Joan the Made (Throwbacks Series, Book 1)

Chapter 38

My phone pings to alert me that Sparkle's phone was used just as I step off the elevator. A garment bag is hanging from the handle of the door to my room, and I pick it up with two fingers, like it's a slug. Inside is the costume the headmaster expects me to wear tonight, but I refuse to peek at it. There will be time later.

Inside my room, Mav is standing over Sparkle with his mouth hanging open.

"She's like a sleeping princess in a fairy tale," he whispers.

"If she was awake you wouldn't feel that way," I reply with a grin, remembering Sparkle's biting humor before her world began to crumble. "It's what I like best about her."

Mav meets my grin with one of his own, wincing in pain immediately after.

"I'm better today. And I still want to help," Mav says.

I can't dismiss his request, but I have to give him a task that won't get him hurt this time. My eyes dart to Sparkle, who is breathing shallowly on her bed, her fingers clutching the covers tightly around her, even in sleep.

"Watch over her. Something awful happened, and she needs someone who can take her mind somewhere good. When I was healing from my whipping, talking to you was always the best part of my day. I have to go somewhere tonight, to right a big wrong, and I don't want her to be alone."

Mav smiles at his mission, and I hide my relief. "I'll make her laugh her head off until you get back."

"I know you will."

I grab my garment bag and go to Lady Cleo's classroom to get myself ready for my big night. I take my time curling my hair and applying my makeup. Marie embedded a camera into a sparkly hair clip, which I wind through my locks. The eerie gold contacts go in last, and I examine my reflection with a critical eye.

I'd fuck me. My stupid joke makes me grin, and for an instant, it's like seeing one of Jo's old vids. I can be a goddess, too.

Finally, I unzip the garment bag the headmaster sent. Inside is a flimsy white dress with cutouts above my breasts and on my sides. There's no way to conceal a weapon in this dress, which might have been part of his intent.

No one has seen this much of me since I was born, and I'm not about to flaunt it now, in front of a crowd of strange men. I pace as I consider my options, and then go through Lady Cleo's costumes, hanger by hanger.

I stop on a simple, girlish dress that is cut right above the knee. This is the one. I put it on, along with tall white boots that come up high enough to hide my legs. My reflection reveals an innocent snow princess. It'll drive those perverts crazy. I should be proud of my disguise, but all I can summon up is the queasy sense that I might puke.

I've been still for too long. My feet carry me swiftly through the tunnels of the Lab to the entrance of the Chrysalis.

Time to test my acting skills in the real world. I recall every instance I can of times in my life when I've triumphed. Confidence is key. I make my way back to the science floor. It's bustling with activity.

The Einstein clone, Dennis, is at his desk. His eyes glaze when he sees me stop at his desk, flashing my best grin.

"Hi."

"Hi, me?" he asks, setting aside his holographic microscope.

He's a few years older than I am, and his clothes are covered with stains. His hair hasn't been cut in at least a year, and he keeps having to shove it back when it falls in his eyes.

"Yes, hi, you," I reply with a smile, channeling Sparkle when I first met her. "I'm curious about what you're working on. Are you allowed to tell me?"

"Leave poor Dennis alone," Marie cuts in.