Chapter 1 - Ellie

Ellie was undeniably perfect. She was poised before him, a literal work of art. Tyler sighed, smoothing the full lips of the clay likeness, knowing he wouldn’t capture her beauty.
“Do you need to break? Maybe readjust so you’re comfortable?” Tyler asked, urgently.
“No. I’m fine. But thank you for asking.” Ellie answered politely
“You know, you sit so still, I don’t know why I’m bothering with the sculpture. I could just sit you on the display and put a card in front. No one would ever know the difference.”
“That’d be an experience. It’d be very couture. So, do you like working with clay?”
“No. It’s such an ugly material. You have such beautiful skin that I think that alabaster would look better.” Tyler answered.
“Really? I like the way that sounds, alabaster. It has such a pretty ring to it.” Ellie mused, smiling.
“It’s a beautiful material. It’s a softer form of marble. I’ve always wanted to work with it, but have never found the right subject.”br>
“Well, I’m sure that you could find the time to sculpt me in it, if you’d like.”

He smiled absently turning back to his sculpture and started to shape the nose. He was working around the eyes, the hardest feature to capture. Large and sultry, the windows to a no-doubt perfect soul. She’s more beautiful than any work of art. She’s a goddess, more beautiful than Aphrodite, Tyler thought. He flinched when the bell rang and covered the sculpture with plastic. In his next class, found himself doodling Ellie’s face in his notebook, still carefully avoiding the eyes.

The next day in art, Ellie was waiting for him, her eyes staring into a wall. He uncovered the sculpture and smiled at the beauty.
“It may not be her dead on, but it was close. She is a muse, the daughter of Zeus himself. She’s my muse,” He murmured, “Do you remember the pose?” Tyler asked, blushing when she jumped. “I’m sorry”
“It’s ok. I was thinking of a debate in my art appreciation course. Some artists only sculpt scenery and objects. That’s what they deem as beautiful. Then others only sculpt the female form or vice versus. It confuses me, because I don’t know where I stand on that argument.” Ellie rambled.
“I’ve always seen the female form as more beautiful than the male form or inanimate objects. Mountains are nice, but they don’t talk or smile.” Tyler answered a slight smile spreading on his face.
“You have a point.’ She smiled sheepishly, “I guess you want me to stop talking. I must be ruining your thought process.”
“No, not at all. I like conversation while I work. Why sculpt something if it’s not interesting in the first place?”
She smiled and nodded, but was hushed for a few excruciating moments. To fill the awkward silence he forced himself to make conversation.
“What do you think of love at first sight?” Tyler asked, almost certain of the answer.
“I believe it. I think that sometimes you see a person and you just know.” She answered, something glittering in her eyes. He was sure that something was for him.
“You didn’t strike me as someone who’d believe that kind of thing.” His heart sped up.
“Its an instant thing. There’s no real way to describe it than you just know.”She stared straight into his eyes. He felt as though his heart would burst. He silently relished this moment as he worked harder on his sculpture. The ever punctual bell tore him out of thoughts and forced him to go to his next class. He covered his work with plastic and looked up to see Ellie smiling and waving at him. Excited, he eagerly returned the gesture and smiled widely. He might as well have floated to his next class. He didn’t even bother getting out a notepad, instead pulling out his sketchpad. For the first time he drew her eyes, finding them startlingly real. They stared at him with same love and intensity as the girl who they belonged to. He smiled and thought there’s another one for the gallery. He couldn’t wait for the final bell to ring so that he could tack up this new sketch and start another sculpture.

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