If ever there was a time when I wanted Nessa to die, this was it. I had to restrain myself from yelling obscenities as I glanced at myself in the bathroom mirror. I was furious! I was inconsolable. This is not at all what I intended when I consented to changing my appearance. I reluctantly agreed to short hair, not short blonde curly hair. As I held the hair, the frizziness overwhelmed me, and my eyes widened. What should I do with this matted jumble? I've never had hair that was anything other than black, let alone blonde or curly blonde. My hair has never taken color well. Every effort fell short. It also failed to curl. How did Nessa behave? My eye color was another thing that made me want to cry out loud. My eyes were dark; why? It was clear that the woman in front of the mirror was not Ava, and I suddenly felt confused about who I was. I resembled my mother in every way! Sharp black eyes and blonde hair in curls. I groaned heavily since I wasn't sure I liked how similar they looked. At least my face continues to appear the same. Whenever I catch that witch! The numerous bruises that covered my normally perfect skin stood out as another thing. There were purple-blue gashes all around. I noticed more bruises on my tummy and thighs when I slid out of the yellow dress I was wearing. By the moon, I don't recall ever having bruises this horrible, even when I was brutally battered during training. Did she somehow force Aiden to assault me? I undress, paying close attention to the two daggers I had concealed between my legs and secured in place by thigh straps on either side while I do so. I also removed the one I had meticulously concealed within my bra. I can't seem to locate a place in the toilet that is sufficiently out of sight yet still close by for me to hide them. I'm relieved that my three daggers didn't protrude from my thighs while I was unconscious as my fingers wrapped around them. Sincerely, I'm baffled as to how they didn't. I might have been apprehended. I then noticed it. the wardrobe hanging next to the mirror. When I finally got to it, I hid two of my daggers between the wall and the medium-sized hanging cabinet. The top of the cabinet was kept in place by a single nail, while the bottom was supported by a piece of horizontal wood fastened to the wall. Two of my daggers were finally tucked away, and after making sure they were safe, I thought about slicing the mattress and shoving everything inside but decided against it. No, I reasoned, that's riskier. I clutched the thigh straps to my chest and concentrated more on the last dagger and the thigh straps. I'm not going to release this dagger. She goes by the name Slash since she slashes a lot and has been doing so for the past four years. After I finished training, graduated as the top trainee in my class, and became a fully dedicated Assassin, Mak, the Leader gave me my trusty blade, Slash, as a gift. Before realizing that, yep, I no longer have hair, I make the decision to try to conceal Slash and the thigh straps in my hair. I'm grateful, Nessa. When I enter the water to take a bath, they are both kept under the mat. I was given an herbal bath by Tinley. Even rose petals are present in the water, which has a lovely scent. She claimed that the water's ingredients would permeate my skin and treat my wounds. There is simply no chance in hell that your girl's skin will stay this way forever, so they'd best do that. Absolutely not. My entire body begins to relax as I sigh louder and lower my head into the water. I haven't been this calm in weeks. I have to take a bath like this every night, whatever Tinley puts in the water. I lean my head against the bathtub and think of a question to ask. I closed my eyes. "Rose?!" Mommy screams at me while grabbing hold of my arm and pushing me into her. My head was hurting from crying for so long that I also began to yell. "Do you realize how concerned I have been about you?" She struck me on the back, and I shouted harder, drawing the attention of those who were standing around the pond, but despite everyone's attention being drawn to us, nobody intervened. "I looked everywhere for you for two hours like a madwoman, and you were here!" She knelt down and seized both of my arms, her black eyes burning with rage. I kept crying, getting tears all over my dress. "Why did you flee?" I said through sobs, "You and Daddy were fighting again," terrified to enrage Mom and get me rattled. "So?" She scooped me up after I sobbed more. I yelled out in unending tears, "Daddy said he only stayed with you because of me, and if I wasn't here, he wouldn't be either, and he wishes I wasn't born," and my mother froze. As she began to touch my hair, she spoke the word "shhh" in my ear. I continued to sob. I gazed at the gold necklace she always wore as she yanked me away from her shoulder to look into my eyes. She straddled me on her hip and kissed me while wiping away my tears, but I couldn't stop sobbing. "Daddy loves you, sweetie, and I love you too," she added. She continued to wipe away my tears while grinning at me. "My little rock, your dad is frantically searching the city for you. His little princess is loved by him. Of course, he and your mother love you as well," she said as she kissed my cheeks. I stopped crying. "But then, Mommy, why would he say terrible things to you about me? And why did you strike your father, mommy? I questioned myself while continuing to sneeze and wipe my eyes with my palms. She gave a small frown. "My darling moon, he was simply angry. Rose, my little rock, just because grownups quarrel and say bad things occasionally doesn't mean that your parents still adore you. Princess, you are our moon. Please don't leave us again. I immediately get out of the bathtub when the doorbell rings, snapping me out of my six-year-old flashback. Are you still taking a bath? Through the door, Tinley can be heard. I reply, realizing that I fell asleep and was experiencing childhood flashbacks. "Yeah, but I will be done soon." Those horrible memories occasionally resurface in my thoughts. I shook my head and tried to forget about them. "Okay. Since you've been in there for a while, I was just checking in on you," Tinley said before moving away from the door. I wiped my body down with a big towel that was hanging on the wall after swiftly washing off all the dirt, especially from my feet. I then grabbed my dress and underpants into my arms after removing them from the ground. I made the choice to leave the dagger and thigh straps under the enormous carpet and return to grab them after Tinley left. Tinley was sitting on the bed with the previous girl when I opened the door to the neighboring bedroom. They each raised an eyebrow at me. "Oh well, you're finished! For you, I packed some clothing. Indigo, please take her garments," the girl I now know as Indigo approaches and extends her hands. I give her my soiled garments with reluctance. She gets her moniker from the indigo hue in her blue eyes. Additionally, they appear to broaden a little as Tinley smiles slightly and inappropriately as she holds up my bra and underwear. Indigo turns around to walk back next to Tinley while folding my yellow dress around my undergarments. Her dark auburn hair jingles from side to side as she moves and hangs directly above her hips. She is young. She might be sixteen or seventeen, in my opinion. She is also quite thin. She is slim, even when wearing large clothing. Given how she was looking at my clothes, I am tempted to inquire about what's wrong but decide against it. Being quieter will make me seem more naive because I'm still new here. Indigo merely smiles next to Tinley as she stands and adds, "I didn't know what style of clothes you'd like or color, so I just brought one of each." I stare at her long, black shawl and wonder how it isn't sliding off. clothing design? I check out Tinley's big blue and white striped outfit and Indigo's odd tunic, slacks, and shawl unconsciously. If anything, they both appear overdressed. "Er, no problem. Tinley, you are not required to give me your old clothing. You can just wash mine, and I'll put them back on since I wouldn't want to be a burden on you," I tell her. "No!" She shouts. "These are definitely not my old clothes!" It is against the rules in this pack to lend someone used clothing. Only the less fortunate or orphans are eligible to receive them; we are not permitted to offer worn clothing to anyone else, especially visitors. It's unethical in our eyes. These outfits are all brand new! In case other packs' visitors arrive, we always have fresh clothing on hand. I glance at the bed's neatly folded laundry. The top white one sticks out, but my greatest fear is what is in store for me when I put on these new outfits. We want you to be comfortable, so if you don't like these clothes, I can take you to the tailor, and she'll stitch you something different that you like. I don't know how long you will stay with us before my cousin finds your family, but we want you to be comfortable. Yeah, Tinley, I don't think your seamstress would be down for making gowns that focused more on my boobs and hips than anything else or slacks that left my ass open to anyone's imagination, but at least you acknowledge that your outfits are ludicrous. I appreciate your nuanced honesty. In order for her to understand that I am upset when she mentions my condition, I jerkily frown. Even though there aren't many options and we only wear three colors here, I'm confident she'll find something for you. She's quite good," I say while nodding but scowling. What three colors? I ask. Blue, white, and black. The lovely moon is reflected in them. Although little boys can wear yellow and little girls pink, I nod in agreement. This is crazy. Tinley and Indigo exchange glances. "I'm aware that you might find it odd. You'll get used to it because guests frequently do. It's just been our tradition for as long as anyone can remember, Tinley says, and I can tell by the expression on her face that she's had this discussion a few times before. She and Indigo exchange eyes once more as I say, "Okay," and then I sit down. How are you feeling now? I nod as Tinley asks. She likewise nods. "Don't leave this room, okay? My cousin said you should take it easy for a few days because you're hurt. I nod once more, and they say farewell and go away. Indigo and I will bring dinner up to you. Am I being held captive here or something? What does she mean when she says to stay in this room? I sigh and tumble backwards, allowing some of the clothing to spill out. I made the decision to peruse them. When I do, an immediate headache overtakes me. Two oversized white shirts, a long black pinafore, a large blue and white polka dot dress, two loose-fitting white tunics, one with a row of buttons down the middle and the other without, two blue and white loose-fitting tunic pants, and two shawls, one blue and one white too, with white beads sewn on the blue shawl, are also included. I was so shocked when I saw the underpants that I almost passed out. The bra is totally out of date! It is entirely cotton, without any lace, and just has a very thin layer of cushioning. For god's sake, have these guys never heard of push-ups? They can't all be so wealthy that they don't need a little assistance, can they? Or are they only indifferent? Indigo was undoubtedly not gifted after all. Tinley seems to be acting oddly! Your pals are the pushups! Even more disappointing are the pants. Simply put, these are extremely high-waisted granny pants. And to top it all off, they added long white or black stockings to complete the look. Of course, there are only two colors available for the bra and pants. Indigo's bewilderment at seeing my red lace underwear is understandable. Obviously, sexiness doesn't exist in this pack. How even does one get laid around here? Ah, I see. They don't. They think that mate bonds exist. Such foolish people I drop once again onto the bed, wondering how the hell I got myself into this situation.