Grace walked into the office. She took a sip of her cup of coffee before throwing the plaid skirt over Dennis’ Desk. “What’s wrong with this?”
Dennis took the skirt and stared at it. “Is it the wrong size?”
Grace grimaced and looked him up and down. “How long have you been studying fashion?”
“One year…”
“And in the one year, who taught you that skirt only has one hole?”
Denise snatched the skirt, realizing he had sown up the bottom. “I will fix this, I swear.”
“You know, perhaps you should stash away the extra whisky while doing your tasks at home,”
“Sorry, Miss Dupont,”
Grace walked past everyone else, watching as they were all sowing in a hurry. After all, they had been assigned to make all the clothes for a recent play. She had been behind all the designs. Now she was fixing all the messes as well. She might as well be running a bloody school class, not a team group. Grace sat down in front of her desk, starting to check the schedules of everyone. The majority have completed their tasks, and now they are working on the edits she sent them. Some had to start from scratch and some…
Grace looked up as someone placed a flower at her desk. She looked up to see Gwen. “For my bestie,”
“What did you do?”
“Nothing, nothing at all,” Gwen took a seat in the chair next to Grace. It was a cramped office, and she could not help but smile at the schedule on the screen.
“Seems like you are keeping everybody busy,”
“I just want to make sure everything runs as smoothly as possible,”
“Well, you are also trying to prove to your overbearing boss that you can actually manage a team...and may I just say you have done a marvellous job,” Gwen leaned closer. Much like Grace, she had her dark curly hair braided together in various different patterns on her head, but Grace had just stuck to two. “You are coming tonight for our little sleepover?”
“How could I forget with you reminding me every second? “Grace turned around. “Now shouldn’t you be off doing tasks for Mr. Goldmarch?”
“Yeah, I actually am finished, I finished it last night, and that is why I am here to volunteer my services?”
“Seriously, what did you do? “Grace turned to see Gwen smiling sheepishly.
“I may have lost your brother’s favorite hoodie…”
Grace dropped the pencil and stared at her. She shook her head and laughed. “You know he is going to kill you right? He practically treats you like a sister, and now he’s actually going to kill you.”
“I didn’t mean to, it got hot in the taxi, and I took it off…”
“And left it there? You know it’s vintage right?” Grace shook her head. “And you want me to what? Take the blame?”
“No, no not at all, just maybe soften him up a little bit for the big bad news?”
Grace turned back to her computer and sighed. “If you complete this shopping checklist I have procured and need for tomorrow, I will consider it.” She printed out the list and handed it to her. “Judy, my intern, should give you the money needed.”
“I will go do that straight away,” Gwen snatched the paper and hurried out of the office. Grace only laughed and shook her head. Her brother had as much love for fashion as she did, and losing one of his items was the equivalent of having erased all game progress for any boys who were gamers. A person just did not commit such a sin without expecting massive consequences. Grace stood up as Helen walked into the room.
Helen was the definition of put together, from her outfit to her manicured red nails. She was the top saleswoman in the company and assigned tasks to Grace. It was the first time she had entrusted her with this task, and judging by her smile, she was pleased.
“You know, I understand things going wrong, and I get control, but you have it down to an art form…”
Grace laughed as she handed Helen the folder. “Well, this is perhaps my favourite project so far, fairy-tale clothing has always been a secret passion of mine.”
Helen nodded. “Most girls have a love for fairy tales. Perhaps it’s to do with the fact that it is so different from reality. Princes to sweep you off your feet, dragons to slay, spells to break...you know the smoke machine they got is top of the line? Really pulls you into the story.”
“You have seen the play?”
“The rehearsed version of it anyhow,” Helens said and shrugged. “I hope to take my little girl there. She doesn’t want to be a princess though…
“Oh?”
“No, no, she wants to be queen, where she can boss me around for a chance to do the dishes instead of her,”
Grace laughed and shook her head. “Now who wouldn’t want that?”
“Agreed,” Helen closed the folder. “I trust you to finish everything. I must admit, I was nervous at first, but you really have outdone yourself this time. Consider this your test for that promotion…”
“Well, I still need to have everything done in order to pass,”
Helen shook her head. “Things always go wrong every now and then. I don’t expect a perfect performance, I expect results when things go wrong. Consider it’s a done deal.”
Grace’s eyes widened as her heart pounded in her chest. “Are you serious?”
Helen shrugged. “I need a good manager in my team, since the last one left I haven’t seen much enthusiasm for this job. That is why I had been rotating it. See who can do the best...and I very much like what you have shown.”
“Thank you so much!”
“Now now,” Helen shifted her glasses on her face. “That doesn’t mean you can slack, ok? I’ll have the contract brought in tomorrow.”
Helen walked out of the cubicle, and Judy popped her head in the door. “Is that what I just heard?”
Grace smiled, then she burst into a quick spin dance. She nearly tripped though and grabbed the table for balance. Judy was also hopping up and down, squealing.
“Eeek! I can’t believe it!”
“Me neither!”
“Eeek!”
They both gave a celebratory hug hop, holding each other while jumping in circles.
“I can’t wait to tell Tim,”
“He is going to be so thrilled!” Judy said. “How is it going with Mr. Hotness by the way?”
“He is currently working at a dead end apparently, but he is looking for a new job. He has been such a gentleman lately…”
“I heard he was picking you up from work every day?”
“Well, he used to, but not recently, again, he is desperately trying to find a new job,” Grace said.
“Yeah, I used to remember the daily flowers, little notes…well, hopefully when he has fewer things to worry about, his romantic side will return,” Judy said. “I miss seeing him here. He always makes the funniest jokes.”
“I know, right?”Grace said. She turned to walk outside and gasped as one of the people crashed into her with some juice right over her top.
“I’m so sorry,”
“You know what? Just go, just go,” Grace shooed the person away, and headed towards the bathroom. She was in too good of a mood to get mad at any of these sorts of little accidents. She walked inside and noticed the sweet scent of roses. It was dear old Elsie. She would also place a vase with some beautiful flowers in the bathroom every single day. Apparently, she had quite the garden. Grace stared at the cute pink rose petals that were now in the corner of the one table. Two petals had already fallen onto the floor, but they were quite beautiful. She would have to ask her for some gardening tips sometime.
Grace grabbed some of the paper towels, poured them with water, and dabbed them onto her shirt to get most of the juice out. She adjusted her top in the mirror and checked her makeup. She leaned a little closer and pulled back. Did she just see some green fog? It was perhaps a trick in the lighting. After all, the lights did funny things sometimes. She leaned in closer again, but there was nothing there. Only her reflection.
“Just a trick of the light,” Grace muttered. She did another quick squeal and dance, closing her eyes in excitement until she heard the stall behind her open. She dropped her hands and turned around to see another older lady walk out, staring at her disdainfully. Grace gave an awkward smile and bolted out of the bathroom. After all, she had a lot of work left, and if she was to be on time for her sleepover at Gwen, she needed to hurry it up.
Philip was leaning against the wall, staring out of the window, with the sun shining on his face. He could picture her, walking out of the stables, dirt coating her dress, ash on her face, and mud on her boots. He had watched her from this window every day since that fateful night at the ball. One day, he was not content watching her anymore, and he decided to see what she was up to. It was strange to see her standing next to his white stallion. His horse had a temper with most people. She gently stroked the horse's face and whispered something to it with a smile. It shook its head and snorted, which made her laugh. “Ashes doesn’t like people very much.” Geneva jumped back, startled, “Your Highness…” “I wondered why my horse is always in the best of shape – brushed and cleaned…” Philip took a step forward towards Ashes. “He is my pride and joy.”
Grace had a bounce in her step as she headed toward Gwen’s house. She checked the time on her phone. She was told to come strictly at five. She increased the volume on her headphones as she dodged the pole in the middle of the sidewalk. She came to stop as she spotted an apartment that had its door wide open. It was a very unusual sight in the middle of a busy city/suburb. The entryway was pitch-black. To her own surprise, she took a step forward instinctively, but thought better of it and kept walking. Another trick of the light.She slung her bag over her shoulder and walked for a few five minutes before she reached Gwen’s place. It was quaint, with a master bedroom on the second floor, a spacious living room, and a tiny kitchen. There was also a picturesque garden outside, with a pool and red rose bushes lining the walls.Grace took off her headphones and knocked on Gwen’s door. She stuffed her phone back into her bag when she heard Gwen’s footsteps.
“Be careful your majesty.”“Rowan, you should know by now, that caution isn’t my thing,” Philip slid off his horse, staring into the dark cave ahead of them. He turned to look at his men, he could tell they were nervous.It was only natural because this cave happened to harbor a wizard. “Be brave lads, if your king can do it, then so can you.”Windsor sighed and shook his head, following Phillip’s lead. “Your majesty, may I just remind you that entering a cave is begging to get yourself injured, or worse...?”“I made a promise to Geneva, I intend on keeping it. I will find her,” Philip said as he took a step forward. He was about to take another into the cave.“Your majesty.”“What is it now!?”“How do you expect to see in the cave without a torch?” Rowan pulled out the wooden sticksand walked towards him.“I knew that,” Philip said. “I was just waiting for you to catch up.”“Of course, you were,” Rowan took a step forward with a flint. He scraped it against the rock a few times, all
Grace scooped a big chunk of mint ice-cream as she sat outside with Gwen. They had walked to the convenience store and back. Tim was nowhere to be found when they returned. Grace teared up, “I can’t believe it… He’s actually gone…he didn’t care.” “Maybe it’s for the better,” said Gwen. “Come on, let’s finish our ice cream.” Grace pulled a face; the cold made her brain ache. Even ice cream had a limit for happiness.She was so miserable right now. Her day had gone amazingly well, only for her to lose the one relationship she had hoped would last. “What happened to the prince charmings we always talked about when we are young?” Grace muttered. She shoved her spoon back into the container. “I keep thinking of the play that we’re supporting, about happily ever after, and I wonder if I will ever have that...” “Wait, you didn’t seriously think that you and Tim were meant to be?”
“Geneva?” Grace frowned. “My name is Grace…” The man took a step towards her, then another and another. Before she knew it, he wrapped her into a tight hug. “You’re here!”“Erm…” Grace frowned. She pushed against him and he immediately let go. He took a step back, looking slightly puzzled. “Sorry, erm… Look, I’m okay with hugs…generally, as a greeting and stuff but…Do I know you?”The man straightened up slightly, gauging the group’s reactions. “Do you…do you not know me? “Eh, no…” Grace whispered. “Am I supposed to? … “The wizard did comment that she might not be in the right state of mind.” Grace looked at the man who said it. He had a dark and intense stare. It was intimidating, but when he looked at her, his expression softened.Graced turned to the blo
Philip could barely contain his excitement. She was really here. Right in front of him after all this time. It has been agonizingly long. As Grace took his hand, he could not help but smile. He was making sure to restrain himself. If she had no memories, then he would treat her gently. He learned that the hard way, many years ago when a witch had wiped all of Geneva’s memories.He remembered that he chased her into the sunflower fields. She saw him and took off like a frightened deer. She had thought that he was trying to punish her for her father’s debt, and he tried explaining the situation to her rather unsuccessfully.“Geneva! It’s me!” Philip took a couple of steps toward her. She was out of breath and stumbling back. “I would never hurt you.” “You, I don’t know you! Who are you?”
Grace sat on the edge of the cot. She was starting to feel overwhelmed by the events of the day. She leaned over and rubbed her eyes. “Wake up, wake up, wake up.” She dropped her hands to her lap. She had tried many different things like pinching and slapping herself, none of which have worked so far. She thought of Gwen, and how scared she must be, even though she would love the idea of Alloria itself.She laid down on the cot and stared at the top of the tent. The men were chattering amongst themselves outside. It was somewhat soothing but she could not get over how awkward she felt when she was around them. Although they were not supposed to exist, she felt like the odd one out. She considered that someone could have knocked her out, dragged her here, and they were all just a bunch of freaks cosplaying, but some things didn’t add up.She definitely saw fairies, and most certainly felt the ground shake with minitour storming towards her. She felt like it was real, even though she d
Grace clung to her horse as they galloped across the fields. When they came upon the village, Grace could barely believe her eyes, but there it was, three creatures with an uglier disposition than she could ever have imagined. They slowed down for a moment. “Your orders, Sire?” Rowan asked. “We target them one at a time. The trolls are dispersed, if one targets you and you are on your own, you run.” “Yes sir,” they answered together. “Grace-” “Sir.” Grace stumbled over her words, realizing t