From the Cosmos. [gxg]

xxviii. vicky the witch.

"Your proportions are magnificent," the stylist said, "And your complexion, so gorgeous. You'll be a treat to work with."

"You're not here to marvel over our guest, Juliette," Mrs. Falberry said, "You're here to give her an outfit to wear tomorrow."

The stylist, who Colette now knew was named Juliette, only laughed and waved Mrs. Falberry off, earning a scowl from the secretary. The stylist herself was younger than Mrs. Falberry, but older than Colette. If she had to guess, Juliette was in her 30s. The woman wasn't tall, but she herself was very pretty. She had tan skin, big brown eyes, and a hooked nose that fit her face perfectly. Her hair was cropped short in a pixie cut, and long dangling earrings framed her face.

Colette, Juliette, and Mrs. Falberry were three of four people in the make-shift dressing room, fourth being Cesar. Though his presence really wasn't significant, considering his perpetual silence. The room, which seemed to be some kind of lounge area, had several racks of clothing lining the sides. Shoe boxes were stacked by the entrance, and several cases of jewelry sat on a coffee table. Colette stood in the very center of the room, where Juliette walked around her.

Juliette pulled a dress off one of the racks, holding it up. It was black and very modest. It seemed like the kind of clothing that someone would wear to a corporate meeting. Juliette held up the dress in front of Colette, looking her up and down.

"It's a shame that I have to limit you to such boring dresses," she said, "Professionalism is so rigid."

Colette couldn't help but agree. She hadn't known Isaac for long, but she knew that Queenly's head photographer would have a meltdown if she showed up to a photoshop in a dress like that.

"Still," Juliette said, putting the dress back down on the rack, "I don't need to go with black. You aren't attending a funeral, after all."

Colette smiled. Though she hadn't been in D.C. for long, every person she had met until that moment was uptight and serious. Juliette's sweet and easygoing personality was a welcome presence that Colette wished there was more of. Juliette fell into a pattern of taking a dress off the rack, holding it up, and then putting it back with a critical comment. Colette had lost count of how many dresses she had gone through.

"This one looks good," Juliette said, "Not the most fashionable, but it's certainly professional. Besides, I know that you could pull it off."

Colette looked at the dress. It was a light pink, playful without being professional. It looked form fitting and a small cape came off the shoulders, dropping to the mid back area. Of all the ones Colette had seen so far, this was the only one she even remotely liked.

"Go try it on," Juliette said, gesturing to a changing screen near the corner of the room.

Colette nodded. She got dressed quickly and stepped out. Juliette ushered Colette back into the center of the room and then zipped the dress up from behind, which Colette thanked her for.

Juliette walked around Colette, looking her up and down. Of all the stylists that had Colette had been around, Juliette's gaze was the most intense. Colette held her breath, waiting for Juliette's verdict.

"You can breathe, dear," Juliette said, "You look magnificent."

"Really?" Colette asked, looking down at the dress.

"Of course, you're a perfect model." Juliette turned a mirror towards Colette. "See for yourself."

Colette looked at herself in the mirror. The dress fit her well, hugging her body tight, but not enough to suffocate. The cape felt breezy and didn't obstruct any of her hand movements. The light pink went well with her skin tone. She briefly wondered what Marisol would think.

"Wow, you made a great choice," Colette said, "Thank you."

"All in a day's work," Juliette responded, smiling. The stylist walked over to the several cases of jewelry. She came back holding some simple, but expensive earrings and a necklace. They were gold, with small inlaid gemstones. Colette didn't know for sure, but she'd guess that the gemstones were diamonds.

"These will look good with the dress," she said, "now, as for shoes...." Juliette walked over to where the boxes of shoes were. She moved them around before pulling out a brown box. She walked over with the box, pulling a pair of simple white heels out. "Perfect, it's all settled. We already know your size, and we'll have everything prepared by tomorrow."

As soon as Juliette was done talking, Mrs. Falberry opened the door and stepped into the hallway. "We're going back to the library. There are a few pieces of literature that might help you understand the executive order process better."

Colette silenced a groan. It was like she was in high school all over again. In the library, Colette was told to sit in front of a stack of books. Mrs. Falberry sat on the other side of the table, taking out a laptop and beginning to type away. Cesar followed them in, standing in the same corner he was in before.

Colette, finding nothing better to do, took the first book off the stack and flipped it open. It was an old looking book, though it was well taken care of. The title read "A Brief History of Presidential Powers," but the thickness of the book betrayed its title. It had to be at least 300 pages. The only thing that seemed more boring than reading U.S. history was doing nothing, so Colette began to read.

When her eyes roamed over the page, the letters began to shift. She blinked a couple times, willing herself to see clearly, but the letters still moved. It was several seconds before the page became still, revealing new text. She flipped back to the title page, only to see new words in place of the original title. It now said "Vicky the Witch's Spellbook."

Colette's head shot up, looking at Mrs. Falberry, who didn't look back, and instead continued to tap away at her computer. Colette shifted her gaze to Cesar, who, surprisingly, was looking right back at her. When she made eye contact, he winked, a knowing look in his eyes. She suppressed a gasp and looked back down at the book.

Cesar had snuck a book into the pile, using magic to disguise it. When she turned to the front page, she was met with an opening statement.

If you have found this book, you are either overly cautious or not cautious enough, because just getting caught with this text could get you arrested. I have chronicled my experiences as a witch for my entire life: this "spellbook," is more like an autobiography. It spans over 60 years, from my experiences as a child until now. While I still have my magic, I feel unbelievably empty. I can only hope that this book might save someone from the same fate.