Remember Me

Chapter III

Dawnflame brought a friend to help me set up. Her name is Blueflight, with looks that are just as bizarre as Dawnflame's. She has dyed short blue hair, and her eyes are naturally an icy blue.

I'm scared to know what they'll do to me.

Before I go back to my old school, it was decided that I'll change my appearance. That way, there's a smaller chance of someone recognizing me. I demand to be told how I'll be changed, but Blueflight just shoves me into a chair and sets out a variety of brushes, makeup, a crate of hair dyes, and, the most scary, a pair of scissors.

My hair is brown with slightly lighter highlights, at one length, and highly important to me. It took forever for it to grow to my waist. I'm not looking forward to cutting it all off.

"It's going to be a surprise," Blueflight says. "But I promise you'll like it. Now close your eyes."

I oblige. But these two girls are walking paintballs. I'm going to like being a neon sign? Oh crap, what is this girl going to do?

"I like this color," Dawnflame says. Then I hear something hit the floor, followed by multiple crashes.

"No, Dawn be careful!" Blueflight yells in surprise, and that's when I hear the sound of scissors cutting hair. More specifically, Blueflight's scissors cutting my hair.

Blueflight shrieks and goes silent for what feels like half an hour.

"Wait wait wait!" She exclaims suddenly, making me jump. "I can work with this! It's perfect!"

She spends the next half hour snipping at my hair and moving it around. I feel my hair fall in front of my eyes and notice it's short. She gave me bangs. I'm doomed. It's probably insanely short and dyed neon green.

The rest of my hair still feels long, though, when she starts dying it. I just want to open my eyes and see what color she's using, but she promised I'd like it. I'll just have to trust that she and Dawnflame know me well enough.

"That doesn't go with her natural hair color very well," Dawnflame comments. "Use this one on the parts we haven't dyed."

I'll probably look like a candy cane.

When Blueflight finishes dying my hair, she starts on my makeup, and I notice that she doesn't use much. I'll add more later to disguise myself better, I guess.

"Open your eyes," she says.

I do, expecting there to be a mirror, but there isn't. She just gives me color contacts. Then she brings out the mirror.

"Voilá!"

I stare into the mirror. I hardly recognize myself. And the craziest thing is, I actually like it.

My hair isn't short. It's shorter in the front and gets longer the farther back it is, ending at its original length. I have bangs, too. They're shorter on the right and get longer, long enough to cover my left eye. And the color contacts looked mesmerizing. They made my eyes a dark blue with flecks of light blue close to my pupils.

And my hair isn't neon, either. It's pitch black. There are streaks of gold that, probably because of the black around them, seem to shimmer and glow.

I must be quiet for awhile, because Blueflight's and Dawnflame's huge smiles start to fade.

"You don't like it," Dawnflame says, disappointed.

Shaking my head, I say, "No, Dawn, it's amazing!"

I jump up and start to march away.

"Where are you going?" They ask.

"To pack my things for school," I answer.

Blueflight laughs. "You don't have your new clothes."

So we go shopping, aboveground. I insist on choosing my own outfit, and eventually they give in. I already have something in mind, anyway.

We've earned a lot of money being in the clan, so I have well over enough to buy everything I pick out. With the help of my friends, I choose some t-shirts- Doctor Who t-shirts of course- hoodies, leather jackets, jeans, some shorts that I'll wear with tights underneath like my usual style, a few short dresses with flared skirts, some jewelry, and combat boots. Lots of combat boots.

I almost walk out of the store when I hear Dawnflame laugh. She runs to me with a white shirt in her hands. It has a picture of a tree with noodles on it and the words "Noodle Tree" printed underneath it.

"You should get this one!" She says, still laughing.

"I think I'm sticking with the darker colors," I reply, gesturing to the clothes I just bought.

"Oh come on, lighten up!" She laughs at her little joke. She gives me her puppy-eyed face, which she knows the majority of the clan finds hard to say no to.

So I bought the damn shirt.

It's late, so I go to bed as soon as I get back. I'm able to sleep, even though I'm worrying about the next day.

Tomorrow comes too soon. My friends, along with my brother, help me get ready to leave.

Dawnflame sets out clothes and jewelry for me. A black leather jacket, dark jeans, black combat boots, gold earrings, a chain necklace with a crystal hanging from it.

And the noodle shirt.

Blueflight brushes my hair and does my makeup. She sticks with the small amount of makeup she used yesterday: a soft pink lip gloss, a little bit of black eyeshadow, and mascara.

Dustfire makes my breakfast, pancakes and eggs. He hardly ever does that. Maybe it's because once I leave I won't be seeing him for awhile, since I'm staying at a house with another member of the clan.

I look at the pancakes and see that they have smiley faces cut into them. Dustfire hasn't done that since I was in first grade. As I eat, I remember the first time he made them for me.

My pancakes have smiley faces. Why did Cole make them like that?

"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day," my brother says to me. "If your pancakes are happy, then you'll have a happy day!"

He smiles, says goodbye, and leaves the house. He leaves for school earlier than me because he's in sixth grade, so I'm left alone to eat my happy pancakes.

I actually do have a happy day.

Nobody's spoken the whole morning. It's like Scarletstar already killed me and I'm a ghost, watching them go about their day.

"Well, it's time I guess," Dustfire says at last. "I'll see you soon, little sis."

I hope. But I don't say anything. I just hug him, and he kisses my forehead.

Dawnflame and Blueflight, on the other hand, are grinning like they've finally gone mad.

"We're going with you!" Dawnflame squeals.

I'm shocked and relieved and worried at the same time.

"No!" I say. "Scarletstar could hurt you!"

Blueflight crosses her arms. "We're coming with you, no matter what."

I smile and relent, since I know there'll be no stopping them. At least we're all skilled fighters, and now I won't be lonely.

"Okay," I say. "Let's go."

Obviously school is stressful, but who knew it was this bad?

A brief thank you to my friend Katherine (ksullivan48) for voting for this story. So on her first day back at school, Skye is wearing a shirt with the NOODLE TREE! Read Katherine's short poem, called Noodle Tree!

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