The Cipher

Chapter fifteen

I think the most awkward experience of my life occurred when Onyx had to disguise me. He told me that I was very pale, and that it was one of the factors that made me easily identifiable. I couldn’t figure out if it was good or bad.

  Onyx then began to elaborate by telling me of an Pre-Landie custom, where they would spray themselves with color, to make themselves look sun-kissed. Basically, those wacky guys would paint themselves darker. And that was what Onyx was going to do to me.

  “How long will it stay on?” I asked.

  “A few weeks, maybe a little less.”

  “Will I have to reapply?” 

  “Most likely yes. I’ll give you some to take along with you. You’ll be able to have Cyrus do it for you.”

  “Okay,” I said. “How do we do this, then?”

  And here’s where the awkwardness kicks in.

  “Well, since it’s a full body spray, you’re gonna have to strip down.” Onyx said uneasily.

  Although from our first encounter, I knew this was just an act, so as Cyrus wouldn’t kill him when he found out about it. Maybe he might beat him to a pulp, but he’ll still be alive, at the very least.

  “What the hell, Onyx?” I whined. “You have to be kidding me.”

  “It’ll be uneven otherwise.”

  Although I had a gut feeling that Onyx had ulterior motives, there was no way to prove it, and he did make a point. If I was going to do this, it would have to look convincing.

  “Turn around.” I said.

  “I’m gonna have to look in a second anyways, what’s the point?” he reasoned.

  “That’s an order, Captain Onyx.” I replied firmly, although he made a point, I refused to submit to him. I wanted to gain respect around here.

  He turned around.

  I began to strip, and soon enough, I was down to my bra and panties, covering myself any way that I could.

  “Okay, I’m ready. Just turn around, and get it over with.”

  “Move your hands, Aspen. Spread them like an eagle so I can get them evenly.”

  Onyx held my arm delicately, spraying the cold paint-stuff on my arms with precision and delicacy. Then he was spraying my neck, my collarbones, my chest (he took a while on that part), and my stomach and legs. Then I turned around and he did the entire backside of my body. By the time I was done and dry, I felt like I had been violated in every imaginable way.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Onyx smirking, but refused to act upon it. I didn’t want Cyrus to even know about this. I didn’t need him blowing up and proving himself emotionally unstable, therefore proving himself incapable of coming on the mission.

  When my clothes were on, I turned to Onyx. “Okay, what’s next, asshole?” I remarked.

  “Hair staining.” he smirked. “Would you like to be a blond, brunette, or ginger?”

  “You know me,” I smartly replied. “I don’t give a shit.”

  “Ginger it is, then.” he retorted jokingly.

  “Screw you.” 

  Soon enough, there was a tingling sensation on my scalp, and an hour after that, my hair was dried and a light brown color. And it was my hair. I touched it, surprised, I couldn’t stop running my fingers through it. There was no way it had changed colors, almost as if it was some sort of chameleon. Already, I looked in the mirror, and felt like a completely new person. Between the hair color, and the bronze skin tone, I looked unrecognizable.