"Look! I'm not allowed to tell you anything, but right now, we are not very safe. I need to make sure I deliver you safely to those who can keep you safe," Yuan replied after a long pause, her lips set into a thin line.
"We are in danger? How not safe are we?"
"Don't worry about that, Liya. Focus on yourself, and I'll worry about the rest,"
But Aaliyah had so many questions. She tried to settle her mind but she was beginning to freak out. The things that were happening these days did not seem ordinary, and she was afraid that she had kept lucking out on everything.
What would happen when her luck runs out?
"I'm done," Yuan announced, but Aaliyah was not so interested in how she looked anymore. She just wanted to be back inside the walls of the mansion.
"How far away are we...from Windmill Falls?" She whispered.
"We'll have to take a plane to get back there. And since we can't get a plane now, let's get to the people who own a plane,"
Aaliyah nodded.
"Good," Yuan nodded back, "Now all we need is a dress and a shoe."
They went into another room and there were so many gorgeous dresses that Aaliyah's jaw dropped. It wasn't just dresses, there were bags and shoes and so many accessories.
Yuan picked out a simple red dress for Aaliyah and asked her to try it on. It came with large straps and stopped around the ankle so Yuan thought it was the perfect dress and Aaliyah would feel comfortable in it. For shoes, Aaliyah opted for something simple and Yuan gave her a red and beautiful slipper that went well with the dress.
For herself, Yuan took out a blue dress and a heel and they both changed.
Yuan was the first to come out, looking ready. Her hair had been combed and she had already applied some make-up.
Aaliyah came out a minute later, staring with disbelief, "How did you get ready so fast?"
"I have my ways. It's not my first time,"
Aaliyah tried not to look too much, but she kept glancing every two seconds. Yuan was insanely pretty with her full cheeks whenever she smiled and a white set of teeth. The make-up made her big eyes stand out even more, making Aaliyah wonder about herself again.
It made her look at the mirror in front of them. The Red dress only revealed her neck and collarbone, but everywhere else was well covered. Her face appeared more striking, and her lips were now a pretty pink.
As Aaliyah admired so little about herself, she caught Yuan's eyes in the mirror.
"You look beautiful," Aaliyah confessed.
"You're breathtaking," Yuan whispered back almost immediately and stepped behind Aaliyah, taking off the towel that was still wrapped around her head.
Her hair fell down her back in ringlets and in curls, bouncing as they fell. Yuan thought Aaliyah's hair was so blonde they were almost whitish, a natural blonde.
Aaliyah rolled her eyes but didn't say anything.
"How do you see yourself, Aaliyah?" Yuan asked, stepping in front to add a few touches, "As you stare at yourself in the mirror, what do you see?"
"I see myself,"
"In what way?"
"In a normal way,"
"When I saw you look at yourself, I saw disappointment and disgust in your eyes. When I saw you look at me, I saw Jealousy and admiration. Your eyes always twinkle whenever we lock eyes, and I saw you avoid the mirror many times while I was wearing your makeup. I hope it's not what I think it is," Yuan paused to take in a deep breath, "Once again, I am obliged to make you give me a detailed account of your entire life so I can maybe understand why you think you're ugly, Liya,"
Aaliyah's toes curled.
"Yes, you're Ugly," Yuan said.
Aaliyah's face crumbled.
"You should have slapped me when I said that. Or better still, slapped me twice on both cheeks. You know why?"
Aaliyah bit her lips.
"I'm not allowed to say that to you. I have no business looking down on you, or ridiculing you. You get to say how and what you look like. Aaliyah," Yuan grabbed both her shoulders and squeezed, staring her deeply in the eyes, "Even if you happened to be the ugliest person on this planet, no one has the right to see you as an ugly person unless you accept that you're ugly. If you throw your clothes on the floor and leave it there, no matter how beautiful it is, I'm gonna take it as a rag and start stepping on it. But even if it is the most hideous cloth ever and you fold it up and keep it nicely, I would think it is very precious and beautiful,"
Aaliyah was beginning to tremble.
"See yourself in a new light. Everything begins with you, and no one's gonna do it for you. And Baby girl, whoever told you you're ugly, has to get his eyes checked because you're down-to-earth. That is what I thought the minute I first saw you"
.
.
.
Just like before, they snuck around the city to get to their Venue. Yuan had snuffed out some cash from the house they'd been in earlier, and the ladies had gotten into a cab to get to their destination quicker.
Yuan kept looking out the window every five seconds, making Liya even more worried about this...danger that was after them.
The Cab dropped them a few blocks away from the place and they sniveled around and finally got to the place. From the outside, Aaliyah could see beautiful people getting down from expensive cars and walking into what seemed a Grand house. There were stairs in front of the house, covered with red carpets.
Huge menacing-looking men stood at each end of the stairs, watching everyone who was going in. The people that had just alighted from a limo had what seemed like an invitation card at hand, and a simple wave of it at the bouncers and they walked up the stairs.
"Follow me," Yuan instructed.
"Do we have an invitation?" Aaliyah whispered as she followed closely behind, trying her best to behave like she belonged.
Yuan stopped in front of one of the bouncers and pulled down her sleeve a bit. Aaliyah couldn't see what it was, but the bouncer gave a curt nod and Yuan took Aaliyah's hand to go up the stairs.
"Does she have an invitation?" The bouncer cracked out, making Aaliyah almost jump.
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