Chapter 39

39 Dress for Success

A girl was leaning in the windows of a bedroom while sighing at the sky, her long and silky brown hair still damp from the shower. Darla, the name of the girl, is in the middle of drying her hair while she tried to talk some sense into her friend. She was indeed inside Anne’s room, accompanying her as she refused to go outside.

“Anne, I know you’re being cautious, but this is ridiculous, you’re not going out of your room for almost three days!”

Anne shook her head and looks into Darla, “I’m fine, I was just... The study, you know the second exam is in two weeks.”

“It is just some aptitude and magica capability test, a simple test that doesn’t require us to study...” Darla stared at her friend, she know Anne was hiding something, “Anne, what happened? You’ve kept something from us, right?”

“No... No! I am not.” She tried to deflect Darla’s suspicion.

Darla squinted her eyes and walk toward Anne. “Liar, I knew you were lying. Now tell me, what the hell happened?”

Anne was, in fact, hiding something from Darla and David after her lunch and pleasant afternoon conversation with Henry. Something was happened to her, something that she doesn’t want Darla and David to be aware of it for now.

“I’m fine, trust me. Besides, I’ll be going out tomorrow with Clarice, so no need to worry about me.”

While Anne was arranging her books on the shelf, Darla took one of them and read the title.

.....

“How to get more magica within you,” she frowned and handed the book to Anne, “Why do you read a crappy book like this?! You know it was bogus.”

Putting her hands on her hip, she pouted her mouth and muttered some words, “It was just for... uhm fun, let it go, Darla.”

Darla checked all the books on the shelves, and her mouth went open. “Well, apparently not! What’s all this?” She reads the title of the books one by one, “Magica One on One, Girl, Your Magica is Strong In You, and Strengthen Your Magica by Meditation, what in the pegasus *rse?!”

“Ugh, give it back. I need to read some of it.” Anne feels a little uncomfortable when Darla snoops around trying to guess her problem.

“Anne, do you have a problem with your magica? Is it too low? I mean, there’s never a standard of how low a person’s magica could be withheld to get a passing grade.”

She looks at Darla with a heavy heart. The only thing she can do was smile at her and said, “No, I just wanted to know how to increase my magica, even just for a little.”

Darla wasn’t convinced, but there was nothing she can do if Anne didn’t want to be honest with her. She just hope someday this new friend of hers could be more open and trusting.

“Okay then, whatever you say, look, I am worried about you. Could we just go outside the dormitory? For a cup of buttered kakao and biscuits?” Darla practically pleaded for her friend to be getting out of her small room.

“Fine, let me change my clothes first. I need to buy some fertilizer for my catnip plant, anyway.”

Darla gave her a warm embrace and after she change her clothes, the two of them along with Chikara goes outside the Icarus dorm. They headed to B street, bought the fertilizer, and go to a small kakao stall in the middle of the busy market. They enjoyed a cold buttered kakao while Chikara was sleeping in Anne’s lap.

“That familiar of yours, I’ve heard some stories about how ferocious they could be. Is it okay with you?”

Peeking at her familiar, Anne just smiled while her hand brushed into the white fluffy fur of Chikara, “I guess I am, I mean he is mine now, for better or for worse, hopefully, it’s more into better than the worse.”

The way Anne talked about her familiar made Darla amused by it. She can feel her love for the definitive dangerous little hybrid monster in her lap. The two of them had a great time at the market until nighttime was coming. Darla goes to the practice building again. The huntsman job required the candidate to have more stamina at night, and she was building up her strength for now. Anne goes back to the dorm alone, and this time with more books to read than before.

Chikara’s meowing and putting one of his paws into Anne’s, she smiled at her familiar, “I know, I will not get a definite answer in here, but at least I’m trying, right?”

The only answer that came from Chikara is a loud meowed and purred. Anne read the entire book until dawn came and the sun begin to rise. She took a rest for a moment before Clarice is coming. At ten o’clock, Clarice is already waiting for her in the lobby. With her beauty and demure, all eyes are on her, the brazen noble lady from a remote village.

Clarice saw her best friend descending the stairs. She squealed and gave Anne the tightest embrace ever.

“Oh, my darling Anne, I so miss you, my dear friend.”

Still feeling awkward around Clarice, Anne smiled at her and apologize, “Clarice, sorry I’m a little late.”

Shaking her head, she smiled so brightly at Anne, “Don’t worry about it, oh look at you, how come you become much thinner than before?” Her smile though, dissipated when Anne left hand became visible to her, “Oh no! what happened to your left hand?!”

“I’m fine, Clarice. Come on, I know the perfect store to buy our dress.”

Although sleepy and discouraged, she feels a bit of happiness in the presence of Clarice. The boutique that Anne mentioned is on N street, near the palace of the Valorian kingdom. The boutique is inside a small alley, a peculiar place to have a store. Anne knew sometimes the best store is not something that can be seen easily, and this is the perfect store for her.

On Sunday noon, Henry’s familiar came at the perfect time. Like he told Anne, a red cardinal came directly from her window. She introduced herself as Sabrina, Henry’s familiar, and gave her a small note that was attached to her leg.

‘Dear Anne, here is the name of the boutique that is perfect for you.

Seven star Boutique, at N street. Block left near the Merry General store.

Have a lovely day and don’t forget your promise of a dance at the palace ball.

Love, Henry.’

When she read the note for the first time, she had a good giggled at it. The love that Henry wrote on his note made her heart flutter. A bit embarrassed when she remembered the calculation of her own age, but then, this is her second chance in life, the new Anne.

Back at the boutique, an old couple with a young man is welcoming Anne and Clarice into their store. Anne was already mesmerized by the array of beautiful gowns inside the boutique.

“Hello, welcome to our store, Miss Anne.” The old lady immediately goes to Anne.

“Do you know about me, mam?” Asked Anne. She never expected the store owner to know about her.

“Actually, captain Henry already told us about you.”

“Really? Henry did that?”

The old lady smiled and nodded her head, “Saturday night, he came here and told us all about a girl with purple hair that will come here buying a dress for the palace ball.”

She feels all kinds of warm feelings right now. Anne will make sure to reward him with one dance at the palace ball. Clarice pulls her away into one section of the store.

“What do you think about this one, Anne? It will be perfect with your purple hair, don’t you think?”

Clarice showed her a silver palette dress. It is beautiful, but something is lacking in her mind.

“I don’t know Clarice, I just can’t feel it. How about if we look for your dress first?”

“What do you mean, looking for my dress? Oh, honey, I have my dress already.” Said Clarice while smiling so sweetly at Anne.

Anne looks at her friend with amazement on her face. “What? then why are you here then?”

“To find your perfect dress, darling, what else?” Answered Clarice with a naughty wink, she took the old lady’s hand and asked her nicely, “Now, mam, you’re the expert here, what do you think about my friend? Do you have a perfect gown based on her personality and that unique hair of hers?”

The old lady assess everything at Anne, and a smile came to her face, “I got a perfect dress for her, I’m sure she will be the star at the palace ball,” The lady asked the two of them to be followed her into the back of the store, “The dress is an unfinished product, but I can assure you we will be able to finish it before the palace ball.”

When she presented the dress to the two of them, Anne knew immediately that was the dress for her, a soft lavender dress with a tulle skirt, an accent of beautiful silver lace with a bow at the back. The first time Anne saw the dress, she had a few words and only look amazed by the dress. Clarice looked at her friend and decided for her.

“Yes, this is the dress, mam.” Clarice embraced her friend, feeling happy for her, “Can’t wait to see you in that dress! Palace ball, here we come!”