"Rei, are you sure you want to do this?"
"Look Abi, you know who my father is. Everyone does in the city. They'll be looking for the 'Lost Heiress' and one tell tale sign they 'found her' is my hair."
"But it's so pretty and shiny."
"And it needs to be gone, chop chop."
Abigail complied and several minutes later, Rei was looking at herself in the mirror, where a layered cut reached her mid neck, her long braid gone.
"Hold on, let me style it a little." That voice came from Hayley, who had overheard Rei asking Abigail for some haircut help. She couldn't help but be nosy (especially when a makeover was about to happen) but as she expertly twirled Rei's short strands around her curling iron, Rei was thankful for her eavesdropping.
"Okay, you're perfect. Now time to make you punk." Abigail started digging fishnets out of her drawers.
"That'll be the furthest thing from who you are now, right?" Hayley asked.
Rei must have looked hurt because she quickly amended herself; "I mean that in a nice way. Okay, right now you're like wholesome farmer girl who plants tomatoes. No one would look for that, but they're definitely not looking for punk princess."
"Thanks Hayley." Rei said dryly. Although, she did admire her handiwork. A short haircut was something she had always wanted to get done. But her stylist, her father and her ex all had told her it wasn't part of the brand. No, she had to have long shiny hair, expertly curled or straightened, nothing out of place. This haircut was rough around the edges, and she leaned into that as she drew winged eyeliner on.
"Alright, Operation Disguise Rei Phase One: Complete. Begin Phase Two: Outfits." Abigail was taking this way too seriously. Apparently Hayley was as well, as Rei watched the two of them bicker over what she should wear.
"Heeeey laaadi-holy shit Rei, your hair!" Sam was eloquent as always.
"It's my city disguise…"she twirled a lock around her finger nervously, "What do you think?"
"You look like you're gonna take on some monsters!"
"Sam cut it out with the anime references! You're using microagressions!"
"Agh Abi stop hitting me, I'm sorry Rei, didn't mean to offend, I promise I'll work on that. I meant that you look really fucking cool, right Seb?" He nudged Sebastian, who up until this moment had done nothing but feel his throat dry.
She had her short hair, eyeliner, a few fake piercings in her ears, courtesy of Abi, and was wearing ripped jeans, black boots and a distressed t-shirt. Bracelets wound up her arms, and a necklace with a strange rune pendant was around her neck.
"You'll still be a farm princess in my heart." He said mockingly, opting for sarcasm over what he really wanted to say. She was hot. That was it. He lit a cigarette trying to appear nonchalant, missing her eye roll and smirk.
They piled into Jodi's old van, and headed out with Sam driving, Abigail in passenger, and Sebastian and Rei taking up the backseat. As they left the last signs pointing towards Pelican Town, Rei felt herself tense up. She quietly counted all the stars she could see out of the window when she felt someone grab her hand.
"It'll be fine Rei." Sebastian said, giving her hand a little squeeze. She gave him a half smile, and he thought that she was getting exceedingly good at that.
The city was as she remembered: dirty, noisy and way too full of people. Yet after checking into their shoddy motel rooms, and making their way to a cool arcade bar, Rei found herself relaxing alongside her friends. No one paused at her face, no one popped out of the alleyways waiting to take her picture, and because the hotel rooms were under Abigail and Sam, no one recognized her.
She was free! At least, she was nobody! And she was damn happy about it.
"You look like you've lightened up a bit."
It was Abigail, holding a cocktail out to her.
"Your disguise is working."
Abigail grinned her shit-eating grin once more. "Told ya so. Anyways, were you even that popular that you had people recognizing you all the time?"
Just then a commercial ran on the TV above the bar. Rei's face, her long luxurious hair, and a bottle of expensive shampoo stared back at her and Abigail.
"Okaaaayyy, point taken. Geez, model much?"
"Ugh, stop." Rei took her drink as a shot and began to wave to the bartender for another.
"It's fine, I'm only a little jealous. What happened anyways?"
"Nothing, I was just…tired of it all."
"Well I demand an autograph."
"Ha. Ha." Rei said, grabbing her next drink and pulling Abigail away from the bar and the television. She was just thankful that the bartender didn't recognize her.
They all played a few arcade games, drank a little more and went to a late night pizza shop that Rei used to go to, disguised under a hoodie and sunglasses at 1 am so long ago.
In the hotel room that night, Abigail paused on her way to the shower.
"Do the guys know about you? Does…Sebastian know?"
"Why would they? And….why would Sebastian need to know?" Rei studied her face, Abigail seemed to be thinking really hard.
"Just that, he might want to know, you know?"
Rei stared at her a little longer but Abigail apparently thought she had said too much and abruptly made for the shower.
Later, Rei lay on her side, listening to Abigail's soft snores. Frustrated, she snuck out of bed and grabbed the room key. The pool was on the ground floor, their level, so she quietly made her way towards it. No one was there, perfect.
Stripping of her nightclothes and standing in a black bra and panties, she executed a perfect dive and enjoyed the feeling of water rushing over her. It was no pond or beach like back in Pelican Town, but it was relieving nonetheless.
She hadn't expected Sebastian to be standing there with a cigarette looking all for the world embarrassed when she surfaced.