Something Else

“Head down Karly, for the fifth time already!” it’s true. I’m trying to cut her hair, but she can’t resist sneaking constant peaks. Sadly, with the constant head tilting I don’t know what condition her hair will end up in.

I decide to take her from a shoulder length brunette to a layered cut at the neck girl with copper highlights. I start blow-drying her hair and checking evenness and consistency of the hair. Once her hair is fanned, dry and even; I start on her makeup.

I start with lipsticks a hot pink to enhance her natural shade, a light purple shade closer to the crease, but a light orange/gold shade of brown on the main parts. The contrast is stunning.

Her eyelashes are naturally at a short length which is a disadvantage in itself, but mascara quickly solves this issue. After applying a golden bronzer, a pink blush and some concealer. I start plucking and waxing. She looks like the brunette Barbie.

All part of me can think of is how made over she is.

I walk over to Kimmi next thinking of how unnatural these girls look. Yes, they are pretty, but they’re also 12 and wearing a quarter of their weight in makeup.

I start remaking her face, until I can barely recognise her. It’s a lot of makeup, but it’s about the same as usual, but she looks 1,000,000,000,000 times better.

I move to say and give her a small trim, but a thorough scrub until her hair looks voluminous. I braid it in that fancy style that decreases half the length. I use darker tones for her coffee coloured skin, I still use tons of makeup packing it on by the pound. The goal is perfection …

Lastly, I moved to Saey. Alike Sierra I use my pallet with darker shades, but also unlike Sierra I don’t use as much makeup, but still too much to be healthy.

All part of me can think is that if these guys-these demons choose their girls by appearances, they just marred 100 pounds of concealer.

The girls start finishing through the pile of clothes Ronnie got us. While their occupied with that, I shift to acknowledge my reflection.

“You know, you are going to be her chaperone aren’t you?” Aunt Ronnie appears in the mirror approaching me.

“Oh Aunt Veronica really? You’d let me-let me be her guardian?” my voice is so grateful that I check the mirror that my eyes haven’t changed.

Only few living people in this world even know my eyes change colour, fewer believe it or have seen it. My mother knew; my sister knows and my dead cousins and some of my dead family knows. And of course Aunt Ronnie knows. And, Saey is the only person I actually trusted enough to tell, but she hardly believed me and I wasn’t about to prove it.

“Well you do remember that you have to look the part? Remember ugliness is a gene,” says my aunt in teasing tone.

I nod slightly. She hands me a hairbrush and a pallet.

I look in the mirror again after flattening my hair out of my face. I look through the drawer; straightening and curling irons, curlers and rollers, hair spray, shampoos, moisturizer, product. It is the hair drawer with all the hair materials.

Next drawer has even more makeup pallets. I’m not even impressed, because I went through all the makeup and used one of at least every product on each girl.

While the other girls are in the change room area. I pin my hair up letting loose strands cover my face so I don’t distract from Karly.

I wish through the pile of clothes and encounter a strapless silver dress, I tuck it and a curling iron in a box along with some other tools that … appeal to my choosing.

The girls walk out giggling in sparkly, frilly dresses. A few stand out immediately. Kimmi’s is green with lace making the top half see through and Saey’s reveals a lot more skin, then I’d be comfortable having exposed.

“I like your dresses and your lingerie Kimmi,” I say clearly exasperated.

“It’s meant to be provocative-“

“Remind me how old you are again; 21, 22?” I say narrowing my eyes.

“It’s not like I’m four!” her whining reminds me of a two year old tantrum.

“You’re right,” says Ronnie miraculously reappearing with perfect timing. “You are 12 and that dress is against the dress-code, in fact this applies to all of you, please don’t dress like this except during the current circumstances,” her voice falters and trails off at the end.

“Oh and I was never here and I was unaware of your current wardrobe attire,” she says in a professional matter-of-factly tone.

“Hey Auntie?” I ask quietly.

“Yes Lacey,” she smiles kindly at me gently prompting me to talk.

“Uh” I stop myself. My Aunt’s gone through enough, I decide now’s not the time to stress her out. “Thanks,”

She approaches me and puts a hand on my cheek. “I’d say you’re welcome, but I’m not sure who said that,” she teases lightly and I squirm away from her hold uncomfortably.

“I actually have to leave, I um promised Carter and Kent I’d meet them for the New Year’s Bash celebration. You know since they’re both going on vacation over the break, so we won’t be able to plan than.” I say with an elastic smile that they all read off as happy.

“OH MY GOSH AM I INVITED!” squeals Kimmi.

“Sorry teenagers only who can handle Champaign- punch. Who can handle the punch …” I mumble.

Damn it! Major screw up, the punch always gets spiked, but someone usually openly brings Champaign to celebrate.

“Bye,” I call already out the door.

I stroll down the hall until I bump face first into Kent.

“Hi,” he says with his cute, flirty smile.

“Hey,” I reply with equal verve.

“You know if you tried a little bit harder I’d probably like you more; if that’s even possible,” he laughs.

“Oh yeah, ribbons in my hair, rollers and pigtails, bows around my neck. Six year olds are so hot!” I says ruffling his hair.

It’s pretty cute the way it sits. Light brown, wavy, short but you can still see the waves. It suits him with his tanned skin and sporty build. He’s a lot taller than me also, somewhere over six feet.

“So, should we rename you also to match your age? Something cute, I’m thinking Lacey Wacey.” He starts laughing hysterically.

“Kent Monwood I swear one of these days,” but I’m too caught up in laughing with him.

“So,” whatever he was about to say I don’t hear, because just than Carter comes bouncing up with Allison on his heels.

“Hey Lace,” he says in an adorable voice with a smirk. He wraps an arm around my shoulder which makes Kent narrow his eyes.

“Hi Lacey,” Allison. Allison is not annoying, but a little too perky for my taste. She keeps her straight red hair tidy and eyes alert and uses makeup for shimmer, but she’s not exactly um dressed to the nines well ever … sort of to the fives.

“Hey,” I say with a half-hearted wave. An empty gesture that seems to go a long way for her, because she seems to take this as permission to speak.

“OMG I’m so excited for the Party!” she says bubbling.

“You mean the NY Bash … oh that’s not that big of a deal,” I shrug.

“It’s so a big deal, who are you going to kiss at midnight?” asks Carter with a cute, boyish smile and bright eyes looking down at me.

“I don’t know,” I say in a light flowery voice.

“I don’t have anyone to kiss yet,” says Allison grasping for attention.

I start walking towards the my room still clutching the box.

“Hey Lacey so did you think about my offer?” asks Kent.

“Oh um yeah,” I say hanging my head slightly, shying away from Carter. “I did, but I can’t abandon Karly. Not right now …” I can’t tell him now not in front of all these people; in fact I don’t think I can tell anyone else.

“So, where are you in such a rush to run off to?” asks Carter annoyed, but still careful when reproaching me.

“I need to go figure out how I’m going to hand out the invitations!” It’s tradition that they’re handed out secretly to keep it private.

“We can help! We are going away tomorrow …” says Carter smiling.

“You should be in class right now,” I say rolling my eyes.

“Actually no, it’s after class time, only you still have classes right now; which you currently aren’t in,” argues Kent.

“Um oh! Hey, Misty Pears asked me to come help her organise vacation forms and stuff, Carter she said you still have to fill yours out and I’d hurry it’ll be hours of work this late,” says Allison hurriedly in one breath.

“Okay, catch you later Kent. Bye Lacey,” he gives me a guy sort of embrace and jogs off ahead of Allison who runs to keep up.

“So, why aren’t you in class? And why weren’t you at dinner?” asked Kent prompting for answers now that we’re alone.

I wouldn’t call Kent my boyfriend or anything, but we do have an intimate relationship. A while back he actually kissed me, but we were interrupted by an Allison intrusion. I was too awestruck to say anything, but he shooed her off. But, then Carter showed up and I stole myself long enough to leave. But, I think he genuinely cares about me.

Problem is Carter does too … So I keep geting subtle attempts from both of them trying to prompt me to tell them how I feel about them. They don’t know about the other one’s feelings about me though. At least not as far as I know.

The thing is, I don’t know how I feel, I think I love them both, like I’m in love with them, but there’s just the extra mile none of them gets me too.

“Oh, I wasn’t hungry …” I lie. I haven’t eaten since breakfast.

“Really? You had training right before and this week’s been a lot of combat. I’d think you would enjoy that, enough to be famished.” He says not buying my weak lie.

“Well, I don’t have any good fighters in my class, it’s pretty easy.” He laughs at that, since they’re not bad I’m just too good. It is my subtle attempt at not bragging … sort of.

“Oh please, if I were in your class, you’d be starving, I would put on an awesome fight,” he says challengingly.

“You volunteering?”

“Please you’d kick my butt I’d only be willing if there were mats and teachers present. I’d let you win so bad they’d stun you,” I smile at that.

“Please you’d pretend to let me win, but really you’d get your ass kicked,” I smirk at him and he blushes to confirm it’s true.

“Hate to run off on you but I’ve got to pack, Regina wants to get out of here as soon as she can. If you want you can come help, save me some time, if you’re blowing off all your classes, we can at least do something worthwhile afterwards,” he smiles with his cute boyish grin.

“Oh yeah fold your boxers for you, it’ll be the highlight of my break,” I give him a cocky smirk and he rolls his eyes.

“Okay fine,” he shrugs bowing his head shyly that I rejected another one of his offers. He has a slight pout that is extremely cute and kind of makes me want to kiss him. Kind of.

“Bye,” I call, as I start heading down the hall to my room.

He calls something, but I’m already jogging away too far to hear.

As I enter my room I decide I’m not going to bed yet and pull out yet another one of my mother’s diaries without checking the age or date.

‘Friday May 11’

We were scavenging in the royal library for something interesting. I was bored and Veronica loves to read.

We found a story retelling an old legend from some old cult group that had future seers who got premonitions and prophecies.

‘“Girl with eyes that hold her power.

Boys fighting for a broken toy.

Girl with a heart gone rotten.

More than one world to destroy.’”

So creepy! It sounds like some girl has weird issues with her eyes, little boys broke something and they still want to use it. A girl who’s evil-probably a demon-and something bad happened to her and caused her to become an emotionless hate machine. And also, many people’s worlds will be ruined-not ruined; that’s wrong, destroyed.’

I fling the diary off my bed. UGH! My head hurts. No not even hurts, it’s throbbing uncontrollably. I can’t help it. I try to get up to get an aspirin, but my head is spinning. Maybe it’s from hunger …? I haven’t eaten or drunken much, but that’s not enough. Not enough to cause this kind of pain to me.

UGH! I flop down on my bed. Yup, definitely sleep time.

I open my eyes carefully and adjust to the light. It’s light out now, probably around 8:30. I start stretching out my limbs. I must’ve been asleep around 13 hours or so.

I extend out my legs to full length and slide them out over the edge of the bed. I start to stand, but then sit back down. The circulation in my legs was cut off and now they are numb.

I roll my neck around and then I realise it’s still a Friday. FRIDAY DECEMBER 23RD WINTER VACATION! Sort of …

I can’t go on a trip to visit anywhere, I don’t really have a guardian willing to take me. Aunt Ronnie is not about to bring me and Karly on her and her husband’s honeymoon.

Kent offered to take me with him and his family to Mexico for a week, but I’m not in the mood to abandon Karly for half of the break. It really does suck though, given that I really did-do want to go with him, but I can’t …