Hidden Spring (The Modern Myth of Persephone)

Chapter 3: The Mask

     I woke up to the feeling of falling, again. This time I had dreamt that I had climbed a mountain of jewels and once I got to the top, I fell off the edge.

     I shook off the dream and took a relaxing shower, taking my time since I didn't have work today. Despite my eight hours of sleep, the lucid dreams made me feel like I got two.

     Before I could even think of getting ready for tonight, I went to the store and did my weekly shopping. I even treated myself to new underwear and a blouse. By the end of everything, it was two in the afternoon.

     I drove back and temporarily parked in front of the apartment, running in to drop off the shopping bags. By the time I parked my car in the garage and walked into the building, I saw Misty checking her mail. She let out a sigh and shut the small metal door. "No mail?" I asked.

     "Nope. I was supposed to get a letter from the woman who wants to adopt Lily soon." She explained, mentioning the tabby cat that was in desperate need of adoption.

     "Well, try not to worry too much. The mail might just be late. Maybe it'll come Monday."

     "Doubtful, but maybe." Everything with her was prompt, so it's no surprise that she's never encountered late mail.

     Suddenly, her eyes lit up. "Come on, let's go get ready for the party."

     "Misty, the party doesn't start for six more hours. And I haven't eaten yet, so I'm gonna make some lunch."

     "Ok, well I'm gonna go take a shower. But, can you make two of whatever you're making?" She grinned, not waiting for an answer as she shuffled to her room.

     I opened the bags of groceries and started putting them away in their designated spots. I had a feeling Misty was doing the same thing I did earlier and was staying in the shower as long as possible because I was done with lunch before she even got out. I knocked on the door and told her it was ready. "Ooh, what'd you make?" She asked through the door.

     "You'll have to get out in order to find out." I teased.

     I put the baked mac and cheese into two bowls and got the water pitcher from the fridge to set on the counter. I began eating, even though Misty took another five minutes to get out of the bathroom.

     "Geez, Misty, I'm surprised you're not a prune." I jabbed sarcastically.

     "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Shut up and eat your mac and cheese." She said, grabbing her bowl.

     Not even an hour later, I was looking for more stuff to eat. Misty yelled at me multiple times, telling me if I kept eating like that I wouldn't fit into my dress. Well, I'd show her!

     Ok, so maybe the dress was a teensy bit more snug than it was yesterday, but it fit fine regardless, so I continued to roll my eyes at Misty's remarks. I was in the midst of curling my hair when she came in asking me to do her makeup. Misty was one of those lucky people that looked great with and without makeup, so she rarely wore it, and frankly, didn't bother learning how to when she was younger. I didn't mind, though, since we had time to kill.

     Once I was done with hers, I started on mine, and went for a bolder look. I figured since my eyes would be the only thing on display from my face, I would dress them up a bit. It was 7:45 when Misty entered my room, asking me to zip her dress. Once I put on my shoes and mask, we were out the door.

     "Hey, that mask looks great on you, by the way." I told Misty. The gold made her green eyes pop and went nicely with her tan skin.

     "Thanks. That dress looks better on you than me, by the way." She said as we stepped into her car.