A/N: Chapter 2! I'm gonna try and update every week, usually around fri/sat/sun. Please comment if you can, constructive criticsm (spelling?) is always appreciated.

Fitz opened the gleaming doors of Everglen to greet Sophie the next day. Biana was by his side, looking radiant as always in a gleaming purple dress. Her hair was pulled over her shoulder in some fancy intricate braid that made Sophie's head hurt just seeing it, almost like she'd dressed up for some occasion… or someone. It almost made Sophie regret the patterned red tunic and leggings she was wearing. But it did have a deeper-than-usual neck, and she'd dusted gold powder over her eyelids and cheekbones, so that counted as dressing up for her at least.

"Hi," Sophie said, smiling.

"Hey," Fitz said. "Everyone's already here."

"But he was waiting for you," Biana interjected.

"Biana!" Fitz's younger sister laughed and pulled Sophie inside.

She's not wrong, Fitz transmitted to Sophie.

Her face flamed like it always did when he praised her like that. She didn't know what to answer to that, so she offered him another smile, following the Vacker siblings to one of the large sitting rooms on the second floor. Lushberry juice and numerous pastries, probably courtesy of Della, were spread all over the table in the middle of the room. Keefe, Dex, Tam, and Linh were munching on mallowmelt and sipping juice, sitting in armchairs or couches. Well, Dex, Tam, and Linh were sitting. Keefe was positioned in something that could have been described as a casual sprawl with his legs across one of the arms of the chair.

"Heyyy, Foster," he drawled.

"Hey," she greeted everyone, and they chorused the word back to her.

Biana sat down on a sofa next to Tam, and Sophie and Fitz took the only empty seats, on an embroidered ironic loveseat.

Biana clapped her hands as Sophie and Fitz picked up food. "Truth or dare first?"

Everyone agreed, and Biana decided she'd go first. "Truth or dare, Dex?" she asked.

"Umm, truth," he answered.

A wicked smile crept over her lips. "Okay, I got it. Would you rather dye Iggy ice blue or teal?"

Dex quickly understood the double meaning hidden in the question. Sophie was glad to see no trace of jealousy in his features as he told her, "Teal."

Fitz whooped. "Sucks to be you, Keefe!"

"Oh, but why, Dex?" Linh asked. "You have to explain."

"I feel like it'd match Iggy's eyes better."

Tam snorted. "Yeah, right. Iggy's eyes are gray."

Fitz grinned even wider.

Keefe crossed his arms, warning Dex, "You're gonna pay, I can promise you that."

Sophie blushed just a little bit as she told Dex, "Your turn."

"Truth or dare?" he asked her.

She really didn't feel like answering an embarassing truth or one with hidden meaning, so she chose "dare", instantly regretting it when Dex's eyes sparkled with mischief.

"Scoot over so that you and Fitz are touching," he told her. The group "ohhhh" - ed at his dare, and Sophie was sure she was redder than a tomato.

Fitz shrugged. "A dare's a dare."

Sophie only slightly reluctantly slid over so her shoulder and toes were touching Fitz's. They were dating, and they'd hugged plenty of times. They'd even come very close to kissing more than once but Sophie blushed even harder when Fitz wrapped his arm around her and pulled her even closer until they were almost snuggling.

She saw Keefe flinch out of the corner of her eye, wondering what that was about. But she couldn't deny she still felt comfortable nestled against Fitz.

"Your turn, Foster," Keefe told her.

"Oh, yeah. Um, Fitz, truth or dare?"

"Would it be too dangerous if I chose truth?"

"You'll have to see," she teased evasively.

"Fine, truth."

"Okay, what's the most embarrassing thing that happened to you at Foxfire?"

"This better be good," Biana said. "We need something crazy."

"Well, this one time," Fitz started, "I got beat in a splotching match by a Level Two prodigy when I was a Level Four."

"Sophie!" Dex exclaimed.

"Wait, that was really the most embarrassing thing?" Tam asked.

"It's the first thing that popped into my head," Fitz replied.

"Not even the time a certain knock-out gave you a neon orange afro?" Keefe pressed.

Fitz rolled his eyes. "I forgot about that until you brought it up. But I didn't go to school that day, remember?"

"Yeah, 'cause one of the side effects was a case of severe acne."

Everyone laughed as Fitz rolled his eyes again. "It's my turn," he said. "Keefe."

"In the flesh."

"Truth or dare?"

"Dare, of course."

Fitz took about thirty seconds to answer, and that's how Sophie knew his dare would be legendary. But she still wasn't prepared when he said, "We're going to use Biana's stuff to make you over, and you have to let us."

Part of her expected Keefe to beg for a different dare, but the other part of her wasn't surprised at all when he grinned. "Bring it on."

That was how she found herself running back from Biana's room holding a hair straightener, with Biana carrying an array of powders and concealers, and Linh's arms full of a dozen different kinds of makeup.

Keefe paled slightly when he saw what Sophie held. "Is that a flat iron?" he asked, pointing.

"Yeah, it is," she told him with a smile.

"Biana, I swear, if you burn a single strand of the Hair-"

"Relax, Keefe," she reassured him, "you're in good hands."

But Keefe grew increasingly nervous as he plucked something out of the mess Linh was carrying. "What is that?"

"That," Biana explained, "is an eyelash curler."

"It looks like a torture device!"

"It looks like it could scoop your eyeball out!" Dex jumped in.

Sophie had to agree with him. She'd used an eyelash curler once, and had nearly torn off her eyelid.

"I think this is the best day of my life," Tam said.

"Definitely one of my best," Fitz agreed.

"I'm ready for this," Dex added.

"I gotta say, I'm regretting this," Keefe admitted.

"You're gonna be fine," Linh told him. "Except you'll look like a princess at the end."

"Okay, first we have to find your foundation shade," Biana instructed, holding up bottle after bottle to Keefe's face. Sophie had to admit Keefe had amazingly smooth skin, along with all elves, but after Biana and Linh were done with his face, he looked even better, if that was possible.

Keefe raised a tentative finger and poked his cheek. "It's glittery!"

Biana ignored him and waved an eyeshadow palette at the boys. "Who wants to do this part?"

Tam jumped up first. "I got this."

Two minutes later Keefe's eyelids were very sparkly indeed. Sophie did a small flick of eyeliner because Biana insisted, Dex did highlighter, and Fitz went to town on the blush until Keefe really did look like a Renaissance princess. They decided his face was structured enough to forgo contour, and then Biana handed him the eyelash curler.

"This is gonna be the death of me," Keefe moaned.

"Just do it!" Linh told him.

He took a deep breath and quickly did both eyes, screeching only a few times. Biana did his mascara, then swiftly straightened his hair and swept it back until it looked more like Dex's.

"Wait," Sophie interjected, pushing the front of Keefe's hair down his forehead.

"BANGS BOY!" Tam shouted.

Dex and Fitz were laughing so hard they were wiping their eyes on their sleeves.

"I can't handle this," Keefe said, pushing his hair back up.

Biana handed Sophie a pot of lip gloss and a lip liner. "Final steps. The liner's unopened."

"You want me to do his lips?" Sophie nearly choked.

"Yeah." Biana grinned.

"Okay," Sophie slowly agreed, not sure what she was getting herself in to.