“Just think of it this way. You won’t have to shave for weeks.”
“How often do you do this?” I asked, looking at her from the corner of my eye.
“My mom and I come here every few months and have a girls’ day.” She smiled at me. It seemed that Nadine had an extraordinary bond with her mother.
“That’s pretty cool. My mom and I just sit down and watch a movie from time to time.” I chuckled.
My mother was a busy woman, but then she had more to do than most women. I was already raised; I could fend for myself — that left time for her to try and figure out how to save the world.
“I like your mom,” said Nadine. “But you two are as different as night and day.” She shook her head. “You have a special relationship all your own. She respects you, and you respect her. If things start going funny your mama steps in, I can dig that.”
“Yeah, my mom is pretty cool,” I replied.
Nadine had no idea how cool my mom really was.
We were able to have a quick lunch at the food court before having to return to the spa for the final episode of the day; hair and nails. Nadine opted for blonde ringlets that were shaped around her face. I was able to watch the work being done until I was called back by my own stylist.
“So what color is your dress?” the woman asked, walking me back to the hair-washing station.
“Red.” I had to admit I was getting butterflies by this point.
She motioned for me to sit down. “So how would you like me to do your hair?”
“I honestly don’t know. I’ve never had this done before.”
She looked at me like I was joking. I smiled at her meekly and looked away.
The last time that I had been in a salon was with Mona, my stepmother when I was fourteen. Once I lived with my mother, it was all Super Cuts and home trimmings. Not for lack of money, but for lack of time. My mother didn’t have the hours free to sit with me at a salon.
“Oh, sweetheart,” the woman said, leaning me back and placing a gown on my chest. “You have no idea how lucky you are.” She laughed and began washing my hair.
Nobody, except maybe my mother, had ever washed my hair before. I had to admit that it was the most amazing feeling. As with all good things, however, it eventually came to an end. I had to stop myself from protesting as the woman put a towel around my head and pulled me to my feet.
She spent the next hour twirling and curling my hair, while another lady worked on my nails. By the time they were finished, I didn’t know the girl that looked at me in the mirror. Her eyes were wide, her face still pale, but there was something to her I had never seen before. There was a beauty there that had been dormant in the back of my mind for the last four years.
“Oh, my goodness!” Nadine gasped, coming up behind me in the mirror.
“What?” I asked, without taking my eyes off my reflection.
“You look amazing!” she exclaimed. She looked at the stylist. “Could you give her some soft makeup? She wears far too much black.”
I looked at her, hurt, then glanced at the stylist. I knew that I wore a lot of black, but I didn’t think that it was much of an issue.
“Yeah, I can do that,” the woman said, smiling at me.
I took one last look at myself in the lobby mirror before we walked out of the mall and got back into Nadine’s Civic to drive the thirty miles back to my house, where she helped me put on my skin-tight dress. To my surprise, we both looked pretty amazing when we stood side by side before my mother’s full-length mirror.
Nadine wrapped her arm around my shoulder and pulled me close in a warm hug. I laughed as she kissed me on the cheek. When I looked up, I saw Shawn standing in the doorway in a tuxedo. His eyes were wide, and his mouth was open.
“You look so much like your mother,” he said, his eyes fixed on me.
“And you look so much like Dad,” I responded.
He cleared his throat. “Actually, I need to speak with you just for a moment. In your room, if possible. I’m sorry, Nadine, it’s family stuff,” he said, nodding at her.
I noticed that she seemed mesmerized by Shawn. All she did was smile and let out a shy giggle.
Chapter 19
Prom
“What is it?” I asked, shutting the door behind me.
Shawn turned and gave me a weak smile. He was bothered by something, that was obvious.
What did my brother have to tell me that was so important?
“First things first. Aaron is lucky that you’re my sister. Who would have thought such beauty lay underneath all that ebony and scorn?” He laughed then turned serious. “On another note, I think that Xic was right.”
“I was thinking that this morning,” I said, wanting to sit down on my bed but too afraid I wouldn’t be able to get back up.
“The old woman was a Mrs. Finch. Doubt you know her. She never had children, never married, and devoted her entire life to her church.” He looked out the window and frowned. “They’re here,” he said as a limo came up the driveway. “Just let me say this. She was definitely elemental. I just don’t know which element. There were traces of earth but also of water, so unless there were really two there, I have nothing big to go on.”
“Maybe there was,” I said excitedly. “Maybe one got away.”
“Maybe. Well, let’s worry about this tomorrow.” He sighed. “I know
