Page 92 of Dark Chains: First Link
"Well, Asira is a girl, so I guess it's fine."
What she'd wanted to say was that art was for everyone, not just girls, and that he should draw if he felt like it, but that wouldn't do him any favors in this place. It would only get him bullied.
"Asira draws portraits," Sullha said. "She offered to draw yours."
"I don't want it." He kicked a pebble. "What's a portrait?"
"A picture of your face."
He pursed his lips, which always made her want to kiss them because they were so cute. "Just my face?" he asked.
"Maybe your shoulders, too."
"Does it take long?"
"I don't know. Probably not."
"Will it hurt?"
"Drawing a picture doesn't hurt anyone, Tomek."
"Some things that don't sound like they hurt end up hurting."
The observation was too perceptive for a five-year-old, and it made Sullha's heart ache because she knew where he'd learned it. Life in the enclosure taught children to be wary of everything.
"This won't hurt," she promised. "She's going to look at you and draw what she sees on paper. You just have to sit still."
"I don't like sitting still."
Sullha shrugged. "Then perhaps she will draw a picture of me instead."
"No. I will sit."
She stifled a smile. That trick always worked with Tomek.
Asira's dormitory was in the middle row of buildings, identical to all the others. Low, single-story, concrete block construction with small windows and a communal entrance. The interior was the standard layout—a hallway with doors on both sides, each leading to a room shared by four women.
Asira greeted them at the entrance and immediately crouched down to Tomek's level.
"You must be Tomek. I'm Asira."
"Hi." He eyed her suspiciously. "My mama says you draw pictures."
"I do."
"She says you're going to draw my face."
"Only if you want me to."
His brow furrowed. "Will it look like me?"
"I hope so. That's the whole point, right?"
"Okay." He shrugged. "But only my face."
Asira laughed and pushed to her feet. "Only the face. Come on in."
She led them down the hallway to the third door on the right. The door was open, and when Sullha stepped inside, she stopped and gaped.
