Heart of solid Ice

Chapter 9: From Mirrors to Mingle

Hello everyone! I'm back—apologies for the delay. Between school and working on my other story (Balance). I lost track of time.

I lost part of my motivation, when I lost part of my handwritten manuscript from about two years ago. Despite my efforts, the last page of that booklet is still missing. 

However, I'm excited to present to you Chapter 9, I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for your patience!

December 29th, 2006

I was woken up by a knock on my window. I whined as I got out of bed. I stretched to my window, but the sun was not even up. To my surprise, Selina was outside my window.

As I opened my window, she spoke. "Hey, kid, good morning." She jumped into my room, and I closed my window. "What are you doing here? The sun's not even up." I told her, glancing at the clock; it read '5:00.'

"What, no, hello? Anyway, you have a party to go to." She told me excitedly as she started to take things out of her bag. She took out a curler, straightener, and three different brushes. "How did you hear about that?" I asked her, but I noticed she was wearing civilian clothing. 

"Bruce told me, and I know the bots are out of town. So, I thought you could use the help, and I'm also going." She told me, mumbling the last part. She knew I heard it but still didn't meet my eyes. "A. Why are you going? B. I don't need your help." I told her, and she laughed. 

"A. I was invited like you were, and B. Yeah, you do. Now go take a shower so we can get started." "But..." "No, but let's go," Selina told me as she gave me. I sighed in defeat, knowing I could still avoid the party.

I walked over to the bathroom, but then Selina's voice. "Catch." She threw me a blue, pink, white bath bomb. I caught it, and she gave me two thumbs up. As I prepared my bath, I could hear Selina start to play some music; from the sound of it, she was in the kitchen. 

As the water was to my liking, I placed the bath bomb in it and waited until it was completely dissolved. I put my clothes to the side before getting into the water, and the bath bomb was (smell) sent. I took a deep breath and could hear Selina singing along to No Doubt. I took my bath and stayed there for fifteen minutes. Before I got out, I dried myself and put on a fresh set of clothes.

Once I made it downstairs, I was drying my hair. Only to see that my kitchen had been attacked by someone who didn't know where everything was. "What are you doing?" I asked her, causing her to jump in surprise. "Breakfast, of course; I made us some pancakes and a special can of tuna for Bastet." She placed the plates on the table, picked up Bastet, kissed her head, and then put her on her side of the table. She sat down, and I followed. 

Selina took a sip of her coffee and spoke. "So, we'll start with the hair, as I believe it will take the longest, and then makeup and nails. I brought everything from my apartment, and I believe tonight will be the cat's meow." I nodded as I took a bite of my food. "This is delicious, but did you have to wake me this early?" She nodded, "Of course, time is the key. Now, let's enjoy our food." I smiled, and once again, I had to think of a way to get out of the party, and it had to be believable, as Selina could see through most of my lies. 

After we finished eating, I reorganized my kitchen and washed everything. We walked back to my room, and I sat on my vanity chair. Selina started meticulously styling my hair as she knew how I liked it. As I sat perched on the chair, I could see my reflection betraying a mixture of anxiety and resistance, which didn't go unnoticed by Selina. "Do I have to go to this party? I can play sick and avoid the whole thing altogether." My voice wavered as my eyes glanced nervously at the clock ticking away.