"Are you serious?" Julia nearly yelped when she found out what Sydney and Caroline had planned for her today. "The spa? The salon? Makeovers?"
"Chill, I'm a pro." Caroline assured, grinning evilly at her. "I've always wanted to put makeup on you—you hardly wear any."
"So, the last one is purely for your enjoyment."
"Absolutely."
"Plus, we have to prep you for tomorrow, since it's going to be your birthday." Sydney piped up, winking at her friend. "The spa is for relaxing and getting your nails done, and the salon is to get your hair done. The makeup...yeah, entirely for Caroline's entertainment." Julia shot a playful glare at the blonde, who simply waved her fingers back as she mouthed out a sarcastic, "Hey".
"Okay, let's do this. I'm severely out of my element, but maybe it won't be so bad."
"Exactly, don't knock it until you try it!" Sydney cheered, clapping her hands excitedly. "The point of this is to give your body and mind a break. You've seemed so stressed lately..." Julia tried not to flinch at that, hoping to keep everything under wraps so that her friends wouldn't dig too much into what was going on.
"I appreciate it. Seriously, thank you." Julia expressed sincerely, smiling at her best friends.
"Are we still sleeping over your house tonight?" Caroline questioned as the three entered the spa, leaving the secured reservations to Sydney. Julia nodded.
"Yeah, my parents allowed it." It had been a total shock when her father had still given Julia the okay after their discovery at the Manor and the decoded message. Julia had asked him if he was positive about the answer, and he had countered with the five different action plans they had under their belts in case anything went wrong. That wasn't including the preventive action plans that they'd have in place for the week prior to her birthday, as well as the months following it. Her parents would be staying directly inside the house, constantly monitoring the surveillance tapes while Red, Julia's team, and about a quarter of their division would be outside.
"Great!" Caroline smiled, staring at her friend like an excited puppy. "It's been some time since the three of us slept over together. We have major boy talk to go through—I can tell from your face." Julia gave her a sheepish look just as Sydney came back with two assistants.
"Let's go!" She cheered, and the girls followed the workers deeper into the spa.
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"...What the hell is that?" Julia questioned, pointing at the tub in front of her. It was large and luxurious, but the dark substance that filled it made her hesitate. They had already gotten a facial and a massage, which was surprisingly relaxing, minus the complaints from the masseuse on the number of knots on Julia's back. What could anyone expect, though? She had to keep her body in shape and in good form—it was needed for what she does.
"It's a mud bath." Her friends answered, stepping into the bath without a care.
"They actually do that?"
"Yep, now get in already." Sydney ordered and Julia slowly inched closer to the large tub.
"What does soaking in mud do? I thought baths were supposed to keep a person clean, not make the dirt more evident."
"It's actually good for your skin." Caroline informed, grabbing Julia's hand and forcing her to climb in. "It's not so bad. It feels a little weird because it's thicker than water, but when you sit for an extended time, it feels good." Biting her lip, Julia lowered herself into the bath and immediately felt a chill crawl up her spine. The mud felt warm, thick, and somewhat slimy.
YOU ARE READING
Manhunt
Teen Fiction(Previously known as Secrets and Codes) Young, agent-in-training Julia Evans finds herself being targeted by an enemy agency, throwing her into a multi-decade feud where she shouldn't belong. As time runs out, her very life hangs by a thread, where...
