Once upon a time there was a girl by the name of Holly. She lived on Cedar Lane in a thicket forest surrounded by mystical creatures of all sorts. There were fairies and witches, as well as elves and gnomes that filled the student body at her school, Rivers High. Rivers High was not a school for the ordinary, it took gifted, talented, and wealthy kids to an elitist society that would boost their lives in a straight shot to the top. Some of those kids held a scholarship to attend Rivers and did not come from any money, Holly was one of them. She was known for creating life on a canvas, her painting enthralling people for days at a time to admire the strokes of her brush. She received a full ride to Rivers to work with Johannes Vandeer, one of the most esteemed artists in all of the land. Holly’s gift came from what she considered to be her greatest curse. Green spots arose on Holly’s skin every time Holly grew embarrassed, vulnerable or scared. This began her love of painting, as she would hide from to outside world and create her own. In the beginning, she was okay with slight spots appearing, however this closed Holly off to many and did not let her show who she truly was. Holly knew how to hide her spots and eventually these spots would simply vanish. This made Holly live in a choiceless world where her truth did not necessarily align with her companies truth. Painting provided an escape for her. Being her own critique allowed for Holly to grow in her self-confidence, both physically and mentally. Truth was, Holly was one of the most beautiful girls at Rivers. Girls jeered at her or wanted to be her while the boys dreamed of her while she gleamed the hallways. Cliques in the school were bound to happen. The haughty popular crowd ruled the school while the freaks slinked into the shadows. Holly went through her first day of school with the goal of making a singular friend. 1st hour came and went just as fast as the 2nd hour. She went all the way through lunch without saying a word, whether it be out of fear or out of embarrassment she could not find her truth. As she was picking at her scream-cheese bagel, she heard a click clack of hooves get closer and closer to her. Antlers shadowed over her as her eyes raised, passing by the arms of a human to a moose head. “Hi, I usually sit here alone but I’m welcome to company,” he said in a grovel voice as he sat down across from Holly. “H-Hi, my name is…” Holly stammered. 

“Holly right? We’re in Environmental Magic together. I’m Goose” 

Oh she knew who Goose was. Goose was one of the first people Holly saw entering the steps of River High School. Goose was in her Environmental Magic and when the class was over he walked right as she walked left. Goose was sitting right in front of her. “Where are you headed after this?” Goose asked. Sheepishly Holly replied, “I have a free period so probably headed towards the painting studio.” Goose began to grin. “You’re the girl they gave the Vandeer Scholarship to aren’t you? That competition was one of the fiercest to ever go through the school. Vandeer is one of the strictest teachers this school has ever had, he’s been here for eons.” Holly’s green spots began to dissipate as her heart rate leveled out. “Eons?” she thought. Almost as if he read her mind, Goose began to state in a serious demeanor “Nobody talks about it, his longevity. Better not to mess with it gives you a free state of mind.” Holly’s interest immediately peaked and she knew she had to dig deeper. As the lunch bell rang, Goose said his goodbyes and headed toward his next period while Holly strided toward the painting studio. The closer she got to the studio she could almost feel the presence of it grow inside of her. The canvas, the paints they whispered to her in beautiful song coaxing her in. Mesmerized by its magical qualities, she entered the studio and was greeted by a low hum. Drums filled with dripping paint peeked through the thicket of woods as Holly cautiously stepped deeper into them. Her senses were lulled by a presence that creeped in. “Ms. Holly, I ashume,” Grazing through the trees was a tall lean human figure with the head of a deer. “M-Mr. Vandeer?” As the large figure stepped closer, Holly began to feel slightly nauseous & made her way to sit down at the row of easels lined before the darkness of the forest. Sneaking up behind her Vandeer studied her, careful not to startle her as he watched what he hoped to happen, happen. As Holly stared at the blank canvas her eyes gazed right on top of the easel. The woods began to slur & sway as a green fog began to envelope Holly & her surroundings. The drums of paint began to beat to their own to the rhythm, moving toward Holly. Holly picked up the paintbrush and dip[ped it into the buckets of paint that grew closer and closer. As the first wisp of the brush touched the canvas, a blast of light swept the room. Holly looked up to see 5 distinct creatures, all with some kind of artistry surrounding them. One held clay in their hands, the other some oil paints, the one in the middle though was different. Holly could only assume that something horrible happened to his ears as the diameter of his face was surrounded by bandages. One of them was the figure she recognized as Mr. Vandeer. These creatures, like Mr. Vandeer, all had deer heads with the body of the human. 

“Holly Thicket.” said the Bandaged Man. “My name is not of importance nor is any of theirs” he gestured toward the others on the council. “All you need to know is that we are the creators of the art movement known as the Renaissance & have been looking for someone like you for a long time.” 

Holly stood, bug eyed & motionless. Spots began to form rapidly, creeping up her neck all the way down to her hands and feet. “ A gift?” she meeked out, looking down. “My spots?”

“You’ve been marked.” spoke Vandeer slowly, his eyes holding something darker. “Those spots signify a means for something more, something to push artistry & this wonderful world of magic we have together.” 

A stern look from the Bandaged Man silenced Vandeer. “Imagine a world where the possibilities of others are crafted by you & your artwork. Imagine crafting the timeline of the world we live in through your paintings. You could create many of these peoples dream lives and your enemies you can do unto them as they did to you. There are some catches however, see you cannot paint or create anything that will directly affect your life such as a love interest or a lot of money. Also this power is not one taken lightly and holds a bearing weight on it’s master. You cannot die when holding this power, but the longer you live with it the heavier the weight it bears. Vandeer is the current holder of this power, but he cannot do what you could do if you took it. See Vandeer is just a holder as you are the person that this power belongs to. It is just up to you to take it or not.” Holly never had a choice in her life, everything was already decided for her by living a truth that she didn't even know how to navigate. And now she had to navigate others' truth as well? She thought about the kids at Rivers who were considered freaks, how she could make them shine. She thought about Goose & choosing someone he could be happy with. But what would that give them? And what would that strip them of? She lived her whole life living by something looming over her, afraid to make her own decisions. So what gave her the right to make those of others? 

Holly finally made up her mind. “I accept this power, but I will not use it. If I am meant to have this, I choose to let others be free. To have them make their own decisions and live as they want to. Not by my means.” 

“Very well,” grinned the Bandaged Man. “Go Johannes.” Johannes Vandeer lunged himself at Holly, throwing her to the ground. Holly felt her insides bubble as Mr. Vandeer’s eyes burned bright green, staring into Holly. And then everything went pitch black.

Holly woke up to raindrops hitting her face. She was in the Commons of Rivers High as a storm loomed above. She felt a jacket thrown over her head. “What are you doing in the rain?” she heard the familiar voice & grinned. Immediately, she realized she was soaking in the rain & Goose had seen her and yet she looked down and saw no spots. Smiling, she said, “Waiting for you. Wanna go get some food?” And her and Goose walked to the cafeteria, ready to make their choices.