*******
"I think I broke a rib. Maybe two." Stella groaned as we walked to breakfast. "Make it three." She added, clasping her side which had been bandaged with tape. "Figaro deserves a special place in hell for orchestrating a Code Red simulation the day before the Winter Formal." She muttered, groaning uneasily as she took a seat at our usual table.
"Who were those guys that they hired for the simulation? Because I'd like to be the first to give them a nice warm: fuck you." Mackenzie chimed in.
"Morning ladies." Rooney brushed past us, taking a seat at the table adjacent to ours. "Alexis you are looking especially beautiful this fine morning." I stuck out my middle finger on my non-broken hand. The broken one was wrapped tightly in bandages which were applied after I had to wait two hours in the line at the infirmary last night. Even though I was surrounded by my close friends I have never felt more alone. Their safety, the future of The Academy, and my sister's life depended on me. And I haven't even eaten breakfast yet.
"Was anyone else seriously considering not getting out of bed this morning?" Seth asked as he slid into a seat besides Rooney. We all raised our hands simultaneously. Seth's eyes locked onto mine as if to ask: what happened to you last night?
"I don't want to hear any of you complaining," Rooney started, "because none of you were pepper sprayed in the face last night."
"How many times do I have to say I'm sorry?" Mackenzie apologized, holding back her laughter.
"But have you seen guys Clyde?" Stella lowered her voice, leaning into the center of the table so that we all had to move in closer to hear her.
Someone cleared their throat loudly from besides the table. We all turned to see Clyde....and his tightly bandaged nose. Seth gagged on his orange juice trying to contain his laughter. Clyde rolled his eyes and slammed his lunch tray down onto the table. "Go ahead," He sighed "let it all out of your system." With that, we all broke into hysterics.
"I think I'm crying," Mackenzie gasped from laughing so hard. "am I crying?"
"What happened to your face?" I asked.
"I face planted onto the auditorium stage." Clyde replied bashfully.
"It's too bad you missed it." Seth told me, once again hinting at my disappearance last night.
"Yeah," Rooney echoed him. "where were you last night anyways?" I held up my broken hand, hoping that would suffice for an answer.
"Which one do you guys like better?" Stella held up her phone which was displaying pictures of two different dresses. I was thankful for her change of topic, saving me from having to tell my friends even more lies. But I knew I wasn't off the hook with Seth. I could still feel him staring at me while we all gravitated towards Stella.
"I thought you went to the Closet to pick something." I replied.
"I was going to, but you never showed up."
I face-palmed myself. "I'm so sorry, Stella. I totally forgot about that, I've just had a lot on my plate lately. How about we go today? Right after breakfast."
"All the good ones have been picked over by now." She shook her head.
"The Stella I know can turn any garbage bag into a ball gown. I'm sure we can find you something." I replied.
"If you're helping Stella find a dress, could you help find me a date?" Clyde wondered.
"You still haven't found someone to ask?" Seth turned to him.
"Lots of people go to the dance alone." Mackenzie mentioned in an effort to make him feel better.
"I guess I don't really have a choice at this point." He shrugged. "It's not like anyone would say yes to a guy with a broken nose."
"That's not true!" I objected.
"I appreciate you trying to make me feel better, but there's no need to sugar coat things." Clyde stood up and grabbed his tray. "I think I'm going to head back to our room for a bit." He excused himself.
"Poor guy." Stella pouted her lips. "It's too bad you can't go with him, Lex."
"I'll be spending the night cuddled underneath my bedsheets with my handsome date: Netflix." I replied with a smirk. I could still feel Seth's eyes digging into me. "Hey Stella, we better get going if we want to check out the Closet before class." She nodded and followed me out of her seat. I intertwined my arm with hers and we shuffled out of the dining commons. The Closet was located in one of the sub-levels below the main floor of The Academy. The only way to reach it was through a restricted elevator--only accessible during this week. A couple other girls were waiting for the elevator once we reached it. Unlike the other elevators in the building, it's doors were composed of a black metal and it required fingerprint identification to use.
"What do you think is on the other levels?" Stella whispered in my ear, when the doors slid open. We stepped inside the elevator. The floor and walls were made of grey cement tiles and gave off a prison cell vibe. To make sure no students ventured further than The Closet, administrators had programmed the elevator to only travel to certain floors for this week. Any other time of the year, the fingerprint identification would prevent any students from using it. We all knew the rumors about the mysterious sub-levels beneath The Academy. During my first year here the oldest students used to scare us about there being torture chambers and prison cells. The only thing we knew for sure about the sub-levels was that they were restricted to only admins with the highest security clearance level. So whatever was lurking beneath the grounds of the school, whether a torture chamber or not, it had to be important. A loud ding announced our arrival. The metal doors slid open, revealing a entirely new world that closely resembled the dreams of any teenage girl with a love for fashion. "Is this heaven?" Stella squeaked, her eyes glossing over in mesmerization.
It may be called, The Closet, but it should be considered to be more of a mall. It was divided into three different sections one for accessories, dresses, and shoes. Chandeliers dripped from the ceiling highlighting the golden carpet and gem-crusted mirrors. The accessories were cased in glass, each necklace, earring, and bracelet placed on its own personal throne--a golden plush pillow--accessible through a touchpad that allowed the glass cases to unlock and lock. The shoes filled up three whole walls of floor to ceiling shelves. Red velvet sashes were placed under each pair of shoes, explaining the size and designer. Circular ottomans stood close by for anyone wanting to try on a pair, but if that was too difficult for you there's a box-like contraption with a built in chair. You sit in the chair and place your feet into two compartments. The compartments measure your feet and give you the proper suggestions based on your size. You use a touchpad to navigate through the shoe selection and with the help of conveniently placed trapped doors in the shelves behind each pair of shoes, your shoe of choice is transported directly to your feet. Then there's the dresses. There might as well be a choir of angels singing as you gaze upon the hundreds of dresses. Keeping with the theme, touch pads are used to help you navigate through the selection. The process is made faster with a full body scanner that takes your measurement and then offers suggestions to which dress would work best for you.
"I think we might be a little late to class." I told her.
"I've already been suspended once," She shrugged. "this is totally worth it."
If this were a movie, this is the part where the musical montage would start. Once we got her measurements we pulled a dozen dresses off the shelves and pairs of shoes to match. I took a seat on one of the silk couches outside the dressing rooms and waited as Stella changed into each of her selections. "Absolutely not." She laughed, stepping out from behind the red curtains draped over the dressing rooms. The dress was a neon green and had a leg slit that showed a little too much leg. The back was open with a huge hot pink bow wrapped around the waist.
"It does have one good thing about it." I pointed out. Stella looked at me with an amused expression on her face. "The neon colors probably glow in the dark."
Stella rolled her eyes and laughed, stepping back into the dressing room. "Oh god." She gasped from behind the curtains.
"Let me see!" I begged. Stella stepped out of the room and twirled around in the second option: a soft pink ball gown with so much fabric she could easily hide three full grown men underneath the skirt. "This dress would be perfect for concealing weapons."
"This is going to take all day." Stella sighed. "Why don't you try on some dresses? It's only fair that I get to make fun of you too." She grabbed both my arms and pulled me to my feet. "Try this." She plopped down a dress into my arms.
"But I don't have anywhere to wear it to." I objected.
"Just try it on!" Stella laughed, slipping back into her dressing room. I shook my head at her and stepped into my own changing room. The dress was made from black velvet so it slid on easily. The dress draped over my feet and had a leg slit that was sexy yet sophisticated. It reminded me of one of those dresses that those girls wear in the James Bond movies. I felt like a spy. I pushed back the red curtains and walked back into the open area with the couches. Stella was waiting for me there and when she laid her eyes on me her jaw dropped open. "It's like that dress was made for you."
"You don't look too bad yourself." I returned the favor. The new dress she had on was cut just above the knee. It was a dark forest green that complimented her skin tone with sequins along the bodice that matched the color of her eyes. "You look like a princess." I told her.
Her lips widened into a huge grin. "I think this is the one." She nodded, jumping up and down excitedly. Both of us so engrossed in our excitement, pulled each other into a hug. "I wish you could wear that dress to the dance." Stella sighed. "I'm sure there is a way we could sneak you in.'
"It's okay." I assured her. "I'm sure I'll be able to keep myself busy." My thoughts drifting back to Red Hoodie and the impending doom of tomorrow.
"Well we've got the whole Closet to ourselves, so let's not waste it. We'll have to wait another year until they open this up again so we might as well take it to our advantage."
"Are you suggesting we ditch all of our classes?" I smiled.
"Well...if you insist..." Stella smirked. "They've already banned you from the dance, so what do you have to lose?"
Stella was right. I didn't have anything to lose, because everything has already been taken away from me. Figaro took away my spot on the X Team and Red Hoodie took away my choice. I already knew the outcome for tomorrow, so I might as well enjoy my time left. And what better way to spend it than with my best friend and a closet full of clothes? "Last one to the shoe shelf has to put everything back!"