(A/N Boring name of the chapter, but it's not that bad. It's quite a good chapter, infact.)

Chapter 10: New Look

"So, what kind of haircut would you like?" Marcia asked Cashmére. Cashmére fingered at a coil of her hair.

"Short." she could hear herself answer, "Do you think it sounds like a good idéa, Marcia?"

Marcia sighed. "Guess so." she said, "How short?"

"How about shoulder-long?" Cashmére replied.

"Sounds good." Marcia said, "Ready?"

Cashmére nodded and Marcia begun to cut of the hair that had reached Cashmére to the elbow.

"Cashmére?" Marcia suddenly said while she cut Cashmére's hair.

"Mhm..."

"If you'd like, you could borrow some of my clothes." Marcia said, "I mean, if you'd want to."

Cashmére raised her eyebrows. "Really?" she wondered. Maybe Marcia didn't hate her, after all...

"Yes." Marcia answered. Cashmére smiled. Marcia continude to cut Cashmére's hair for a few minutes in silence. Cashmére sighed.

"Mar... cia?" Cashmére wondered.

"Yes?" Marcia answered.

"What do your brother think about me?" Cashmére asked. Marcia felt as if she wanted to vomit up her heart.

"Well, I guess he sort of likes you." she replied, "As a friend, sort of."

"Has he said anything about me?"

"Cashmére Tanner, are you in love with my brother?" Marcia wondered.

"No!" Cashmére exclaimed, too quickly. "Or, I mean... I, uhm."

Marcia sighed. "Cashmére, if you are in love with him... just tell him."

"Why?" Cashmére asked, "I mean, I would just embarass myself."

"You know," Marcia answered, "Speaking your mind isn't embarassing."

"Sometimes it is." Cashmére said.

"Things are only what you make them." Marcia replied.

"Guess you're right..." Cashmére sighed and they went silent again. A several minutes later, Marcia was done with Cashmére haircut. Cashmére watched her own reflection in a (quite small) mirror and admired her new haircut. It flattered her high cheekbones and heart-shaped face a lot. Marcia had done a great job.

"Thank you." Cashmére said to Marcia, and pulled a hand through her own hair.

"Cashmére..."

"Yes..?"

"Nothing." Marcia had been about to tell Cashmére that Joseph did have a crush on Cashmére, but she regretted it the last second. It was none of her buisniss. Cashmére raised her eyebrows but didn't say anything. They were silent for a few more seconds.

"What does it mean to be the ExtraOrdinary Wizard's apprentice, really?" Cashmére finally asked.

"Well..." Marcia begun and wondered what she should, and could, tell Cashmére. They spent the rest of the evening, just talking.

When Joseph came back to Endor's house, it almost was in the middle of the night. He had totally forgotten that Marcia (and Cashmére) was at Endor's house, and that he was suppoused to be there, too. Joseph hadn't realized that until he was on the boat to the Ramblings. It was quite strange that he had forgotten it, since Joseph had a quite good memory. But now- at last- he was outside Endor's door and looking for the key that Endor had hidden. For some reason, he had forgotten where she had hid it. He looked after if for a while, and finally he found it. She had hid it under a flower-pot. Joseph opend the door, and got a shock. He heard something that he hadn't heard for a long, long time; Marcia laughed. Okay, she had laghed, but not like this. Not this happily. Joseph knew that he owed that person who made Marcia laugh like that. He owed that person a lot. He looked into the main-room and expected to see Marcia and Endor sitting at the couch and talk. Shocked, he saw Marcia and Cashmére sit there and talk.
"Hi..." he said, feeling rather awkward. Marcia and Cashmére looked up at the same time.

"Hi!" Marcia said and smiled, but Cashmére seemed to be more shy. Strange. She hadn't seemed to be especially shy before.

"You know that it's quite late... right?" Joseph wondered, and Cashmére and Marcia nodded. Marcia smiled a little.

"And where have you been?" she replied.

"Forgot." he muttered.

"Forgot what?"

"You know, that we are supposed to be here, and not home." he said. Marcia snickered, and Cashmére joined in. She was kind of cute when she did like that... No. Or yes, she was, but it was stupid to think like that. Stupid.
"Jose!" Marcia said. He blinked. What had she said now, then?

"Ehm... what?" he wondered.

"Goodness, you must be tired." Marcia replied, "You should go to sleep."

"Yeah, and you should do that too." he said and Marcia did a grimace. This wasn't like her at all.

"Aren't you supposed to have lessons at Althers' tomorrow?" he almost snapped.

"Well, yes." Marcia replied and sighed. Then she yawned. "Maybe you are right, I should go to sleep."
She rubbed her eyes and stood up from the couch. "G'night." she said, and went to the room where she was supposed to be, over night.

"I should also go to sleep!" Cashmére said quickly, jumped up from the couch and rushed after Marcia.

Joseph looked after Cashmére and frowned. Had he done something wrong? She seemed jumpy. Nerveous. He would probably have to ask Marcia later on...

Selene Ramasotti had never liked her husband, Lucian. He was vain and cold, and he never did anything with her when they were alone. Nothing. They shared bedroom, but he slept with his back facing her. It was an old Snowplainian tradition to marry around the age fourteen and twenty-one, and the parents mostly chose their childrens future husband or wife. Originally, Selene came from a low-ranked family, but somehow her father had gotten contact with Arius II, Lucian's father. Selene had been seventeen- Lucian had been eighteen- at the time, and she had been very proud of that she was going to marry a Ramasotti. But the feeling of pride hadn't lasted for long. In the beginning, Lucian had been nice. He had talked to her about things that she was interested in, he had given her flowers, jewelry, sweets... He had simply been nice. But then- about a week after their wedding- he had gotten... cold. Changed. He wasn't Lucian. Not anymore. Selene sighed, and looked out her window. It was a lovely weather outside. The snow that covered the Eastern Snowplains almost eight months a year, had begun to melt away. It was spring. Lucian was in the Castle. He hadn't talked much about it, but when he had been about to leave, the air around him had been... almost electric. She sighed again, wondering what her husband was doing at the moment.

(A/N I don't want to give away any spoliers, but keep an eyeon Selene. She might be important.)