Everett looked a bit skeptical. "Really? You remember it all?"
Sable ran through last night in her head again. "...Most of it, yes," she admitted. Then, because she felt she should for this woman being so nice, added hesitantly, "Thank you for the food..." And for being so nice to her. But Sable couldn't bring herself to say so, just in case that made Everett stop treating her that way.
"Ah, of course, dear," Everett waved off, still looking a bit worried. "You were out of it before we could give you a proper meal. And I'll serve you breakfast soon as well. Just...Well, you see –" her fingers were twisting and untwisting against each other – "we couldn't untangle your hair so... You probably don't remember, but we told you that we had to cut it yesterday."
Sable nodded, raising her hand automatically to her head. She remembered that and the feeling of shears.
Sable's hand touched her head, feeling little more than soft fuzz.
Oh. That was a lot more than a cut. But also, a deep blue shiny sleeve was over her arm. Very different from the pale yellow gown she had arrived in. And that, to Sable, was more alarming than losing hair.
Everett was outright wringing her hands now. "There really wasn't much else we could do. I'll - I'll get you a mirror!" And she dashed off.
Sable took that opportunity to actually take stock of what she was wearing now. It was soft and warm and shiny in places where it caught the light, and she had no idea how she hadn't noticed this strange and obviously expensive outfit on her before.
Where was the yellow dress? It was the only piece of clothing she had... And she definitely couldn't pay for this blue one.
Everett came back in less than a minute and thrust a hand-mirror up to her like a shield. "See, Lady Sable, it's not so bad, and it'll grow out soon enough."
Sable – not "Lady" – decided that it definitely was that bad. She had never thought she had any good looks to speak of. But she hadn't expected that she could look worse than she already did.
Dark hair, dark skin, dark eyes. A nose too big, ears too big, and a wide mouth with thin lips. Nothing but her hair had changed. But she hadn't realized how much of her face her hair had actually hidden. And now all the ugliness had nothing to hide behind. She could even see a couple of tiny flat moles scattered near her eyes and the sides of her face. She hadn't even noticed some of them before. And rubbing against them proved that they were there to stay.
She felt around her scalp, thinking that it felt like the fuzzy peaches Ivy had once given her.
Her head was a peach now.
* * *
AN:
Everett (frantic): You being bald really doesn't look bad at all. Besides, it will grow back.
Sable (internally): *My head is fuzzy like a peach. Also, I look absolutely terrible.*
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The Tributes (Sable)
FantasyEvery couple of years, a girl from each village, town, and city in the kingdom is sent to the palace of the Black Queen as a tribute. And this time, twelve-year-old Sable is the one to go from her village. Sable can't say she's ever been particularl...
