I barely knew her. She stood the same way as I had two hours ago, apart from her eyes, we had nothing in common. I brought myself close to mirror. I smiled. Now this girl was wearing my smile. I didn't like it. It didn't match her. I went for more of a smirk. There. That worked better. I tilted my head to one side, then to the other and she moved too. I stood with my feet farther apart and my hand holding onto the zipper of the leather jacket covering my arms.
'Jean would have never worn this.' I thought to myself. Before I was all floral dresses and button up sweaters. Now pearls earrings are replaced with jewel studs the color of blood. Where there used to be one earring that I got done before I could say no, now stands two more. And on my left ear there's one at the top.
"She looks like a bad ass," the room had been silent for at least five minutes before I said anything.
"No," Ajax smiled, "you look a badass."
Cindy looked at me a little displeased.
"Something wrong, Cindy?"
"You're missing just one more thing." Cindy disappeared into the bathroom momentarily. When she came back she had a small box in her hand.
"Contacts?" Asked Ajax.
"Yes. Do you know how to put them in?" She looked at me and I nodded. "Good." Cindy handed me the box and I took out a set.
With contacts in and sitting comfortably I rested my gaze on the reflection of the stranger once again.
Now my grey eyes once framed with glasses had even gone and been replaced by piercing green. Hell! Even my eyebrows had been died the same raven color as my hair!
My hair! My long hair! I turned my body to picture the blonde waves against my back but it was no use. The image was gone. I touched the iridescent lock draped slightly over my shoulder. At least it was soft.
Cindy's face fell. "You don't like it."
"No. No. Cindy, it looks great." My eyes had filled with tears and when I blinked the spilled out. "It's just a lot to take in." My voice cracked and I covered my painted red lips.
Ajax took me in his arms. "Shhh. Jean it'll be okay."
The reality of what had happened and the fact that I am no longer Jean Megan Blue hit me all too hard and fast.
"I. I am not Jean."
Cindy took a step closer to us. "You are right. You are not her anymore. And you can't be. Do you know why?" I shook my head slightly even though I sort of did know the answer. "She is running scared from men who made a deal with her father to hurt her and her mother. You stopped being Jean Blue when you decide to pack up and leave instead of having that happen to you." She had a tone in her voice I hadn't heard before from her. It was firm. And it was right.
"So," Ajax said, letting me go. I turned to face the mirror, standing the way this girl would, flicking my hair from my green eyes the way this girl would, with her head and not her hand. Ajax put a hand on my shoulder and continued, "Who is this?"
I turned to face him like this question didn't scare the shit out of me. "Sup? Name's Denim. If you stay on my good side I'll let you call me "Deni". That's with an 'i' and not a 'y' or an 'ie'." I held out 'Deni's' hand and Ajax went to shake it. I quickly pulled it out of the way and ran it through my hair. "Naaw. Ya gotta be faster then that." I leaned my elbow on his shoulder. "So cutie whose the chick?"
Both of them had a look confusion and pride in their expressions.
"I am Cindy. Cindy Acker."
"Very nice." I actually never knew her last name.
"Ajax. Agent Ajax Ryan Eller," he reached his arm across his body to meet my hand. I shook it.
"Agent? Fancy." I laughed, dropping the act.
"That was...amazing! You switched so quickly!" Cindy beamed as she hugged me.
"Thanks." I didn't feel like hugging her back so my arms hung limp.
"Alright so Denim, there is still a little we have to do here." Ajax smirked at me.
"Like what?"
"Well you still need a story, a family." Ajax's voice was smooth and caring. "You're almost too old for us to put into a foster house, but still we don't want to send you out on your own yet." Ajax looked at me puzzled. "Well I'll make some calls ,tell them that we have a code 86 that ready for 87."
Great now I was the one who was puzzled.
"An 86 ready for 87, Jea- I mean Denim, is a child ready for a home, but more specifically an older child." Apparently my confusion showed and Cindy saw it.
"We call it 86 to 87 because usually ya know how people say "86 that idea?" I nodded. Great, Ajax noticed too. "Well we '86ed' the first you, in this case Jean, and now we have a you 2.0 if you will."
"Okay so why does it usually pertain to older kids?"
"That is a great question!" Cindy seemed all excited to know about something other than hair and nails. "It's a code for older kids because you need to have a completely new life, where as younger children can still develop one from growing up in a different environment."
"Actually that makes a lot of sense!" Finally I was no longer confused! "So I need a completely fake past, right?"
Ajax answered at the drop of a pin, "Yes, but first we need to place you."
