(A/N): Hello again! I know I said I would update yesterday, but I have a very very good reason not to: I have a cold. Which means I've been complaining about having a headache, drinking ten types of tea and playing on Assassin's Creed Black Flag. "" And I was back at college, so there's that.
This chapter's set in 'I Have A Prince'
(I'll talk more at the end.)
Chapter Seven/Nineteen: I Have A Prince
'The Ugly Duckling'
Agatha had thought that, without Sophie, she would be lonelier than ever. (If you don't count critters, that is.)
But, contrary to that thought, Kiko had suddenly stuck to her like gorilla glue. She supposed she might just be Snow Ball advice dispenser; as Dovey consistently mentioned Agatha's strangely high marks in Good Deeds. Though, if it meant a friend, Agatha supposed that didn't matter. Maybe she could get back at Sophie somewhat - so that she could be just as backstabbing.
Easier said than done. Kiko was adorable and lovely, but after the same three conversations about the ball repeated seven times, Agatha was starting to have enough. She could barely enjoy her lunch with Kiko twittering in her ear like a songbird.
"Oh, that reminds me," Kiko suddenly broke off from her seemingly rehearsed script, turning to Agatha with huge brown eyes. "I was going to try on dresses tonight - if you wanted to join me?"
"Oh, um," Agatha pinked at the very thought. But then she heard Sophie's angelic laugh from across the clearing and said "sure" before she could really think it through.
Kiko, for a moment, looked like she was about to take back her empty gesture. But then she burst into a wide, cheerful smile.
"Great!" she exclaimed. "Oh, can we use your room? Then it'll be just us!"
So that was it, Agatha thought regretfully. Still...this was what normal teenagers did, right? And she wanted to be normal. No, she was normal.
"Of course," she said obligingly, trying for a smile, then thinking better of it.
"Awesome," Kiko turned back, presumably to catch another glance at Tristan, then she saw Agatha's notebook in the grass. "Oh, and, can you help me with that essay that's due tomorrow?"
Agatha sighed.
"Sure, you can copy mine if you like," she muttered.
"Thanks, bestie!" Kiko squeaked, enveloping Agatha in a suffocating hug.
But through Kiko's ringlet curls, Agatha caught sight of Sophie, who was looking at her, almost astounded at Tedros' side and she felt a surge of triumph.
If Sophie could have a Prince, then Agatha could have a friend.
That night, five minutes before Kiko was due to arrive, Agatha was painfully conscious of what a mess her room was. Of the piles of uniform and notes and the general scratches and scuffs on the mirrors and paintings.
But it was too late to do anything now.
Maybe she wouldn't notice.
Unfortunately, Kiko did notice. The first thing she asked when she opened Agatha's door was: "where did that huge mirror go?"
"Oh, um," Agatha felt herself pale. She couldn't say that she had given it to Sophie! "It got broken? Yeah, I just, I accidentally bumped into it getting ready and it...smashed. The sprites haven't...brought up...a new one?"
Kiko stared at her, one eyebrow slightly raised for what seemed like an eternity.
Then she burst into a bubbly grin.
"I see!" she said. "That sucks - they should have done that by now."
"Yeah well," Agatha shrugged. "Guess Beatrix has first priority."
That made Kiko genuinely laugh and Agatha felt her heart warm. Did she have a friend? It felt like she had a friend?
"Anyway," Kiko continued, then spoke some of the most inspiring words ever - "let's get down to business."
She dumped armfuls of clothing onto Agatha's bed, which Agatha eyed with a mixture of fear and repulsion. There was a lot of pastel colours, frills and lace. All raised numerous warning bells.
"You're trying all of those on?" Agatha asked, incredulous.
"Of course," Kiko chirped, holding a rose pink dress up to herself. "Since all the boys aren't asking anyone to the Snow Ball anytime soon, I have to be prepared!"
"Of course," Agatha echoed dryly.
"Try some on, Aggie," Kiko continued, tossing some frills her way.
Agatha couldn't help but cringe. Only Sophie could call her Aggie. And that would never change. It could never change.
"I'll pass, thanks," she said, flicking the frills back with her toes.
However, trying dresses on turned out to be a difficult process. Kiko required Agatha's help to meticulously tie up the back, played twenty questions on whether it 'fit' her right and proceeded to stare at it from all three hundred and sixty angles in the many mirrors.
After four dresses, Agatha gave in. She was partly curious to see what the fuss was all about and, much to her deepest shame, a part of her wanted to try the dresses on. To be a girl.
No one would see her.
It would be like an experiment; to see how they live.
Glancing at Kiko, who was tugging at her gorgeous curls, Agatha picked through the heap of dresses gingerly. Eventually, she found a putrid, lime green coloured one, though thankfully easy on the frills it was heavy on the lace.
"What is this?" she asked, her lip curling.
Kiko turned from the mirror, her amber dress reflecting tenfold around her.
"Oh, that's hideous!" she gasped, though she was grinning from ear to ear like the Cheshire cat. "You have to try it on!"
Agatha said all that she needed to with a look.
"Oh please! It'll be such a laugh!" Kiko's eyes got wider than a deer's. Those eyes must have had some sort of power because Agatha found herself agreeing.
It really was hideous, she thought. The lace came up to her neck and there wasn't any opaque material until she felt like her boobs were popping out. The skirt flounced around her like tissues, sticking to her legs, which looked all the more match-thin.
She really was beautiful, Kiko thought as Agatha turned around, her signature frown and angry blush on her face. It wasn't fair, that something so hideous would look so good on Agatha. The vibrant green made her skin look like ivory and complimented her dark hair; it appeared shiny and exciting. The tight fit, even though the school uniforms were just as bad, complimented what little shape she had - like she was a model.
"You look..." Kiko breathed, then she seemed to realise that calling her 'smoking hot' may be overstepping the friend mark and settled for. "Pretty."
"No, I look awful," Agatha shook her head, her brow furrowing.
"No! No - it looks wonderful on you," Kiko tugged at the skirt, making sure it fell as it should. She noticed that Agatha wasn't looking at the mirrors, and tugged her over. "Look!"
"No!" Agatha snapped, pulling away immediately. Her cheeks went pale, but instead of looking gaunt, she looked like a marble statue. Maybe not an Aphrodite, but an Athena, or an Artemis.
Kiko recoiled, like a scolded dog. Then, to appease her, she let a cheeky grin appear on her face.
"Should I try something awful on?" she giggled.
"...Sure?" Agatha seemed unsure on how to reply, like she didn't know the right answer - as though she had never done this before. Maybe she hadn't.
Probably she hadn't.
Kiko darted over to the pile and selected a rotting-coloured yellow dress. The yellow from fungus and sick. It frilled lavishly around the collars and sleeves. In short - it was more hideous than Agatha's.
She slipped it on and it hung in all the wrong places.
To her surprise, she heard a giggle. When she looked up, she realised it was Agatha. A real, genuine giggle. Kiko hadn't known she was capable of so happy a sound.
She started giggling too. It reached a point where they were both laughing so hard that they could barely stand up and they ended up in a tangled heap on the floor.
But Kiko thought, as she clung onto Agatha, completely breathless, on how beautiful she looked. Especially with a smile.
Maybe sometimes ugly ducklings really did turn into swans.
(A/N): I know it doesn't have Tedros "", but I think that Kiko's kinda an uncredited character. She was really fun to write as well - I had this image of a Glinda/Charlotte kind of character that would really bring Agatha out of her shell. (Part of the inspiration for this actually did come from the time that I read half of Wicked. ^^""" I really loved a scene between Elphaba and Glinda.)
There's another part like this in the final chapter actually...only it has Beatrix as well. :BB (Whom I realised I'd been spelling her name wrong for most of this fic - so I'll be going back and changing that at some point.)
Thank you so so so much for all of the lovely words! I know I don't reply but they really do mean a lot to me!
I'll try to update again on Sunday...but be careful what you wish for. There are only two chapters left...
