Everything was so vivid and colorful. The rainforest was a mysterious and exciting new place for Clara. Walking around with her sketch pad and bag full of pastels and pencils she looked around for something to inspire her.
She was fresh out of school with a bachelor's degree in Art. Talented and possessing a vibrant energy that showed in her work, Clara's professors felt that she would become a very successful artist.
Her parents, a nice middle-class couple, loved their only child very much. Having put herself through school with scholarships and academics, they decided to reward her for her achievements by send her on a trip to wherever she wished.
Wanting to pick somewhere that would give her ideas for a new collection that she would be showing in a gallery in a few months, she chose a place that was exotic and pulsating with life: the rainforest.
All of a sudden, Clara heard a rustling to her left. Peeking between the leaves was a little spider monkey looking at Clara very curiously.
What the monkey saw was a pretty blonde with thick straight hair, pulled back into a pony tail and off her face. Her skin was flawless and had a light honey colored tan from her trip to the Amazon. She had blue eyes that looked like the sky after a storm. Her slender 5'4" frame was wrapped in a colorful tube/sundress that bared her shoulders and barely reached her knees.
Smiling, Clara opened her sketch pad and brought out a pencil to capture the little cutie.
After a few minutes, she had a general outline of the monkey and his surroundings, but instead of sitting still like a good model, he became bored and began to scamper off.
Intent on finishing her sketch, Clara took off running after the creature.
The sense of freedom from the run was exhilarating to the young girl who had been strapped down with responsibilities all her life. After a few minutes the monkey stopped and looked back to see that the girl had followed him deeper into the forest. He was standing on a branch and seemed to be striking a pose. Chest puffed out, propped up against the tree, with a clawed hand on his hip, he looked like he was ready for her to sketch him.
Amused by her thoughts and the monkey's antics, Clara let out a laugh that usually captivated any and all who heard it.
Getting into a comfortable position and bringing out her utensils she bent her head to finish her sketch, not knowing that she was being watched.
************
Alano watched Clara a few feet away, masked by the foliage.
He was a young man, mid-twenties, native to the little village in Brazil that Clara was staying at. Considered a fine catch in the village, he was dark-haired with a bronze/tan hue; he was handsome, strong, and conceited. He was aware of his good looks and used them to get what he wanted. However, it was a whispered that he had a cruel and brutal personality.
His family owned and rented houses in the town, a very lucrative business, and he grew accustomed to getting whatever he wanted.
Clara was renting one of their houses and Alano knew from the moment he saw her that she would be his.
