Frozen Memories

Being Young

The following morning, I woke up newly excited to look into the mirror. As silly as the thought was, it granted me a small amount of pleasure. I did not know what it was that youthful girls of this day and age looked forward to, but considering the way I felt, I could only imagine that this was a normal feeling when receiving a ‘much needed’ making over.

    I hopped in the shower and quickly put on the clothes that Max picked out for me the night before. I was in the process of putting the combat boots that Dr. Byrne brought me the night before on, when Max waltzed into the room with a sly smile on her face.

    “Did you peek?” she asked.

    “I am too afraid to do that.” I answered, concerned about whether I would even like what she had done to my hair in the first place.

    “Good.” She smiled and then took the bonnet off of my head and removed the sheet from the mirror. “Amazingly enough, your hair stayed in place.” She said, letting my thick ringlets fall well past my arms before she moved her hands through my hair.

    Initially, I thought she’d cut way more than I intended as I saw all of the hair that began to accumulate on the floor the night before. But when feeling my hair sweep along my forearm, I realized I was apparently wrong. When I looked up at her, she was grinning profusely.

    “What is it?”

    “You, look so-fudging-hot.” She snickered, grabbing a gloss and placing it on my lips. “No need for lipstick, since your lips already have a naturally dark frosted color to them.” She then took this odd looking contraption from her drawer, telling me to close my eyes as she clamped the thing across my eyelashes. “ Okay! Now look.”

    I eyed her nervously before I hesitantly began to look into the mirror. “Oh my-” I gasped. My eyebrows were full and shapely. As I touched them she chuckled. My eyelashes were as long and thick as before and the subtle c shape curl in them was more predominant than before as well.

    “Amazing what tweezers and a little eyelash curler can do, right?”

    All I could do was nod and continue to take in my appearance. Oddly enough, I had not thought it possible to do; but it seemed that Max’s makeover even enhanced the look of my eyes as well. To a point of doubt. “Ar-are you sure-I shou-my eyes, are very-they-”

    I know.” She grinned.

    “People will stare.” I pointed out. I myself, could not keep my eyes from the mirror.

    “I know.”

    Pointing my gaze to Max through the mirror, I found myself curious. “But th-”

“Who cares who stares? My eyes are not normal either.” She harshly rebutted, her eyes widened as if to show me how unusual her eyes were. “Mina, you’re attractive-unusually so. Either way people are going to stare at you.” She added. “I did this so that you could get out of your own shell and find your own style. Your doctor friend didn’t buy you all of this stuff just so you could keep wearing sweatpants. No, looks aren’t the most important but doesn’t mean that you don’t embrace them.” 

She was right. How could I say that I did not wish to look like other girls if I did not embrace what made me different in the first place? “Thank you, Max.” I said, running my fingers through my hair. Still though, I could not help thinking that in comparison to the overbearing looks before, it would become even more obscene now. I sighed; nevertheless, I was very pleased with what I saw in the mirror.

    “Alright, alright, stop admiring yourself. We’re gonna miss the bus. Oh and by the way, if you tell anyone about-ya know, what I said-the being nice and everything-”

    “Yes, Max your secret is safe with me.” I teased as we left for the bus.

The day went by just as I had expected; everyone staring, whispering and pointing. However, it seemed Laura loved it along with Clyde and Dustin, whom Max claimed to be smitten with me anyway.

    Both Clyde and Dustin were very considerably attractive, each in their own way. Dustin with his near shoulder length disheveled brown hair and pretty honey colored eyes. And Clyde with his smooth brown skin and gorgeous verdant stare. However, I began to notice how touchy Laura would become when Clyde showed the slightest bit of attention to a girl other than herself. And Dustin, I gathered was a consistent flirt, so it was difficult to take the smallest compliment seriously.

    We stood outside the school for a moment, Max and the others exchanging conversation, as my mind wandered off into my own thoughts; admittedly of Roman Dharke. I noticed after a moment or two that I’d been unconsciously looking around, surveying my surroundings. It surprised me to find it so unfortunate that he did not show up in school today. Undeniably, a part of me wished for him to see my transformation. Not because I wanted any sort of feminine impress from him toward me. I guess some part of me wondered if my change in appearance would change how he acted toward me; though, I in no way agreed to the makeover because of him. However, I wondered if maybe he would be more accepting or at least tolerable toward myself. We were classmates after all.

    Still, rethinking this notion made me feel quite foolish. I was glad when Max interrupted my thoughts so that we could make our way to the bus. Her interruptions saved me from my embarrassing thoughts.

A brush, intercepting Max and I from the bus caused me to stop. “Oh!” I found myself gasping in surprise of the sudden collision.

“My bad.”

I looked up and smiled, assuming his comment was his version of begging my pardon. “No, its fine. I should-have been watching where I was going.”

    He smirked. “Maybe.” He returned with a grin. “But then maybe I should have to.” I turned around to see Max was still waiting. She was at the door snickering with a grin before she went onto the bus. “Wilhelmina, right?”

    “Yes.” I answered. And while I felt as though I had seen his face before, I could not place it particularly. Which meant that I had no classes with him. Not to mention the fact that I had to admit that had I been on a regular basis with this person, I surely would have recognized him now. Especially, considering how appealing he was in the first place. I decided then to ask. “And you are?”

    Apparently my question was amusing to him. “I think that’s the first I’ve heard that one.” He grinned.

    “Oh.” I returned. “I take it, you are very well known?”

    “Apparently not.” He said, easing closer to me. “I thought I was. That is, until I met you.”

    His smile was pristine and his teeth purely white; I had never seen such a beautiful smile. “Well, considering I must have been the only one that did not know you by name, your popularity is still intact.” I said.

    “I’d only consider myself popular if everyone in school knew my name. And apparently you don’t. So I guess I’m not as well-known as I thought I was.” The guy said.

    I simply shrugged. “Well then that is too bad. Nice meeting you.” I smiled. “Goodbye.” I started away when I felt his hand to my arm. He did not grab me as was the norm of the usual guys, however, he started to, before he seemed to think twice about it. I turned around to face him, glancing at the arm that he touched before acknowledging him. “Yes?”

    He did not reply at first. He only watched me with a grin. “I look forward to seeing you again, Wilhelmina.”

    I did not return the compliment as I saw the girl that I’d had earlier problematical run-ins with approaching us. I looked past him pointedly acknowledging her before I gave a curt nod, stepped onto the bus and sat next to Max.

    “You and these popular guys.” She said in what I assumed amusement. “What was that about?”

    I shrugged and continued my gaze out of the window. “We bumped into one another and-I don’t know. I am not familiar with him but he seems to know my name.” The nameless young man seemed to keep my gaze as our bus drove away.

“You are really asking for it from Trisha.” Max stated, averting my gaze. I’d completely forgotten that she was standing next to the guy while I studied him.

    “What do you mean?” I asked, though I had already caught the feeling of what she was talking about as I turned around again to see her watching our departing bus with a look of disconcert on her fair features.

    “You notice that Roman wasn’t here today?” Max suddenly asked.

    I had not been aware that the subject had even changed until I heard Roman’s name. “I noticed.” I replied. “Though, is that not the norm as you’ve stated before?” I asked.

    Max looked away in thought it seemed. “I guess.” She returned. “It’s been a bit more frequent lately, though. You think he’s sick?”

    “I do not know.” I honestly answered. “At the risk of sounding like a broken record, why does this concern you so much again?”

Max looked at. “Frosty, I told you-something’s been off since you arrived.”

I found myself exasperated of her obsession. “I wish you would not obsess so incessantly about that.” I sighed. “He as well as his brothers are just curious persons-that simply act on their curiosities differently than others.” Or at least that was the theory that I chose to adopt. “Anyway, Roman Dharke did not appear sickly yesterday.”

    “Roman wasn’t at school yesterday, Mina.” Max responded.

    “No, he came to the house.” I clarified. “Before I left.” I unfortunately, did not realize that she may have taken that little bit of information more serious than I thought it to initially be.

    The bus came to a stop and we exited the bus when she paused. “Wait-he came by the house-to see you?” 

Annoyed students brushed past to get past her as I stood to the side. “Yes.”

    “Why?”

    “Max, I am sure it was in regards to the project.”

“Roman Dharke never, I repeat…never makes house calls for project partners!” Max exclaimed. “This is-I feel like we’re in the twilight zone.” She muttered.

    “Are you sure that you are not the one infatuated with Roman Dharke?” I asked.

My question seemed to set Max off as she looked at me incredulously. “What? No!”

“Then why? What is your problem?” I asked. 

“I don-”

“I fear there is more to it than you just thinking that they are acting weirdly.” I said.

“Mina, I don’t expect you to-”

“Understand?” I cut her off. “Then help me to do so.” I reasoned.

“I can’t, Mina!” Max finally snapped. “I can’t explain it to you-I-” She looked at me urgently. “There-ever since you’ve arrived, I-something-” Her eyes averted for a moment as if she had to really think about whether she wanted to open up to me. “Something in the back of my mind-something nagging.” She looked at me again. “There is a connection between you-and them. I don’t know what it is and I know it may come off as bothersome to you-but something in me just won’t shake this feeling.” 

The expression on her face was one that seemed almost confused about her own feelings. Knowing, in that moment, how she felt, I suddenly felt a tinge of guilt concerning my impatience with her constant need to question every move that Roman Dharke and the Greys made. 

    “I can’t control the need I have to be concerned for some reason.” She glanced my way. “Weird, isn’t it?” She harshly chuckled.

    “No.” I simply answered. “I was found floating in a body of water-with what they call a tarp covering my body and chains wrapped around my ankles and my wrists...and my neck.” Thinking back on that bit of information, not adding on the other oddities that I had dealt with since, I looked at Max. “There are weirder things in this world, Max. If your conscious is telling you something is not right-or that something is, then you listen to it.” I said. 

    “Yea, yea right. You’re right.” She sighed. “Thanks, Frosty.”

    “You are welcome.” 

    The uncomfortable silence alerted me to the fact that Max did not wish to further discuss this feeling so, I instead attempted to change the subject.

    “Did you still want to watch those movie pictures tonight?” I asked.

    “What movie pi-what are you talking about? Before I could rebound her reply, the answer had come back to remembrance. “Oh, right. I forgot you talk like a century year old lady sometimes.” She mumbled. “Yea-we can do that.” She said. “Or, we could just go out.”

    I looked at Max curiously. “Out where?”

    “It’s this place where a lot of kids hang out on Fridays. Even some college students come down. It’s pretty fun. I think it’s something you should experience.”

    “Oh, okay.” I hesitantly agreed. Yes, I was partially used to being around the younger people in a school setting, I wasn’t so sure about one fundamental.

Also keeping in mind that Max was not my guardian and that I would have to look out for myself made me feel trite anxious. Though, admittedly, apart of me was still excited to experience something new.

“If you’re worried about something happening to you-don’t be.” Max said. “You’ll be kind of in a group and besides, I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“Max, I do not want to go anywhere with you in the mindset that you have to-what is you kids say? Babysit me.”

“Too late, consider the mindset locked and loaded.” Max said. “So, do you think that doc, snuck a bathing suit in there by any chance?”

    “Bathing suit?”

“Ha! Right! We live in Washington, and winter is practically here. Of course she wouldn’t slip you one.” She murmured. “Then too, I guess she’d think the girl found in a body of water wouldn’t want to be near another one any time soon.”

    “You did say, she gave you some money, right?”

    I nodded questioningly. “Yes.”

    “Good, then I guess we’re going shopping.”

    “Shopping? I do not think-”

    “Yea, and let’s not start now.” Max returned, I of course was confused of her response. “I know you’re cautious and everything, being a new citizen to a new world and everything; but believe it or not, Mina-you’re young.” Max said. “Or-well you look young anyways.” I knew that last part she added, was in reference to me being under the impression that I was older than I appeared to be. “It’s time to experience the little fun teenager things in life.” 

Considering her words, I had to admit that Max was right. Becoming a recluse would do me no better than going out and experiencing what this world’s era had to offer. “Okay.” I finally agreed, though still reluctant.

    “Good. Now time for the challenging mission of finding you a bathing suit in the near beginnings of a Washington fall. Ah, I’m sure we can find you something close to resembling one at least.” she mused. “Let’s get a move on Frosty.”