Chapter Two: The new Tenant

"Mom," Said Willow as she shut the door behind her. "I am home."

"Excellent!" Said Venice Greene, her mother, from the kitchen. "Did you get the garlic?"

Garlic? Oh no. She totally forgot about them. " I," began Willow. "I forgot my wallet." Her wallet was safely tucked in her pocket.

"But you were gone for so long." Said her mother.

"I found about my missing wallet when I was paying," Said Willow. "How embarrassing!" She hid her head in her hair and acted embarrassed, to add extra effects.

The bullying had started a year back. After Hunter Reed had labelled her as the 'reject', and warned her not to tell anyone. But then he himself took charge in bullying her, which officially made her 'The reject'. It was a month after her dad had passed away, her mom still grieving so Willow couldn't bring herself to tell her, it wasn't the right time. The right time never came. She could never bring herself to tell her mom, she knew it would break her.

Willow has been used to lying to her mother now. At least her mother wouldn't have to worry about her. She had been a stay at home wife, after her fathers death Venice had to start working. Willow didn't want to add her problems to that of her mother's.

Willow then had an idea to rent out rooms. Their house was big, they had eight bedrooms, only three of them were occupied. One being her own, the master bedroom was Venice' and her late father's and she used one of the rooms as a storage for her paint supplies and her finished ones.

The house held too many memories to sell. It had been renovated a few years back. It was built by Willow's great grandfather. Instead of selling the house, they chose to rent out the rooms.

Their tenants were supposed to be two boys, she didn't know much about them but that one of them was Natasha Holden's nephew, who was her mom's friend. All she knew was that they were boys a year or two older than her and that they had never been to Onyxscar  and that the nephew's name was Felix.

The new tenants were supposed to come today, so Willow's mother had wanted her to go to the grocery store to buy some garlic, which they were running out of, for the garlic bread. But some obstacles on the way didn't let her get to the grocery store.

"I'll go get them." Said Willow, before rushing to her room as if to get her wallet.

She was once again outside her house, she walked all the way to the nearest Walmart. It was a long walk, but she didn't mind it since she liked walking in general but didn't do much for all she knew, the wolves would be lurking around. Onyxscar was a small town to begin with.

Buying the garlic and some bubblegum flavoured Extra, she speed walked back home hoping to avoid any obstacles.

She got home safely, without any obstacles on her way, but fate was never on her side or maybe it was today.

One of her obstacles to buying garlic was standing in front of her home. An obstacle she didn't really mind and he was staring right into her eyes.

Another boy with blonde hair, rushed out of her house who she guessed must be Felix, followed by Venice and Natasha.

"Are you okay?" Questioned Felix, who now stood beside Rowan.

"Yes," Said Rowan. "I thought I left my phone in the car. Funny, it's still in my pocket." The other boy raised his brow. Willow was left speechless.

"Willow," said her mom, noticing her for the first time. "You're back." He mom stated the obvious. She waved Willow over to the group. "This is my daughter, Willow." Introduced her mom

"I'm Felix." Said uh-well Felix flashing her a smile, before pointing at Rowan. "He's Rowan."

"Hi." Said Rowan. "It's you again."

Willow felt her face heat up as she waved at him.

"You've met?" Asked Natasha, who now stood beside the other boy.

"Yes we," started Rowan.

"Yeah, we bumped into each other." Said Willow cutting Rowan off. "I made him drop his phone."

"Oh." Said Natasha.

"Why don't we go in?" Said Willow ushering herself in before anyone could say otherwise. They wouldn't have in the first place but she wasn't willing to take the risk. "My hands are dying." She lied, the bag wasn't heavy. Not at all.

She headed to the kitchen and placed the bag of garlic on the counter before pocketing her gum.

"Both of you will be staying on the second floor." Venice was explaining the boys about their accommodations. "You can choose your own rooms they're all empty and make yourself home."

"Don't forget," Said Natasha. "The curfew."

"Curfew?" Felix looked with disbelief in his brown eyes at Natasha. "But we aren't kids anymore!"

"You can pack up now." Said Natasha. "Ten and no longer than that."

"You're not even my mother!" Yelled Felix.

"Should I ask her?" Asked Natasha. "You know she won't even let you stay out till eight."

"This is not fair!" Felix threw his hand up in exasperation, and stared walking upstairs. Knowing that he had lost this fight.

Willow fidgeted as she stared at her shoes. It was awkward seeing them fight. She knew her mom felt the same way. Willow herself, had never been given a curfew, she hardly ever stayed out late. Her parents didn't see the need to. She mostly had Melody stay at her place or Willow at Melody's. They didn't go out to party, never have, and Willow was sure that she wouldn't go to any in her high school life. She didn't know about college, where she will be starting her new life and away from all her schoolmates. It was just two years away.

Willow looked up, up into the golden pools and she drowned.

Rowan was staring at her, his brows furrowed as if he was thinking about about something, when he caught her eyes, he flashed her a breathtaking smile, before going up behind Felix. She almost swooned right there and then but she caught herself from embarrassing herself.

Her mother and Natasha also left for upstairs. She however didn't follow. She wanted to paint, paint so badly. Paint those golden eyes and the boy himself.

She headed to her room which was in the hallway opposite to her mother's. There was another room in the same hallway, which she used to keep her art supplies in, and four upstairs, two of which Rowan and Felix will be using.

Her room was messy. Her art supplies were strewn around, canvases taking the support of the walls, some of them were empty but most of them were filled with her art. She could feel the paintings of Hunter which lied under her bed peek at her. The other was placed on her easel, incomplete. She hasn't shown them to anyone, not even Melody.

She wanted to paint Rowan. Her hands were itching to paint him, so she did just that. Taking hold of the unfinished Hunter from the easel, she placed it on the floor. She picked up a plain new canvas and placed it in front of her.

She got the paints from the room next to hers, where she previously used to paint in with her father, but she had stopped painting in there and started painting in her own room. But the supplies were kept in the very room. She took the colours that she was running out of from her room.

Blue black, onyx, white for blending, gold, crimson, light and dark blue for her background, white for more blending, some peach and brown.

"You paint huh?" Came his voice from the doorway, making her drop all of her colours.

"I do." She said as she scrambled to pick her stuff up. Her cheeks flushed, not because she was clumsy right there but because she felt caught, she knew that it was wrong of her to paint him without his permission, but she had never felt such an urge to paint something or someone. Not even when she painted Hunter.

"Do you mind painting me?" Said Rowan, who had now squatted next to her helping her with her paint tubes and brushes. Her head snapped up to him. "Paint me like one of your French girls." He said seductively.

God help her.

"I don't have any French girls to paint," Willow Said. "But I'd love to paint you, I was going to anyway." She said the last part quietly not meeting his eyes and hoping he hadn't heard her. But he did, and when she finally looked up at him, he was smiling.