Chapter Thirty-Five: Mirror, Mirror, On the Wall...

As weird as it was, Saelind slept surprisingly well despite what had happened the previous afternoon: when she woke up, it was only because everyone else had gotten up as well. Her brother had literally been forced to shake her awake, and since there was no school due to it being a Saturday, there wasn't really much else to do aside from... well, whatever it is people did before a Halloween party.

"Saelind?" Haruhi called, jogging over and bending down to look at the groggy-eyed girl; she was currently staring at a random spot beside the empty futon she'd been sleeping in with quite a puzzled look on her face. "Saelind, are you awake?"

"Huh?" the girl grumpily demanded, turning a glazed teal eye on her; Haruhi's brow twitched with an urge to laugh when she realized that Saelind's long hair had practically turned into a haystack. "You say somethin'?"

"N-not at all," the brunette giggled, covering her mouth with red cheeks. "J-just wondering if you're r-ready to get... dressed..."

Saelind blinked before letting out a boyish yawn and scratching her head; then she paused and felt around in confusion.

"Ugh, not again," she muttered, looking around for something before she blinked. "Oh, right... no brush."

It was around that very moment that everyone in the room noticed her hilarious predicament: eyes widened all over the place.

"Wow! Sael-chan! Sael-chan! Look at your hair!" Honey squealed, running over and poking the impressive haystack. "It's HUGE!"

"I have to admit, I'm rather impressed by how you managed to do all that," Kyouya added, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Especially while you were sleeping, at that."

"Oh, shut up," the girl snapped, face heating up. "I sleep next to my brush for a reason, you morons: long hair is a pain to deal with in the mornings."

"She's right, you know," Haruhi chuckled, nodding with sympathetic eyes. "The hardships those with long hair face are rather discomforting."

"Is that so?" Tamaki asked, bounding over and blinking at her with large eyes. "I never knew you felt like that about long hair... but wait... does this mean you won't ever grow your beautiful hair back?! NO! I mustn't allow this to happen! Oh, Haruhi, be a good girl and let Daddy..."

The prince-mode cracked when Haruhi smiled pleasantly before throwing a vicious glare at him.

His entire body froze and turned to marble; after that, she whisked past without a care in the world, looking for a spare change of clothes.

However, it was right around that moment that Kyouya approached her with the smile she hated so much.

When he halted in front of where she was sitting, the girl lifted a tired eye and glared at him.

"Can I help you?" she snorted, quirking an irritated eyebrow. "You're being unusually forward today."

"Well, how rude," he stated with a smirk, opening his sharp eyes and giving her such a cold expression that she winced. "I simply wanted to tell you that the process to get you ready for the switcher party is going to take all day long, so we should honestly get started sooner rather than later."

"I don't want to go to some stupid Halloween bump-and-grind," Saelind bluntly replied, forcing back the anger welling up inside her chest due to the look he was giving her; he was always looking down on her as though she were lesser than him, and she hated. "I really don't want to."

"Saelind Heseroph," Kyouya kindly sighed, pushing his glasses up his nose with a small smile. "You're telling me that you'd rather wallow in your troubles than actually do something about them?"

"I don't have problems," Saelind snapped, twitching when she realized that he'd caught wind of what had happened between her and Ami. "Back off."

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Kyouya drawled. "In fact, the amount of money I spent on this endeavor was more than I had anticipated, and I'm afraid I can't let it all go to waste because of your petty desires. Your options are either coming with me to the dressing room I've prepared or forcing me to have some people drag you there by force. Which would you prefer?"

For a long moment, Saelind didn't respond.

Her shoulders were shaking, her eye was hidden by her hair, and her jaw was clenched: when she finally looked up at him, her pupil had contracted into a catlike slit.

"I hate you with everything inside me," she hissed in a slow tone; however, before she knew what she was doing, the tiny girl was standing up, pushing her feet into the slippers Haruhi had loaned her, and touching her hair. "Fine. You win again."

Everyone in the room got a serious case of the shivers when Kyouya merely smiled as though a business deal had just been closed.

"I'm glad you understand the situation," he stated smoothly, gesturing towards the door. "Now, if you wouldn't mind, please follow me."

"I do mind, actually," Saelind snapped, stomping after him when he walked away. "I hate you."

"I know," the boy slyly retorted, smirking despite himself, "but perhaps after this is over, you might not hate me as much."

"I doubt it," the girl muttered, closing her eye when two women dressed in maid outfits approached them and led Saelind into the dressing room. "Loser."

"Your stylist will be here soon: do try to be polite... he doesn't take any nonsense," the boy stated simply, walking to the door with a satisfied expression; oddly enough, though, before he could leave the room he stopped and turned his head to look at her again. Saelind quirked an eyebrow since, for some strange reason, his silver eyes weren't nearly as sharp as they usually were. "Oh, and by the way? I hope that after tonight, you will remember what your end goal truly is. Let this be the Host Club's way of giving you some motivation to continue moving forward."

With that, he turned and left the room..

Damn prick thinks he's all that, the girl silently grumbled, wincing when the maids set her down and started dragging some combs through her haystack. No wonder everyone calls him the Shadow King. He's the one who's really in charge around here.

"Please tilt your head back," the first maid kindly requested. "We're applying the hairnet now."

"Hairnet?" Saelind inquired, doing as she was asked with uncertain eyes. "What for?!"

She got her answer when the woman drew her bangs out of her eyes and pulled her hair behind her head: Saelind's eye widened in shock and she froze when the two women stared for a moment, but then they continued working as though nothing had happened. The Russian girl felt rather unnerved by that point... and when they bundled up her long hair and pinned it back extremely tightly, she felt even more anxious. However, after the hairnet was set in place, the maids stepped back and the doors flew open almost at the exact same time. Saelind turned her eye and stared at the arrival when he looked around, flicking his shades down and staring at everything with a totally baffled expression.

However, when she caught sight of his weathered face and recognized him, the girl's jaw dropped open and she gasped.

"No way!" Saelind choked, bolting upright and staring at him in shock. "Oh my God... I've got to be dreaming right now. This isn't possible!"

"I beg your pardon?" the man inquired in English, looking at her with furrowed brows. "I don't speak Japanese."

"Oh, uh, well... I speak English," the girl stammered in the same language, shaking her head before she twitched and covered the left half of her face; all of a sudden, she felt horrified since the man could see her scars. "I swear to God, I am going to murder Kyouya next time I see him. Stupid four eyes..."

"I presume you're Saelind Heseroph, then?" the man inquired, stepping forward and holding out a hand. "Pleasure to meet you. My name is Richard Taylor."

Saelind reverently shook his hand, then stared at her tiny palm with a glittering teal eye.

"I'm gonna die from the shock running through me," she whispered, looking up at him with a dazed expression "Despite my rank in the political hierarchy, I honestly never imagined I'd ever have the opportunity to shake hands with the make-up artist who worked on almost everyone from the Lord of the Rings! Your skills in cosmetics are legendary, to the point where even I have heard of them! This is truly an honor, sir!"

"Huh? Is that what people overseas are saying about me these days?" the man asked, scratching his head. "I'm just a Hollywood movie director, hon... I only double as a cosmetician on the side. Still, I'm glad to know you admire me and my work so much, because today I'm going to be working my magic on you, my dear."

And in that moment, Saelind really did almost die from the shock that went through her.

This was like every girl's dream come true.

"A-are you serious?!" she squealed, jabbing her chest with her little hands. "You're going to be working on ME?! The man who made Legolas hot, working on ME?!"

"Yes," the man chuckled, smiling at her enthusiasm. "However, I've also been requested to keep the end result a secret until we're finished, so you're not really going to know what I'm doing until later on tonight. I do have to one thing to ask before we begin due to a warning from the man who hired me. So, my dear, may I have your full permission to work my magic on you? It's going to involve a lot of physical contact, especially on your face."

"Eh?" Saelind asked, teal eye going blank; after a moment of swallowing her fears, she clenched her jaw and nodded curtly. "Of course: you have my full permission."

"Well, then, let's get started," the man sighed, pale blue eyes brightening up. "Please, have a seat."

When Saelind did as she was told and sat down, the American man set his bags down and started rummaging through them: the pale girl winced when he slid around her body and sat down on a stool in front of her. His eyes narrowed when he took in her scars, and for a moment, he paused. After running a hesitantly finger over the puckered flesh on her left side, he gently tilted her chin upwards and examined her neck.

Then his brow smoothed over and he nodded, looking utterly relieved.

"I can work with this... you have a very unique facial structure, but your cheekbones are especially beautiful," he murmured, then leaned down and dabbed his make-up brush in some sort of powder. "All right, let's get started."

Saelind closed her eyes and tried to relax when the brush started sweeping along her cheeks. The right half of her face felt dry and grainy after a while, but she put up with it because the man sitting in front of her was world-famous for his cosmetic talent. After he put the brush away, he pulled some type of putty out of his bag and began applying it to her face.

"What is this stuff?" Saelind asked, closing one eye when he began to mold it over her left cheek and across both of her ears. "It kinda feels like Playdough."

"Good guess," the man murmured quietly, so focused on what he was doing that the response was almost instinctive. "It's certainly similar to it."

"Well, what's it for?" the Russian girl quipped, shivering when his fingers slid the dough across her face. "It feels kinda weird."

"Haven't you ever wondered how people make themselves look like elves and monsters in the movies you watch?" the man asked, spreading more putty onto the right half of her face before he pulled a small scalpel out and began to smooth it over. "This is how we do it: this putty becomes a kind of mask."

"Whoa, really?" Saelind asked, feeling mildly surprised. "I always thought it was just awesome special effects..."

"Well, yes, CGI scanning can help us smooth over any mistakes we might make during the make-up preparations," Richard allowed, pulling back and examining her features before smiling in a delighted way, "but still, most of the magic comes from all the hard work the cosmeticians put in. Now, please close your eyes."

"Yes, sir," Saelind muttered, swallowing hard before she did as she was told. "This isn't going to hurt, is it?"

"Not at all," the man chuckled, and only a split second later, she felt an odd pressure bloom near her left eye. "Don't move, now."

Saelind shivered when the pressure slid across her blind eye and made gentle strokes.

Then again, it was sort of rhythmic and almost soothing: she waited with her eyes closed as the man dabbed at her eyes.

I'm gonna have to be careful not to fall asleep, the Russian girl realized, feeling a bit startled. If I do, and he touches me, I might retaliate out of instinct.

However, her train of thought was cut off when the man pulled a canister of spray out of his bag and shook it.

"My dear, keep your eyes closed, close your mouth tightly, and hold your breath," Richard stated firmly, then gently tapped the clay on her nose. "This stuff isn't good for your body, so try to avoid breathing it in."

"Yes, sir," Saelind muttered, taking a breath and holding it; he immediately started spraying, but when he was finished, he tapped her nose again. "Perfect. Now, open your eyes and blink, then try to make your normal expressions."

Doing as she was told, Saelind opened her eyes and blinked; then she scowled, made a sarcastic face, frowned, and tried her hardest to smile.

It came out looking like a frightening grimace.

"So, what now?" Saelind asked, looking at him with an eager teal eye. "Any other magic tricks up your sleeve?"

"Quite a bunch," the man murmured, gripping her chin and turning her head from side to side before he gave a slow smile. "Perfect... now the real fun begins."

So saying, he started shaping the putty on her ears and a long day of getting ready for the switcher party began.

Richard was a gentle and straight-forward man... so much, in fact, that when he asked about her life back in Russia that she was honest about how bad it sucked.

She told him bits and pieces about her house, and she mentioned how her brother was sort of an airhead, but in a frustratingly lovable way.

Mostly the normal stuff.

After about six hours of being worked had gone by, however, different topics began to pop up: he asked about the school, and also about her classes. In a way, he seemed rather fatherly, and despite how many times she had been hurt by people she didn't know... especially after what had happened with Ami... she kind of liked him, and she felt like she could trust him. Even though her instincts were screaming that she was being too nice all over again.

After stopping to take a lunch break, the man sat down and mopped his brow: he was sweating and his curly hair was plastered to his scalp.

"Are you all right?" Saelind asked, quirking an eyebrow when he blinked at her. "You look kinda worn out."

"Oh, no, not at all," Richard laughed, face instantly relaxing before he took a bite of the food one of the maids had brought. "Quite the contrary, I'm so enthusiastic about the way this is turning out that it's worked my body up again. Still, I get so focused on my work that I forget to take breaks, which causes a lot of exertion."

"Is that so?" Saelind asked, taking a bite of her own food. "Well, at least you're enthusiastic about what you do for a living. I don't think I'll ever really say the same."

"And why ever not?" the man asked, blinking at her in surprise. "Surely a girl your age has at least one enjoyable hobby?"

Saelind was silent for a moment, chewing with an almost bitter expression.

"Not anymore," she finally muttered, shaking her head. "Back before my face was scarred up, I did have a nice hobby... but it's not the same now."

"Well, would you mind sharing?" the man asked, making her glance at him suspiciously. "I'm only a little curious. If you don't want to, that's fine, too."

"Singing," the girl grumbled, averting her eyes with a scowl. "When I was younger, singing was my hobby."

"Well, now, that's an admirable start," the cosmetician chuckled, leaning forward with an interested expression. "So, what kind of songs?"

Saelind's face turned red and she huddled her shoulders up in embarrassment.

"Celtic," she muttered almost inaudibly, pouting when he blinked at her like a startled owl. "Before the fire, people sometimes even used to record me singing without getting my permission, which kind of pissed me off. One of my songs actually ended up on the news thanks to the stupid paparazzi."

"Sounds like you did a good job, then," the man whistled, shaking his head. "The media only shows things that are interesting enough to catch attention."

"Obviously," Saelind snorted, scowling a bit. "Then again, my family is usually all the media really talks about: they have at least one snippet about us every time they show the news, and it really used to piss me off since we had no privacy whatsoever."

"You aren't the only one who feels that way," the man chuckled, taking another bite of his food. "Many of the actors and actresses have psychological breakdowns because of all the people who invade their private lives. Normal chances at romance are also destroyed by them constantly, and in the end, many famous people either end up single or they marry another famous actor or actress for publicity. It's very rare for those who are well-recognized to find happiness."

"True, but in that regard, I didn't have a choice in the matter," the girl retorted, giving him a shrug. "After all, I'm famous simply because I'm a princess."

She shuddered at the use of the word, but sadly enough, there really wasn't a better way to describe her rank in the political hierarchy.

No matter how much she hated it, she was a princess. Period.

"In all honesty, another person wouldn't know that about you at a first glance," the man chuckled, finishing his meal before standing up and motioning for her to sit down in the chair, "but after I'm done with you, there won't be a single person who won't think that's exactly what you are. Now that the base work has been finished, it's time to get started on your make-up."

"Fine," she sighed, closing her eyes when he started rummaging around in his bag. "I'll trust you."

So saying, the man began dabbing another brush into some foundation and started putting the makeup on her face. The gentle strokes were soothing, albeit a little rough... but once he was finished, he moved onto her eyes. Saelind blinked when he somehow managed to get some false lashes on her left eyelid, but once they were set, he rubbed some sort of brush through the lashes on her right eye. Her eye watered from the itching sensation that followed his movements, but she bit her tongue and ignored the feeling.

Then he grabbed some lip gloss out of his bag and slowly slid it across her mouth.

"Alright... aside from your hair, we're nearly done," the man muttered, massaging the girl's lips before capping the gloss and moving behind her; after removing the hairnet and setting it down, the man released her pinned tresses. However, when it tumbled down to her backside like a waterfall of darkness, he twitched a little before he examined the length with an admiring expression. "My word... your hair is incredibly long."

"Well, duh: I've never cut it," Saelind snorted, rolling her eyes. "I've had the ends trimmed a bit over the years, but I've never actually had a haircut before."

"That's rather amazing," the man replied, putting a long white ribbon between his teeth and running his fingers through her extremely long hair; he instantly blinked since the Russian's tresses felt like cold satin against his skin. "Dear Lord... what manner of products do you use to treat your hair?!"

"I Russian products," the girl replied, blinking before she lifted a hand and touched her hair. "It's really not a special brand or anything... in fact, where I live, it's pretty much found in almost every corner store."

"What's the name of it?" he breathed, touching her hair with large eyes. "I've never seen someone with hair like yours before."

"It's called Natura Siberica,*" the girl explained, giving him a frown. "Seriously, it's a really common shampoo and conditioner set. Why is everyone always asking me what type of hair products I use?"

"Because your hair is beautiful," the man sighed, shaking his head before he started running a brush through her glistening locks. "It's what almost every girl dreams of achieving at some point in their life."

"Stop joking," Saelind muttered sourly, making a very flat expression. "I don't like it."

"I'm not joking," Richard replied, pulling her bangs behind her head and tying them with the ribbon; then he skillfully braided the hair that had been pulled back. "I'm being quite honest: I asked for the brand because I intend to order a box of it after I return to Hollywood. Angelina Jolie and a few other well-known actresses have been worried about their hair losing the youthful shine many of them need: I appreciate you telling me the name of the brand."

"No problem," she sighed, rolling her eyes. "I still think you're trying to flatter me, though."

"There's no need for flattery any longer... because to put it simply, I'm almost done with the basic things," the man explained, tying a second ribbon into the back of her hair and fastening the braid. After inspecting the style and making sure there were no stray hairs, Richard smiled and eagerly made his way around to the front so he could examine Saelind's face. "All right, looks good."

"Really?" she asked, blinking at him in surprise. "Can I look now?"

"No, not yet," he chuckled, shaking his head before he handed her a dress and a strip of red cloth; when she stared at the items, he smiled widely. "Now, please put that blindfold on and get dressed without looking at the selection that's been chosen for you. I'll wait outside until you've changed, but once you're dressed, the last touches are going to be made."

"B-blindfold?" Saelind asked, blinking in surprise. "Why do I have to blindfold myself?"

"I promised to keep your appearance a secret from you until everything was ready," the cosmetician sighed, giving her a shrug. "Please, just humor me?"

"Fine," Saelind muttered, angrily tying the blindfold onto her head; when the sound of the door opening and closing met her ears, she hesitantly undressed herself and felt around for the outfit she'd been given. After feeling around for the neck hole, she was rather startled to realize that it didn't have one: the dress was completely backless, and there was only a pair of thin, satin-like strips to keep it in place around her neck. "Jeez, this is a little overboard..."

Still, despite her irritation, the girl slid the dress on and tentatively tied the strings behind her back.

"Are you almost ready?" Richard called, knocking on the door. "It's getting close to the deadline I was asked to meet."

"I'm ready," the black-haired girl groused, waiting until door opened to let out a sigh. "So, what now?"

"What now?" the man breathed, sounding thoroughly amazed. "Well, in all honesty, you probably wouldn't even need the rest to steal the show tonight... but I was asked to make this as memorable as possible. Here. Lift your arms."

"Like this?" Saelind grumbled, raising her arms above her head.

"Exactly," Richard confirmed, letting out a chuckle. "Don't move... this might feel a little strange, but I promise it will be worth it in the end."

However, the tiny female twitched when two leather straps slid down to her shoulders: not long after, an odd weight similar to a backpack was resting between her shoulder blades. Then, before she could so much as ask what he was doing, a cold metallic sensation was pressed against the back of her neck, and six more were placed on both of her arms, each. Once the metal started to warm up against her skin, the man slid a circlet around her head.

Saelind flinched when a sudden buzzing sensation met her ears.

"What the heck is this?!" she hissed, touching her forehead in alarm. "Why is it vibrating?!"

For a long moment, Richard didn't answer.

"Oh, my God..." he whispered from a small distance away. "I can't believe this... you... how could..."

"What is it?" the girl demanded, feeling the anxiety rising up her throat. "Did I mess something up?! How do I look?"

"Take the blindfold off after I let go of you," Richard whispered, clasping her hand and gently pulling her in an unseen direction. "You're ready."

When he let go, Saelind did as she was told.

However, when she looked into the full-length mirror, for nearly thirty seconds... it felt as though her heart had stopped.

As though time were slowing down, Saelind Heseroph's teal eyes, blind and not, grew so impossibly wide that she couldn't even blink.

Her shoulders locked up... her mouth fell open... and her body began to shake involuntarily due to the raw emotion overloading her heartstrings.

"Who is that?" she whispered, staring at the woman in the mirror with stunned teal eyes. "That's... she's... no way. That's not me. This isn't real mirror, it can't be!"

So saying, she actually lifted her hand and tried to touch the person she was seeing, but her pale fingertips were met with the sensation of cold glass.

It was in that moment that she really could have fainted: she saw spots, but for some reason, she was so transfixed that her vision refused to be blotted out.

For the first time in her life, Saelind didn't recognize the person in the mirror: the right half of her face was glittering with gorgeous silver sparkles, and the amazing part was that Richard had somehow made the glitter shift to a dark blue as it progressed to her left cheek. On top of that, her eyes had been coated in a very light touching of periwinkle mascara, she had glittering black eyeliner that tapered off to the sides in a sharp, Sphinx-like manner, and her lashes looked thicker.

However, the most incredible part out of everything was this: her face was whole.

Unscarred.

This was her face... the face from before the fire.

Slowly lifting her hand, Saelind touched her left cheek as startled tears filled her right eye.

"This is me," she whispered, voice coming out incredibly high-pitched. "This is the me I used to be... how did you do this?!"

"The make-up is waterproof," the man chuckled, giving her a smile. "I tried to make your hair look similar to the style that Drew Barrymore had in the movie, Ever After, but I've never seen hair as long as yours in real life, so I was actually itching to make it look as beautiful as possible. You look like a princess right now."

Saelind felt as though that were the most extreme understatement in the history of existence.

Even the outfit she was wearing perfectly matched the work done to her face: the dress was completely white in the right side, but like the sparkles on her face, it slowly slid to a blue so dark it was almost black. Her entire back was bare, but her long hair covered all of the open area: the selection fit her small-boned figure very snugly around the torso, but the flared skirt billowed freely around her legs with every puff of air.

Slowly twirling around, Saelind closed her eyes spread her arms before picking up pace.

Her dark hair picked up altitude, then cascaded back down in rippling waves of shadow.

"A princess? Yeah, right... at the moment, I look more like a queen," Saelind croaked, lowering her hand and staring at her newly pointed ears; then she examined the circlet resting on her head like a medieval crown before looking down at the silver bands on her arms. "Still, what are the ears and the bands for?"

"Well, the ears are a part of your costume," the make-up artist explained, then tapped her back, "and the bands have been computerized with the latest modifications American technology has to offer. In short, they've been placed on specific nerve lines to control the wings on your back: all you have to do is think them into action and they'll move by themselves."

"Wings?" Saelind asked, turning her body to the side; however, she gasped and stared with huge eyes when she realized that there were indeed two artificial angel wings resting against her back. Not only that... they were utterly enormous, but the most ironic part was that the right wing was a brilliant downy white, and the left wing was jet black. "Oh, my God... isn't this going a little overboard?!"

"Not at all, especially considering we were overpaid," Richard chuckled, rubbing his neck. "Well, since you're ready, we might as well let the others know."

Before she could respond, the doors burst open and a little blonde girl wearing too much make-up ran into the room.

"SAEL-CHAN, LOOK AT ME!" Honey squealed, running into the room and twirling around with a laugh. "I'm wearing a dress! I get to be Goldilocks for the Switcher party! Oh, but we gotta hurry, or we'll late! So, are you done getting dressed in your Hallowe…"

The boy trailed off and he stared at Saelind with huge eyes when she turned to look at him with a quirked eyebrow.

"Yeah, I'm done," Saelind mumbled, awkwardly rubbing her arms. "I think I'm ready to go…"

"Saelind..." Honey whispered, mouth still hanging open in awe. "You look..."

"No time, no time," Richard chuckled, shooing Saelind past the blonde boy and pushing her towards the door. "Let's get going! I don't want you being late."

"I got it, I got it," Saelind growled, shaking her head and jogging down the hall. "No need to push."

However, when she left, Honey followed her with his eyes.

"Beautiful," he sadly finished, finally turning and staring at the floor.