Chapter 17 : Altered Plan

Angela was delighted by the stars blinking up in the sky because it was such a warm night. It was already eight o'clock, and the silence of the night indicated that no other souls were awake except hers. She couldn't sleep thinking about the hidden painting on the 7th ceiling board in Leonardo's studio. Why was it hidden from the view of others? Who is the crying lady? She pondered. And their hand-painting made her happy. She could still see Lara's face furiously complaining about her as Leonardo's hand-partner in that painting. And the result was fantastic. They created a beautiful spiral design of such a colorful painting, with their hands visible as the last marks over the spiraling multicolor rainbow.

And the thought of Leonardo wanting to hear her mention his name, "Leo," caused her to experience a slew of unexpected emotions. She was overjoyed just thinking about it. It was such a lovely word to say. Leonardo, she said, as she smiled. But she could also see and feel Lara's boili