Mirrored Exile (HS)

thirty

chapter thirty - let the light in

Lucy Caddel

"It's great to see you two again, I feel like it's been a while." Samantha greeted us. She had her typical pantsuit on, this time a dark purple. Her hair was slicked back tightly into a ponytail that swished with her walk.

"Goodness me." She halted and squinted at the wounds and injuries we both had. What the hell happened to you two... Your wrist! And- and your eye! Gosh, you two are gonna make this difficult."

"Morning to you too, Dateleo." Harry nodded to her. The frown on her face was startling.

Harry and I followed her into an all-glass building, windows on every wall and in every corner. It smelt like floral-scented spray in here to the point it made me want to sneeze.

"Now, unfortunately, there's no time for catching up on what's happened to you two as I have a meeting to attend. Arthur will assist you both." She waves to us and struts out of the room with her black heels clacking on the floor tiles.

Seconds later, a man in a black velvet suit and glasses walks around the corner. He has bleached shaved hair and silver piercings in his ears.

"Hi there," he shook both our hands with a smile while taking in the state we were in. "I'm Arthur. Harry, I remember you and you're Lucy if I'm correct?"

Harry and I looked at each other and nodded as if it was something new to hear. His thick accent which was French, caught me off guard. He spoke it beautifully.

"Fabulous, follow me through here." He gestured his finger for us to follow him. The bright lights made it almost impossible for my eyes to adjust to the surroundings. Who knew this art show was so dramatic with its outfits?

"Agent Edwards, you've done this before so your suit is already steamed and hung up just here." Arthur stood next to the clothing bag with it zipped up. Through the top, you could just see the suit and a tie.

Arthur turned his attention to me. "As for you, come with me."

I followed him slowly to another room. It had racks and racks of dresses, all different colors and lengths. A large mirror at the end of the room was surrounded by pale yellow walls and a dark oak floorboard.

"So, what color are we thinking?" Arthur sat on a chair, facing me as I walked onto a platform. I looked into the large mirror. My green vest and dark-washed jeans contrasted with the bright colors around me.

"I'm not sure," I responded.

"I think maybe uh-." His accent fiddled with his words, you could tell English was not his first language. "Yellow? Hmm... no no no."

He spoke to himself, flicking through the dresses on the racks. His gaze stopped on one every so often and he slid it out to get a closer view. Most of them were yellows and purples which weren't really my colors.

"Navy! Parfait!" He pulled a dress out and held it up for me to see. It flowed quite long, the bust shape was round and lined with tiny rhinestones. The straps are about a finger-width thick and the waist is ruched gently. It was stunning, but I couldn't imagine myself in it.

"You must try!" He shoved the dress in my hand and shooed me behind a curtain. The light was softer back here thank god, my eyes would've exploded if I was under that bright white light for any longer.