by Shawn James
It’s a good plan. With my youthful looks I could blend into the campus scene, look for clues, and find out who has an axe to grind against her. But sleuthing isn’t my forte. I’m more a hands-on heroine.
“I don’t know Doc, detective work is way out of my skill set-”
“Sometimes you have to learn before you can teach.”
“And what would I be learning?”
“Reconnecting with the student body here would be a great way to help shake off some of that rust before you step into a classroom someplace else.”
“Only they have to see my body for me to form that relationship.”
“I think they’ll like you when get to see the real you.”
That’s not the me I want them to see. But me not getting involved would speak volumes about my character. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if something happened to Marilyn and I could have done something about it. While I have my reservations about showing so much of myself to the Next School student body, I’m going to have to take this job. I’ll be going where I’m needed.
“Looks like The Next School has itself a new art model.” I sigh.
“You’re doing the right thing.” Edna says patting me on the shoulder.
“Why is doing the right thing always not beneficial to me?”
“So you can learn discipline, character, and all the crap that’ll make you a better person tomorrow by ruining your life today.” Edna retorts.
I snicker at Edna’s re-purposing of an old All About Nikki joke as we file back into Chris’ office. Marilyn and Chris jump out of their seats in anticipation of my decision.
“So are you still interested in modeling with us Isis?” Chris inquires.
“After discussing my reservations with Dr. Flowers and being reassured this experience would be good for my career, I’ve decided to take the job.” I reply.
“Great.” Chris says. “We can take care of your paperwork and go over Marilyn’s schedule for the next few classes. Would you be able to start this afternoon?”
The sooner we start, the faster we find this nutjob. And after we find them, I can find a job where wearing clothing is mandatory. “Definitely. I’m not doing anything else today.”
Chapter 5
As Chris hands Isis a clipboard with an application on it, Marilyn checks her watch. “Er…If you guys will excuse me I have an exam I have to take.” Marilyn says.
With a stalker after her, someone better go with her. Whoever this is could pounce on her while she’s going to class. And since Isis is busy taking care of her paperwork, I’ll have to do my best to keep Marilyn safe until she can take a more active role later on. “Well, it’s about time I headed back home myself.” I say. “It was nice meeting with you again Chris.”
“I hope you can visit our campus again Edna.” Chris replies.
“I hope so too. I’ll see you later Isis.”I say tapping her on the shoulder.
“I’ll call you tonight.” Isis tells me.
I follow behind Marilyn as she rushes out of Chris’ office. After she gets her bag out from behind the reception desk and slings it over her shoulder, I get her attention with a smile. “You don’t mind a little company on the way to your class?” I ask.
A smart smile answers my question before she speaks. “Let me guess. You think the stalker is going to get me.” Marilyn replies.
“Maybe I can hit them with my purse.”
The joke is met with a quiet snicker and a concerned look. “Er…Isn’t that going to be out of your way? The Business building is on Sixteenth Street-”
It’s the least I can do for a friend. “There’s a subway entrance on Sixteenth Street. I can catch the train home from there.”
“Wow, you’re really going above and beyond for someone you just met-”
“We never left a girl alone in a situation like yours on the Spelman campus.”
If this is the way they treat a fellow classmate I’d be tempted to move down to Atlanta. “You know you can’t guard me coming back to work after class when you’re uptown-”
“God will watch over you when I can’t.”
“In between the two of you, I’m feeling safer already.”
Marilyn smiles as she opens the door of the Fine Arts office. As we rush out into the hallway I say a prayer asking God to keep her safe until she gets back to the Fine Arts building to meet up with Isis.
Chapter 6
I glance at my watch as I hurry up 14th Street over to the Fine Arts Building. The figure study class with Professor Lewis starts in ten minutes; if I can get back to the office in time I can brief Dr. Flowers’ protégé and give her some pointers on modeling in the studio.
I rush through the front doors and flash my ID at the security desk, then make a beeline through the bustling corridors to the office of Fine Arts Department. As I hurry into the reception area, I find Isis sitting on the sofa. The slender golden skinned chestnut haired woman nervously peers up from the magazine she’s reading and gives me an uneasy look as I approach her.
“Hey Marilyn.” Isis greets through a pasted on smile.
“Hey Isis.” I reply. “You ready?”
“I think I am.”
“Cool. Let me walk with you to class.”
Isis slides up off the sofa in the reception area and shuffles out of the office. As she follows me down the bustling corridor, I can feel her anxiety. I can understand her apprehension; it used to scare the crap out of me being nude in front of a roomful of strangers when I first started modeling. Maybe I can reassure her before she goes out to pose for the first time.
“So did you get your schedule?” I ask.
“Yeah, I’m taking over your classes at ten, noon, and four on Mondays and Wednesdays, and nine, noon, and six on Tuesdays and Thursdays.”
Those are all of my classes during the semester. “Great.”
“You do know you spend a lot of time around here naked.” Isis jabs.
“I don’t even miss the clothes anymore.” I retort.
“That’s what I’m scared of.”
“Hey, I was scared to death my first time posing. But once I saw that most of the artists here were focused on getting the lines of their sketches right, it became one of the most relaxing parts of my day.”
The shocked expression on Isis’ face makes my day. “You actually look forward to being naked in front of a roomful of strangers?”
“I have a lot of fun in the studio.”
“You’re kidding me?”
“While they sketch I usually take that time to let myself digest what I learned in the class I took the period before.”
“I never knew nude modeling could be used as a study aid.”
“Hey, it’s helped me build up to a 3.98 GPA these last three semesters.”
I can feel Isis’ tensions starting to ease when we turn the corner and approach the tall ash door of Studio C. I twist the knob to see if it’s unlocked; it is. We walk into the studio and find Professor Lewis setting up easels in a circle for today’s class. The friendly full-figured middle aged blonde haired woman dressed in khaki capris, burgundy loafers, and a light blue polo shirt greets us with a smile as we approach her.
“Marilyn, I thought you weren’t modeling until further notice.” Professor Lewis says.
“I’m not.” I reply. “I just wanted to introduce you to the model who’s going to be taking my place. Professor Lewis, this is Isis.”
Professor Lewis’ eyes light up on hearing her name. “Oh my God! You’re the girl from the AFC War of the Gods!”
An embarrassed Isis gasps on the revelation. “You saw that pay-per-view?” she asks.
“I enjoyed it so much I bought it on DVD!” Professor Lewis sings. “Oh, it’s going to be so much fun having another celebrity in the studio!”
“I’d hardly call myself a celebrity.” Isis grumbles.
“Are you going to be in shape to handle posing?” Professor Lewis asks. “You took a nasty fall off the roof
of the Octagon a few months ago.”
Wow, I thought mixed martial arts fights stayed in the cage. This one had to be some kind of crazy to wind up spilling out of it like a wrestling match. If it’s on DVD, it’s got to be on YouTube. I think I’ll go search it out when I get back to the office.
“Fall?” I inquire.
“Twenty feet into the announcer’s table.” Isis says.
“Ouch.” I say.
“That’s what I said when I landed.”
We all share a laugh as Professor Lewis gives Isis a once-over. “Isis, you’ve got a wonderful slim build and some graceful lines. And your energy is very dynamic. I think we’re going to get some wonderful pieces working with you in the studio.”
I don’t think I have to worry about the kids being disappointed when they learn they have to draw another model. Isis’ friendly vibe looks like it’s going to inspire my classmates until I can return to the studio. “I’m hoping she can make the classes as much fun as I do.”
“That’s if she can handle the rigors of art modeling Marilyn. Posing is going require you to be in the same position for a good twenty to forty minutes. Are you ready for it Isis?”
“I got a clean bill of health from the AFC doctors so I think I can handle it.”
“Great. I’ll start you out with four five minute fast sketches today. After that, we’ll be doing a sitting pose. See the cube in the center of the room?”
Isis and I look over at the blue leather cube sitting in the center of the room. “Yeah.” Isis says.
“You can have a seat there on your cue.”
“What’s my cue?”
The timer at my easel will beep every five minutes for the fast five minute sketches. You can pose any way you like for those. Then on the fifth beep you’ll have a seat on the cube for today’s pose. You can sit any way you feel like, but I’d like a smile on your face.”
“What’s so important about smiling?”
“I’m trying to get the students to understand the importance of facial expressions and how they relate to body language.”
“I had to come in during the middle of the semester.”
It may be the middle of the semester, but I think Isis is going to be a fast learner. “Once we get a sense of how your body moves and how your lines flow into each other, we’ll see about getting you in some more complex poses later this week.” Professor Lewis continues.
“Sounds like fun.” Isis says.
“I think you’ll enjoy yourself.” Professor Lewis says.
I check my watch again. Class should be starting in a few minutes. “I’ll show you where the dressing room is.”
Isis follows me across the studio into the dressing room. After I close the door behind us, her eyes wander around the room looking at the chair and vanity in the center of the room, the props on the shelf next to it, and the full length mirror on the door before meeting mine. I’ll brief her on the cues we use in the studio before I head back to the office.
“So are you feeling a bit more comfortable about posing?”
“A little.”
“See that light above the door?”
Isis peers up at the green light above the dressing room door. “This one?”
“When it flashes on, that means the professor is ready for you to model. You come out and stand on the mark.”
“The tape on the floor?”
I knew she was a fast learner. “Yeah.”
“Usually for fast sketches you wait for the timer to beep. Then you go into the pose you want to get into.”
“Cues, timing, this sounds a lot like acting-”
“That’s why I have so much fun with it.”
“I take it that being in the art studio reminds you of being on the set of your show.”
“It does. I try to make my poses a performance for the kids so they can really feel my energy.”
“I’m guessing that’s why you’re so popular around here-”
“Some of the kids get inspired when they see me come out in a silk robe and make an entrance before I start posing-”
“Robe?” Isis inquires as her face twists into a grimace.
“Didn’t you bring one?” I ask.
“Er…No. I kinda got called on this job on short notice.”
“Well, I think you can wing it with a streak for your first class.”
“Streak?”
“If you focus on the energy in the room, it’ll take your mind off the fact that you’re nude.” I comfort.
“Let’s just hope so.”
Oh man, I almost forgot to tell her about the last set of cues. “Er…Fifteen minutes before class ends, the professors here will give you a cue to leave. They’ll pick up a red pen and that’s when you head back to the dressing room to get changed.”
“Why a red pen?”
“Sometimes us models are so in the zone we forget where we are. The pen kind of brings us back to reality.”
“I think being naked will keep me in the world of the classroom.”
That’s what she thinks. My second time posing I thought I was on the beach in L.A. again until I saw my cue. “See this door here?” I say pointing to the door at the far side of the dressing room with an EXIT sign above it.
“Yeah?” Isis says looking at the door.
“It leads out to the hall. Once you get dressed, you use it to leave.”
“I can go home after that?”
Go home? After all this awesome bonding we just did? I thought we could talk some more. “Actually, I was hoping we could hang out.” I say.
Isis’ eyes light up. “You want to hang out with me?”
“Yeah. I thought we could grab a Jamba Juice or something after class.”
“Cool.”
Isis smiles back at me as I head out of the dressing room. I think I’ve got her confidence up enough to make it through class this afternoon.
Chapter 7
Marilyn closes the door behind her and I drop my messenger bag on the vanity. As I stare at my reflection in the lighted mirror hutch, I wonder how I let Doc rope me into this rassafrackin cottonpickin’ mess. The things I do to help other people.
It’s not like I have a problem with public nudity. I mean, I was naked in the Japanese bathhouse over a thousand years ago. Of course all the other Japanese women were naked with me. But bathing in the sento was a formal affair with its own set of social rules. I remember the first time I went there with Sensei Tokuda. I was just as nervous then as I am now. But once I got over my fears and the women saw me as just another woman and not a stranger with bushy hair and strange colored skin, I looked forward to my time there with my friends. Maybe I can make this work for me. Maybe.
The clock on the vanity reads 3:55 when I hear the footsteps of students filing into the studio from behind the door. I better start getting ready. The Fine Arts Department is paying me two hundred bucks a class and I’m sure they want their money’s worth from their new art model. I wouldn’t want to leave a bad first impression on everyone by being unprofessional after they were so nice to me.
Okay…Time to get undressed. Or undraped like these art types like to call it. I kick off my ballet flats and get a jolt up and down my spine as my bare feet make contact with the cold tile floors of the dressing room. I feel even more of a chill from the air conditioning when my blouse falls to the floor next to my shoes and I step out of my jeans. Goosebumps are all over my body as my bra and bikini panties fall on the pile. Once I’m nude, I think warm thoughts while I quickly gather up all my clothes off the floor and stuff them in my messenger bag.
The clock on the vanity reads 4:05 when I hear Professor Lewis starting her lecture. I take a deep breath to calm my nerves as I approach the full-length mirror and take a good long look at myself. I really don’t see what they’re talking about in regards to lines or grace. All I see is a skinny little woman with some halfway decent muscle tone she gets from practicing martial arts and doing heavy labors on her island. But artis
ts can see things that we goddesses can’t.
I’m practicing my smile in the mirror when the green light flashes on above the door. That’s my cue; I take another deep breath and open the door. All I have to do is make it to the X in the center of the room and this’ll all be over in ninety minutes.
My heart pounds in my chest as I streak out of the dressing room into the studio. When I step on the X taped on the floor, I flash a smile at the students to make myself comfortable. One of them lets me know how uneasy they are in the presence of the naked stranger standing in front of them.
“Hey, what happened to Marilyn?” A tall husky student wearing a football jersey and baggy jeans barks.
On hearing his concerned inquiry, Professor Lewis jumps out from behind her easel and stands next to me. She wraps her arm around my shoulder and smiles at me before addressing the students. “Brody, Marilyn wasn’t feeling well today.” She comforts. “So Isis here has decided to fill in for her. She’ll give us the opportunity to sketch the figure of a woman with a slimmer build.”
Professor Lewis’ answer to Brody’s question eases his fears about Marilyn. And the vote of confidence makes me feel a little better about standing in front of all these kids in my birthday suit. At least I’ve got one supporter in the room. Maybe I can make the rest of them Isis fans by the time this class is over.
“Thanks for getting me out of a jam.” I whisper.
“No problem.” Professor Lewis replies. “Are you ready?”
I’m scared to death. “Ready when you are.” I say flashing the professor a smile.
“Okay everyone, get ready for five minute fast sketches.” She tells the class.
As Professor Lewis sits down at her easel and sets her timer, I ponder how I want to move. Whoever made that threat on Marilyn’s life could be in this room. I think I’ll take the time to get a look at some faces and see if one of these kids could be the suspect I’m looking for.
I hear the beep of the professors’ timer and turn towards three kids in the circle and get into a pose where I stand with my hands on my hips. While they sketch out the details of my body, I make a picture of them in my mind. I can definitely cross Brody here off my list. This big fella seems to like Marilyn so much he spoke out for her. The brunette girl in the plaid blouse and jeans sitting next to him flashes a smile at me as she gets another look at me. She doesn’t look like the psycho type. If anything, she’s really into drawing me. However, the tall slender blonde girl in the slipdress next to her puts her head down when her eyes meet mine. Maybe she’s uncomfortable about drawing nude people. Or she’s just not happy about something else. She’s a possibility for a suspect.
