Out of the Ashes

Chapter 1

I stared into the full length mirror, trying to decide on what to wear. The twin bed was littered with the remnants of my previous attempts: my black skinnies, my usual jeans, a pair of shorts, two deep scoop-neck shirts, and a black tank top. I was never any good at this sort of thing, but at least I had an endless supply of consultants living in my hall. I flipped my head over to pull my long hair into a ponytail, knowing that all the bodies crammed into the tiny house were going to make me sweaty, and I didn't enjoy feeling my hair sticking to the back of my neck. I looked back into the mirror and yanked the tie off again. This doesn't look right either.

"Leah!" I called.

My roommate emerged from the bathroom, mascara wand in hand, rolling her eyes at me. She really didn't need any makeup at all. As someone who saw what she looked like first thing in the morning, I could verify that she was naturally gorgeous. She could have been a model; she was tall, with high cheekbones and glowing copper skin, and her black hair fell down just past her shoulders. She was wearing skin-tight dark wash jeans, and a black tank top.

"Swan, I told you before, it looks just as good up."

"I'm still not sure." I frowned at my hair hanging down over my chest. I needed to just pick one and stick with it. Fine. Ponytail it is.

"You have to think strategically, here," she said, gesturing with the wand. "In addition to looking cute, you'll avoid overheating. And if you puke while I'm not around, you won't have to hold your own hair." Leah was always the pragmatist.

"I'm not going to puke this time. It's the first party of the year. I want to make a good impression."

She sighed and walked back into the bathroom we shared. I picked up various articles of clothing and held them against me in the mirror. Maybe if I gave them another chance, something would speak to me.

"Since when do you care about a bunch of freshies?"

"I don't," I called back. "But I care if I look like crap. I just want to start the year off right, you know?"

My method wasn't working. I huffed and grabbed my black jeans. They would just have to do. I stepped my feet through the holes and began that familiar hopping dance to get them fitted completely over my hips. I didn't used to wear jeans this tight. Everything I used to own was comfortable, if a little old. Leah put a stop to that during the summer by raiding my closet while I was out with Charlie. For someone stuck on a reservation with a bunch of boys for almost twenty years, she had a real aptitude for this sort of thing, something I definitely lacked.

I threw on the red shirt that I'd previously dumped on the floor, and crouched down to loosen the hips of my jeans enough that I'd be able to sit down later on. Upon a quick observation in the mirror, I decided that it was my best bet, and I joined Leah in front of the bathroom mirror.

"Just gimme a sec," she said, running a brush through her hair.

I was still a novice when it came to makeup. Renee tried, but there wasn't enough time before I left Arizona. I ran a light pink stain over my lips and dabbed powder onto my nose, knowing full well that I would just sweat it off in an hour, that is if some guy didn't eat it off my face.

"I don't know about you, but I'm mostly looking forward to all the fresh meat," she smirked. She never had any trouble with that, and I envied her.

"Don't be a creep. You remember what it was like back then, all those 'super friendly' upperclassmen offering us beer? It's a miracle we made it through the first semester without being drugged."

Leah rubbed the lipstick between her lips, opening them back up with a pop and smiling to herself in the mirror.

"Yeah, well, it still got us laid, didn't it? I don't think that bunk bed will ever be the same."