Crazy House

Chapter 13: Applesauce, Bonkers and Other Fun Words

Chapter 13

A knock on the door brings me out of my thoughts; I open it to find a bright eyed Amy. She is already dressed in another crazy yet stylish outfit and her raven hair is in a messy bun that somehow manages to look perfect.

"Hey girl, I just wanted to check that you're up. Sophie, Max and I are going to head down to breakfast soon if you want to join us," she says.

"No that's fine, you guys on without me. I still need to get dressed and stuff," I yawn, still sleepy.

"Okay, we'll save you a seat at the table."

"Thanks. Oh and Amy? I'm um, I'm not going to be able to give you your clothes back that I borrowed," I say sheepishly. "They were uh, kind of completely destroyed yesterday in the entrance exam and quite frankly should probably be burned for, you know, sanitation reasons," I shutter, thinking about the bugs again.

"Oh, well okay, I'm glad you didn't end up taking my pattern leggings then," she jokes. "Anyways, I'm going to head down. See you in a bit." As she leaves, I close the door behind her and turn around to face the monstrous pile of luggage. I don't even know where to begin.

I decide to start with the wardrobe, see if Sarah unpacked anything before she died. The heavy coating of dust tells me that it hadn't been opened for years, much less a few weeks. However, the wardrobe is full to the bursting with all sorts of stuff. Elegant evening gowns, giant diamond encrusted pieces of jewelry, and countless pairs of shoes. The contents of the wardrobe probably cost billions of dollars, not to mention that it is all so obviously vintage. And when I say vintage, I mean really vintage. This stuff is probably over 60 years old.

I take out a pair of shoes to look at closer and of course begin to wonder if they would fit. My curiosity gets the best of me and I take off Elias's socks then slip them on. They slide on perfectly and are snug, but not uncomfortably so. I look at the dresses hanging so perfectly and wonder if perhaps they might fit too. Knowing full well that this can only end badly, I reach out and grab a long black one.

Five minutes later, when I look into the full length mirror on the inside of the wardrobe door, I don't recognize the girl before me. The black dress fits my body perfectly. The black silk hugs every curve and falls to the ground, the train spilling across the floor like a waterfall. The dark color contrasts wonderfully with my pale skin and it even seems to give my gray eyes more depth. It is simple but timelessly elegant. The material is so sleek and cool; it feels as though my body is being caressed by water. The halter top dips down my chest in a very low V and ties lightly behind my neck. The majority of my back is bare and exposed.

I had pulled my hair up in a bun and put on some big dangly diamond earrings in order to bring the outfit together and the effect is surprising to say the least. I look like a grown up, like I had stepped out of a black and white movie. I look, well, kind of beautiful.

I lean down to pick a hair off the dress and when I look up into the mirror again, I almost jump back in surprise. Behind me is a girl about my age, staring at her own reflection in the mirror.

"What are you doing here?" I ask in confusion, but she doesn't answer. In fact she gives no indication that she even heard me, she just continues to look at herself in the mirror, brushing a piece of thick hair out of her dark eyes and tucks it behind her ear. Her hair falls around her shoulders in soft chocolate waves, which contrast nicely with her creamy skin.

It isn't until she smoothes out her dress that I notice she is wearing a gown identical to mine.
She walks over to the side table and adjusts the knob on a small wooden box. A minute later, the sound of a rich voice emits from the box as a singer croons about dreaming of a white Christmas.
The girl smiles and walks over to a vanity, singing along. She grabs a pair of huge pearl earrings and puts them on, then clasps a string of pearls around her neck.