Recluse Island

Chapter 27

November 2013

"Are you sure I look, okay?"

"Yes, you look fine."

"And this dress isn't too slutty?"

"No, it's fine."

"What about my earrings?"

"They're fine too."

"Is that all you can say? Fine, fine, fine."

"Would you rather I say you're a pain in the ass? Because you are!"

Mary-Louise Watts glared at her best friend Janet Hewitt as she finished applying her makeup in front of the small oval mirror hanging on the wall across from their perfectly made-up beds.

"Janet, you know how important tonight is for me!" Mary-Louise exclaimed, astonished her friend was acting so cavalier.

Janet, a short girl with straight black hair and icy blue eyes gave her an "Not this again," look. She was the daughter of Conrad Hewitt, head of the Workshop. This didn't give her any advantages as she still had to work like everyone else. If anything, she had to be even more proficient, so she didn't make her father look bad. Which is why she's never gotten an ISU Ticket.

Mary-Louise, who had no such standards to live up to usually was issued one ticket per month. Mostly for not following the dress code. Mary-Louise felt it was a travesty that all women were required to wear black pants and pink button-down shirts; they wouldn't even let her slide by wearing her Mary-Janes! It was all right though. Rafanoli Reform School wasn't so bad. And Baxter Chandler, her good friend and current crush was usually there too because he had an unfortunate habit of oversleeping.

Janet plopped down on Mary-Louise's bed. Their room in Spinster Row where all unmarried women over the age of eighteen resided was hallway shaped and extremely narrow. On the left two single beds were placed end to end, along the opposite wall was a dresser with attached mirror that held six drawers with a short black stool placed before it, this is where Mary-Louise currently sat. Next to Mary-Louise's bed on the back wall was a wardrobe where the girls hung their dresses, long sweaters, and coats. There was also a mustard-colored stuffed chair in the corner where Janet liked to read and knit.

Spinster Row was set up dormitory style and consisted of two levels, in total there were one hundred and forty-two rooms. Roommates were chosen randomly. Fortunately, Janet and Mary-Louise had been assigned to board together, they had been friends since they were ten when they were both selected into The Loom. For a while there Mary-Louise was afraid she would get paired with Samantha Puddyfoot who was constantly combing her long dark hair and going on about the importance of daily moisturization. She was also clearly smitten with Baxter and Mary-Louise was getting tired of having to watch her failing attempts to flirt with him.

"I know tonight is important because Baxter will finally know how you feel, and all the pretending can stop. But are you sure he feels the same way?" Janet probed tentatively.

"Of course!" Mary-Louise exclaimed as she carefully coated her long eyelashes in thick black mascara. It had taken her weeks to save up enough seibolds to purchase the makeup from the Smithy Shop. "Baxter and I have known each other our whole lives. He's just shy; that's why he's never told me how he feels."

Baxter Chandler was Mary-Louise's first friend. Before moving to Spinster Row Mary-Louise lived next door to Baxter in Quadrant D. They used to play together in Dot's Darlings where children went during the day while their parents were at work until age five when they were then sent to the Lesson Book and educated on reading, writing, basic math and rudimentary science. When Baxter and Mary-Louise were in Dot's Darlings, named after the daycare's first proprietor Dorothy Higgins, they loved building high towers of blocks to see how tall they could make it before they all came crashing down.