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“April?” Briella’s voice broke through April’s thoughts. She glanced over to the studio and saw Briella stirring beneath the covers. She placed the compact on the benchtop, “Briella’s awake. I’ll leave you in peace to admire my handiwork.”
Scout barely acknowledged her words. She was astounded by the change in her appearance. She appeared to have lost years off her age, and her face seemed even more pensive than usual. April must have put something in her hair to change the colour to match the strands. Gone was the lilac, to be replaced by plum. Scout wasn’t sure if she liked the tone or not. It would take a few glances at her reflection before she would be able to decide for sure. It didn’t look terrible, just different.
Scout turned around to peer over her shoulder. The locks fell almost to waist length. That would be a problem should she choose to keep them. There were all sorts of things that could get tangled up in her hair. It would be lovely to go for a fly and see what it felt like to have the wind blowing through her hair.
She sometimes glanced at Briella a little wistfully when they were in flight, Briella’s hair blowing alluringly behind her, gently brushing her skin. Scout would finally know what that felt like, but wasn’t sure the length of the hair suited her. Briella fluttered over for a look and was flabbergasted. “Wow, Scout. You look beautiful.”
“Thanks, Briella,” she muttered, giving her friend a quick glance before returning her gaze to the mirror. “I’m not sure whether I like it or not.”
“Do you have the hat?” Briella turned to April.
April walked to the wardrobe and opened another door. She pulled out the hat and placed it on Scout’s head.
“Oh, yeah,” Scout said. “I like that,” she nodded her head. “I’m beginning to see the picture in your head, April.”
“I didn’t want to change things too much for you, Scout, so I thought you could wear your usual pants but pair it with a black top in the same style as the one you are wearing.”
“You mean the only style she wears; a purple strapless top.”
“Yeah,” April chuckled, “that one. I also created a black cape for you to wear. It might get cold, later in the night. There are a pair of black boots as well if you are feeling daring.”
“Thanks, April. I’ll see how I feel on the night.” Scout took the hat off and handed it to April. “You’d better put this away. I might wreck the pointy tip.”
April did as asked. “Are you ready for your make-over, Briella?”
“I’d never say no to a make-over, April. I thought you wanted me to keep my black hair with red highlights for the cat outfit.”
“The black hair would probably be okay. It would help to keep it hidden under the hood with the cat ears I made for you. The red highlights have to go. None of the cats I’ve seen has red fur.”
“I don’t have to look exactly like a cat.”
“No, you don’t. I thought you might like something brighter for a few days. I can give you back this look on the day of the party, or we can skip the make-over until after the party.”
“Are you kidding?” Briella fluttered to the stool and made herself comfortable. “Work your magic, April,” she grinned. “Are you sticking around, Scout?”
“You bet. I wouldn’t miss this for anything.”
“It will take a couple of hours,” Briella warned.
“I’ve got nothing better to do,” Scout replied.
April grabbed another stool for Scout to sit on. “You might as well have something soft to sit on.”
Scout nestled her bottom into the cushion. “These are comfy chairs. Where did you get them from?”
“I have a friend who makes doll’s furniture. I pay him extra to pretend he is making furniture for little people that are real. He hasn’t disappointed Briella yet.”
April grabbed some chemicals from a cosmetic bag Scout hadn’t noticed earlier. She studied the vials that April withdrew but couldn’t read the writing on the labels. “What language is that?”
“An ancient one,” April replied.
“Which ancient civilisation does it hail from?” Scout rolled her eyes.
“Don’t you roll your eyes at me! It is a secret society that is going to remain a secret.”
“Whatever,” Scout answered. A rumbling noise outside caught her attention. “That sounds like Force’s bike,” she flew to the window to investigate. His profile came into view for a few seconds before disappearing around the side of the building. “Where do you think he is going?”
“I don’t know,” April replied more snarly than usual. “I’m not his keeper.”
“Is that jealousy I hear? Where do you think he is going?”
“I wouldn’t know.” But she had an inkling he was going over to Loretta’s place.
“Maybe he’s visiting Calamity. Checking on her recovery from the Jealousy Monsters.”
“He did that a couple of days ago. Why would he check on her again?” Briella queried.
Scout stared at April, a smirk wrestling with her lips. “I am sure those feelings will pass when your energy returns to normal.”
“What’s wrong with your energy?” Briella asked April.
“Nothing, Briella. I’m fine.”
“April and Force healed each other,” Scout informed her. “They are not quite themselves. A little more energy than was needed was expended, and the pair appears to be experiencing a connection that didn’t exist before.”
“What sort of connection?” Briella demanded to know.
“A romantic one,” Scout insisted. The smirk now blatantly plastered on her face.
“I see,” Briella frowned, thinking quietly to herself.
Scout leaned forward and peered at Briella’s face. The smirk was replaced by a genuine smile. Briella caught the movement in her peripheral vision and turned her eyes in Scout’s direction. “What are you scheming, now?” she whispered.
“You want April and Force to get together, don’t you?”
“Sure, but you already knew that. I told you when we were chasing the vampire.”
“Callum is coming here to pose as April’s husband, Wade. What if we convince him it would be better to pose as Force instead? Force and April are more closely acquainted than Callum and April. Wouldn’t it make more sense for the one who knows her best to play the husband?”
“You are right,” Briella replied in a louder voice than intended. In her excitement, she had forgotten to block the mind-link.
“Right about what?” April asked.
“This make-over,” she blurted, thinking quickly. “I’ve been feeling a bit stressed lately, and this will help to soothe my nerves.”
April took the opening Briella had given her to discuss her aversion to scarecrows. “What’s been plaguing your thoughts, Briella?”
“Nothing worth discussing. I’ve been a bit uptight, that’s all.”
“Now, Briella. You know what happens when you don’t get what’s on your mind out in the open. You fixate on things and make yourself sick.”
“Nothing is going to make me sick.”
“That’s what you said after you watched that movie with the clowns.”
“That was different,” Briella refused to be swayed.
“How?”
Briella wracked her brain for an answer. She couldn’t come up with one fast enough. “You’ve been talking in your sleep,” April said, her fingers crossed behind her back for the white lie she told.
Briella tried to swallow the lump that had suddenly appeared in her throat. “I have?”
“Yes,” April nodded.
“What have I been saying?” she gulped.
“Something about a scarecrow.”
