The Elementals - The Ice Princess

Chapter 20

The lights take a moment to flicker to life and I realize that we are standing in front of a mirror in a bathroom at the school, more specifically the boys bathroom. Alexander looks a little flushed and I have butterflies in my stomach, we've jumped again.

The bathroom stinks. Like a mixture of body odor and axe body spray. There is also the faint smell of some kind of cleaner, probably used to clean the splash back out of the urinals. I've overheard girls talking in the washroom about how terrible guys aim can be. The thought grosses me out.

In the mirror, Alexander raises his hand in which he is holding a bottle of peroxide. He shakes it at me and then smiles.

Before long, he is working it into my hair. I can't believe the effect it is having. My once sandy blonde hair is now completely white. It looks at though the color has been completely drained out of it.

"How in the world, is this going to make me fit in?" I ask Alexander. "Look at me? No one in the world wears this kind of hair."

In the mirror, I can notice that Alexander is concentrating on making sure he doesn't burn my scalp with the peroxide. It's kind of cute to see him working so hard. The only thing that would make it cuter would be to look at him and see him working with his tongue sticking out, the way little kids do when they try to concentrate on something.

He is taking small sections of hair and trying to make sure that it is all equal. He mentions something about ensuring that it is consistent otherwise it could tip off the shadows. I for one, think that the color will give it away. Only the elderly have hair as white as mine, not someone who is sixteen years old.

About an hour later, I stand looking in the mirror in disbelief. I can't believe that I let Alexander talk me into this. I used to love my hair. It was a nice sandy blonde that was well below my shoulders. I often wore it down and tried to be as plain as I possibly could. I didn't straighten it, it was just naturally curly and I only let the sun lighten it during the summer. I didn't like doing anything that would make me stand out. Now, it looks like I won't have a choice. I am guessing that what has just happened to my hair is going to make me a beacon to those who are looking for me. I might as well be wearing a neon sign.

"Hiding in plain sight is what we are going for. They know you from a description and we've changed your description. I am hoping that this helps a bit." Says Alexander as he puts the finishing touches on my new hair.

"But why white?" I ask pleadingly.

"The good guys are always wear white, don't they?"

I don't expect this answer and I can't respond to it. He grabs the scissors and makes a clipping motion. "How much are we taking off?"

I put my hands up to stop him. "Whoa! We never agreed on any of my hair getting chopped off."

"When I said we needed to change the way you look. We need to really change the way you look, so how much are we taking off?"

Resigned to the fact that I don't think arguing with someone who is going to be protecting you is going to do any good. I reluctantly tell him. "Do what you think you have to."

Alexander grabs a handful of hair and smiles at me in the mirror. Then he begins to cut.

Fifteen minutes later I am looking in the mirror again after Alexander has left to begin packing supplies. My hair is bleached white and it is short, shorter than I have ever had it. I look at both of the sides of it in the mirror to ensure that it is as even as possible. To my surprise, Alexander has done a good job with it. It looks almost professionally done. When I step back and take a look at my whole face in the mirror, the hair makes me look more washed out. I have always been relatively pale in complexion and the white hair makes it more prevalent, maybe it's the light from the overhead fluorescent bulbs. As I focus back on myself I notice how my green eyes really seem to stand out now that my hair is nearly as white as my skin.

"You approve?" asks Alexander who has returned and is standing in the doorway looking at me. I feel a little embarrassed that he was watching me check myself out in the mirror and I had no idea that he was standing there. Maybe he used his jumping ability to sneak his way in.

"This will work I guess." I say half joking. "One thing is for sure, I don't recognize me."

"You'll get used to it, don't worry! Before too long you'll be begging me to do your hair."

"How'd you get so good at it anyway?"

I used to have sisters. They used to love it when we played together." Alexander's expression and body language change when he says this. He doesn't look like he is in a smiling or joking mood any longer. He looks to be in pain more than anything. Not physical pain, but the pain that someone who is grieving feels. It's a feeling that swallows you up emotionally and affects you forever. Your body and heart ache for days and you feel as though your very soul is crushed into a million pieces and you are left trying to piece it back together. Even breathing becomes a chore because often times, you just want to curl up and let the hurt consume you. It's one of those things that you have to experience to actually know how it feels and if you've never lost anyone close to you, then you wouldn't understand. I remember that feeling and to be honest, I don't wish it upon anyone.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think..."

Alexander looks up from the floor directly into my eyes. I am immediately captured by how blue they are. "It's ok." He says. "You just about ready to get out of here?"

I nod to him slowly feeling sorry for his loss.

"Good because we should go soon. I think we've already overstayed our welcome and are taking a huge risk by us staying much longer. Who knows if the shadows are going to be looking here for you."

I nod in agreement.

"Do you have your book? And know where we are headed?" Alexander asks as he finishes packing the hair stuff back into his pack. Both of us have an over the shoulder duffle bag and then a regular book bag that straps over both shoulders that we took from the house. In them we have various items that we thought we may need if my plan doesn't work out. There are things like sleeping bags, a small pillow, a few changes of clothes and some food and bottled water. It was tougher to find the sleeping bags as most of the contents of the rooms in the house were torn to pieces. Luckily, we were able to come across two that weren't torn so badly.

"Remember that jumping doesn't work, unless I can visualize where we are headed. We could end up somewhere completely different." Says Alexander as he zips the final zipper up on his bag.

"I know." I say to him and hand over the pictures I have in my hands. "I found these when I was trying to pack my bag. Will they work to get us to where we want to be?"

He takes a close look at them. "I've never tried jumping using pictures before, so your guess is as good as mine."

We share a brief smile.

"Is it always going to be this easy?" I ask jokingly?

"Come on, if it was easy, it wouldn't be as much fun, right?"

I walk over to the middle of the bathroom where Alexander is standing with our stuff. He takes my hand and in a flash, we disappear from the school with no one ever knowing we were there in the first place.