Exton

When we get to the cabin, Star makes a gesture and then opens the door. Canceling a ward, maybe? She goes inside, then beckons for me to follow.

The cabin is plain and blends into the forest around it so well, you'd think it was deliberately camouflaged. Inside, it's all wood - floors, walls, ceiling - and looks to be just one large room. No - wait, there's a kitchen area in one corner and a couple of doors. On closer inspection, one proves to be nailed shut. I raise a mental eyebrow, but say nothing.

Some clothes are hanging on a hook on the wall and there's a chest sitting on the floor in front of the couch, which is made up like a bed. The other corner - opposite to the kitchen - has a large window. Piles of paper are piled to one side, seemingly haphazardly, but I don't believe that. From what I've seen of Star so far, she does nothing haphazardly.

Then I see the easel.

There's a sketch there, just a black and white pencil sketch - but it's Tiger to the life. How can she get that much detail into a sketch? If it was color, I think the damn thing would roar.

There's another sketch, just an edge of it showing under the top. I move it aside unthinkingly

 - and it's like looking in a mirror.

Everything is there, everything, from the perpetually mussed hair to the sour expression to the five o' clock shadow to the look in my eyes. She's captured me in a three-quarter view, so you can see Tiger on my bicep and Phoenix peeking out of my collar.

I turn to say something and Star's eyes are flickering from yellow to brown and back again. Yellow I understand now; that's curiosity. But what's brown?

My voice is uncharacteristically husky when I speak.

"Star… Star, this is amazing. Stoney's right, you could do this professionally and make big bucks from it. Have you had training or are you a natural?"

"It's jj..just what I ssee..."

I look from Star to the sketch and back to Star. "Amazing… just amazing."

Then it hits me. We just kissed for the first time tonight. When did she draw this?