The Portrait

By Pauline Julien

Noora's parents gave her that name to highlight her biculturalism since it means 'light' in Finnish and Arabic, yet she never felt like she belonged in either culture and has often been rejected at school and within her own family for 'looking different'. 

 

She has a crush on Jasmin, a beautiful and popular young woman also studying fine arts at Uniarts Helsinki, but Noora is convinced Jasmin wouldn't be interested in someone like her, and it's not even worth trying.

 

Today is Noora's eighteenth birthday, but her parents are too busy working up North to visit her in the flat she now shares with her adopted South Korean sister, Mina, who suffers from an undiagnosed eating disorder. 

 

To celebrate, Mina takes Noora to Bukowskis, her favourite antique shop in town, and tells her she's free to choose any item she wants. That's when Noora stumbles upon the portrait of a woman from 1936 and feels an intense, almost supernatural connection to it, taking it home with her.

 

When the portrait is suddenly stolen from her, Noora goes on a journey to find it, followed by Mina.

 

'The Portrait' is a young adult fantasy novella about love, differences, and time travel, written as the author's MA dissertation.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pauline Julien
• Release date: Dec 5, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201363024

Pauline Julien

Born in France in 1997, Pauline has been writing fantasy stories since she was 6 years old. After completing a B.A. in English Literature and self-publishing her first two books, she moved to London in the UK, where she lived for 3 years and got an M.A. in Creative Writing at the Open University. She is now working full-time as a writer, ghostwriter and editor of young adult and middle-grade fantasy fiction.

Book preview

The Portrait

Pauline Julien

Published by Pauline Julien, 2021.

While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

THE PORTRAIT

First edition. December 5, 2021.

Copyright © 2021 Pauline Julien.

Written by Pauline Julien.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

The Portrait

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About the Author

Jasmin is chatting with her friends on the other side of the cafeteria, and I'm trying my best not to stare at her. Saying she's out of my league would be an understatement. She's a confident slim blonde with straight hair, pale skin and blue eyes, while I'm an awkward plump curly-haired girl with dark beige skin, and eyes a shade of muddy green. The students she hangs out with are beautiful and cool; the opposite of me.

My parents called me Noora—which means 'light' in Finnish and Arabic—to highlight my biculturalism.

Although I was born in this country, I come across as an international student, and am often treated like one, with people coming up to me and asking if I need help in English. After the 2017 terrorist attack in Turku, the other students stopped sitting next to me for a week.

You'd think it would get better when I visit my father's family in Algeria, but it’s no different. Next to my short dark-eyed, brown-haired cousins, my Scandinavian features undeniably stand out. They even gave me a very creative nickname that never fails to make them giggle: the Viking.

Over time, I've come to the conclusion that I'll never belong anywhere, and that my home is my art. I'm okay with that, I think. Although giving up on Jasmin is tough, because she’s the biggest crush I’ve had in years. But I’ve got to be realistic: I’d make a fool of myself in front of everyone if I tried talking to her. My hands would shake, I’d get all red in the face, and I’d probably say something stupid which would make her laugh at me.

That evening, I head out of UniArts Helsinki, preparing myself for what's ahead. Today's my eighteenth birthday, and I'm craving a chill evening with some Brita cake and a movie, but, knowing Mina, she probably has something planned for me. My only comfort comes from knowing that there won't be other people our age involved. As my sister and best friend, Mina knows there's no one except her and our parents I'd want to spend my birthday with.

When I step out of the elevator ten minutes later, Mina is standing by the door of our flat, a huge smile on her face and Simon in her arms. Simon’s the fat tabby cat our parents let us take with us when we moved to Helsinki a few weeks ago.

'Hey.’

'Happy birthday!'

'Thanks,' I reply, walking into the flat, which is unusually clean and tidy. There are purple balloons attached to the kitchen chairs and a pile of doughnuts on the table. Mina has a talent for making ordinary things exceptional, I've got to give her that. 'You're the best. Want one?' I ask, immediately regretting it. Mina hasn't had a doughnut in a while. Nor anything too sweet or greasy, for that matter.

'I'm good,' she replies with an innocent smile. 'Dig in, we're going out later. And I don't wanna hear anything about staying inside to watch a movie,’ she adds before I’ve had time to complain. ‘Today, we're celebrating your becoming an adult. It's an important day!’

An important day my parents aren't here to celebrate. They're not bad parents or anything, just busy with their jobs, and living far from here. It’s not like I expected them to be here today, but it still hurts a little as I haven't seen them since we moved out.

'Where are we going?' I ask, stuffing a third doughnut into my mouth.

'Surprise!' Mina replies. She's wearing a grey sweatshirt and grey sweatpants, and her sleek black hair is pulled into a lazy bun, which means she must have been to the gym for at least the fourth time this week. As if she had any weight to lose...

Despite her pallid complexion and slightly hollow cheeks, I envy her beauty. We don't look the same at all, of course, because we're not biological sisters. My parents adopted Mina from South Korea when I was six. Her real name is Min, but my parents Europeanised it so she would fit in more. To us, it makes no difference that we're not real sisters. We have tensions, of course, like all siblings, but they’re not about that.

A few minutes later, we're strolling through the Design District. With its twenty-five streets full of antique and design stores, art galleries and museums, it’s my favourite spot in Helsinki. The cool autumn air blowing on my naked face feels wonderfully refreshing, and I'm thankful Mina got me out of our stuffy flat.

If I lived alone, I'd probably spend all my spare time indoors, making art or surfing on the internet, but that wouldn't