[Opposite Plot] Pre-Play

[forhawkeye]

Everywhere I went, people stared; I could feel their eyes trailing me all day long, as though they were paparazzi for the utterly unimportant. Much to my chagrin, changing into an unassuming outfit of a purple plaid shirt and a pair of ratty jeans hadn't convinced a single person to look elsewhere. I felt uncomfortable in my own skin and, as the

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[asinglechange]

Well, this is new.

Alice tilts her head, wrinkling her nose in a perfectly ambiable way as she tries to figure out what exactly is different about Kate. It's weird, but it's probably just homesickness. "No biggie. I mean, I half walked into you as well, didn't I?"

[forhawkeye]

Alice was one of the few people I knew to be shorter than me, but that didn't make her any less intimidating. Her black hair was much more lustrous than my own and worn in short, spikey style I never could have managed. Her eyes sparkled like the darkest of sapphires and her voice, oh, her voice! Her voice was like music and wind chimes and light. Compared to her, I was a Neanderthal, lumbering away through life.

"Yes, but I should have been more careful," I said, unwilling to let her take any of the blame when the incident had so clearly been my fault. I quickly looked around us. I hoped no one saw what had happened, though knowing my luck, I wouldn't have been surprised. "God, I'm such a klutz. Are you alright?"

[asinglechange]

Arching an eyebrow, Alice felt the prickling in the back of her mind that something was off, but she has zero idea of what it is. Maybe it's just her imagination running off with the dish and the spoon.

"Totally golden. See?" She holds up her hands, displaying elbows that are in perfect condition and smiles. "In one piece. Are you feeling okay, Kate? It was just a little stumble."

[forhawkeye]

"You think I'm a freak, don't you?" I said, eyes wide with hurt as I realized that must be what she was hinting at. I wasn't surprised, of course, as I'd long thought it myself, but it didn't make it hurt any less.

[asinglechange]

"Oh God, sweetie no," she assures her, complete genuine. Wow, she's having borderline Bella flashbacks and it's not that she doesn't love Bella, but Kate is Kate and definitely not Bella. Or at least, she thought she had been. "I was just curious. You were just reminding me of Bella again, that's all."

[forhawkeye]

"Oh," I said, mollified by her response. I shifted awkwardly, folding my arms against my chest. Maybe if I made myself as small as possible, no one would pay me any mind. "What's Bella like, anyway? Prettier, I imagine."

[asinglechange]

"No, not really. She tends to dress in khaki and skirts that look like sacks. I mean, she has potential, but you use yours a lot more. Or..." Alice gives Kate a once over, fully taking in the purple flannel. "Or you normally do. Bella's sweet, but she doesn't really see the bigger picture."

[forhawkeye]

"And now you think I don't see the bigger picture either, don't you?" I surmised, my head falling forward. A curtain of dull black hair obscured my vision, for which I was grateful. It meant I could avoid Alice's judging eyes, at least momentarily.

[asinglechange]

"I never said that." This is quickly turning into a giant trap and Alice knows it. Which is why she is going to avoid it by distracting Kate with something shiny. Sliding over to the over girl, she places her arm around and beams. "What was about to say is that we should go play dress up. How does that sound? We can wow Nate with your fabulousness."

[forhawkeye]

"What fabulousness?" I asked, wondering what it was about me that made everyone want to dress me up. In that moment, I felt like an old decrepit house someone put up on the market. 'Fixer-upper,' it might advertiser.

I didn't consider myself very fixable. I was all awkward angles and big ears, and my hair was a rat's nest of curls due to the humidity.

[asinglechange]

"The fabulousness that is you, silly." Rolling her eyes, she loops her arm with Kate's and nods. "You just need a little confidence boost, and good clothes and a good de-frizzer can do wonders in that department."

[forhawkeye]

"I didn't know the island had de-frizzers," I said honestly, looking at Alice with wide eyes. I didn't think a makeover would help matters but Alice was much older than I and presumably had some degree of wisdom that I could never hope to achieve in a normal lifetime.

[asinglechange]

"I have magic fingers, amongst my other various skills. Lack of appliances won't stop me." Sure Alice hadn't been forced to deal with something as frivolous as her hair actually growing in as long as she can remember, but Rose had been all about fussing over those things for forever. A girl learned a lot from playing sister to pretty girls.

[forhawkeye]

"I thought magic didn't work here," I noted quietly, though, to my utmost chagrin, I soon realized that she had meant magic in the metaphorical sense. My cheeks burned crimson.

[asinglechange]

"It's not real magic. Not the 'oh I'm still a vampire and sparkle' magic, but like I can fix anything magic. That kind."

This is kind of turning into something of a thing. Well, back to plan A then. Oh well.

[forhawkeye]

"Right," I said, and then I pressed my lips firmly together, nodding. I stood there awkwardly for a second before I timidly added, "Uh, shall we, then?"