Bloody Lover | Piper McLean

CHAPTER 13 : Morning in Cabin Ten

PIPER

The first thing Piper did when she woke up was to grab a mirror. There was no lack of that in Aphrodite's Cabin. She straightened up on her bed, looked at her reflection and groaned.

She still was stunning, drop dead gorgeous.

The night before, after the campfire, she had tried everything : tangled her hair, taken off the make-up, cried to make her eyes red. Nothing had worked. Her hair had gracefully fallen back into place. The magic make-up had returned. Her eyes refused to redden or swell.

She would have liked to change, but she had no other clothes. The Aphrodite campers had offered to lend her things, laughing behind her back, she was sure, but their outfits were even more fashionable than what she was wearing.

And now, after an abominable night, still not the slightest change. Normally, Piper woke up looking like a zombie, but now her skin was flawless and her hair styled like a supermodel's. Even that horrible pimple at the base of her nose, which she had had for days and had come to call Bob, had disappeared.

She let out an exasperated growl and ran her fingers through her hair. But the strands fell perfectly around her face. She looked like Cherokee Barbie.

Drew called out to her from the other end of the cabin. "Oh, it won't go away, honey !" Her voice dripped with fake compassion. "Mom's blessing is going to last another day, at least. Maybe even a week, if you're lucky."

"A week ?"

Piper winced. The other Aphrodite children, a dozen girls and five boys, laughed quietly. Piper knew she had to remain calm if she didn't want to give in to their mockery. She had dealt with this kind of superficial teenagers plenty of times. But this was different. These were her siblings, even if she had nothing in common with them. Besides, how Aphrodite had managed to have so many children so close in age, it was better not to know.

"Don't worry, sweetie." Drew dabbed at her neon lipstick. "You feel like you don't belong here ? We couldn't agree with you more. Right, Mitchell ?"

One of the boys flinched.

"Uh, yeah, sure."

"Hmm, hmm." Drew took out her mascara and touched up her lashes. The others stared at her, not daring to say a word. "Okay, guys, only fifteen minutes until breakfast. Cleaning isn't going to do itself ! Mitchell, I think you've got it now, don't you, sweetheart ? So you're on trash duty today only. Show Piper what to do, because I have a feeling she'll be doing a lot of it. If she survives her famous quest. Now get to work, everyone ! It's my turn in the bathroom."

The Aphrodites immediately proceeded to tidy up, make the beds and fold the clothes, while Drew, armed with her toiletry bag and hairdryer, rushed into the bathroom.

A muffled shriek was heard, and then a girl about eleven years old burst out, her hair still full of shampoo, hastily draped in a towel.

The door slammed behind her and the girl burst into tears. Two older campers comforted her and dried her hair.

"Seriously ?" blurted Piper without addressing anyone in particular. "You let Drew treat you like that ?"

A few of the kids shot her concerned glances that suggested they were rather of her opinion, but they said nothing.

The campers were still busy, although Piper couldn't see what they could possibly find to clean. Their Cabin was a life-size dollhouse, with pink walls and its windows edged with white borders. The lace curtains were in pastel shades of blue and green, matching the sheets and comforters, of course.