Chapter 26 - Disguised

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Desi

I stared at myself in the mirror, my eyes trailing over my newly dyed black hair. I ran my fingers through it, not really believing what I was seeing. Going so drastically from blonde to black perfectly fulfilled our motive. I looked nothing like I did before. I took a deep breath and I went on to the next step.

I pulled my hair back into a low ponytail and grabbed for the scissors sitting on the bathroom counter. Slowly, as if it might hurt, I cut the ponytail off, my hair falling loosely around my face, skimming my jaw. With the scissors I snipped stray longer pieces here and there and made it all even.

I glanced behind me at the sheered off hair that lay on the floor and picked it up, tossing it into the trash can on the side of the toilet. Turning back to the mirror, I grabbed a compact from the makeup box and dabbed foundation onto the scar tracing my cheekbone. If you looked close enough you could still see it, but I didn't plan on anyone examining my face tonight, too much would be going on.

"Aundrea," I called into the bedroom, listening as she plopped herself down from the bed and skipped towards the bathroom.

"Whoa!" Aundrea exclaimed when she saw my hair. "You look so different!" Her eyes lingered on the hair cupping my face, and she suddenly looked sad. "You kind of look like my mama."

I knelt down in front of hair, my hands resting on her shoulders. "I'm sorry," I told her soothingly. "I wish she were here with us too. But I need you to stay strong while we get out of here. Are you gonna be okay with Cody and Ryder?"

"I'll keep them from fighting," Aundrea replied, a light smile on her face.

I smiled back at you. "Please, do that," I laughed halfheartedly. "We need someone who isn't crazy around here."

Suddenly, her arms were around me, squeezing me tight. I brought my hand through her long ponytail, pressing her face into my shoulder.

"Stay with me," she said, her voice muffled from my shirt. "Please. I'm scared I won't see you again."

"You'll see me again, Aundrea," I assured her.

"But you're gonna go see that mean lady." She lifted her head away from me and looked into my eyes. "She might make you mean too."

"Don't worry about me," I whispered. "You stick with Ryder and Cody. They will get you out of here, no matter what."

Aundrea nodded her head and started to back away from me slowly, her eyes glistening with tears.

"Aundrea, wait," I said, holding my arms to her, but she turned over her shoulder and ran out into the bedroom.

I picked myself, up from my knees, taking a look at myself in the mirror again, still not believing what I was seeing. I looked more edgy, my hair matching the emotions that ran through me. I wasn't the carefree, tanned blonde that I had been before the infection broke out. Now, storm clouds surrounded me, raining a black river that now ran through my veins.

I tore my gaze away from the mirror and walked into the bedroom, grabbing a pair of dark jeans from the rack and the black long-sleeved shirt that I had cut thumb-holes into, the edges of the sleeve partly covering my shredded palms.

Pulling on a pair of tennis shoes, I walked out of the bedroom and into my crowded living room. For an instant I ignored all of the stares, as everyone looked at the new me, and glanced around the room that I would never see again. Either I would escape or die tonight, but either way I would leave this prison.

"Desi," Cody said, breaking me out of my trance. "You look--"

"Like a little skater chick!" Durbin finished his sentence, a smile on his face. "I feel like I could give you a skateboard right now and you'd bust out a kickflip."

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