I was inspired to make this picture because I like the appearance of extreme climates, such as deserts, canyons, wastelands, volcanoes, and, in this case, snow and mountains. Extreme colors and the exaggeration of weather catch my attention. I get inspired easily.
Life always gives hardships
Life always seems to beat you down
As soon as you get out of one rough patch
You’re diving headfirst into an even rougher one
An even more difficult time in your life
And somehow it never gets easier
It always seems like you’re struggling to stay afloat
Gasping for breath in an insufferable ocean of misery
Holding onto hope for the pain to end
But in the midst of this nightmare
There is one saving grace
One who has watched us since before we were born
Before the creation of the universe itself
One who loves us always
Cares for us always
Cherishes us always
Thinks of us always
Wants us always
That saving grace is Our Creator, Lord and Father of All
Find Him in the midst of the nightmare
He loves us with unending love
He bestows on us unending mercy
He grants us unending life in Heaven
Turn to Him in the darkness
In the struggle
In the hardships
Find his pathway to peace
Let Him fill you with the Holy Spirit
Bringing light to the darkness
Bringing you into His glory
Making you one of his evangelists
Spreading the Gospel to the ends of the Earth
And when the storms of life return
Walk not in fear, but in faith
You never have to face the waves alone
For His grace carries us home
In this painting, we had inspiration pictures, but I don’t like to copy other people’s work. I put my own twist on it by adding different trees and using a slightly different perspective. The main thing I changed was the colors. I wanted the observer to be immediately attracted to my piece because the saturation of the colors is really captivating. This was a little difficult because it was my first time using oil paint, but I think it came out great.
My drawing shows atmospheric perspective and a combination of shading and blending. To make this drawing, I used shading pencils. They were used to create values and gradation, which added to the finished product of my picture. My creativity and artistic mind inspired me to draw this picture of atmospheric perspective.
“Ouch! What the Hell?!”
As the soft rays of the sun peeked through the blinds, the girl had a rude awakening as her skin met the terrible, burning rays. She panicked and tumbled off her bed into the shaded areas of her room. She clenched her shoulder, where the light had made contact, and smelled something off. Is something burning?
Yes, something was burning; she glanced at her wound and almost fainted seeing her black, scorched skin. She cursed aloud and headed for the door, but stopped herself as her hand clenched onto the door handle. She wasn’t stupid; she was aware that if she stepped into the light, her shoulder wouldn’t be the only thing black as charcoal. The only sensible thing to do, unfortunately, was to call for her mother.
“What is it, Laura?” asked her mother from the kitchen. “Hurry up now, I have your lunch on the counter!”
“Mom! There might be something wrong with me!” Laura replied, pulling a black hoodie over her chest.
“You’re not sick! You’re going to school!” her mother replied. “Now get over here!”
“I’m serious, Mom!”
“...,” she could hear rustling in the kitchen. “Fine, but this better not be some—...”
The door opened, and Laura instinctively fled from the incoming light by retreating to her shaded closet. It was an embarrassing situation; her mom was looking at her like she was some weirdo.
“What are you doing?” her mom asked, her eyebrows furrowed and her eyes dazed with confusion.
“...okay,” Laura awkwardly said. “I’m not trying to be funny…But I can’t be in the light.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Look!”
Laura pulled down her hoodie a little to show her mother her burnt, crispy shoulder, but her mother didn’t bat an eye. Instead, Mom stood there, her arms crossed, and her foot tapping as if she were waiting for some grand reveal, but to no avail. “Wow, that’s some shoulder you got there,” her mother sighed.
Laura snapped her head to her left and saw that her shoulder was back to normal—no! Her shoulder was as good as new, better even! She felt the skin—smooth as a baby’s bottom! She looked back at her mother, a sheepish smile creeping on her face. She opened her mouth, “I-I can explain!”
“I want you ready in five minutes,” her mom said, walking away.
Laura kept feeling her shoulder; she was in disbelief. She looked out her window, the sun’s rays seemingly mocking her for being so stupid. She was just being crazy; there was no way the sun could have done that to her skin. Probably some bug. She thought. As for the burnt shoulder…it’s probably ‘cus I was waking up, or something like that…
She chuckled at her stupidity and headed for the door; she didn’t bother changing her clothes, everyone at school was wearing hoodies and sweatpants even though it was one million degrees outside.
She stepped out of the shade and erupted into flames, screaming as she retreated into the shade. NOPE! NOPE! NOPE! NOPE! NOPE! I WAS RIGHT! I WAS FREAKING RIGHT! OH GOD IT FREAKING HURTS!
“I’m sorry to say this, but I believe you have developed a rare illness,” the doctor, in a grim, hoarse voice, said. It was seven PM, and he looked like he just wanted to go home.
Laura sat in a chair, her mother and father beside her, as the doctor continued to mumble on. Her body had fully healed from the burning; it was a quick process that managed to traumatize both her and her mother. Laura’s father was quicker to believe the nonsensical story when he witnessed his daughter’s hand burst into flames upon making contact with the sun. So, Laura basically spent her day in the darkness of her room, watching YouTube and movies, while her parents were at work. Although it beat going to school, it wasn’t rocket science to see why she’d feel scared or uneasy in these moments.
“In simple terms,” the doctor continued. “You’re a vampire now.”
“Is there any way to reverse this—a cure for this?” Laura’s father asked.
“Nope,” the doctor replied, pointing a finger at the girl. “She’s patient zero. She’s the first person in the medical world who has developed this syndrome of sorts.”
“Does that mean I’ll like…drink blood and stuff?” Laura asked, her fingers folded.
“I doubt it,” the doctor said, looking at his clipboard. “From what we’ve been able to record here from your blood alone, your stem cells are hyperactivated and are constantly regenerating your other cells, explaining how your wounds healed so fast, yet those same stem cells seem to
perish at the sight of any ultraviolet light, in a rather violent fashion if I might add.”
“Yeah, got that,” Laura said. She didn’t appreciate that last comment. Like, no duh!
“However, you should expect other physical changes due to the stem cells basically being on steroids, though it’s hard to say what these changes will be.”
Her parents got up from their seats; their faces said that they weren’t very satisfied with the results. Laura certainly wasn’t happy about these new changes to her body. Sure, the regeneration part was cool, but not being able to go out in the sun! What the hell was that!? How the hell was she going to live when everyone she knew was going to be asleep during the only time it was safe for her to go outside? Was she going to need to take online classes now? Was her online teacher going to be some dude from the other side of the world, like China or India? Yes, she hated school, but every teenager says they hate school; it’s part of the angst! She didn’t want to not go to school! She didn’t want to just say to her friends, “Hi! Sorry, you guys are never going to see me at school ‘cus I’ll die if I spend two seconds in the sun!” Oh! This freaking sucks! That didn’t mention the stuff about having to expect “other physical changes”! Was she going to develop cancer?! She wasn’t stupid; stem cells cause cancer! I’m going to get vampire cancer! Oh my freaking gawd! It’d be the most embarrassing death ever; she could already picture what her tombstone would say:
Laura Graves 2008-2027
Died unable to go outside.
Eep! She prayed during the silent car ride back home. Turn me back, God! Please turn me back into good old normal me!
“So…you’re a vampire now?”
Laura nodded her head, fighting back the tears. It had been three days since the diagnosis that she’d been able to see anyone. Spending all that time at home was like COVID all over again! So, she finally snuck out of her home while her parents were asleep and ran to the first person that came to mind.
Her boyfriend stared blankly at her through an open window, seeing that she had climbed up the wall of his home. “You could’ve called before you decided to come over,” he said, glancing at her toes digging into the side of his house.
“Sorry,” Laura whimpered, rubbing her eye.
“It’s fine,” he sighed, stretching his arms. “Are you coming in or not?”
“Sure, I’ll…”
She stopped, feeling an oppressive force pushing her away.
“Is something wrong?” he asked.
“No, no,” Laura sheepishly smiled. “Nothing’s wrong, it’s just…”
“Oh…,” he saw her sweaty face and her shaking hands. “You can come in, Laura.”
The forcing was seemingly lifted, and Laura, with her boyfriend’s help, stepped safely into his home.
“Thanks, Ed,” Laura smiled, taking a seat on his bedside.
It was refreshing to talk to someone other than her parents again, especially Ed. It was counterintuitive not to reply to messages or calls, but she wasn’t in the mood to text or call. She was too tired to call in the morning; she didn’t want to keep her parents up talking at night, and how was she supposed to explain her whole situation through text? No, that was stupid, and it’d hurt her fingers; there’d be so much typing. It didn’t matter now; she was talking to someone she felt comfortable with, and
she could already feel her muscles soften up as she continued to vent all her frustrations onto poor Ed. Plus, his parents weren’t home, so she could be as loud as she wanted.
“No, you’re not going to develop vampire cancer, silly,” Ed chuckled, patting Laura on the back as she cried into his chest.
“You don’t know that!” Laura sobbed. “The doctor said my stem cells are on steroids! That means the cancer will be on steroids!”
He continued to comfort her as she cried like a toddler getting their first shot, when he noticed something a little peculiar. “Hey, Laura?” Ed whispered.
“Yuh?”
He placed two hands on her shoulder and looked at her, his eyes widening as sparks and butterflies flew around his head. “What the…” he said.
“What is it?!” Laura gasped. “Did something happen!? Am I ugly? Is there a tumor on my forehead now!?”
Ed pulled out his phone and turned on the camera. “See for yourself,” he said.
Laura hesitantly took the phone and saw what she had become after thirty minutes of crying. She touched her cheek, then her nose, and then her lips. Oh my freaking gawd… She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. I’m effing gorgeous!
She looked at Ed and then at the camera app again. Was it a filter for something? She clicked around the phone with fervent speed and saw that what she was seeing was indeed her real face. Large eyes, small nose, unblemished, pale skin, soft red lips, and long, wavy hair that looked softer than a puppy’s fur. She felt her hair; no, it was softer than silk!
It looked as if she hadn’t even cried at all. Usually her face would be all red and puffed up, but her face was just…perfect!
“I’m like a superstar,” Laura murmured, completely mesmerized by her own eyes; they now had yellow irises with a slit pupil like a cat’s. She smiled, flinching as she saw her teeth.
“What is it?” Ed asked.
“My teeth,” Laura answered. She opened her mouth, revealing that all four of her k9 teeth had grown longer and sharper.
“Huh,” Ed said. He lightly held Laura’s chin and studied her teeth. “It seems that they’ve turned pristine white, too.”
“Hey!” Laura yelped, lightly pushing Ed away as she turned away in embarrassment. “Are you saying my teeth were yellow!”
There was a groan on the floor.
“Ed?” Laura looked back around and saw her boyfriend lying face-first on the ground. “ED!” she cried, rushing over to him. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to push you that hard!”
“It also seems that you’re a lot stronger now,” he murmured, clenching his chest.
Laura held him in her arms as he caught his breath, and she looked down at him warmly. He was such a lovely person, and she was lucky to have him. I love him so much…I just wanna eat him up…wait what?! Where did that come from? She snapped back to her senses, seeing that Ed was just giving her a very awkward, blank stare, and blushed, letting him get up on his own.
“I-I think I should go now,” Laura said, rubbing her arm.
“You sure?”
“Y-yeah, I’m sure.”
“Okay, lemme get my keys real quick—...” Zackery Fung Vampire
“No,” Laura murmured, “It’s fine, I’ll just run back home.”
“Oh…uh…okay,” Ed said, giving her a gentle wave as she leaped out of his window. “What a crazy night…”
Laura opened the refrigerator and stared as cool, misty air brushed against her bare legs. Her mom woke her up, erupting with a million questions upon seeing her pretty face, before going to bed, saying breakfast was waiting for her. So, with nothing else to do at night, Laura explored the dark kitchen. She realized that she didn’t even need to turn on the lights; she could see perfectly fine in the dark. Still, she flicked them on out of habit.
“Pancakes and some bacon…” she said to herself. There was nothing wrong with it; in fact, she loved pancakes; they were her favorite breakfast food. However, there was something now. She didn’t know what it was, but these pancakes just didn’t seem very appetizing to her.
It wasn’t until she opened the fridge that she realized how hungry she was. Her mouth was watering, and her stomach was growling, but nothing she saw sparked her appetite. She wanted something savory, something really, really good. Searching through the fridge, she finally found something that made peace with her growling belly: a twenty-two-ounce steak yet to be cooked.
She licked her lips as she went to tear the plastic sealant off the steak. She opened her mouth, her razor, pointy, sharp k9s about to sink into the red meat—hold on a minute! She shut her mouth and lowered the meat down. What the hell was I doing?!
She winced, feeling an acute pain in her lower lip. She pressed a finger on her mouth, seeing smeared blood on her fingers. Her eyes focused on the redness staining her hand; it made her heart race, and her stomach scream. The hunger wasn’t just hunger anymore; it was unbearable pain! Screw cooking it! Screw it if somebody sees it! I’m hungry, and I need to effing eat!
She stuffed the red T-bone into her mouth, her k9s piercing into the meat like a hot knife pressing into butter. It was delicious! The flavor was unlike any she had ever had before! It could’ve just been because she was hungry, but this was way better than pancakes! Why don’t people eat rare meat like this all the time if it tastes this good?! The answer was obvious, but she was enjoying her meal too much to use her brain.
… “So…you ate the steak?” her dad triedly asked. His hair was a mess, and he was in his PJs.
“Umm…yeah…,” Laura nervously answered.
“Raw?”
“Yeah…”
“Do you feel sick?”
“...No.”
“...Okay…just be a little quieter next time, okay?”
“Oh…sorry, Dad. Good night.”
“Night.”
It had been almost two weeks since Laura had turned into a vampire, and she continued to find herself a myriad of newly developed peculiar traits due to the stem cells: some good, most of them annoying.
When she woke up in the middle of the night to take a shower, she quickly realized that she couldn’t see her reflection in the mirror, but strangely enough, she could on her camera. When she touched her door handle, her hand erupted into flames; a trip to the doctor made it clear that she was now allergic to silver. Then there was the hunger. It was like there was a black hole in her stomach, or some of those tape worm pills that overbearing moms give to their overweight daughters.
It wasn’t all bad, though…
That was a lie. Aside from her newfound beauty, it was horrible. The other night, she was trying to buy some steaks for a midnight lunch, and accidentally put the cashier in some sort of trance. After another trip to the doctor, Laura was said to hypnotize people with a wave of her hand; how this worked was beyond any medical understanding.
“Can you still eat garlic bread?” Ed asked, setting a plate in front of her.
In the peak of her torment, Laura’s only instinct was to run over to her boyfriend’s home this time. This time, she put in some effort in what she wore; she wasn’t barefoot in booty shorts and a T-shirt like last time. She was wearing shoes, sweat pants, and a sweater.
“No…,” Laura cried, her face plopped against his dining table. “I got sick and vomited for like ten minutes when my mom brought some.”
Ed took away the plate and brought her a glass of water instead. Laura sat up and pressed her fingers on the glass to take a sip, but she crushed the glass instantly.
“I’m sorry,” she sniffled, rubbing her eyes. “
Ed wiped off the water on his face. “I can get you a paper cup…” he offered, awkwardly.
Laura plopped her head back on the table, cracking the wood. She flinched. “What the hell!?” she snapped, grabbing at her hair. “I can’t even be sad without breaking something! Why is this happening to me! I didn’t freaking ask for this—...”
They both jumped, hearing a low growl emitting from underneath the table. Laura sat, her mouth wide open, as her face turned beet red. She slouched over the table and hid her face from Ed.
“Was that your…”
Laura silently nodded her head.
“I can make you something real quick if you want…” Ed shuffled quietly to his refrigerator.
“Thank you…”
Laura sat up again, clenching her belly. It was like a thousand daggers were seeping deep into her abdomen. She groaned, her mouth watering as her nose picked up something really appetizing. She turned around and looked at Ed. Whatever he was making smelled so, so intoxicating. She let in a big sniff, a wide grin creeping up her face. She closed her eyes as her muscles softened up. That smell was a rush of pure dopamine to her head, and it placed her on a soft, buttery cloud made of everything sweet and savory. She loved it, she just loved the smell of—...
“LAURA!”
She froze. Her eyes rapidly blinked as she got a bearing on her surroundings. She was on the floor, and her hands were holding…what the…
She gasped and let go, getting to her feet as Ed lay there coughing now that his throat was free. She looked at him, then at her hands—her hands trembling in the cold air. What was I doing? Oh, God…
She thought.
“I-I d-d-didn’t mean too,” she trembled, backing away. “I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry, Ed.” She rubbed her eyes, trying to hold back the tears, but it was like trying to hold back a waterfall. Her heart was punching her ribcage, and she was about to throw up—...
“BLAH!”
…She did throw up. She threw up clear, slimy saliva and stomach acid from her empty stomach. Her face felt hot as the sun. First, she pinned her boyfriend to the floor, and now he just watched her hurl herself. Aaaaaaaaagh!
With her face covered, she ran away screaming.
This was the breaking point. Seriously, how the hell was she supposed to live a normal life when she couldn’t even control her own body from hurting the people she loved most? When does she pin her father or mother instead of Ed? Not to be rude, but they’re old; they can’t take the force of a semi-truck! Oh my gawd! What if it were some poor little kid!? Was she going to become a baby eater!? No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! There was a very sensible solution to this mess: run away and live in the woods for the rest of my life!
Yeah. She’d live in a cave during the day, and hunt animals during the night! She had it all figured out. Yes. It was the perfect plan—...
“No, it’s freaking not!” she cried out, sitting on the curb of a parking lot. “What am I, some foul beast?” She lowered her head, completely dejected. No, I’m a seventeen-year-old girl who likes to sleep…
She didn’t know what to do. Go home? Hell no! Not after what happened! She buried her head into her legs and rubbed her teary eyes on her knees.
Then she heard panting and saw Ed running towards her. She beamed with joy and excitement! In her darkest hour, her knight in shining armor had—...
“Get back from me!” she hissed, almost forgetting the danger she posed in her despair. “I don’t wanna hurt you again!”
“I ain’t leaving!” Ed replied, slowly walking over. “And I never will!”
“How’d you even find me?”
Ed pulled out his phone. “You’re showing your location on Insta.”
“...oh.” Laura gently pulled out her (recently) cracked phone and turned her location off in settings.
Ed took another step.
“Nuh uh uh!” Laura barked, scooching her butt to the side. “Get away from me! Before I eat you or something!”
Ed pulled up his sleeve. “Vampires drink blood, right?” he showed her his bare forearm. “I don’t care what it takes, I don’t want you to go!”
Laura stared at the arm and smelled it. She held back. “NO! I won’t do it!”
“Laura…”
“Don’t Laura me!”
“Please?”
Laura’s body was already acting on its own. She was saying no, but her fangs were already to sink into that juicy hunk of forearm flesh. “Fine!” she finally huffed, pouncing on Ed’s arm. She bit and felt a warm flow of blood rush into her mouth. Ed made a couple of grunts as she drank, but she felt at ease feeling his hand hading on her head.
She released him and wiped the blood off her lips.
“See?” Ed smiled, a little paler than before. “That wasn’t so bad.”
Laura smiled and hugged him, softening her embrace after hearing a few cracks.
“Thanks…” she said, “for the meal.”
“Anytime…anytime.”
She licked her k9s, tasting a metallic, bitter aftertaste from the blood. “Is this gonna be a regular thing now, or…?”
“I don’t think I can take regular.”
“What happened to ‘whatever it takes’?”
“There’s only so much blood I can give, you know!” Zackery
Laura caught herself. Am I really complaining that he’s not gonna give me his blood? “Well,” she smiled. “What do you think I should do?”
“Can’t your doctor prescribe you blood or something?” Ed suggested. “What else are blood drives for?”
“Huh…didn’t think about that…”
Laura rubbed her eye and chuckled a little. “What about the sun?”
“Make plans for night stuff.”
“School?”
“Online class from the other side of the world.”
Laura laughed. “I haven’t told anyone else yet; only you and my parents know.”
“You’ve ghosted them for two weeks?”
“Hey! It’s not easy to tell them, okay!”
“It’s not like we’re gonna drive a stake through your heart,” Ed chuckled.
“No! I don’t wanna think about it!” Laura yelped. “I’ve got enough on my plate already, thank you very much!”
“You seem to be used to it now.”
Larua shrugged. “Maybe…some of it. I’m still scared; I’ll probably hurt them.”
“Yeah, maybe…”
“Gee, thanks for cheering me up.”
“Guess you gotta be more careful then.”
“Thanks, Sherlock.”
For my Chapel Walkway drawing, I used two shading pencils, 6B and 8B, to create shadows and make certain objects appear darker or lighter. I also used a tool called a shading stump, which is usually used for shading, but I used it to blend the shadows on the walkway and the small clouds in the sky. I really enjoyed drawing this because I was able to capture and draw the small details in the image, although they might not be noticeable to others. Another reason I enjoyed this project is that it helped my connection with God grow. As I passed by the chapel, I would stop and admire it, which made me want to go inside and pray.
This year’s Spectrum Magazine is a celebration of the incredible fine arts talent here at Servite. Featuring work submitted by our students, the magazine showcases everything from paintings and drawings to mechanical robotics and creative writing. As Spectrum is relaunched this year, the hope is to build momentum, inspire more students to share their gifts, and create an even greater abundance of submissions in the years ahead.
