Page 171 of Axis of Fire

“I stand by terrifying.”

That earned me the closest thing to a smile.

“Want to try it?”

I blinked.

The offer surprised me more than it should have.

After our argument.

After everything that had happened.

He was the one suggesting it.

Not me.

And somehow, that felt important.

“Sure.”

I adjusted my position in the sand.

“How does it work?”

“Paint whatever comes to mind.”

Airis placed a blank canvas beside me.

“To keep things fair, we'll work on two paintings.”

I nodded.

“That way we both get to decide how the story begins.”

Something about that sentence felt strangely important.

Maybe because it wasn't just about art.

“Fine.”

I dipped my brush into black paint.

Within a few strokes, a rough circle appeared in the center of the canvas.

I'd always preferred abstraction.

Though expressionism fascinated me too.

“Ready to switch?”

I nodded.

A moment later, we exchanged canvases.

At the center of Airis's was a pale blue cloud.

Soft.