Winter Swan

Karl Johans Rehabilitation Centre, Oslo, Norway.

"The wolf ate the small sheep. The wolf was hungry and no matter how hard the small sheep ran, there was no escape for it."

As the song echoed throughout the room quietly, Kail used his bandaged hand to draw. He had been harming himself, and both of his hands were covered in wounds.

"The wolf ate the small sheep."

The song continued to fill the room gently. A beautiful husky voice was singing.

It was Kail.

As he sang, he continued to draw something intently. Bach's Harpsichord was playing and on the white floor, various oil paintings were neatly arranged.

It was a shocking recovery for Kail who was suffering from extreme seizures until recently. The room felt peaceful with the quiet music and his paintings.

It seemed like Kail had regained his calm. His hands and feet were no longer bound. He was painting comfortably, and somehow, he looked like he was at peace. If he wasn't wearing the hospital gown, it may have even looked like he was on vacation.

"Now it's done. It's finally complete."

Kail whispered quietly, "My love…"

Slowly, he lowered his face to kiss his painting. He looked at it lovingly, which was a shocking change from his usual crazy cold look.

"My love," Kail murmured to the woman in the painting.

"We will be together forever."

Cough.

Suddenly, Kail started to cough painfully as he grabbed his chest. Even through the agonizing feat, Kail laughed.

"Do you know how I feel? I'm sure you don't feel anything for me, but I…"

After a short silence, Kail whispered to the painting again.

"Are you listening to me? Silje, I miss you so much."

He stared at the painting intently before closing his eyes. He leaned back against the wall.

Another calm silence fell.

It was dark outside with the crescent moon shining like a white pearl. The moonlight shone into his hospital room and Kail started to sing again.

"This is not an old story. The nine-headed troll from the northern European myth came and stole my girl and my baby. The monster was hiding among the fjord and when I was away, she took away my life. I am now left alone in this world, and I am so sad…"

His painting on the floor started to become wet as if it was raining.

It was Kail who was crying silently, let the teardrops fall onto the painting. His eyes looked distant as he looked around in confusion.

He whispered, "Silje. My Silje… And my poor poor baby."

He hugged his pillow and continued to sing as he sobbed. But Kail didn't even know that he was crying.

He didn't even know where he was.

***

Christian Lozetti.

Everyone in New York knew who he was, including Silje.

Christian was known for his modern yet romantic style, which was very popular among women. He was considered the hottest designer in the world. Women waited for his new designs every season and he was often featured in magazines and entertainment television.

Sherian.

This brand represented New York, and it was run by the world-famous Christian Lozetti.

His reputation was spotless. He graduated from the New York Parsons School of Design and immediately afterward, he was hired by Ralph Lauren to join the male outfit design department. There, he perfected his fitting technique which came in handy for his later works. He also worked for Anna Sui, and his knowledge of delicately clothing a woman's body quickly made him popular. He enjoyed creating dreamy and feminine outfits with girly colors such as pink, orange, and violet.

After working for Ralph Lauren and Anna Sui, he was scouted by Sherian. With young genius designer Christian, Sherian became a top fashion brand. Originally, Sherian's founder Thomas Von Sherian was known for his elegant and old-fashioned designs, but with Christian Lozetti, Sherian was able to expand its demographic to younger women.

Christian Lozetti changed everything in Sherian. He made everything modern and sensual, and he was a genius at balancing the art and business side of fashion. He created pretty colorful handbags for young girls and modern yet feminine clothes for mature women. His technique was flawless, and every woman fell in love with his designs. It was no exaggeration to say that every woman in New York owned at least one Sheridan item in her closet.

A male designer who knew women better than women themselves — that was Christian.

And Silje was about to meet him in person.

The wind blew loudly.

It was still cold, but it couldn't compare to the winter wind in Norway. It felt much warmer, and she could feel spring coming.

It was a busy time with the upcoming FW season. All the models were running around going to as many auditions as possible.

In a light spring trench coat, Silje took the subway to get to her Sherian audition. Her heart felt light like her burden had been lifted.

When she got out of the subway station, she saw the bright white building and gasped.

It was the Sherian headquarters on Spring Street.

Looking at the black lettering "Sherian" on the impressive building, Silje's heart started to beat fast. It was like a dream; the building looked very modern and refined.

After staring at it for a few minutes, she entered the building without hesitation. The first person she saw was the building security guard. The interior was decorated with white marble and black gothic stairs.

The elevator opened and women in business suits and high heels got out with a clothing rack filled with various garments.

The outfits were extremely beautiful and colorful, and Silje couldn't take her eyes off from them.

They were all classics from Sherian.

"Excuse me."

"Please move aside."

The women walked by Silje with the large rolling rack and Silje moved out of the way for them. After they left, Silje quickly got into the elevator when she heard a low but gentle voice.

"Hold the door!"

Silje quickly pushed the "open" button and a man walked in. He thanked her and the elevator door finally closed.

The man stood quietly beside her and Silje glanced at him secretly.

'Wow! What beautiful silver-blond hair.'

The man had shocking silverish blond hair. He wore thick-framed glasses, a black cashmere coat, and loose-fitting khaki pants. He was very tall and the silver pendant around his neck shined brightly.

He looked different. Even in his flat sneakers, he looked like he was well over 185 cm tall. His outfit consisted of mismatching pieces, but he somehow made it work, making him look stunning.

Did he work in the fashion industry? He looked familiar.

His sneakers were also unique. Silje looked down at them when their eyes locked. The man smiled kindly and offered her his hand for a handshake.

"Hello. Nice to meet you. Are you a model?"

"Oh, yes. Nice to meet you too."

Silje shook his hand awkwardly. His hand was surprisingly big and warm. She could also feel blisters on his thumb and index finger.

"Oh, have we met before? I feel like I've seen you somewhere."

When Silje asked calmly, the man stared at her. She felt flustered but her curiosity wouldn't let her give up. When she stared right back at him, he smiled teasingly.

"No, I just wanted to say hello. You obviously look like a model who came for the Sherian audition, so I had to say hello."

The man replied coolly and Silje wondered, 'Does he work for Sherian?'