Under The Skin

C h a p t e r S i x

"Um, well do you know what 'the run' is?"

"That's when girls get to wear pretty dresses and boys chase after them."

Cassidy nods, "Exactly. I'm painting it for that. It'll be my first year this year."

Selah's eyes light up, "Really? Do you have a pretty dress?"

"Yup," She tells her proudly, "Do you want to see it?"

"Yes!"

Putting the mask in a corner of the newspaper mat she's made herself, Cassidy stands up and heads for the little walk in closet. Rummaging around a little she spots the white dress towards the back and pulls it out. It's pretty plain compared to some dresses she's seen over the years but she likes it. It falls just below her knees in length and has a light skirt that twirls when she turns. The neckline is square and falls a few inches below her collarbones. The straps are made of braided white and yellow cloth and the underskirt of the bottom is also a light yellow. Cassidy knew it was the one as soon as she saw it in that little vintage shop last year.

"It's so pretty," Selah says dreamily while running her small hand over the fabric of the skirt, "You'll look like a princess!"

"You think so?" Cassidy asks honestly. She never thought of herself that way before.

Selah nods her head frantically, making more hair fall out of the loose ponytail its pulled back in, "Like Anna!"

"Who?"

"From Frozen silly!"

"Oh," Cassidy says before shrugging, "I've never seen it."

"You've never seen Frozen?" The little girl gasps, sounding honestly horrified, "How are you alive?"

Cassidy laughs, "What?"

Selah reaches over and grabs her hand, "You have to come see it! If you don't see it then you'll never know and if you don't know then how will you be my best friend? Everyone watches it with me! Even Uncle Jace!"

"Uncle Jace watches cartoons with you?" Cassidy asks.

He never watched cartoons with her and Poppy. He was too 'cool' for that. He did let them watch horror movies though. So...many...horror...movies. She shudders that the memories of watching Nightmare on Elm Street and having nightmares, ironically, for months. Though, to be fair, she was only nine.

Selah nods her head frantically again, "Mommy makes him."

"No horror movies?"

Selah frowns in thought, "He let me watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Does that count?"

Cassidy bites her lip in consideration before answering, "Sort of."

"Come on!" Selah demands impatiently while tugging on her hand, "You have to see it!"

"How about tomorrow?" Cassidy suggests, "I have to finish my mask or it won't dry right."

Her face falls into disappointment but she nods, "Okay."

This is even worse than Connor's face! Cassidy crouches in front of her niece and reaches over to twirl a strand of dusky hair around her finger, "I promise tomorrow and then after maybe we can watch my favorite movie."

Selah's eyes, thankfully, light up, "What's your favorite movie?"

Cassidy smiles widely, "Alice in Wonderland, of course."

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Poppy is grumbling the whole way as she heads to place Connor asked her to meet. He texted her early this morning and only for her best friend could she manage to get out of bed. She was up late the night before doing her rounds as sentry. It was her turn and the hours are usually from dawn to dawn. A whole twenty-fours without sleep is not for the weak of heart or for someone as crabby when sleep deprived as Poppy is.