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After I threw on my uniform, which took me longer than usual with my stiff body, I sat on my bed and talked with Vallie as she did her own hair and makeup. “You look gorgeous, Vallie,” I said, taking her in as she placed the final pin in her hair.
Her shoulder length hair looked more orange than red today as she twisted and twirled the heavy locks up on the top of her head. She complemented her vibrant hair with the same bright, red smear she always applied to her lips.
“Oh, hush. Just wait until you see how you’ll look.” She brushed off my compliment and started to undo the curlers she’d positioned in my hair. She ushered me over toward the window before she began coating my eyelashes with something sticky.
“There. All finished,” she said as she looked at me. “Now go look in the mirror. Who said you can’t make even that dreadful uniform look pretty?”
I was shocked when I saw myself. She wasn’t wrong about either statement. The guard uniform at LakeWood was awful. The pants were a dull green, and too loose and baggy around my legs. It didn’t help that I was a head smaller than most of the males they were designed for. The shirt was a thin, white material that thankfully hid much of my bruised body.
Vallie styled my light brown hair in loose curls that fell down my back. I was surprised by how much I loved my hair down. I usually wore it in two long braids to keep the inevitable falling strands out of my face.
Despite my busted lip and bruised eye, which was almost completely covered with an unnatural amount of powder, I felt pretty. I never bothered before with caring about my looks. I was always too focused on training and studying to be able to give it much thought, and I knew I never could have dated a Tennebrisian.
“I did loose curls so that it looks more natural,” Vallie commented proudly, coming up behind me in the mirror. “If only you would let me put a smear on you to cover up that busted lip.”
“No, Vallie. I told you I’m not wearing anything on my lips. It’s only going to make the scab worse, and I need it to heal. This is enough, more than enough. Thank you.”
“It’s such a shame that someone as gorgeous as you would rather play in the dirt and fight with boys than dress up and be a normal female for once. Such a waste of a pretty face.” She audibly sighed, making it known she was disappointed in not getting to completely dress me up.
“Our kind needs more female guards,” I said.
“Our kind would have no idea what to do with your badass self.”
I stuck my tongue out at her before glancing at myself once more in the mirror. It felt like I was looking at someone else, someone I didn’t know—a stranger.
The freckles scattered across my nose were still visible through whatever layers of makeup she’d caked on me. And whatever she coated on my lashes made my sapphire eyes glisten and stand out even more than usual. It was not something I usually drew attention to, as blue eyes were known to be more of a Luxian or human feature. They weren’t unheard of here in Tennebris, but they were rare. To me, they were just another reminder that I didn’t belong here.
“Well, do you love it?” she teased, noting me gawking at myself.
“Yes. Thank you, Vallie. You seriously have a talent for this.”
She beamed at me, clearly pleased with my answer. “See, I told you I was amazing. I mean, come on, Scottie. I can’t take my eyes off you. If I was a dude, you would so be my type.”
“Ha. Ha. Hilarious, Vallie.” She laughed as I pushed her to the side, the effort hurting my stiff muscles more than her.
I was still staring at my appearance in the mirror that I didn’t notice Vallie put on her gown. A pink strapless dress clung to her curvy figure so tightly that I was in awe at how swiftly she was able to move around, nonetheless sit down. Even though the gown didn’t expose much of her skin, it was still scandalous for Tennebrisian fashion.
I turned away from the mirror to face Vallie, who now took up a spot on the edge of her bed, smiling. The dress had a thin line of lace around the bottom trim that reached her calves, exposing some of her tanned ankles, but was otherwise plain. She adorned it with a beautiful pair of gold drop earrings.
Vallie didn’t need much. A simple gown suited her because she would always stand out in a crowd with her bright hair, warm smile, curvy breasts, and feminine figure. Males gawked at her everywhere we went, and she was never one to shy away from harmless flirting.
“Wow, Vallie.”
“Is it too much?”
“No, you look stunning. It’s perfect, just like you.”
I gave Vallie a confused look as a knock sounded on our door.
“Can you get that?” she asked as she hopped off the bed and strode over to our mirror. She then added another layer of red to her lips.
“Are we expecting anyone?”
“Yes, I asked Miles to stop by. I left my favorite pair of heels in his dorm room last weekend when we went out drinking. He’s dropping them off for me,” she said, leaning forward to get a better view of her reflection.
I opened the door, and Miles nearly dropped the tan, strappy heels as he looked me up and down. “Wow, Scottie,” he murmured. “You look… You look…”
“Beautiful, stunning, drop-dead gorgeous,” Vallie finished for him from behind me.
