Touched By Fire

are pretending they're not impressed-but they totally are. Sarah Monroe knew that feeling.

is one was differe

raps, broken glass, the smell of dust, and a stubborn idea that w

rough. Loud. Honest. Against the clean white walls and the polite little frames, they looked li

d lines. Crushed angles. Textures that didn't care what anyone thought. Her wo

eople in suits trying to sound deep. She smiled when

small nod. Ap

long and squinted, like

stood there staring, like the sculpture had grabbe

t. It should grab you. Pull something out of you. Mess you u

metal and shattered glass, shaped like a person trying to stand up after fal

about staying in the lines. People circled it like they weren't sure if they were allowed to b

tched them watchi

of conversatio

much, don'

-God-it's

ise an eyebrow. She didn't want a

t, hard-to-explain moment when s

, clinking glasses, soft gasps, people pretendi

o a corner, just watching it all li

at's exactly

, some clearly holding something in. And weirdly? Their faces kinda matched the feelings she'd poured into the work. Li

he metal fought back. Tools broke. Her hands bled. She doubted herself-a lot. Cried. Swore. Sometimes both. But something inside her just... kept going. That st

y "here I am" thrown in the face of everything safe and polished. Thi

op and feel something. She didn't care if it

ing open a door. Challenging the rules. Daring people to feel uncom

r, not nerves-something deeper. Like the ground under her feet had shifted a bi

fferent-like metal and

second, barely breat

as the

g big, was about to happen. She didn'

hanged. Most people probably

ant ones, maybe. She didn't look ar

way. Like when a wave's about to hit and you're

ere still deep in thought, standing in front of her pieces like they'd forgotten wher

those were

need to sa

it in th

got

inking about being

hi, smiled, talked a bit when someone asked. Sometimes about the pr

ople actually shut up and listened. Maybe 'cause

ly things

t she said

Like she'd punched

there

st. Not mingling, not sipping wine like

looked at "Resilience"... it was like he was trying

r his eyes. Hair falling the wrong way and not carin

Sa

felt

utter

her chest. Like so

hat this

. She didn't chase stares-nor

oked

na

om-blu

that come with weight. The kind tha

ut it hit her like a

t smile.

that kind

o breathe. Then Sarah. Again. Still standing. Still... her. Something in his eyes? Maybe a smile, m

not rushed. Kinda like he knew. Not

te fear. Not really. More like... this wei

es you only see in movies but this was real. And they just stood. No words. Nothing

h

gravel and velvet had a baby. "It spea

h.

t. Not just the words, l

nardo De

he forgot how to b

ghost-painter-god guy with the expensiv

ow didn't

r voice? Fine. Ish

too long but not weird long. Just long en

tell. No sounds. Just them. Standing there with this... current?

omething just... cracked open. Her life? Diff

omething starting. Like an invisible match wa

avity. That's the word. Not dramatic. Just-pull. She still felt the warmth where

ged. You could tell he wasn't trying. Just was. He looked at her sculpture-"Resilience"-and yeah,

en, he

t's not just a sculpture. It talks. It fights. Destruction and creatio

at do you say to that? He wasn't complimenting her

on her. "You sculpt feeling. Real stuff. Tha

o

it wasn't flirting or anything. But it

what I'm going for. Like, to make something honest. Not

doesn't end fast. Eyes still locked. "You d

felt like more. Like the air got... tig

ked, suddenly. "That fir

loud, painful, amazing. All of it. I don't filter it. I let it hit, then I put i

t sad? "That's dangerous, y

"But what's the point of

h

said. "Cal

h," she replied. Like

e just two people. Talking. Flowing. From this to that. Art. Pain. Childhood

t eating. The way he'd stand for hours, staring at nothing, chasing o

sculpture again. Circl

said finally. "But not to hurt. T

to respond, an

free. I think there's more. More

His

st

't even think. "

ng?" h

rfe

t it felt like more than n

oor. Almost gone.

said, voice lower now. "You showed you

he

Still buzzing. Still rewindi

y. She just kind of... drifted. Not asleep, not awake.

e

at wasn't just a meet

. like the universe click

t felt. That weight. That way he looked at her art like he got it. Not jus

d. Yeah. Tha

eces looked different now. Or maybe she was different. "Resilience" looked... brighter? Not like someone ch

eing through his eyes. No clue. But it

.. the st

ne gets into unless they're, like, famous or

of her-was scared. Not scared-scared. Just... that nervous energy. The ki

. The silence maybe. Or music. Would he have music? Prob

he paints with that kind of... honesty. Wanted to know what he saw in he

mo

n a romantic way (okay maybe a little), but... something about

t pinkish blue smear-she finally left. No idea how long s

still. Like even the ci

cause something was coming. And maybe it wa

the end of

mething else. Somethin