We burst through the front door of the Henley family's two story cabin.
"We're here!" Artemis announced to no one in particular. Her parents are supposed to be at the bakery still to prepare for tonight. As we're rounding the corner to ascend the stairs to Artemis's bedroom, her mom, Dana, pops her head around the corner.
"Oh, good. Artemis honey, I need you to help me with something in the kitchen. Your dad is freaking out at the shop and I need to get this done before I can get back to him," she said.
"Mom, we don't have time. I only have a few hours to work some magic and turn this warrior into a princess!" Artemis protested. I rolled my eyes at her and turned to Dana, taking in her appearance.
Artemis had the same facial features as her mom, but gets her coloring from her dad. Artemis also inherited Dana's curly hair, which she likes to say is a blessing and a curse, but Dana is a shade darker than Artemis's caramel tanned skin, and has dark brown hair and eyes.
"Its okay Dana, go ahead and take her. I need to shower before she starts anything anyways," I say.
Artemis pouts at me, but turns to her mom. "Alright, but we need to hurry."
Dana just laughs and leads her away. "Don't forget to shave...everything!" Artemis yells back to me.
My cheeks start burning but as I look down at my legs, I realize she's right. Its important to look your best tonight, not like a half shifted she-wolf. I sigh and climb the stairs the rest of the way to her bedroom.
As I enter, I am enveloped in Artemis's unique scent of Jasmine and spice. Its been a comfort to me ever since we became best friends and the familiarity of it eases some of the tension in my shoulders. I pad over to the closet to grab a spare towel and see two dress bags hanging inside.
"When the heck did she have time to get these?" I wondered to myself. I didn't stop to ponder long, though. When Artemis was set on something she could be down right brutal if things don't go according to plan.
I walked across the hallway and into the master bathroom. The walls were a pale beige, with darker brown tile flooring throughout. There was a tile shower encased in glass walls on one side of the room, and a bathtub bigger than my bed on the other. Meeting the two in the middle, was a large double vanity stocked with all kinds of beauty products, lotions, makeup, and Goddess knows what else. I eye the bathtub, wishing for a moment that I could climb in and relax, but if I did, I'd be there all night.
I sigh in resignation and turn the knobs for the hot water in the shower. While it heats up, I undress and pull my hair out of the sweaty ponytail. I glance and the ends, which are beginning to split, and make a decision.
I pull out a pair of shears and snip about an inch and a half off my hair. Once I let it loose, I see it now falls closer to the middle of my back than my bottom, but I'm okay with that. The only reason I've kept it so long was because my mother also had long hair. In a way, it felt sort of like a tribute to her.
I put the shears away and hopped into the stream of water and rinsed the sweat from my body. I combed the tangles from my hair before washing it with a vanilla and sandalwood scented shampoo and conditioner, then got to work on shaving my legs and armpits, and finally ended with scrubbing my body down with an orange and ginger scented body wash.
It was a plethora of scents, but they seemed to go together nicely to lighten my anxious mood. I stepped out of the shower and wrapped the fluffy, dark grey towel around my dripping frame. I heard the door creak as Artemis entered the room.
"Thank the goddess, you're already done showering. Start drying off and apply this, while I take a quick one", she said as she handed me a body lotion.
I looked at the label and grinned. More vanilla scented items. I did as I was told, then crossed over again to her room.
I dug through her dresser and found a pair of unworn cobalt blue silk panties, and a lace bralette of the same color. I groaned but pulled them on. Why couldn't she have normal underwear stocked in my side of the dresser?
Since I was here enough to have my own space, I didn't understand why she couldn't stock it with the clothes I always leave. I go over to the closet and shimmy on a black camisole tank and some soft cotton shorts before heading back into the bathroom. Artemis is already done showering and is applying some sort of facial toner at the vanity. She sees me and nods.
"I can work with this," is all she says before she turns back to the mirror.
I walk over to the other sink, grab my spare toothbrush, and begin brushing my teeth. I rinse and spit, then take her lead and apply the same toner to my face. As I'm about to use the same moisturizer she just used, she grabs my hand and pushes another one into it.
"This one is better for your skin type," she explains. I nod and apply it to my face.
Once we're both done with the priming, Artemis pulls a stool in and sits me down in it. She begins with my hair, drying it, then pulling it up into a low bun with two braids going down the sides of my head that then wrap around the bun. She steps back and takes a look at me, then pulls two pieces of hair from the up do to frame my face. She curls these into loose waves and is finally satisfied with her work.
Before I can even see it coming, she spins me around on the stool and stops it right in front of her.
"You're not allowed to see the finished product until I'm done. You're going to love it," she smiles and says.
"Oh come on, I just want a little peek. Please? I want to make sure I still feel like myself when you're done," I reply. She looks at me sharply.
"When have I ever given you a makeover that didn't make you feel like yourself?"
I raise an eyebrow at her. "Really? Does sophomore homecoming ring a bell?" I ask. She grimaces.
"Okay, point taken, but I've really gotten a lot better since then! I promise you, you'll be as beautiful as can be, but still feel like yourself," she said as she crossed an X over her heart. I just laughed at her antics and let her begin.
After another forty-five minutes of her claiming every part of my face with some form of artistry, I am finally finished.
"Go wait in my room," she instructs. "I'll be in in just a second to help you with your dress. I just need to finish my makeup and make sure the curls stay where they're supposed to."
She's already turned away from me and is untying the silk scarf she had wrapped around her curls. I follow her direction and enter the bedroom and sit on her bed. And wait. And wait. I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I know I'm being shaken awake by Artemis.
"Alright sleepy head, get up or you'll ruin all my hard work."
I sit up and fight the urge to rub my eyes. She's pulled the dress bags from the closet and begins unzipping the first one. The dress she pulls out is stunning, and I feel my eyes widen. Its a vintage- inspired purple silk dress, with a high collared neck and intricate silver beading along the shoulders and down the back.
I gasp as she hands it to me with a radiant smile. "Where did you get this?" I ask her.
"I made it, duh," she snarks like its obvious.
"Seriously? This is amazing Artemis! Its so.. so.. timeless and classy. I can't thank you enough." I gather her in for a hug and she giggles.
"Here, I'll help you put it on." She slides it carefully over my head and zips the back. She pushes a pair of strappy heels in the same color as the dress and I slide them on and turn to face the mirror.
I am shocked by my appearance. My hair has managed to stay styled even through my nap, and Artemis has done a wonderful job of enhancing my features. She applied a smoky brown eyeshadow on my lids, paired with a black lengthening mascara that really made my violet eyes pop.
On my lips was an elegant, nude lipstick that brought the whole makeup look together. I was impressed and ecstatic at the same time. I touched my face and gave her a huge smile, which she returned. I then helped her into her dress, which was also stunning.
"Did you make this one, too?" I ask.
"Yeah, but its been a project for a long time so it had a lot of tweaking. I did yours in the last month when I knew you were going to be top of the class. It's time people see you as more than an Omega," she replied quietly, her eyes trained on the floor.
I was stunned. She'd never really touched that pain with me before, but I was appreciative of the sentiment. I hugged her again. "What would I do without you?"
She smiled again in reply and turned back toward her full length mirror. Her dress was a dark red, floor length ball gown with a velvet tunic piece that slit at her cleavage. It was daring and teased of mischief, while making her look elegant and classy all at the same time.
She leaned forward and swiped some clear gloss on her matching red lips, then wiped under her black lashes and dabbed at her smoky eyelids. With a nod of approval, she stepped back.
"Lets rock this party!" she yelled, and wrapped her arm around mine to lead me to our ride that awaited us out front.
Authors note:
Now that I've gotten a few chapters in, I'd like to encourage anyone reading to comment and vote! I always appreciate feedback and I can't wait to hear from you guys!
Xoxo,
CrimsynIris