“So what is it?”
“Do you promise not to tell my brother?”
“Really? Why would you hide it from him?”
“What I have planned, he may not like. I’ve pushed him before and sometimes he threatens to leave. What I have planned will make him consider those thoughts”
“It’s that bad?”
“Probably. If the art world had an ethics committee, I would probably be pissing my pants about the collection.”
“You sound like you know exactly what you’re going to do.”
“Of course, I do. I just needed a name for it.”
“Okay. Fine. I swear I won’t tell your brother what the subject of your collection will be.”
He extended his hand and wiggled his pink finger. “Let’s make this official.”
“Oh my goodness.” I made sure the hand he offered wasn’t the one he had in his mouth and latched my pinky onto his. “I swear.”
“The subject is sacrifice. As I’ve been going through the process, I really wasn’t sure what this phenomenon would be, but I think sacrifice would bring it all together.” He winked at me. “I had no idea where you would fit into the collection. Michael made you an archangel. I considered having you end the entire collection as the angel of death to metaphorically welcome everyone to the gates of the afterlife. I’m not sure I like it. Instead, I’ll follow your journey. You’ll sacrifice for me. And this way, we can go on this voyage together.”
“I’ll sacrifice for you?”
“Yes. You’re going to give up something to gain whatever it is you need.”
This was the art world and Hex represented a true artist who saw the world in many layers of reality, so thick that a layer could be yanked away for a few seconds and analyzed like a book.
“Sacrifice.” I curled the word around my tongue and sucked in the bitter taste of it. “Why sacrifice?”
“Because in order to truly be free you’ll have to surrender it all. You’ll have to tear away all of the things that bind you to whatever is keeping you back from your passion.” He looked out the window and off into the distance. “I’ve been battling with something for a long time. I think it’s time for me to stop being scared and see if I can discover who I truly am for sure.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ll understand later.” He leaned his weight onto the door and watched the landscape of Miami rush by.
The Castillo property was located far outside of Miami and surrounded by tons of farmland. As we pushed into the hustle and bustle of South Beach, fields of grass and crops transformed into small businesses. The farther we ventured, those convenience stores changed to large towers that stabbed the sky with their bright colors and sculpted edges. Bushy trees that cuddled dark green leaves and lush fruit transformed into high palm trees manicured at the top and decorated with tiny lights that one would put on a Christmas tree.
Hex lowered the window and breathed in the air. “We should have a theme for this party tomorrow. Something fun before we begin sacrificing the day after.”
“Okay. First of all, what are you talking about with us sacrificing? What will we be giving up?”
“Everything.”
“I’m not giving up everything.”
“You don’t even know what I’m talking about.”
“Then what are you talking about?”
“Just follow me.”
I covered my eyes and held in a smart remark.
“I’m serious, Elle. Just follow me down the rabbit hole.”
“And what if at the end of the path, there’s a bunch of rabid human-eating rabbits that are ready to attack us?”
“Then we’ll kill them all.”
“With your wet thumb and my talent for movie lines?”
“Yes.” He smiled so much that he exposed his teeth. “We’ll destroy them with our special powers. Are you ready to go on this voyage with me? It’s going to be more than modeling. This will be about the both of us sacrificing it all to learn about ourselves.”
I buried my face in my hands. “You know, I liked you better when you were quiet in the corner and sucking your thumb.”
“Well, it’s too late now.” He reached for the wine bottle, took a swig, and set it back down. “I’ve got that word, sacrifice, drumming over and over in my head like I’m a cocaine addicted drummer, banging at a hard surface to just get a few seconds of freedom before he tilts over and takes a snort. Sacrifice! Say it with me.”
“Sacrifice.”
“Louder!” He put his head out the window and screamed, “Sacrifice!”
Uh oh. What did I start?
He jumped back into the car, his eyes wild with insanity. “Can I dress you for tomorrow night’s party?”
“Uh—”
“I see you in feathers and diamonds as well as lots of white all around you. I want to cover you in white.”
“I’ll have to approve this outfit first.”
“Fine.”
“And I get to dress you.”
He tilted his head to the side. “Interesting. Okay. Let’s do it. You dress me and I dress you.”