AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I ponder on this tidbit, wondering how they can return if they’re dead. Eventually, the braiding is done. The ladies step back and I can tell they are proud of their handiwork. One of the ladies, with the emerald dress, hands me a mirror. I look at my reflection, admiring the intricate braids. They’re thick and long, reaching down to my ankles and loop back up, held together with fabric ties at the base of my neck. I can feel the weight of them, but at least my hair is no longer dragging on the ground.
They are a work of art. It even looks as if I can undo the loops at my neck and still have a rope of hair to drop down my tower. It won’t pool at the base like before, but should be low enough for Mother to reach.
“It’s beautiful,” I say, smiling at the ladies and Carmen. “Thank you so much.”
They smile back, their eyes shining with happiness. “We’re glad you like it,” one of them says. “You have such soft hair. It was a pleasure to braid it.”
I carefully run my fingers through the braids. I feel like a new person, and I can’t help but smile.
A knock at the door breaks the silence. Raúl pokes his head in and asks, “Can I come in finally?”
The ladies giggle and I thank them all again. I’m grateful for their kindness and their stories. I can tell that I’m going to be spending a lot of time with them in the future, and for the first time, I’m excited for what’s to come. Hopefully, even just a sliver of what I feel shines through my words.
The lady in the emerald dress hugs me, which I accept awkwardly, and they leave Carmen’s quarters. “Until next time, Penny.”
I wave them goodbye and Raúl sits on the sofa across from where I’m standing. “Well, Penny, it is now dawn. I have sent someone to town with your mirror.”
“Dawn already?” I say, surprised.
Raúl opens his mouth, but pauses, and takes out a golden pocket watch from his pants pocket. “Yes?” he says into it.
Intrigued, I stand up and move next to him, wondering how this device works. I’ve seen pictures of pocket watches in my books, but never one that you talk into. A shadow appears on the small mirror, then the image becomes clearer. A man stands there, wearing a button-down shirt. He has a frown on his face, and I notice his eyes are blue, not the vampire red.
“Sir, I have bad news,” says the man in the mirror. “He says he can’t even start on it for a month.”
Chapter Seventeen
“My mirror?” I ask Raúl quietly.
He nods and my heart drops. I pull a braid into my lap and twist it around my fingers. Mother would be home before a month was over.
Raúl looks at me and his eyebrows draw together. He turns back to his watch. “Tell him I will triple the price if he can start and finish it within two days.”
The man in the mirror stutters, his mouth dropping open. “If you are sure, I will tell him, sir.”
“Do it.”
He nods, then the mirror is blank.
“Who was that?” I ask.
“Henry,” Raúl says. “He runs errands for me during the day, since I cannot walk in the sun.”
“I will pay you back for the mirror,” I say. I’ll come up with a way somehow. Maybe a book I have is rare enough to trade.
Raúl and Carmen both start talking at the same time.
“No need,” says Raúl.
“You will do no such thing,” says Carmen.
I open my mouth to protest, but Carmen waves her hand. “This is important to you and we want to help. Money is easy to come by when you have eternity.”
“Thank you,” I say, looking down at my hands, strangely touched by their kindness.
Raúl stands up and kisses his mother on the cheek. “I’m off to show Penny her rooms.”
“The queen’s quarters, I’m assuming?”
