Killing On Command

Chapter 2

Alex's eyes were flooded with a sudden bright light, and she sat up, still sleepy and less alert than she'd wished. She'd always been cautious, but somehow, she felt more so this morning. Her golden-haired twin, Scarlotte, was tearing open the moth eaten and worn curtains which covered the dusty window; letting burning rays of sunlight in through the glass and into the room. She groaned reluctantly and lay back down and rubbing her eyes so they would adjust quicker.

"Come on, you've got an hour to make yourself look presentable, and Father says you have to choose out of these," She told her, dumping something heavy onto her bed. Alex didn't even bother to look up. She just wanted to sleep, and the pounding headache from the small amount alcohol she'd consumed wasn't helping her in the slightest. Scarlotte shuffled out of the room quickly, closing the door gently behind her. 

Alex sat up properly, looking at herself in the full length mirror against the wall opposite her. She was a mess, but she didn't care. Her hair was messy and the shorter layers stuck up in all directions. She pulled some of them over her face and smiled, knowing that her hair was back to its usual style. On her bed lay four dresses; all in different colours and styles. One looked oddly familiar, until she realized that it was Scarlotte's from a few nights previous. She threw it away quickly. She liked the blue dress best, and so slipped it on. It looked decent, but she didn't. She looked like a street crawler - and not in a good way. 

She cleaned herself up, wiping her face and brushing the fist fulls of knots out of her hair - she'd leave it down. Nobody to 'impress' until later. She remembered what Zach had said last night.

You need to make them hate you, that's all.

Easy. She thought to herself. 

It took no longer than ten minutes for her to get ready to her standards, but as she was about to walk out of her room, she was stopped by her twin. She rolled her eyes and say down on the wooden chair in her room. 

"Your hair looks absolutely terrible." She noted out loud, mocking her. Alex shot a knowing look at the blonde, mentally telling her to shut her mouth. As usual, Scarlotte looked stunning, and had out-dressed her sister by miles. He long blonde hair was plaited down her back, and separated into two smaller braids either side of her head. Both braids held a silver ribbon, which matched the silver stitching on her pretty green dress. She stepped forward gracefully, pulling a ribbon from her dress.

"This shouldn't hurt," She told her, although Alex felt that she was lying. She walked a little closer, making Alex squirm in her seat uncomfortably. She looked like she was going to strangle her with it, although she couldn't really picture it properly. She twisted her long, black hair into a quick and neat braid down her left shoulder. Scarlotte's hands worked fast; twisting the ribbon into the braid. She tugged on her hair quite a bit, and Alex knew that she was doing it on purpose. 

"I can always do your hair for you if you'd like?" Alex mocked her, smirking. 

"I'd rather look a little bit like a woman rather than a scrawny blacksmith,"  Scarlotte told her. It was cold, but Alex couldn't say that she didn't expect it, but it still stung a little. It was hardly an offensive remark. She tugged on her hair, making Alex wince in pain. 

"I'll take that 'scrawny blacksmith' comment as a compliment for your own good." Alex warned her. She meant it.

"Well, at least now you look a little more lady-like rather than your usual atrocities. Take a look. We haven't got too much time left now, Father wants you downstairs as soon as you can. Come on," She said simply, leading the way. Alex looked in the mirror briefly before sighing, quickly feeding Arthur, and rushing out of the door, struggling in the small blue heels.