Chapter 7: Chapter 7

They had made a decision. But it wasn't a very good one, and Miren wasn't too excited for the whole process. It just seemed like another fuss in her life. She pressed her lips, feeling uncomfortable with the unpleasant odds.

A small wind picked up, brushing through Chara's hair. She smiled an exhilarated smile before stopping in place. "We're here." She turned to her friend. "Welcome to my humble abode. Try not to collapse from amazement."

Catching up to her friend, Miren jerked her head up, studying the house as objectively as she could. It was yellow. Of course it is, Miren thought. Yellow was the color of optimism. Chara had too much optimism. And she was trying to find some. So perhaps a short stay at the Happy House wouldn't be such a bad thing.

"You're sure your parents don't mind me staying?" Miren asked, realizing her question was overdue. Chara shook her head.

"Of course not. My mom's always wanted to meet you. Calls you a gifted academic," she said, skipping along the sidewalk to her house. "Whatever that means."

Miren nodded, feeling a little better. "Well, that settles it. Lead the way."

Walking along the sidewalk, Miren studied the ash-colored pavement and a few nicely cut shrubs lining their path. Chara wasn't being completely honest. Although the town she hailed from appeared rather dull and unimpressive, the suburbs were another story—beaming with light and an unwavering kind of hope. It felt like nothing could go wrong here. The houses were well spaced and not entirely humble looking—like a family of six could live here comfortably and in style. From what she knew, Chara appeared to be an only child. That, or she had some pretty unremarkable siblings not worth mentioning. They made it to the front entrance and Chara prodded the dark-wood door with her knuckles.

"Mom." Her raps were beginning to become impatient. "Okaasan, we're here, open up."

The was some movement behind the barrier before the door widened. A middle-aged woman about Chara's height emerged from it.

"Charolette," she said, bringing her daughter into a hug. "How have you been?"

"Good," Chara replied, a small smile cracking through her lips. "Things have been interesting."

Her mother nodded, although the expression on her face shifted. "That's good to hear." She then turned to the taller girl. "You must be Miren."

She nodded, taking the woman's hand. "Yes. Thank you for having me. Sorry to impose, especially on such short notice."

The older woman shook her head, a grin that she passed down on her daughter growing on her lips. "Nonsense," she replied, pulling Miren into a hug, "I've always looked forward to meeting the girl that has helped my Cha-chan excel," she informed her, her accent slightly showing as she beamed with pride in her daughter. "Hopefully she will be able to secure the valedictorian position as you have so far."

Miren tried not to sulk openly, feeling frustration wash over her. That was another honor stripped away from her. All courtesy of the colossal bitch.

"Besides, it's nice to have some company. With Chara's father away on business and her brother Christopher in college, it can be pretty lonely. You know, until I'm called to the E.R."

Miren nodded. At least she wasn't questioning why they were there in the first place; Chara went home just last week. "Well, thank you anyway."

The woman smiled again. Miren turned to look at the two Tachibana women. They looked like sisters, but faint laugh lines and a few cresses along Dr. Tachibana's forehead were the only significant distinction. That and the doctor's shorter black hair was fastened in a low, practical ponytail.

"What can I get for you two?" she then offered. "You must be tired and hungry."

"Actually, we just ate," Chara informed her mother. "But we'll be sure to help with dinner in a bit." Her brown eyes then skimmed to Miren. "Right now, we need to discuss some things about school."

"Well then, I won't keep you two up." Dr. Tachibana stretched a hand out to Miren. "It's a pleasure to have you."

"Thank you."

**

"It looks like you're trying to pull off my head," Miren commented, sitting down at Chara's vanity chair.

Chara sank her hands further into her hair. "I can't help it. There are just so many braids."

Miren shrugged her shoulders. Braids stayed out of her face. Out of her way.

"They're convenient."

Chara sneered. "For who?

Rolling her eyes, Miren sank into the chair, her hands busily untwisting her hair. "The more you gawk at it the longer it will take. Help me, would you?"

"Or," Chara began, pulling out scissors from her drawers. "We could cut it off. Much quicker."

Miren's eyes widened. "Cut it off?"

Chara nodded, her eyes bouncing with excitement. "Yup! We still have to shave it down, anyways."

"Shave it?"

Chara looked a bit taken back. Ironic, because she was the one who got to keep her onyx locks. "Um, yeah. We have to make you look like a boy."

Miren rolled her eyes again, but nodded. Of course we do. She wasn't particularly attached to her hair like most girls. But as Chara began cutting the braids down to her ears, she could feel the reality of this twisted situation set in. And she wasn't so sure how she felt about it.

But this wasn't about feelings. It was about security. About finding salvation. Even if it was in the worst possible place for her.

"Done," Chara said, putting down the scissors. The girls resumed unbraiding. After about half an hour, Miren's hair was in the form of a curly afro. Chara giggled.

"It be so cool to have hair like this," she said, curling her fingers in her tiny, jet-black curls. It would match her personality. "To bad it has to go."

Miren bit her lip. She felt a towel rap around her shoulders. And then the hum of a razor through the air.

She thought of calming thoughts as Chara skillfully shaved her hair. She wondered how she knew ho. She probably shaved her brother's hair. But she tried not to let the thought bother her if that wasn't the case—if Chara was just working on an "I can't do that bad of a job, can I?" impulse. Miren closed her eyes again. The razor stopped.

Chara blew against her scalp, brushing any stray hair onto the ground below them. "Yeah, maybe we should have done this in the bathroom," she commented, her eyes falling to the carpet floor. "But you might wanna take a shower. Chris tells me the stray hair can be itchy."

And it was. But Miren blocked it out for the time being. She was too busy studying her face with a look on her face that was both bafflement and excitement. "I can't believe we did this."

Her hair was cut down short, a little bit before a buzz cut, which allowed her hair to remain curly. She was a plain girl before hand—her lips weren't plump and she wasn't doe eyed. And she would have still looked soft—like a girl who just optioned for a more boyish hairstyle—but there was a natural hardness to her exterior, probably because of what she had gone through in her childhood and with Penelope. She looked perfectly androgynous.

Miren's heart started to beat at a humming bird pace. She didn't look like a boy. Was it because she knew herself too well as a female? What if she wasn't good enough? A worse thought popped into her girly head. What if I shaved my head for nothing?

Then again, she was trying to pass for a sixteen-year-old male high school student. Not The Rock.

"You actually look really good!" Chara exclaimed. "I'd say you look pretty, but somehow I think that would hurt your feelings."

It would, actually. And it was strange. But there were more important problems at hand than hurt feelings. Miren tried not to tense up as she stared at herself, hoping each passing second would transform her into the male she was trying to pass as. Her dark brown skin was more radiant without the distraction of long hair. Which seemed to to defeat the purpose of her makeover.  "Do I look like a boy?"

"Hmm..." Chara hummed, studying the girl's face in the mirror. She dropped down in a slight crouch, lightly tipping Miren's face up toward the light. Then to the left. The right. Up again. Down.

"Could you please just answer me?" Miren closed her eyes. She was getting antsy.

"Hold on." Chara moved to Miren's suitcase. "Where are your glasses?"

"On the outside pocket," she replied. In a few moments, Chara brought the bifocals to her eyes. They were purple.

"Shit." Chara bit her lip. "You look even more like a girl."

Miren's heart plunged to her stomach.