Chapter Seven
A couple of days past and soon it was the week before Halloween Night and Tania was almost finished with the outfits.
As she placed the last of the outfits, she had made behind the curtain then set about looking at the list of appointments she had for everyone who wanted hair and make-up done for Halloween.
Most of the residents and their guests weren't asking for anything too complicated but there were some who were asking for some complicated make up and prosthetics and she had to make sure she had all the equipment needed.
After about five minutes she had sorted the list and had made sure she had everything ready.
"I'm going to need to get some much-needed sleep for a bit!" she said aloud with a chuckle as she walked over to a coffee machine and prepared a latte for herself and sat in one of her hairdressing chairs for a rest "I'm going to be one busy make up artist!"
"I have no doubt!" a voice called from the doorway of her salon and the Panda looked up to see Monalisa standing there with a small smile.
"Oh Mona! Hey!" Tania called then beckoned the lizard lady in, "Do come in, can I get you a coffee?"
"No thanks Tania, I already had my drugs!" she laughed and sat down on one of the hair dressing chairs.
Tania laughed as she took a sip of her latte.
"Can't have too much of the good stuff, right?" she asked.
Monalisa shook her head.
"Indeed not!" she agreed "Anyway, I only popped in to see what my costume was looking like?"
"Well, you're welcome to have a look!" Tania said pointing behind her "It's hidden as you requested!"
Monalisa grinned and stood up.
"Oh man, I can't wait to surprise everyone!" The Lizard Lady giggled as she walked in the back.
"And I'll do your hair and make-up!" Tania promised "I got you last on the list as you want to make a big entrance at the big party on the night!"
Monalisa didn't answer for a few seconds as she looked in the back room, then the Panda heard a squeak like an excited schoolgirl and the lizard lady came back out to join her.
"Tania!" she said "I have to say, you are a wizard! Or should I say a sorceress with your creations!"
Tania blushed.
"You're too kind Mona!" she said "Well, clothes making, hair, make up, it's always been my passion! Since I was a child, I was always doing something! Styling my dolls's hair and dressing them in different outfits!"
Monalisa smiled as she listened.
"When I was eight years old," Tania said, "There was a Barbie doll that had a fashion design CD ROM which I remember begging my mama for, and she got it for my Christmas present, and I spent hours on it designing clothes for my dolls, then I started drawing my own styles!"
"I think I remember the commercials for that doll and the CD ROM." Monalisa said "Well, I was very young, come to think of it, I played with my Barbie dolls, but I used to pretend they were superheroes and fighting enemies, I suppose it comes with being interesting in my martial arts and having brothers."
Tania laughed.
"Yeah! Well, I remember telling me teachers at High School how much I wanted to work in fashion design, or make up, and to practice, I helped my friends during the Halloween season with their costumes and make up, and when it came to prom! Wow! They called me the fashion and make up guru!"
"They did?" Monalisa asked.
Tania nodded then sighed bitterly as she remembered.
"Oh gosh." She said, "I remember it like yesterday!"
Flashback
Natasha opened her locker to put away her books before she was to head home, yet she made sure she had everything she needed as she had revision to do before exams.
All around her, she could hear the students laughing and joking as well as talking about their plans for the upcoming Halloween Holiday, such as parties they were going to, or taking their younger siblings, friends or relatives' trick or treating.
Closing her locker, Natasha almost jumped out of her skin as she came face to face with a couple of her friends looking excited.
"Ashley!" she cried "Lisa! You startled me there!"
"Sorry babe!" the first girl, a dark-skinned girl with golden wavey hair smiled apologetically "We just wanted to ask you a favour!"
"Oh yes?" Natasha asked raising an eyebrow.
"Uh huh!" the second girl, a faired skinned girl with red hair agreed before turning to her companion "Ask her Ash!"
"Okay!" Ashley said "We were just wondering if you were able to help us with our costumes for the Halloween Ball in town? Pretty please?"
"Yes please!" Lisa pleaded "Everyone knows you're the best make-up artist in the School! If not the County! The state even!"
Natasha opened her mouth to speak but a cackle behind them made her freeze and she looked behind her to see a faired skinned girl with golden curls than hung around her face with a perfectly made up face like a doll and with two equally made up girls on either side of her, one was a skinny Asian girl with straight black hair in a cheerleader's uniform, and the other was a black skinned girl with her hair in a high ponytail.
Ashley and Lisa glared, and Natasha gulped as they recognised the girl as Sarah Crawley, the head cheerleader and self-proclaimed Queen Bee of the High School.
Natasha swallowed hard.
She always tried to avoid Sarah as the Head Cheerleader often gave her grief, calling her a fatso and a hippo because Natasha was a curvy girl, if not overweight but just blessed in the right places, but what some of the guys had called her a curvy and cuddly teddy bear.
Natasha hadn't been sure whether that was an insult or a compliment, but her parents had always told her that she was beautiful inside and out, no matter what, and she always believed that.
"You are asking the Hippo to help you with your costumes and make up?" Sarah spat "As if? What does she know about fashion and make up?" as she spoke, her two female stooges giggled.
Natasha felt tears sting her eyes but her two friends stood close to her.
"Oh, she knows more than you!" Lisa snarled "Like remember the last Halloween party? She designed some amazing outfits for those who asked nicely! And guess who won?"
Sarah's eyes narrowed into slits.
"You know exactly what we're talking about!" Ashley added "Alexander Gleeson! He won first prize for his outfit as Dante from 'Devil May Cry' because of her!" she pointed at Natasha with a gloat.
Sarah took a breath and glared harder yet had no words to say and even her two groupies couldn't say anything.
"Suck on that Skank!" Lisa smirked.
Natasha looked at her friends and smiled gratefully, a slight glow of confidence rising in her and she looked at Sarah and smirked.
Sarah swallowed and glared.
"So, he won that award last year! Well, this year things will change hippo! Fatty!" she spat "You're not that talented! You think you can make it in the Fashion Industry? Well, you're not gonna make it! You wait!" she then stormed off, her friends following her like sheep.
Ashley and Lisa chuckled as they watched as well as few other students who laughed seeing Sarah being put in her place.
Then before Natasha knew it, a few other students started to swarm her and began to ask her if she could help them with their Halloween Outfits.
"Please Nat! I could use some advice!"
"Where can I get some good make up?"
"Please can you alter my outfit?"
"What do you think I should be this year?"
"One at a time guys!" Natasha waved her hands "I'm sure I can help you out!"
End Flashback
Monalisa blinked as she listened.
"Wow…" she said "That is amazing! I would have loved to have seen Sarah's face!"
Tania just chuckled.
"She was all mouth, but I was able to humiliate her again, as another student won the best costume competition because I helped them out!"
"Really?" Monalisa asked "Who?"
"A couple dressed as Pumpkin Jack and Ragdoll Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas!" Tania cried triumphantly.
"Really?" Monalisa asked "And you designed their outfits?"
"Well, I helped them pick out the outfits and altered them, so they looked like the film version and did their make-up!" Tania admitted "But yes!"
"That's so amazing!" Monalisa cheered.
Tania blushed.
"Yeah! And after that, when it came to Prom, I was getting asked in person as well as via email to help the students find their outfits and looks!"
"Oh wow!" Monalisa cried intrigued "Please tell!"
Tania nodded and was about to speak but she, along with Monalisa sensed movement outside.
"TANIA!" a voice shrieked from outside the salon, and the Lizard and Panda jumped out of their skins as they leapt up and saw Kate running in, white as a sheet, her eyes blazing and was gripping at her wet and dirty green coloured hair!
"Oh my gosh!" Tania cried as she stared at the sandy coloured viper.
"Holy Shell Katie!" Monalisa exclaimed "What have you done to your hair?!"
Kate's eyes widened as she looked at the lizard lady.
"What have 'I' done!?" she screamed "Ask that fucking Locust! I'm gonna kill him and tie him up with the Halloween Decorations!"
Both Monalisa and Tania gaped.
"Percy did that!?" they asked in unison.
"Yes!" Kate shouted, "He must have put green dye in my shampoo! That little shit has really gone far this time!"
Tania shook her head.
"That immature prankster!" she tutted then beckoned the Viper to a chair "Come here Kate, I'll have your natural colour back in no time!"
"Thanks Tania." Kate replied, calming down almost immediately and sitting in one of the chairs in front of the mirrors.
"Where's that grasshopper now?" Monalisa asked crossing her arms.
Kate growled.
"I chased that piece of vermin around the square! Tyroth's punishing him as we speak!" she said, "If I had my way, he doesn't deserve to be part of the Halloween celebrations!"
Tania tutted again and started to analyse Kate's hair.
"Calm down darling." She said, "I'll sort out your hair and then we'll see what Tyroth's got planned for Percy."
Monalisa shook her head.
"Will that Grasshopper ever learn?" she asked.
"Never!" Kate and Tania replied in unison.
So we've learnt a little about Tania's past and that her name was Natasha in her human life!
Oh dear Percy's been pulling pranks again! And Kate's been the target once more! Poor girl!
Hope you enjoyed the chapter! And I'm sure we'll learn more about Tania throughout the fic so watch this space!