The Gate

38. Exposed

Lena Matthews

My green eyes met their own gaze in my reflection. The purple frames of my glasses outlined their stoic expression as my thoughts slowly swirled into a quiet despair. I tried to smile, but it felt fake. Mom was too preoccupied doing my hair to notice.

A freshly curled orange ringlet fell in my face and I blew it out of the way, annoyed.

"Lena!" Mom reprimanded.

I huffed, but refused to say anything. I adjusted my mint green gloves and resigned to stay still for the rest of Mom's obsessive pampering. She had probably been waiting her entire life for this. My mom was eager to see how pretty her daughter could become. Here I was, finally normal in her eyes.

She had no idea.

She had no idea that my Forbidden brand resided beneath my glove. She had no idea that instead of going to Kiara's house to help her practice for the performance tonight, I was about to visit a Forbidden murderer.

I was starting to get dizzy just thinking about what I had to do, so I stared back at my reflection to steady myself. My eyes hid nothing. They looked as terrified as I felt.

"Are we done?" I asked. I couldn't sit still anymore. I needed to be outside right now.

"Patience, Lena." said Mom gently, not a hint of urgency in her voice. She reached into a small jewelry box and pulled out a thin gold bracelet. On the inside, I could see Mom's name carved in cursive along with mine and Aurelie's. The outside of the bracelet had circles all the way around it, like screws. Mom placed my gloved hand in the center of the bracelet and clasped it shut. She grabbed what looked like a small screwdriver and locked the bracelet in place.

"Your Dad got me that after Aurelie was born." Mom explained. "You can't take it off without this." Mom playfully waved the small tool. "You have no idea how forgetful I was. I still am. He got me this because he knew I would never lose it."

"What if you lose that screwdriver thing?" I asked. "Doesn't that defeat the purpose?" I was completely disenchanted with my parent's romance now.

"I suppose." said Mom, laughing. "But would that be so bad? You'd have a bracelet that lasts forever, like a mother's love." She kissed my forehead and I immediately stood up.

"Mom." I complained.

"Right, personal space." said Mom. "You still look beautiful."

I stared at my reflection again, this time seeing the full picture. I was wearing the dress Makaya bought me, matching gloves from Jessica, and the bracelet from my mom. I looked like a new person. An important, sophisticated person. Or dryad. You could barely tell I was wearing tennis shoes underneath the dress.

"Wow." said Finn as I carefully made my way downstairs. "You look amazing."

"Shut up." I replied automatically. I was trying my hardest to not trip over the green and gold fabric.

"Pictures!" Mom announced.

"Mom." I groaned. "What happened to waiting until we got to the Academy?"

"But you look so pretty." Mom insisted. "Now smile with your brother."

"I want to be in the picture too!" Aurelie announced. She stomped downstairs in the dress she had gotten for the occasion.

"Okay!" Finn agreed. He held out his arms so Aurelie could jump up. "You know you're getting way too old for this right?" Finn asked as he adjusted Aurelie at his side. Aurelie only giggled in response.