REDEMPTION

Chapter 5: Prelude

"I can't believe you're going out with him babe, not that I blame ya, the man is fit!"

Sierra heard Ella's voice yelling that dubious statement at her from outside her bedroom door.

She rolled her eyes, there was very little else she could do at this point.

"I thought I told you to get the hell out of my flat,"

"Oh come off it," came the swift rejoinder, "You know you love me,"

Like the plague, Sierra thought, annoyed.

She pulled the twin straps of her dress over her shoulders and critically surveyed her reflection in the mirror. The little black dress was acceptable she supposed, fairly conservative even. She had bought it because she liked the way the black colour was accentuated with white. It had a kind of yin yang aesthetic, fit her like a glove, ending just above her knees, and her tits weren't spilling out in it. The only nod to sexiness was the surprisingly low back, but hey what she couldn't see couldn't hurt her, right?

"Oye when are you going to be done. You've been in there hours already,"

"Stop exaggerating," Sierra grumbled, still miffed with the fact that she was letting Ella off the hook so easily, and that too when the unrepentant little troll was now busy cavorting on her sofa, flicking through the channels on her Sky Box and eating her out of home and hearth.

It hadn't taken Sierra long to suspect Ella had had something to do with Dan finding her. To have Ella confirm her suspicions over the telephone last night, had made Sierra blow her top.

She had ranted and raved, threatened all kinds of dire consequences and informed Ella she never wanted to see her again, a fat load of good that did her. For Ella had shown up promptly at six pm and barged into her apartment uninvited and unwanted. Informing her quite plainly that she was "acting silly" and "overreacting", as if she was the one to blame for the whole debacle in the gallery yesterday morning. That Sierra had refrained from decking her in response to that unwelcome assessment was a miracle in and of itself.

Sighing, Sierra put on her strappy, four inch heels and headed out the door. There was little she could do to banish Ella, the girl was a lifelong blight on her existence, like herpes, but Daniel Warring was another kettle of fish altogether, him she would rid herself off tonight.

Ella whistled when she saw her, and Sierra made a face.

"You look great, babe. You're going to knock his socks off. And don't you dare put your hair up in that nasty bun you're always sporting, leave it loose. I swear to god it makes my blood boil to know you have hair like that, while I have to make do with this rats nest on top of my head,"

Sierra didn't think there was anything at all the matter with Ella's blonde mantle, messy though it was at the moment. So she ignored the girls cribbing and decided to leave her hair down for tonight, as per Ella's suggestion. Her long hair was one of her best features she supposed, it was one of the first things she had grown out after her transition.

Her crowning glory.

"Thank you for the vote of confidence," Sierra said, before adding, "Now remember to stay here till I get back. I am not expecting this to take me long,"

"Why do I get the feeling Mr Cowboy will have something to say about that,"

"Ella,"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up,"

Ella just chuckled and resumed watching her favourite reality T.V show, Made in Chelsea.