Caged in Darkness by J. D. Stroube Read Free Book Online

never going to let us live this down,
you know.” Willow whispered, nodding in Izzy’s direction. “Maybe we
should at least pretend that this is torture.”
    I snickered. “She’ll never buy it. Besides
if we do that, we can never come back or she would suspect.” I
shrugged. “Did your dad give you enough money to afford this
place?”
    I knew that Willow’s parents didn’t have a
lot of money; a fact that she was embarrassed about with anyone
other than me.
    “I think so. I’ll just make sure I pick
something that I can afford. If I have to, I’ll wear something I
already own.” When I started to offer to cover the difference,
Willow covered my mouth with her hand. “No. I do not accept
charity. Do not even think of offering what I know you were about
to offer. It’s too tempting and would just make me feel guilty
later.”
    “Fine, suit yourself, but if you end up with
an outfit you hate because it was the only thing you could afford,
don’t take it out on me.” I stuck my tongue out at her before
signaling a sales lady.
    A slightly irritable sales woman escorted us
to changing rooms. Izzy perched against the room across from mine
and delivered the expected exclamations of pleasure at seeing each
of us in a wide range of gothic clothing.
    While in the dressing room, I examined
myself in the assorted outfits. Usually, I avoided mirrors. When I
first came to live with Maye and saw my skeleton frame, I decided
it was pointless to assess my image. When I bought my clothes, it
was usually at Goodwill, thrift stores or garage sales. Those
places did not come equipped with a dressing room.
    I wore a long black skirt that hung to my
ankles and had a slit on my right leg that reached the highest
point of my thigh. The waist of the skirt ended in a V shape
beneath my naval. The top matched the skirts style perfectly. Its
sleeves hung off my shoulder like drapes that layered down my
bicep. My midriff was barred to an inch beneath my breasts.
    I knew I had matured over the years but was
surprised to see a perfect hourglass figure with a strong flat
belly. My black hair hung in natural waves around my face and fell
to the middle of my back. The light brought out my natural blue
highlights. My eyes were captivating. The violet surrounding the
iris was the same, but the silver was more prominent. I was
surprised to see that my features complimented one another.
    My beauty had been passed to me from my
mother. I was almost sixteen and never compared my physique to
hers, but I could see the similarities. Ordinarily, I would contain
my mass amount of hair in a butterfly claw or ponytail. It was rare
for my hair to be loose, and even rarer for me to wear clothing
that showed my body to its advantage. I wanted to be attractive,
but I wasn’t sure it was worth the cost if the coven began to
associate me with my parents.
    Would Maye love me less if she saw my mother
looking back at her? Would Ash think less of me if I began dressing
like every other teenage girl? Would Willow be disappointed that I
had succumbed to the teenage stereotype my worth is judged by my
beauty? Would I think differently of myself?
    I promised Izzy I would buy a dress to wear
to the bonfire and I promised Maye that I would buy a flattering
wardrobe. One of my many rules is to always keep a promise, which
means that regardless of the answers to my questions; I would buy
the clothes and would ignore the consequences until they presented
themselves. I gazed in the mirror a final time, and realized that I
would never be comfortable showing my midriff.
    When the three of us left the store we
carried more bags than I would have thought possible. Willow fell
in love with an outfit that was slightly out of her price range.
She allowed me to pay for the difference as an early birthday
present, since I usually spent more on her anyhow. She reasoned
that this way I was actually spending less money on her. I bought
more clothes than I owned in my entire life, and