De Vil-Radcliffe

Chapter 11- Curl Up and Dye

"Mal?" I called into the hideout.

"Come on. Let's go get our hair done," Mal said nonchalantly.

I nodded, feeling something squirm in the pit of my stomach. I don't really know what happened until I arrived at the hideout on my bike. Was I at Dad's? Did I see Mom yet?

We arrived at a shop called Curl Up and Dye. I found it funny as we walked in. A young girl was twirling as she swept up hair. She jumped when she saw us.

"Mal! Is Evie back too? And who is this?" the little girl asked.

"As if," Mal said. "And this is Sophia. Madame Medusa's daughter."

"You're the Radcliffe daughter, aren't you? The one Carlos is always with?" the girl asked eagerly.

"That's me," I said, smiling fakely.

"I, um, forgot that you guys don't open until midnight. Place looks good," Mal said, looking around. "So, what is your deal? Has your grandmother given you any customers yet?"

"Eh, just a witch here and there. Mostly, it's a lot of scrubbing and scouring and sweeping. Lots and lots of sweeping," she explained.

"Sounds like the old Cinderella treatment, eh?" Mal said, making me smile.

"Yeah. She's turned from wicked stepmother to wicked grandmother," the girl said, making me laugh.

"That's not really much of a switch," Mal commented. "Hey, Dizzy, you used to do Evie, right?"

"Yeah. I thought of the little braids," Dizzy explained.

"They were beautiful," I said.

"Thank you," Dizzy smiled.

"Do you have any ideas for us?" Mal motioned to her and I.

"The washed out blonde with purple tips? The best of no worlds. You can't see where your hair ends and your face begins! Oh, what is this? Bored-to-death pink?" Dizzy asked as I sat down in a chair. She turned to me. "And Sophia? Well, she's already got the look slightly, but she needs a bit more... edge. How far can I go?"

"The works. I mean, whatever makes me feel like me, but... way worse," Mal explained.

"Yay!" Dizzy said, holding up a giant pair of scissors.

For me, she painted my nails back and added black highlights to my bright red hair. She showed me how to make a bold look, red eyeshadow and thick eyeliner. Adding mascara added a finishing touch. She painted my nails red with my ring fingers black.

She turned me around in a mirror to reveal the final product. My eyes widened. I was a whole new me.

"Hey! There I am," Mal said with a smile.

"Voila!" Dizzy said excitedly.

"Voila," Mal and I echoed as we handed her money.

"For me?" Dizzy questioned with wide eyes.

"Keep it. You earned it," I assured her.

"Fork it over, young runt," a boy said in an Irish accent.

"Who's that?" I whispered.

"I'll give you one hint. He's nothing but the son of a codfish," Mal said, smirking at me. "Still running errands for Uma, or do you get to actually keep what you steal?"

"Well, well, well. What a nice surprise," the boy said as I noticed the hook in his hand.

"Hi, Harry," Mal said.

"Just wait until Uma hears you're back with your little lapdog-"

"Hey, I would suggest you keep your insults to yourself," I said, grabbing him by his collar as my eyes glowed red. "Or it ain't gonna be pretty for one of us in the end, and it will not be me."

He backed off, walking away after knocking all the cans off the desk.

"I am proud of you." Mal smiled at me.

"Thanks, sis," I smiled back.

I walked out of Curl Up and Dye with Mal. She separated from me to get her bike and I felt myself being tugged away. A hand was covering my mouth to keep me from screaming.

"I didn't like your little threat, little girl. And I don't think Uma will either."