Perfectly Imperfect 1

22- Dinner With the Thomas's

KAYLA:

I carefully curled my hair, making sure it fell past my shoulders in decent waves. Then, I reached for my concealer, covering my God-awful freckles. All the while, though, I was thinking about Cal's family. In fact, I was still in shock after what I had seen this evening.

I reached for my compact powder and opened it. Pat pat.

I never knew some people had families like that! I mean, I've always thought that families should be a warm and caring institute, that loved you unconditionally no matter what happened. That was why I had always felt as though a part of me was missing, 'coz I thought that my family was dysfunctional. After seeing Cal's, though, I wanted to laugh at my foolishness.

I unscrewed my mascara, generously applying it on my eyelashes.

How would it feel if I had a mother like that? I remembered how they looked at each other- a look full of hatred and coldness. And his sister! Good god, she looked as if she had no idea what the meaning of love was! And not having a dad... how would it feel? Not having someone to look after you and make you feel all warm and protected...

I took out my lip gloss.

But... what about Evan? Cal didn't say anything about Evan; hadn't even mentioned his name. He quite frankly told me about Donovan, even though his death was clearly still a very sore subject for him... but not Evan. Its as if Cal... doesn't even know him. I frowned. But perhaps he purposely didn't tell me about him, I reasoned. After all, having a twin psychotic brother isn't exactly something you'd tell someone off-handedly.

I got up and searched through my closet. I wanted something nice, yet not too formal. My hand paused on a sleeveless dress my parents had bought in Bali. I fingered the material. I had never worn it, never had the occasion to, but now...

Making up my mind, I pulled the dress over, carefully avoiding my made-up face. I slipped on black tights and a black cardigan, and paused to look at my reflection.

I looked... different. I realized. More... matured. My face had angles I didn't even realize I had. In fact, I almost looked... pretty.

I paused. Was this too much? What was I doing, anyway? I was just going to dinner with Cal and my family. Cal, my friend. Shaking my head, I quickly returned to my dressing table and took out a cotton swab, ready to wipe everything off.

At that moment, though, my door burst open. Emma skipped in, holding her pink dress up loftily.

"Kayla, I want you to tie this up for me," I turned, a small smile on my lips. Ever since I had 'revealed my identity', Emma had been true to her word; never once, not even when we were at home, calling me Kayla. Looking at me, though, Emma suddenly gasped, her eyes wide.

"Why? What's the matter?" I cried out in alarm. Then, I realized what she was looking at: My face.

I rolled my eyes.

"Okay, enough, drama queen. I'm going to remove it soon. Bear with it for a few seconds, will you?"

"NO!" Emma screeched. Startled, I knocked against the dressing table.

"I mean, don't, Kayla. You look beautiful," she whispered, her eyes still the bright green saucers they were.

I was touched. "You really think so?"

"I know so!" she replied confidently, her bossiness returning. "Now, tie my dress."

---

We pulled up at a cozy-looking building, with ivy growing on the walls. A discreet sign told us that the building was called 'Tom Aikes', and, if it weren't for the smartly-dressed people walking in, I would have definitely mistaken it for a cottage; like the one Snow White was supposed to have lived in. I got out of the car, marvelling at the quaint lamps that were hanging on the building's walls, the big trees casting a canopy over the building, and the stars so brightly lit, as if welcoming us.