She Is Not A Summoner

Bene gathered all the staff he hired to maintain security, and supervise the opening of his art gallery tomorrow. As he said, Bene hired the services of two psychics who would be on duty at the entrance, greeting the hands of the visitors after passing through the detector. He kept what he promised Artem when he asked permission to show the painting to the public last week.

Bene looked at the analog clock in his right hand, then looked at the face of his staff, half ordinary people, who looked tired from working a total of 14 hours.

"You can go home," Bene said, looking at one by one people standing around him in the main lobby of the Bene Gallery. "Please do everything well tomorrow morning."

Everyone nodded obediently after getting the order from Bene. Until when only he was left there, Bene took his feet to the passage on the right side. He chose the dark route, instead of the left aisle which still gets enough lighting from the LED lights behind the paintings displayed throughout the hallway.

When entering the alley, Bene's originally white sclera was now darkened, even his gray irises seemed to light up as his pupils shrank and blackened just like the outside of his gray eyes burning in the dark.

Bene raised his left eyebrow. An asymmetrical smile adorned his face when he found a painting that he personally often referred to as a cursed painting. The black frame of the painting has been replaced by a group of specialist staff who he assigned to take care of the painting of the Alpha.

The pure silver frame inlaid with purple grains that are wolfsbane powder looks more striking than other paintings around it. Bene deliberately replaces the old frame of the painting with a frame that he believes can directly hurt the Alpha —the prince, if his figure is indeed going to come out of the painting, as his late father used to say before he died.

"May there still be a summoner left in this city, and be willing to break your curse" hiss was full of emphasis. "I can't wait to watch the barbarians get up when you set foot back on the land of Alras."

***

Early in the morning, Esme visited Thea while carrying several bags of groceries filled with vegetables and various kinds of meats. Although they live in different neighborhoods — not close together, Esme routinely checks on her niece's condition, even though Julien has first reported Thea's condition. On weekends, Esme often spends a full day making Thea something to eat or accompanying the girl to watch some of her favorite series if there happens to be no training and work schedule.

As the remaining members of the Maven family on Alras Island; The cities of Freibruck, Esme, and Julien took care of their nieces very well, even on several occasions, Thea felt that her uncle and aunt were too much. Even so, they still grew into an extraordinary family, to the point that one of the famous magazines from all over the country made them an example of a family role model.

"Thea?" Esme placed two of her shopping bags on the table between the sink and the cooking utensils that seemed to have just been washed by the homeowner. "I brought some groceries."

"I'll be there soon, Esme! Wait for a second!" Thea answered Esme's call by shouting from her workspace or study room.

Instead of waiting, Esme rushed to Thea after washing her hands and lodged a lilac-colored apron with a daisy-shaped embroidery as wide as a toddler's palm in her right corner.

Slowly Esme shifted the frosted glass door that became the exit entrance and entered Thea's workspace or study room. Esme smiled as she watched Thea's right hand and cheek filled with various colors of oil paint. The girl looks busy mixing several colors to get the right color composition according to her wishes.

"Very busy," Esme commented as she approached and looked at the semi-finished painting on the canvas in front of her.

Thea took the time to turn her head, then smiled before finally returning to what she was working on since 4 am. "15 minutes to go. Okay?"

"I brought three kinds of meat," Esme explained spontaneously. "What food do you want to eat today?"

"Hm?" Thea tapped her chin with a small brush in her left hand. "Do you mind, if I want you to make beef perfectly cooked with paprika sauce?"

Thea spontaneously stared softly at Esme after finding the food she desperately wanted to eat today. That food is quite difficult to find in all corners of Alras, even to find it in Freibruck itself is very difficult to find it.

Esme nodded, then smiled. As she passed towards the door, she said, "I will make a special one for you."

"And Julien," Thea replied spontaneously. "He would be jealous of his sister just spoiled me."

Esme shifted the door with a laugh. "Also for my one and only brother," replied Esme from behind a tightly closed door.

For a moment Thea just silently looked at the painting in front of her that was almost finished. In the next split second, she flashed a glimpse of a smile that disappeared so quickly as the arrival when she captured what was implied from the image she had created since 4 a.m.

"Even though I just want to draw the texture of his hand..." Thea pursed her full lips looking at the picture of herself lying down with a pair of hands belonging to a man hanging between her shoulders and both sides of her face. "And ended up with a picture of myself in it..."

Thea hung her sentence back. She was pensive with a head that she deliberately tilted to the right side. With furrowed brows and pursed lips, she again said, "Why would I want to draw a man's hand that was unreal—"

Thea spontaneously turned to the right side while clenching her mouth, staring at the door of her workspace that had been closed since Esme left her alone there. In the next split second, she heard a loud beep from the intercom in the living room, following Esme's call from the kitchen.

"Thea? Can you help open the door? Someone is coming." Esme shouted after the first beep.

"Hi, Thea." Ava's voice rang from the intercom attached to the door connected to the living room, after a third beep. "I have something for you. Hurry up and open the door!"

From her workspace Thea ran while busy rolling her long blonde hair towards the living room, opening the door for the guest.

"Hi, Ava." Thea greeted the long-haired black-haired girl who gave her a smile as the door fully opened. "What are you carrying with you, Ava?" asked Thea spontaneously, curiously.

"Hurry up and change your clothes!" said Ava with her shiny gray eyes.

Ava spontaneously pulled Thea's hand while bringing themselves in, and then closed the door again. "Dress a little neatly, but don't wear a top that is too revealing," Ava says things that Thea will certainly hate, arranging her in a dress.

Thea folded her hands on her chest, then stared intently at the long black-haired girl who had just crossed her legs while sitting on the only light-colored sofa, the sofa that the girl deliberately brought specially for her to sit on during a visit to Thea's apartment.

"What are you carrying until you dare to arrange my clothes?" she asked in a defiant tone and look.

Ava grinned, then took out two pieces of gold-colored paper from inside her handbag, and then stretched them out in front of Thea who had not yet softened her gaze.

"The opening of the main gallery, the largest, belongs to Benedikt Braun," Ava exclaimed. "The art activist, the billionaire you admire."

During this time it turned out that Thea managed to build an image as Ava had just thought of her. In Ava, Esme, Julien, and her ex-boyfriend; Hugo's point of view, who made Thea so fond of painting was Benedikt Braun. But the truth is that it's not that. Even a few days ago, when she whined asking for admission to the opening of the Bene Gallery on Ava, Ava still thought Thea wanted to go to the opening of the showroom only the gallery belonged to a Benedict Braun.

Within seconds Thea's sharp gaze changed from a sharp gaze to a much softer gaze to cover up her other joy. Even her bluish-green eyes seemed to flash after hearing the barrage of explanations that Ava said. Thea swiftly pulled one of the golden tickets in Ava's hand, flicking it while reading every syllable printed on the rectangular glossy paper along the palm in her grasp.

"By the way, where did you get this ticket from and how did you get this ticket?" asked Thea curiously. "Didn't you say there is no hope of getting it anymore?"

Ava smiled. He then took out a student card from her shoulder bag and placed it on her lap. "I am the best student on campus. Did you forget about that?"

Thea frowned. "What's the matter with the ticket?"

"I'm the best student in the art department," Ava said lazily. She even sprayed her eyeballs in annoyance when she watched the flat expression that Thea showed her. "Do you not know, if Benedikt Braun gave some free tickets to high-achieving students to all universities that have art majors?"

Thea shook her head obediently. "I don't know," she replied. "So, stop judging me with that look. And, thank you for bringing me one more ticket."

"I accidentally brought it for you for getting two."

"Then?"

"The ticket is indeed yours!"

"How can it be?"

"You are one of the few accomplished athletes who attended Freibruck Royal College."

Thea frowned again. Still don't understand where Ava's talk is going. Her head was too full, so trivial things could not be directly responded to appropriately.

Ava threw away her breath in frustration. Annoyed by the expressionless gaze that still accompanied Thea. "The university gave you this ticket. But, since the last two days you have been difficult to contact, the rectorate asked me to bring it to you. They understand you are very difficult to contact because you are too busy."

Thea nodded softly. She then smiled. However, the smile disappeared as soon as the arrival. All kinds of excitement that Thea showed faded instantly when through the tail of her right eye, she saw a green sticky note stuck to the door of her room. It was written clearly, that this afternoon she had a test drive schedule with a new car that she would use for next season's race.

Slowly Thea occupied a long gray sofa on the right side of Ava, she lay down her body while covering her face with her right hand with unmitigated complaints she voiced in front of her best friend.

"Ava. How about this? I want to come to the opening of the Bene Gallery. But I have a test drive schedule that I can't miss."

This weekend, Thea's work and training schedule are quite busy. It would be too crowded if Esme was allowed to comment. In the next two hours, Thea must immediately cross to Moonlight Sikuit to test drive the new car she got from her loyal sponsor. It's hard to miss it, even in a desperate state.

"You have an hour free before you meet your schedule, Thea," exclaimed Esme from the kitchen.

Ava turned to the source of the voice, finding Esme; Thea's aunt entered the living room with a lilac-colored apron still wrapped around her front body. Esme greeted Ava, giving her a brief hug before then holding out a tablet containing an email from Julien, the uncle who doubles as her coach and manager.

Thea lazily forced her body to rise to a sitting position while receiving the tablet stretched out in front of her. Slowly Thea read the contents of the incoming email from Julien, then smiled after reading everything listed in it. Julien gave her 1 hour of freedom because for the past 3 days she has worked hard to train and never too late to meet all her busy schedules. He said, that 1 hour Julien called as a reward for Thea's hard work for three days in a row before returning busy with various kinds of training schedules.

"Thank you, Esme! I will use that 1 hour very well!"

Thea hugged Esme tightly, gave her a brief peck on the right cheek, then rushed into the room, and dressed up as Ava suggested. Without asking, after spending 20 minutes, Thea returned in high-waisted pants with a unique button-up pattern adorning her hips and stomach forming the letter M, round glasses, and a mustard-colored turtle neck crop top that wrapped around her upper body.

Thea didn't change her hairstyle, still letting her long blonde hair be rolled up above her head. She put on her best smile as two pairs of gray eyes stared at her without blinking.

"I know, I'm too beautiful to you guys can't comment on anything," Thea exclaimed enthusiastically. She bears a bucket bag that is similar in color with pants and slip-on sneakers that cover both legs. "Come on, Ava! I don't want to waste my precious hour!"

Thea and Ava rush to their destination, after having said goodbye to Esme and promising to meet their schedule on time after attending the opening of Benedikt Braun's newest and largest art gallery, which was first opened exclusively to guests.

The entrance to the gallery looks different from the entrance in general. All guests are required to enter transparent boxes that they call a detector, and after successfully escaping the device, everyone must shake hands and even face to face with two psychics standing right next to the entrance.

"Is this kind of thing necessary?" asked Thea to the psychic of the wavy red-haired woman who was swept over her right shoulder, when she made it through the detector machine and shook hands and looked at the woman in front her.

"I'm sorry if this makes you uncomfortable, young lady," said the psychic. "All of the art activists in this city greatly avoid the presence of summoners in this painting gallery. We are just trying to find, maybe, there are still some summoners left in this city."

"Are they dangerous to the artworks in this gallery?" asked Thea again. She was getting more and more curious.

The red-haired woman gave her a gentle nod. "You know about Alpha Marc's painting?"

It was Thea's turn to give the nod. "The Alpha who was cursed for losing the war?"

"That's right." The red-haired woman nodded again, then let Thea in, because the examination session was over. "Enjoy the artwork presented by Mr. Bene."

Thea ignored the psychic's warm greeting. Soon she hooked Ava's arm as she walked one by one whitewashed hallway with various kinds of paintings attached to almost all the walls in the super large room and the hallways were quite narrow.

"You believe in the myth of Alpha Marc's painting; The Prince Who Was Cursed For Losing The War?" asked Thea to Ava, as she rediscovered her voice after a moment of silence.

Ava took the time to turn her head, looking at Thea who looked gloomily staring at the painting of a three-baby triplet crying on their mother's lap. "I believe it, and I'm afraid that Alpha will escape the curse."

"Well. I'm not going to talk about myths or anything like that. I don't want you to be more sensitive if I accidentally invite you to argue about what you believe and I believe," Thea said at length as she took the time to look at Ava at a glance before turning into the hallway on the right, in contrast to the one Ava chose.

"Don't look for the painting, Thea," Ava retorted before stepping into the hallway on her left side. "Even if you find it. Just ignore it."

Thea nodded then stepped into the hallway on her right side, leaving Ava behind her with the hallway of her choice. Once again Thea nodded when she found the painting they were talking about, as she arrived in front of the great wall in the middle of the room.

The painting with a silver frame studded with wolfsbane managed to attract all of Thea's attention. For a long time, she looked at the painting. All parts in it she did not miss to be seen and observed in such a way, in a unique way and other than the observers of ordinary paintings do.

"Why are those soldiers in armor still brandishing their spears and swords at you?" murmured Thea as she looked at the group of people surrounding the only man still standing upright among the dozens of wolf corpses lying under his feet.

Thea then stretched out her right hand, touching the entire surface of the painting, including the figure of the Alpha who from the beginning became the center of her main attention when she found the object.

"Marc Sterling Gray," Thea read one of the captions in the lower right corner of the painting; the name of the prince, the Alpha who was besieged by hunters.

The sound of warning alarms echoed throughout the room, along with the arrival of an earthquake that made the painting detach from its hook and fall to the floor. Thea spontaneously kept her hands away from the painting, but it was too late, as some security officers as well as two psychics who had previously stood guard surrounded her while brandishing various weapons at her.

"THE SUMMONER!" everyone shouted in unison.

Thea rounded her eyes as everyone who shouted at her approached while pointing guns at her. "What the—?"

"SHE IS NOT A SUMMONER!" exclaimed a voice.