingly infused it with energies that resonated with the sleeper and the Dreamweaver. The consequences of my actions ripple through the ages".
"What does it mean?" Eugenia asked.
"I think that the amuelisk has the power of both the sleeper and the Dreamweaver and whoever wields it can harness its power" Linda replied.
Cassie came across a blank portrait. She stared at it questionably and she saw herself slowly appear on the portrait.
"Are you guys seeing this?" Cassie asked in fright and confusion.
"Is that your portrait I'm seeing?!" Bella asked her.
"What is happening Cassie?" Linda asked.
"I don't know. Seriously I don't. It was blank not a while ago but when I looked at it, it..."
"Look, I see a writing at the bottom" Eugenia cut in.
"I am the weaver of destinies, unraveling the threads that binds the school's past, present and future. In my hands, the living portraits divulge their secrets and within these brush strokes, I navigate the magical realm's mysteries".
"I'm so confused right now" Cassie said stepping away from the portrait.
"Isn't it obvious? There's something beneath the surface of these living portraits and Cassie is the key to uncovering them" Linda replied.
"Well then what secrets are the living portraits hiding?" Eugenia asked.
"Do any of us know anything about the living portraits?" Bella asked.
"I do" Victoria said raising her hand, "I've read a book about them".
"Yeah, and what did it say?" Cassie asked her.
"I don't remember" Victoria replied with a smile.
"Are you smiling? You think it's funny?" Cassie asked her getting annoyed.
"Just kidding, just kidding, I remember. The living portraits were painted by an artist who loved solitude, Piedra de Chaplin. The book stated that he was a student of S.U.M.S once upon a time. Piedra was a white blood so he always enchanted each of his paintings to captivate his audience by making the portraits seem alive and left messages that could be seen if you look close enough".
"So? And?" Cassie asked.
"So? Piedra was a lonely painter as well as a trickster. That we can see evidently in the living portraits and those messages were just his mere thoughts".
"What about this blank one?" Linda asked Victoria.
"Oh, the blank portrait is one of his most famous works. There's a mirror in it, an enchanted mirror. The more you stare at it, the more you slowly start to see your reflection and about the message, Piedra believed that there will come a chosen one who will save S.U.M.S from an impending doom so he purposely left that message there. But the thing is, it'll be hard to decipher who the chosen one is as it's the same message that appears to anyone who looks at it".
"What can I say? He is one smart artist. The famous Piedra de Chaplin deceived us all!" Eugenia said placing her hand on her face.
"Fun fact, the living portraits are brought out for display in the S.U.M.S museum once a year, on the first of April" Victoria said.
"That's April fool's day! And wait, that's today!" Bella exclaimed.
"Woah! I totally forgot. Happy April fool's day everyone!" Linda said.
"Yeah same. Can we head back now? I'm starving!" Cassie said. The others concurred and they all headed back to the school's main compound.