— Professor Alben Trask, “Practical Applications of Modern Medicine,” page 141
The girl standing before Emily in the mirror was a strange, foreign creature.
It hadn’t been seen before how much she had changed in the last six months. Lux and her friends were right, though; she was pathetically thin and pale. Her cheeks were beginning to hollow, and her eyes were tired. She had felt normal in her ragged clothes, like just another street beggar scraping by. It had helped her blend into the crowd of Outer Peccatum, made her invisible to most. But now, dressed in something nice, everything stood out like a sore thumb.
She hated the way the dress hung off her, the way it revealed how much of a mess she was. Bathing wasn’t a delicacy when you were living in the alleys of Outer Peccatum. You could take a dip in the rivers and canals, sure, but the water was toxic, laced with bacteria. She was lucky she didn’t contract anything the few times she had dipped into the water. As a result of it, her hair had become a sticky, matted tangle of clumps and knots. It was heavy, greasy, and made her look like some savage amazonian. The boys were right, she didn’t look like a girl at all. Next to Lux, she looked hideous. Lux, who had hips and curves instead of sharp bones and hollow skin.
What had happened to her? Why did it have to happen to her? She knew the answers, but she didn’t want to accept them. Queen Lockhart had done this to her, turned her into this street rat. All she had wanted was a normal life, a life where she could be what she wanted, a life where she didn’t have to constantly look over her shoulders. She had taken it from her. She had taken her life and turned her family into monsters.
Emily squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath. She had to believe things would get better. One day, she would look in the mirror and not hate what she saw. Right? She had to believe that. She was going to make things right. She was going to avenge her family, her friends, and everyone lost in Pillio’s Watch. It wasn’t going to be easy, but she had to do it.
If not for them, then for herself.
Later that evening, Mina came to the washroom with a brush in one hand and a pair of scissors in the other. She moved a stool in front of the mirror and had Emily sit on it. Mina then came to stand behind her and attempted to run the brush through her hair. The first stroke caught immediately, yanking painfully at Emily’s scalp and causing her to yelp.
Mina pulled back. “Sorry.” She tried again, this time holding Emily’s head against her stomach to keep her steady, but it didn’t help much. Mina struggled against each stroke. The brush battled against the tangled knots and grime, but it was getting nowhere. By Mina’s fifth attempt, Emily’s scalp was burning. They were left with only one choice.
Emily sat still, barely breathing as the first snip rang through the quiet room. The sound was harsh, like shearing through stiff wool. One of the matted clumps landed on Emily’s shoulder, and she hesitantly picked it up. It felt like a ball of fused, stringy candy; hard and tangled, and coated in grease. She tried peeling it apart but it stuck together, leaving her fingers slick and damp with something she couldn’t wipe away no matter how hard she tried.
Mina continued cutting, and all Emily could do was watch as a pair of floating clothes and scissors cut her hair in the reflection of the mirror. It was admittedly entertaining to see. Mina herself was all but invisible, yet her outfit remained, moving around like a puppet on strings. As another strand of hair fell onto her shoulder though, Emily couldn’t help but wonder something.
“Mina?”
“Hm?”
“How do you maintain your hair when you can’t see yourself?”
“I just run a brush through it,” she said simply.
Emily chuckled. “Okay, but you know what I mean.”
“Its gotten easier since more mirrors are backed by aluminum now.”
“This one isn’t?”
“Hold still.” Mina quickly snapped Emily’s head back into place. “Silver is a common weakness for monsters. Makes us weak, slows us down, burns our skin, and it doesn’t reflect us.”
Emily tilted her head slightly. “Why have a mirror made of silver then—OW!”
Mina had pulled too hard trying to cut through a stubborn knot. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Emily muttered, rubbing her head.
“This is just an older mirror,” Mina explained.
Emily fell quiet again, awkwardly shifting in her seat. Now that she thought about it, aluminum mirrors had been around for almost thirty years, at least according to her mother, and Mina didn’t even look that old. She would never say it to her face, but despite how pretty her hair was, Mina herself wasn’t particularly beautiful, not in the way many noble women are. She wasn’t delicate or polished, and she didn’t have flawless skin or soft features. The scars on her face distorted her expression just enough to look slightly off. In the few times she had seen Mina smile, it made her face rather unpleasant. There had to be a story behind each scar. If Mina could heal from essentially every type of wound, how did she get them? Emily’s eyes landed on the massive ‘X’ shaped scar covering Mina’s right cheek. Would she end up with scars like that? If she did… would her face look like Mina’s?
Emily hadn’t wanted to become a monster hunter in the first place, and the thought of ending up scarred because of it did nothing to convince her otherwise.
Mina had cut away the last of the greasy clumps. Emily hesitated before turning her head from side to side, taking in the damage. It was short. Much shorter than she had expected. Uneven. Choppy. A spiky mess, still coated in grime.
“It’s…”
“I’m not finished.” She began trimming and shaping it into something a little less chaotic. “What were you and Lux talking about?” she then asked calmly.
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“Hm?” Emily peered at her through the reflection. “Oh, just catching up. She was my best friend back in Pillio’s Watch. I thought she died.”
“I don’t want you spending time with her.”
Emily furrowed her brows. “Why?”
“I just don’t want you to.”
“But… she’s my friend.”
“And a distraction. An insufferable one at that.”
“Lux isn’t—”
“Emily,” Mina said firmly.
She went quiet.
“Your life depends on your training. I don’t need you spending time around people like her.”
Emily frowned. People like her?
Finally, the last cut was made. Mina set the scissors down beside a razor in the sink, then stepped back to assess her work. “You’ll need to wash it first.”
Emily hopped off the stool. She barely looked like herself, but maybe that was a good thing. This was supposed to be her fresh start, right? A new home, a new life, a new look to match. So why did it feel like she was losing something instead? Why did it feel so wrong?
“Take your time,” Mina said after drawing the bath. “Scrub it hard. If you need me, just call.” With that, she stepped out, leaving Emily alone. For a long time, she just stood there, brushing her fingers against the rough, uneven stubble at the back of her head. It hadn’t all been cut away, but some parts of it were shorter than others. It was like someone had taken the girl she used to be and peeled her away, leaving this behind. But maybe it wasn’t too bad?
Emily dipped into the bath and soaked as the warm water enveloped her, the heat seeping into her bones to soothe her aches and bruises.
Everything had changed so fast. Days ago, she was on the run, scrounging for food, but now she was here. She was clean, safe, well fed. She had a bed, a roof to sleep under, fresh clothes. So why did it feel like she was drowning? She should be happier. This was everything she needed. Her parents were alive, Lux was alive, and she finally had a chance to get back at the monsters who took her life from her. Emily shut her eyes and tilted her head back against the rim of the tub. She didn’t know how to feel. There were so many emotions, all tangled up inside her. Joy, fear, sadness, relief, guilt, nervousness. She felt grateful that she had survived, that Mina had saved her, and that she had a chance to be something more. But the person to help her there was the very type of creature she was trying to kill. She had never wanted to be a monster hunter, and yet, she needed to be one.
Emily’s eyes drifted to the water, watching the way it shimmered in the dim light. She imagined a different reflection staring back at her. Not the frail girl she was now, but a monster hunter. A warrior. A hero. She wasn’t there yet. She wasn’t sure if she even wanted to be there. But she was at the beginning of something, and whether she liked it or not, her story had already started.
Emily dried off and braced herself before staring into the mirror again. Her hair was short. Very short. It looked like boy’s hair. It had been a mess before, but at least it had been long. Now, it didn’t even pass the nape of her neck.
Emily turned slightly, taking in her reflection from the side. The cut was uneven, rough around the edges, but clean. It was no longer tangled into thick, greasy clumps. She ran her fingers through it experimentally. It was soft and light. It felt nice, but it didn’t feel nice.
Her gaze drifted lower. She had always known she was thin, but seeing herself like this just put everything into perspective. Her ribs were visible, her arms too narrow, and her wrists too small. She hesitantly wrapped a hand around one, and her fingers easily meet thumb to forefinger. She was going to have to bulk up. There wasn’t a chance in hell she’d survive like this. She knew she could change, that her hair would grow back, but right now, standing here in the dim light, she couldn’t help but feel like a frail little boy.
Emily dressed quickly into her new nightgown, eager to cover up the sight of herself. When she looked again, fully clothed, she hardly recognized the person staring back. She wasn’t a grimy street rat anymore.
She was Emily.
Just Emily.
And for the first time, she wasn’t sure if that made her feel relieved or afraid.
Mina was waiting for her in the living room, adjusting the couch cushions in the light of a gas lamp. The vampire glanced up at Emily as she entered the room, tilting her head slightly.
Emily hesitated under the scrutiny, shifting awkwardly before hugging her arm. “What do you think?”
Mina was silent for a moment. Then, instead of answering, she asked, “How do you feel?”
Emily blinked. How did she feel? Her fingers curled into the fabric of her sleeves. There were a dozen answers swirling in her head. Better, worse, different, strange, lighter, smaller, but none of them quite fit. “…Better,” she finally said. “I guess.”
Mina studied her a moment longer. “You look better.”
Emily glanced up sharply. “You… think I do?”
Mina simply nodded, then turned back to the couch, adjusting one of the blankets. “I don’t have anywhere else for you to sleep, so you’ll have to stay on the couch. I finished washing the cushions earlier. Might still be a little damp, but they’ll do.”
Emily sat on the makeshift bed. “Thank you… for all of this.”
Mina nodded again. “Now, some ground rules. Most importantly, I don’t want you outside after dark. It’s when vampires are at their strongest.”
“You think one will find me here?”
“I doubt it, but it’s for your own safety. Unless I’m with you, you’re in here come sundown.”
Emily nodded. Seemed like a simple enough rule to follow.
“Another thing; you remain down here.”
Emily looked past Mina to where the stairs were. “I can’t go upstairs?”
“I don’t want you up there. Everything you need is down here.”
She nodded in agreement. “Alright.”
“I’ll give you a few more days to rest and recover. After that, we’ll begin training.”
“Alright,” Emily said again. “Can I ask you something?”
“What?”
“Why don’t you like Lux?”
In an instant, it was like someone had pulled a mask over Mina’s face. She went quiet for a moment, taking in a deep breath. “They talked about Violet?”
“Yeah…”
“Mhm.” Mina crossed her arms. “Before Lux came to Cresthill, that group was already trouble. Have been for years. She only made things worse. From what I gathered her parents are more traditional.”
“Yeah…” Emily said again.
“There’s nothing wrong with Violet. Elves can just be hateful, they always have been to her. I don’t need that influence rubbing off on you too.”
“I know Lux can be… well, Lux, but she’s still my friend. I grew up with her back in Pillio’s Watch.”
“The people you think you need now won’t be there when it counts.”
“I know but… I thought she was dead, and I have her back now. I just want to spend time with her. Training is going to be hard, I know, but a break every now and then wouldn’t hurt, right?” She met Mina’s gaze, and the longer she stared, the more Mina seemed to relax. She uncrossed her arms and let out another sigh.
“Vampires only need to sleep once every few days. Maybe on those occasions you can see her. If you’re not falling behind on your training, and if I don’t hear you talking like them.”
Emily smiled a bit. “I promise.”
Mina turned the gas lamp off, shrouding the living room in a thick blanket of darkness. Emily’s eyes widened as Mina’s figure melted into the shadows. Not even her snow-white hair stood out. The only light came from upstairs, and it was in that light Emily watched Mina’s blackened silhouette shift around. “Get some rest,” Mina repeated before retreating upstairs.
Emily stared before lying down. She let out a long, tired sigh. She wanted to sleep, but her mind was still buzzing. There was so much to take in, it was hard to process it all. She wanted to smile, but something was holding her back. Emily glanced back towards the stairs before that light too was snuffed out. Mina had been nothing but kind and truthful to her, yet a feeling deep in her gut told her she was keeping secrets, or at the very least, hiding things from her. There were so many questions she wanted to ask that she could tell she wouldn’t get answers to. But one way or another though, she was going to discover what they were.
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