The Rebel (#Wattys2016)

49. Concealer

Adeen did not know how she made it to her room. Her hands burned thanks to the dozen small cuts Golmes had made all over them; the cuts not big enough to deserve medical attention, not small enough to go unnoticed. Her face hurt, and her right eye was covered by a gigantic bruise already turning purple. Adeen's abdomen ached with the aftermaths of the nine punches Golmes had given her, three for each runaway. Her head hurt. Golmes had screamed at her and punched her and kicked her, and he'd scolded her so much her ears rang because of his shouts. But somehow she'd made it to the Palace's second floor.

She stopped in front of her door and observed it. After a few seconds, her ComTab buzzed with a new message. Painstakingly slowly, Adeen took it out and stared at it.

National Broadcast in 10. Get ready, G.

Adeen stared at it, her head hurting from the thought of hiding all of her new bruises, but she wasn't surprised. Of course they'd want to respond, of course they'd want to re-establish their superiority. With a sense of dread covering her, Adeen went into her room and made it to her desk. She opened the first drawer to her left and found it empty. She frowned. Adeen opened the cabinet beneath it, then the next one, only to find empty drawers meet her. Trying to bury her frustration in, she stood up again and stared at her desk. Her make up was gone, along with her hopes of hiding her bruises independently.

Adeen sighed, clenched and unclenched her fists, and walked out of her room. She turned to her right and walked to Regina's door. The Rebel knocked.

"Regina," she asked, "can I come in?"

Behind the door Regina walked, then stopped.

"Yes." She said and Adeen opened the door.

Regina sat on her bed, her back to Adeen, reading a book. She didn't look up, but rather ignored Adeen. After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, Adeen spoke.

"Regina?"

"What do you want?" Snapped the Selected.

"Can you lend me your concealer? I can't find mine."

Regina stopped reading and turned around, a frown in her face. Her gray eyes found Adeen's bruised eye and she blinked slowly, as if waking up from a daze. She stared at Adeen for a second, then nodded. Regina walked to her desk, opened her first drawer, took out her concealer, and turned around and threw it to Adeen, who caught it effortlessly. Just then, Regina noticed Adeen's hands.

"What happened to your hands?" She hurried to Adeen, taking her hands and inspecting them.

"I had to be punished," Adeen said, taking her hands away from Regina and hiding them behind her back, "and he delivered."

Regina was silent for a second, then she shook her head.

"Sit on my chair. I'll apply the concealer for you, the last thing we want is you bleeding all over your face."

Adeen didn't object, and she hurried to Regina's chair. She sat down and looked at the ceiling, letting Regina inspect her face. The Selected frowned at the bruise, shaking her head. She began applying the make up.

"It must have hurt."

"It did." Adeen said. "It still does."

Regina stopped spreading the powder and glanced at Adeen. For a second, she looked almost sorry for her, but then she continued applying the make up and her face was grim again. After around a minute of silence, Regina took a step back, admired her work, and nodded, proud of herself.

"It's gone." She said.

Adeen stood up. "Thank you." She said, but instead of leaving she took out her ComPad.