Chapter 3, The Magenta Hair Girl
"That's an echo, gentlemen. Just a little somethin' we have here in Louisiana. Little "parlor trick," don't worry." - Dr. Facilier
"Why are you doing this?" Asks a girl. She had bright sky-blue eyes, shoulder-length curly dark brown hair, fair skin, and rosy cheeks. She looked like she could be a living doll. She was wearing a red swimsuit with yellow polka dots on it.
"Because you helped me, and we're friends." Replies Fascienne. She carefully brought the girl into the lake.
"I'm scared, I had never done this before."
"Trust me, the water won't hurt you."
The daughter of Facilier quickly woke up from the dream. "Gross." She said to herself. It was that same dream. She was in some beautiful lush forest. Floating in water that was so clean she could see her reflection; bringing some doll-looking girl into the water. She had never seen this girl before. Was she even on the Isle? She didn't look like someone who would live on the Isle. Was she herself on the Isle? That place was too beautiful to be the Isle, and the water was way too clean to be Isle water. Most importantly, why did she call that girl her friend? Fascienne Facilier wasn't friends with anyone. Unless you counted Valerie. But that was different.
Valerie is Varian's daughter. They met one day at lunch. Valerie had nowhere to sit because she was bullied by nearly everyone in Dragon Hall. She sat with Fascienne because she was sitting by herself and thought she wouldn't scare her off. The two have hung out together ever since. Fascienne didn't like being around anyone but didn't mind Valerie's presence, because she thought a child of Varian would be the only trustworthy person on the Isle. Valerie didn't like people because she was bullied and Fascienne was nice to her. Fascienne remembered how she was the only one who came to Valerie's birthday party. She made Valerie a voodoo string doll out of twine. Valerie had hugged her so tight that it made her feel a little uncomfortable. But it was Valerie, so she tolerated it. After the party, Varian told her she was welcome to come over anytime. So Fascienne always visited Valerie whenever she didn't want to deal with her father being angry over something. Such as someone drinking the last bit of spoiled milk.
Other than that, Fascienne hated the thought of friends. It made her feel sick. She looked at her broken clock. It wasn't fully broken; it was able to show the time thanks to Valerie. The screen was just cracked. One of the advantages of having a friend who loves science and inventing things. They can repair anything.
She gets up and looked through her broken clothes armoire. The armoire had no doors and the paint looks like it has been peeling off. Fascienne assumed that it might have once belonged to a princess because it was pink and had gold edges. She remembered when she brought Valerie over to decorate it. Fascienne painted purple skulls on one side. Valerie painted blue alembics on the other side. Fascienne took out a gothic-looking purple top, a distressed black denim skirt, and black capri leggings. Perfect. She looked at her cracked mirror and started combing her hair. Her hair used to be purple but her mom dyed it blue after telling her what Mal did to Mad Maddy's hair. When Mal left the Isle her mom stopped dyeing her hair. But Fascienne guessed that it had been dyed blue for so long that it turned into this dark pink color. She didn't mind it. It made her feel unique. She remembered Honest John's son saying that she looked cute in blue hair because it matched her eye color. Johnny was such a flirt.
Something similar happened to Talei's hair. Her hair was purple as well. She dyed it gold because she too feared what Mal would have done. Except when she stopped dyeing hers it was still purple but the gold never went away. So it looked like she had purple hair with sparkling streaks of gold. Talei loved her new hair color. She said it made her shiny. Fascienne guessed her hair was still purple because she didn't have to dye it for too long. Rumors on the Isle have it that her father sold her to some rich family in Maldonia. How did that happen? Fascienne would probably never know. She still thought Talei was lucky to leave the Isle.
Fascienne put on her black and white combat boots and left the house. She couldn't stop thinking about the girl in her dreams. She's been having this same dream for weeks now. She didn't want to tell her dad because he would probably think that she lost it. Celia was a child and she didn't want to trouble her with her problems. Living on the Isle is hard. But being a kid that's living on the Isle was even harder. Maybe she could tell her mom?
"Hey Fia!" Fascienne's mind snapped back into reality hearing the voice. A girl around her age with brown skin, black hair with blue streaks, and blue eyes walked to her. She was wearing a tattered light blue blouse with a brown corset, brown distressed skirt, brown leggings, and black combat boots; and of course, was wearing her favorite goggles as a hairband. Valerie always dressed as if she stepped out of some sort of steampunk story.
"Oh hey Val." Fascienne didn't mind being called "Fia"; it was easier to say than Fascienne after all, and quicker.
"I bought you a blueberry muffin," Valerie said, giving her a bag from the Slop Shop. Fascienne opens it.
"They didn't have anything less moldy?" She asked.
"That was the least moldy one. There was one all blue-greenish and white, and it was so puffy. I didn't even know if it was a muffin. Well, I knew it was a muffin because of the shape, but I didn't know what type it was. I bet if someone ate that one they would taste nothing but mold." Valerie said.
"Are you trying to make me puke or something?" Fascienne thought as she took a bite from the muffin. Sometimes Valerie gets way too descriptive about things. Valerie bites down on a moldy blueberry bagel she bought for herself.
"Something wrong Fia? You seem...bothered." Valerie asked, not sure how to put it.
"Same old stuff," Fascienne answered. She hasn't told Valerie about the dreams either. One thing she knows about Valerie is once she worries about something, she never stops. One time she had to hold her hair back in a bathroom stall because she wouldn't stop throwing up over an exam. Granted it was about being evil which she couldn't bear the thought of being. But that was how bad her worrying gets. She ends up making herself sick.
"You always say the same old stuff. What is the stuff?" She asked.
"It'll go away," Fascienne said.
"Talking about it will still help." She said.
"Don't worry about it."
"It's bothering you Fia. I am worried about it."
Fascienne sighed. Valerie was persistent.
"I've been having dreams about this girl. I think I was showing her how to swim."
"In this murky water? That would be cruel. Or probably helpful. Maybe they'll learn to withstand what lurks in there." Valerie said.
"That's the problem. I don't think I was on the Isle. I was in some beautiful forest, there were flowers, the trees had green leaves, and the water was clear."
"Wow...that would be how I imagine Auradon. What if you've been dreaming about Auradon?"
"Don't know why I would be."
"Tell me about the girl." Said Valerie.
"She didn't look like any VK I ever saw. She had dark brown hair, rosy cheeks, and light blue eyes."
"I don't think I ever saw someone like that. But then again I tend to avoid people. But not a lot of people here have rosy cheeks. A lot of them look pale here since we hardly get sun. What if she was actually an AK?" Asked Valerie.
"Wouldn't shock me honestly. But if this is the case, why am I dreaming about Auradon and some random AK?"
"There are theories that the purpose of dreams is to help you store important memories and things you've learned, get rid of unimportant memories, and sort through complicated thoughts and feelings. Or maybe they're trying to tell you something." Valerie said. Leave it to Valerie to explain anything.
"Do you want to go to the beach after school? I want to get my mind off things." Fascienne said. Fascienne loved staring at the clouded water. It looked like this relaxing big thing of floating goo.
"Sure. I want to collect more samples from the water anyway. Maybe I will find some new specimens. Or maybe a mutated one. I'm curious to see how they survive in such a murky environment." Valerie said.
"Why do you want to know?"
"I want to see how their ecosystem works. Like what gives them life in an environment that looks like no living thing can survive. How do they adapt? There's always a new discovery to uncover when it comes to science."
"Maybe you can extract their DNA and make a vaccine that can turn people into swamp monsters or something like that."
"Now you're just making fun of me Fia." Valerie playfully flicked her. Fascienne flicked her back.