Chapter 3: Shoddy Craftsmanship
The Slayer woke up the next morning feeling very refreshed.
She climbed out of bed in the usual way, forgetting about her injuries from the previous night. When her feet touched the ground, a dull pain rose up her spine and she grabbed her leg in response, but was relieved when the discomfort subsided. She touched her wound and was surprised at how well it had healed already. It was almost invisible, barely noticeable from a small distance. She had been upset and resigned to wearing a pants set today to hide the blemish, but was now more upbeat at the possibility of sporting a short dress or skirt.
She walked into her bathroom and looked for her hairbrush, quickly finding it towards the back of her sink, behind assorted makeup compacts and the like. She watched herself in the mirror as she slowly combed her hair, making sure to get all the odd kinks and knots out. When she was finished she placed the brush on the sink and turned towards the shower. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the brush role towards the edge, stop, then roll over and off the side of the sink towards the floor. Without thinking she swept her hand deftly through air, snagged the brush cleanly and held it up, scouring at it menacingly.
"I didn't tell you you could go anywhere," she accused the brush, waving a finger at it.
She placed it back down in a more stable location and opened the shower curtains. The last rung of the curtains was stuck on some invisible force and refused to follow the other rings down the length of the curtain rod. This, of course, impeded the movement of the entire curtain and seriously annoyed the Slayer. She tugged at the curtain forcefully, ripping the curtain from the ring and sending the shower curtain flying to the one side of the rod. "Shoddy craftsmanship," she mumbled to herself, counting the number of times the single curtain ring circled before finally coming to rest, unhooked and alone.
She reached to the knob marked 'hot' with one hand and 'cold' with the other and turned them to what seemed like a preset location, then pulled a lever in between them sending the water from the faucet below to the showerhead above. She let the water fall a bit before she went in and checked it with her hand to make sure it wasn't too cold. The Slayer got in and rinsed her hair, letting the water pressure caress her scalp and back. She wasn't in long before the water began to progressively get warmer, warmer, hot, hotter, and almost steamy before it turned icy cold. She shrieked from the shock of the cold water and quickly turned the knob to make it warm again. The knob broke from the wall with ease and she held it in her hand, staring at the word 'hot.' "What is the deal?" she said aloud, wondering who exactly had installed her shower in the first place. The water didn't get any warmer, so she finished her shower as quickly as she could, turned the remaining faucet off and watched the remaining trickle steam out from the bottom faucet.
She dried off, wrapped the towel around herself and brushed her teeth. The toothpaste container had malfunctioned as well this morning, sending toothpaste past the sink and on to the wall when she had squeezed it. She left the mess for later, smiled into the mirror and noticed a small piece of food that she must have missed. She found her floss, broke a small piece off and attempted to remove the stubborn thing, but the floss snapped in half once she applied pressure down between her teeth. She dropped the floss in the trashcan, got another piece out, and repeated the same actions with greater frustration. "Ugh!" she yelled, giving up. She gargled some water, smiled again to reveal the thing still staring at her, stopped smiling and stormed off to her closet to get dressed.
The Slayer had a large collection of clothing, including many styles and designs from the best shops and stores in the area. Through these she rifled, trying to find the best thing to match the weather, her mood, and the pair of shoes she had already set on. She found a great skirt and top that would look exquisite with some leggings. She searched through a drawer in her dresser, found some good pantyhose, and pulled them on. Unfortunately, the fabric must have been old, for she tore the leggings as she pulled them up ripping a hole where she pulled them and at the bottom where they snug her heel. Disgusted, she through them aside and decided to go without them.
After she had dressed, she put on her makeup, braking off the lid to her compact, snapping her eyeliner pen in two, and unscrewing her lipstick so quickly it flew out of its container.
The Slayer picked up her books [Are their pages missing? Why are these so light?] and walked out the front door to school. She decided to walk that morning and was surprised at how quickly she got there.
She walked down the hallway of the school towards her locker and nodded to Xander and Willow as they walked up. She turned the dial on the lock of her locker and pulled up on the lever, but the locker wouldn't open. She stared at it intently and pulled up with all her might, ripping the lever from the door. Xander and Willow stared at her in wonderment and looked quizzically at each other.
"Everything okay Cordelia?" asked Willow.
Cordelia stared at the locker lever in her hand, totally shocked and confused at what was going on.
"You guys have no idea the morning I've had," said Cordelia.
And the day had only begun.
The Slayer woke up the next morning feeling very refreshed.
She climbed out of bed in the usual way, forgetting about her injuries from the previous night. When her feet touched the ground, a dull pain rose up her spine and she grabbed her leg in response, but was relieved when the discomfort subsided. She touched her wound and was surprised at how well it had healed already. It was almost invisible, barely noticeable from a small distance. She had been upset and resigned to wearing a pants set today to hide the blemish, but was now more upbeat at the possibility of sporting a short dress or skirt.
She walked into her bathroom and looked for her hairbrush, quickly finding it towards the back of her sink, behind assorted makeup compacts and the like. She watched herself in the mirror as she slowly combed her hair, making sure to get all the odd kinks and knots out. When she was finished she placed the brush on the sink and turned towards the shower. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the brush role towards the edge, stop, then roll over and off the side of the sink towards the floor. Without thinking she swept her hand deftly through air, snagged the brush cleanly and held it up, scouring at it menacingly.
"I didn't tell you you could go anywhere," she accused the brush, waving a finger at it.
She placed it back down in a more stable location and opened the shower curtains. The last rung of the curtains was stuck on some invisible force and refused to follow the other rings down the length of the curtain rod. This, of course, impeded the movement of the entire curtain and seriously annoyed the Slayer. She tugged at the curtain forcefully, ripping the curtain from the ring and sending the shower curtain flying to the one side of the rod. "Shoddy craftsmanship," she mumbled to herself, counting the number of times the single curtain ring circled before finally coming to rest, unhooked and alone.
She reached to the knob marked 'hot' with one hand and 'cold' with the other and turned them to what seemed like a preset location, then pulled a lever in between them sending the water from the faucet below to the showerhead above. She let the water fall a bit before she went in and checked it with her hand to make sure it wasn't too cold. The Slayer got in and rinsed her hair, letting the water pressure caress her scalp and back. She wasn't in long before the water began to progressively get warmer, warmer, hot, hotter, and almost steamy before it turned icy cold. She shrieked from the shock of the cold water and quickly turned the knob to make it warm again. The knob broke from the wall with ease and she held it in her hand, staring at the word 'hot.' "What is the deal?" she said aloud, wondering who exactly had installed her shower in the first place. The water didn't get any warmer, so she finished her shower as quickly as she could, turned the remaining faucet off and watched the remaining trickle steam out from the bottom faucet.
She dried off, wrapped the towel around herself and brushed her teeth. The toothpaste container had malfunctioned as well this morning, sending toothpaste past the sink and on to the wall when she had squeezed it. She left the mess for later, smiled into the mirror and noticed a small piece of food that she must have missed. She found her floss, broke a small piece off and attempted to remove the stubborn thing, but the floss snapped in half once she applied pressure down between her teeth. She dropped the floss in the trashcan, got another piece out, and repeated the same actions with greater frustration. "Ugh!" she yelled, giving up. She gargled some water, smiled again to reveal the thing still staring at her, stopped smiling and stormed off to her closet to get dressed.
The Slayer had a large collection of clothing, including many styles and designs from the best shops and stores in the area. Through these she rifled, trying to find the best thing to match the weather, her mood, and the pair of shoes she had already set on. She found a great skirt and top that would look exquisite with some leggings. She searched through a drawer in her dresser, found some good pantyhose, and pulled them on. Unfortunately, the fabric must have been old, for she tore the leggings as she pulled them up ripping a hole where she pulled them and at the bottom where they snug her heel. Disgusted, she through them aside and decided to go without them.
After she had dressed, she put on her makeup, braking off the lid to her compact, snapping her eyeliner pen in two, and unscrewing her lipstick so quickly it flew out of its container.
The Slayer picked up her books [Are their pages missing? Why are these so light?] and walked out the front door to school. She decided to walk that morning and was surprised at how quickly she got there.
She walked down the hallway of the school towards her locker and nodded to Xander and Willow as they walked up. She turned the dial on the lock of her locker and pulled up on the lever, but the locker wouldn't open. She stared at it intently and pulled up with all her might, ripping the lever from the door. Xander and Willow stared at her in wonderment and looked quizzically at each other.
"Everything okay Cordelia?" asked Willow.
Cordelia stared at the locker lever in her hand, totally shocked and confused at what was going on.
"You guys have no idea the morning I've had," said Cordelia.
And the day had only begun.