CORRUPTED FILE [Lumina Chronicles Past Drafts]

Level Twenty-Nine

[ELLE'S PoV]

Before Marc and I left to find this so called "door guardian," I asked Mama to braid my hair.

She smiled, the lines around her eyes crinkling. "Really? You haven't wanted me to do that in years."

"I just figured it would be an easy style. For skiing." I shifted in place and twisted a springy curl around my finger. I hated lying to my parents. Not telling them something—like the fact that Mags had vanished to a magical otherworld—was one thing, but full-on lies like Marc being amish and this whole "ski trip" thing just felt weird.

"Sure sweetie, hold on."

Mama grabbed the comb, brush, moisturizer, and hair jam while I waited in the livingroom.

I sat crisscross on the floor in front of the couch while she sat behind me and started the familiar process. When I was little, I hated it so much. It was annoying to sit still for so long, and my scalp ached from the constant tugging. She would bribe me by renting a movie she knew I'd like, and that would make the experience somewhat bearable.

This time I didn't need anything. We spent the hour and a half long process reminiscing and laughing while Mama worked.

"I've always been jealous of how soft your hair is," she sighed as she eased the brush through. "You definitely got that from your daddy."

"I got your lips though."

Mama chuckled and straightened up a bit. "And my brains."

I could hear Dad and Marc in the kitchen. Dad had offered to teach him to play poker, and from the sound of it Marc was beating him. Badly. I smiled.

Mama and I continued to chatter about everything under the sun while she greased, combed, and steadily worked my hair into row upon row of tight, teeny little braids. Unsurprisingly, Mags came up.

"Do you really not know what happened to her?" Mama asked quietly once she'd braided about half way across my head.

I dug my fingers into the carpet. "Do you think I'd be sitting around doing nothing if I did?"

"I suppose not. I just figured if she was gonna go somewhere, she'd at the very least tell you. Then again, maybe not. You'd probably follow her." She laughed softly. "It's silly, but I always thought she was... special to you."

"Of course she's special." I mumbled, relaxing my fingers a bit to let them brush the carpet absentmindedly. I chewed the inside of my cheek. "She's—I mean, she's Mags."

"Mhm."

Before the oh-so-awkward moment could get any worse, Marc came to my rescue with a victory screech from the kitchen.

"Alright boy, there's no way you've never played this before!" My dad shouted.

"I suppose I have, I just know it by a different name!"

Mama finished my hair shortly after. "There," she said, patting my shoulders. "All done."

She helped me up and steered me into the bathroom so I could look in the mirror. It was always so weird how much longer my hair looked when it wasn't its usual fluffy chaos.

I rolled the ends of the braids into a bun at the nape of my neck and pinned it in place. Perfect. Easy to manage during my upcoming adventure in the Shadow Realm.

"Ellie-bean..." Mama frowned and wiped a fat tear from my cheek. I hadn't even realized I was crying. I turned around and hugged her as tight as I could (without breaking her.)