Neverseen's Puppet

Chapter 5: Getting Ready

Hi people! I was going to put a drawing of Camilla's dress as the image, but it looked like McDonald's and a clown teamed up to terrify kids, so I decided to leave it off. 

Camilla's POV

Elwin brought her over to Fitz's house, Everglen. If you could call it a house. The crystal castle was bigger and more extravagant than any of the Neverseen hideouts she had stayed at. The whole estate was enclosed by a tall gate, which Elwin explained stopped people from light leaping directly in.

They arrived into the dining room where a beautiful woman flickered in and out of sight. Her perfect wavy brown hair fell over her shoulder as she sorted clothes into piles. A miniature version of her was busy holding up various dresses in front of her body. This had to be Della and Biana.

"Oh! You're here!" Della exclaimed when she saw them standing in the doorway. She dropped the clothes she was holding on the table and walked towards them. Biana skipped over and offered Camilla a small smile. "We have about thirty minutes before the council arrives, and I figured Camilla would like to change into a new dress before then," she winked. "I find that it helps one's confidence."

Her jaw dropped. Those clothes were for her? She looked down at her black leggings and white blouse. Her shirt was wrinkled and probably didn't smell very good. Her pants had a small hole in one knee. Camilla didn't even want to think about how out of control her hair had to be right now.

"That- that would be nice," she stammered. As much as she didn't want to accept anything from these people, surely some new clothes wouldn't hurt, right?

"Which one are you going to choose?" Biana jumped in. "I can help you make your decision! I mean, it's totally your choice, but fashion happens to be one of my specialties."

Camilla could definitely see that. Biana's hair was pulled back from her face with a teal flower clip, matching her eyes. Her tunic hugged her waist and flared at the hips. The off-shoulder neckline also caught Camilla's eye, because of the gold lace overlapping the teal silk. No one could say she didn't look amazing.

"Sure, if you want to," she found herself saying. Biana clapped her hands and jumped up and down.

Della and Elwin smiled simultaneously. "Well, I'll leave you two to talk," Della said, "Alden wants to talk to you," she addressed Elwin. After they left the room, Biana and Camilla started sorting through the outfits.

"You'll want to wear something light-colored since your hair and skin are darker," Biana said as she rummaged through a bin of shoes. "Maybe a beige, yellow, orange, or pink."

Wow, Camilla thought, Never knew there was so much science behind fashion. Biana handed her a lemon yellow gown with more layers of tulle than she good count on her hands and feet. The satiny fabric slipped between her fingers.

"Go try it on in the bathroom over there," Biana pointed down the hallway to a door. "I'm going to look for a sash that compliments your eyes."

Camilla walked over to the bathroom. It was more like the size of a master suite, but she wasn't really surprised.

She stripped off her clothes and slid on the silky yellow dress. The bodice zipped in the back, but Camilla couldn't reach it so she decided to wait. The neckline was what she believed to be called an illusion, with translucent fabric covering her collarbones and the opaque cloth starting with a sweetheart shape. The skirt of the gown was covered with ruffles and swirls and a tiny bit of glitter.

It made her look mature in a way that she often struggled to achieve. Camilla had always been small for her age, with nonexistent curves and toothpick legs. She smiled at the full-length mirror and headed back out to the dining room.

"How do I look?" she asked, spreading out her arms dramatically.

"Beautiful!" Biana enthused. "Turn around so I can tie this sash."

Camilla obliged. Amidst all the fun she had been having, a small part of her was still planning a way to get back where she belonged. She had to remember that.

Biana knotted the periwinkle sash in a bow and zipped up her dress. "I couldn't find one that matched your exact eye color, but this one is really close," she explained. Camilla nodded. Immediately she thought of Dex and his periwinkle eyes. Wait. When had she observed his eye color? She fought off a blush. She hadn't realized how much she was paying attention.

"Thank you," she remembered her manners.

"Of course! Can I do your hair and makeup?" Biana begged.

Camilla realized that they were getting low on time, and decided to opt for the more necessary do-over. "How about just the hair?" she suggested.

"Ughh... fine," Biana gave in. She ran to her bedroom to grab some hair products. Camilla busied herself hiding away more memories and fabricating new ones. If the Council didn't try to read her mind, she was an alicorn.

She was so busy that she didn't even realize when Biana came back and started rubbing different creams and gels into her hair.

"Should I use this clip or this one?" Biana asked. Camilla snapped out of her daydream and glanced at the jeweled clasps in her hand.

"I like that one," she said absentmindedly, pointing to a random clip. She was becoming more and more aware of what was about to happen. Not only was she going to meet the Council, but they were also going to read her mind. If they knew who she was, what would they do to her? She had to get out. The problem was finding a way. Camilla frowned; this was going to be harder than she thought.

"Don't worry about meeting the Councillors," Biana said, noticing her expression. "Sophie only had to meet three when she first arrived, so you probably won't have to face all of them either." Camilla felt a little relief, but it didn't solve exactly solve her problem.

Elwin, Della, and Alden joined them. "Are you ready?" Elwin asked her. She wasn't, but she nodded anyway. She rubbed her sweaty hands on her new dress, and put on a face that she hoped looked brave.

She saw figures walking towards her from the hallway. Her heart hammered in her chest, and for a second she couldn't breathe. There were three of them, just like Biana said. One girl, two boys. And the bad thing was that she immediately recognised one of them. He was walking with a limp, his left leg notibly stiffer than his right. Councillor Terik.

She had done this to him. 

It was like a punch to the gut, and she struggled to stand up straight as the other two councillors filed into the room. Faintly, she remembered that she should have curtsied.

The other man had dark brown skin and black hair. He looked at her with disdain and said the four words that would come to define her.

"You should not exist."

Thanks for reading this far! Another update is coming soon.