This Is My Exodus

Chapter 9

Playing the part of the guest, Xalei scanned his eyes around, searching for any trace of a globule in sight. Creatures nearby consumed food, which made no sense since food provided no nourishment in Freta. The food looked peculiar. A hamburger consisted of two blue patties with a heap of debris stacked together. A squiggly pipe protruded from the side of it. A creature dressed in a chef's uniform while another creature took bites out of their head. Their head was made of broccoli. Clothes-pin lines held sunny-side-up eggs. Creatures treated it as if it were the most extravagant meal. Another dish presented was sushi wrapped with someone's finger. It moved.

Chalala covered her mouth with a hand as she gagged. "Repulsive!"

After some time, they arrived at a building. The structure had been painted in various shades of green, and it was upside down. Upon entering, Chalala looked up to see the vanity on the ceiling. The creature grasped Chalala's hand and leaped. Her feet disconnected from the ground, and she spun through the air toward the ceiling.

"Woah!"

The sensation was unsettling and confusing, but the adrenaline rush wasn't bad.

Naturally, Xalei caught up behind her, unfazed by the whole thing.

"I didn't see any globules," he said with a low voice. "Did you?"

"No," she replied distractedly. Her bottom landed on the chair in front of the vanity. From there, she could hardly even tell that she was upside down.

"Let's play along, for now," he whispered. "If we don't see anything, we're outta this joint."

With a nod, she tried to ignore the surreal feeling of sitting on the ceiling.

"The first thing is to comb out your hair," said a creature, grabbing a comb from the vanity.

Chalala didn't pay much attention as the creature took the comb to her hair. Instead, she stared absentmindedly into her reflection.

"What happens to the women who are put in his collection?" she finally asked.

"I wouldn't know," the creature stated. "Master Reurig does his own thing. Oh, what's this? You have a hair shorter than the others!"

Chalala felt a stinging pain through her scalp. She heard the strand disconnect, and she tensed up, finally losing her nonchalant look.

"Stop! Stop treating me like I'm some doll!"

Her eyes widened with a mixture of anger and fear. Fear of what? The source of her fear was unclear, but her gaze remained fixed on her reflection in the mirror. The creature spared no apology. Xalei didn't say anything either. From the mirror's reflection, he seemed to be staring off at something, deep in his thoughts.

When she reacted that way prior, his expression mildly changed. Or was it her imagination? A gimmick in the mirror?

Chalala sat still for the rest of the makeover. Her only movement involved occasional glances at Xalei or complaints about her hair being handled too roughly. They applied copious amounts of blush that started at her cheekbones and bridged across her nose like a bandage holding her face together. They rubbed a red substance on her lips, making them sting and then become swollen. They weaved yellow flowers into her white hair and glued tiny gems into her eyelashes.

She stood up, as she finally got used to the anti-gravity effect. She turned to face Xalei and reached across her midsection to grab her other arm. "How bad is it?"

Xalei said nothing, wiping his nose as if something tickled it. Clearing his throat, he pointed at the mirror. "Why don't you take a gander at yourself to be the judge?"