I looked up, and there were tears in my eyes. Mia had left the area to get another hair product after taking the Formaldehyde out of my hair and putting some type of shampoo into it, but Maire was still looking at me while her beauticians rinsed out her hair and began to comb it. You ok? She mouthed over the noise of the blow-dryers at the other stations. I nodded. She seemed to understand that we all have difficulties in life.
Mia came back and took that layer of shampoo out of my hair, conditioned it and rinsed it clean. She towel dried my hair until it was damp and combed it thoroughly. She then took a long, hard look at my waist-length hair. She nodded her hair and twirled a lock of my wavy hair in her finger. She looked at my face and smiled.
"Lady Olivia, for your hair -" I cut her off.
"Please don't dye my hair! I want to look at least a little bit like myself!" she nodded and I continued, "and please, just Olivia. If anything I should be calling you Lady or Miss because you are a higher caste than me." She laughed and responded:
"Fine, but Olivia, you are Selected and that makes you special in your own right, especially since you were a Seven. I promise I wont dye your hair, or even give you highlights. Your hair is perfect the way it is." Pia made her way over while Mia towel-dried my hair and continued, "and, you are now a Three because of the Selection! Isn't that great!" I had forgotten. The Selection automatically bumped you up to a Three if you were below a Three.
Mia led me over to the mirrored station and combed out my hair while Pia put some pink gel on my cuticles, explaining that it would help my nails grow fast. Mia examined my hip-length hair and nodded.
"Miss, would you please trust me, just this once? I promise I will only make your hair better!" I looked at her and agreed.
"Miss, before we get started on your hair, makeup, and style, we were wondering what sort of look you wanted: sexy, alluring, innocent, deathly..." This was Maia, who was in charge of my style. I stammered.
"I really don't want to look different. I have to be able to recognize myself in the mirror." I put my foot down firmly and my stylists agreed with me. I heard the girl on my other side being asked the same question.
"I want to be breathtakingly seductive and controlling. I want to be a show-stopper, like you know I am." Her stylists hesitated, clearly not expecting such firmness.
"I told you what I want! Go do it!" She grabbed the nearest object, a hairbrush, and threw it at a petite brunette. The brush hit her nose which began bleeding.
"Why do I have such incompetent maids! Go!" The stylists all ran away shaking, and the one with the bloody nose went over to what I assume is the bathroom. I looked over at Maire, who shrugged and mouthed D-I-V-A. I nodded my head rapidly in agreement while my stylists went to work.
Pia lifted up my hands, which formerly had stubby, shapeless nails. My nails now had beautiful nail-beds that were attached to two inch long nails. Pia saw my shock and told me that we wouldn't be keeping my nails so ridiculously long. She pulled out a long white box with an opening on the side. She gently placed my hands in the box and metal clamps squeezed around my fingers and I felt my nails being cut. "This is a Hydraulic Laser Nail-Trimmer. It takes a laser and cuts your nails to a pre-set shape that is perfect for you!" I could sense her enthusiasm.
In a few minutes, she removed my nails and I was shocked to find them perfectly done; they were rounded to a nice oval shape and had a millimeter long white crescent at the end. I smiled. Gone were my cracked and stubby worker Seven hands, replaced by smooth and elegant long royal fingers. Pia began painting my fingers a nude light pink.
Mia had covered the mirror and began snipping away at my long wavy hair. It felt much lighter, and she blow-dried it in wavy locks. Leah got busy doing my makeup, and I was glad to find her only doing a little eyeliner, mascara and lipgloss, which was much less than what most of the other girls were wearing.
Soon I was finished at my station, and rose to find that Maire and the other girl had already left their stations. Maia, who was in charge of my style. She brought me into a dark octagonal room and handed me a dress, which I couldn't see. I slipped it on after discarding my pants and shirt. I heard Maia shuffling in another room, and then the sound of keys typing. She turned the lights on and I realized I was in a 360º room. I could see every angle of myself, and I was happily surprised with the result. I was wearing a light-blue tea length dress with a boat-neck collar and nude pumps. My hair was down to just below my ribcage and gently rested while the ends were floating up. My eyes were accentuated with brown eyeliner in a slight wing and innocent mascara, and my lips were covered in clear gloss. I looked the part of the princess I was brought here to try to become; and I wasn't opposed to it. It took my breath away.
"You like it?" Maia asked.
"I love it." I breathed.
"Good! I have created a few sketches of clothing that I believe you will like for your maids to make until they get to know you. Let's get you back out to the rest of the girls so you can go to your room."
I was so overwhelmed that I dumbly followed her into the main room. It had been cleared in a matter of minutes. The girls were all sitting on embroidered chaises, chairs and couches, or admiring their new looks in the mirror. I saw Lydia twirling in a baby pink dress in front of one mirror while Bellania examined her nails on a chaise nearby and Maire was being led in by her stylists. Lydia waved me over and I motioned for Maire to join us. Boy was Maire going to like Bellania, and vice versa.
Lydia took one look at the new me and squealed with delight. And I'm not exaggerating. She literally squealed like a little piggy. "You are gorgeous! You look incredible." Bellania looked up and joined in the praise, as did Maire. I blushed and looked down at my feet.
All the commotion around me was attracting envious glares from Ginger and Fiona, and the people they were sitting with. The girl I was sitting next to was oblivious to it as she twirled and posed in front of a mirror. She was wearing a very low-cut black bodycon dress with matching pumps. She glanced over at me and realized that she was no longer the center of attention. She marched over to the huddle in which I was surrounded and split the crowd.
"Don't I look gorgeous? I mean, what man, prince or no, could resist me." It was true. Her hair was the most incredibly rich burnt auburn color and her deep brown eyes and full red lips didn't hurt. The only thing that detracted from her appearance was her sharp nose, but not by much.
"Don't you think so?" she pressed, "I look much better than I did on Illèan Style last month, although these servants are not nearly as good as mine at home. But, I do look the best out of all of us here, right?"
She must have seen the blank expression on my face, as she puckered her face in mock sympathy and explained, "You're the Seven, right? Oh poor you, you lack so much culture! You probably could never afford to buy Illèan Style. I'm Angelique Affreuse, your future Queen, 2. I am gorgeous though."
Then I finally understood. She was like Fiona, and I was not going to tolerate their condescension. I mimicked her face and replied:
"Yes, sweetheart, you do look gorgeous, as you say, but I don't think that look quite belongs in the Palace. It looks more suited to..." I paused for emphasis and Angelique took the bait.
"The runway, the red carpet?"
"No... A brothel." Her face flushed as red as the carpet she was just talking about and you could just about see steam rising out of her nostrils and ears. Luckily Elisa walked over at just the right moment, saying, "Ladies, let me take you to your rooms now!"
Angelique pushed her way to the front of the crowd and I hung back. "Nice job!" Maire and Bellania said simultaneously, and then giggled. "And by the way," Maire added, "her hair is dyed." We all laughed and then followed the group through the sumptuous hallways to the Third Floor, where we would be living.
"First Hallway," Elisa read off of a list, "Ladies Alicia, Fiona, Julena, Ophelia, and Poppy." We walked to the next hallway.
"Second Hallway: Ladies Amelia, Clementine, Jenalouise, Liane, and Pippa. Third Hallway: Ladies Augusta, Carolina, Elenalie, Emma, and Octavia. Fourth Hallway: Ladies Beatrice, Celestine, Francesca, Liane, and Lucille. Fifth Hallway: Ladies Evangelina, Ginger, Robin, Sabrina, Sage, and Shannon. Sixth Hallway: Ladies Priscillina, Romy, Theodora, Valencia, and Winona. And, finally, the Seventh Hallway: Ladies Angelique, Bellania, Lydia, Maire, and Olivia."
Elisa directed me to the room all the way at the end of the hallway on the right. She quickly repeated what she had said as we dropped the girls off at the other hallways, saying that we were expected to be in the Grand Dining Room promptly at 8:00 and that we would spend most of our days together in the Women's Room (where we had gotten our makeovers) unless we were feeling ill or had a date with the Prince. We all nodded enthusiastically. I was so excited that I was on the same hallway as Lydia, Bellania, and Maire, but the disappointment of being with Angelique was almost enough to weigh my joy down.
We each made our way to our rooms after saying good night, and I threw open my door, thrilled to be alone at last, when I was greeted by three smiling faces.
Oh. I guess I'm not alone.
A/N: So sorry it took so long to update! I'm also sorry that this is such a long chapter! Thanks so much to @Maire_Sullivan for her fabulous character and for being so sweet and supportive! Comment and vote! <3