“And what did you get me?” he said in exasperation and Cassandra pulled out a shiny flask that was so thin, it wouldn’t make a bulge in his trousers yet held more liquid than you’d expect.
“You shouldn’t have”, Charlie said ironically but Cassandra thought his eyes softened for a moment. “Let me see. I guess you didn’t get anything for yourself?”
Cassandra shrugged and indicated her clothes.
“Is that what you are wearing tonight then?” he said and shook his head.
Cassandra didn’t say anything but apparently the expression on her face was enough to set off her sister.
“You haven’t bought a dress yet?” Pandora asked, appalled, and Cassandra sighed.
“Why is everyone so concerned with what I am wearing?” Cassandra said, exasperated.
Pandora and Charlie looked at each other as if Cassandra was the crazy one.
“Because it’s a party”, they both said in unison.
“It’s where you go to have fun. Meet people”, Charlie said, showing way too much of his wine-stained teeth. “Have sex.”
“Don’t want to hear it”, Jim said, humming and clapping his hands over his ears.
Pandora, ignoring Jim’s antics, was looking at her sister thoughtfully.
“You can’t go like that. No one is going to want to dance with you”, she said as if Cassandra should care.
“I don’t want to dance”, Cassandra said and Pandora got up and took her into her arms.
“The poor thing”, she said in Charlie’s direction. “She is delusional. So what are we going to do?”
Cassandra wanted to say that they were going to do nothing but apparently she didn’t have a say in this.
“I think I can get her an appointment with Madame Margot. She still owes me a favor”, Charlie said, stroking his beard.
Pandora shrieked.
“Marge is great! You should totally do that”, she said excitedly. “She is the best!” She pointed at her hair. “She is the first one who has ever made this whole mess work.”
Charlie looked curiously at Pandora.
“And how were you able to afford Madame Margot’s prices, I wonder?”
“We found an arrangement“, Pandora said with a smirk and the way she said arrangement made Cassandra’s nose itch.
“Can I come with you?” Pandora asked and before Cassandra could say yes, they were on their way to this Madame Margot, whoever that was. Cassandra strongly felt that she would rather go into a fight with the hydra again than to wherever her sister was dragging her. At least with the hydra she knew what to expect.
“Don’t worry”, Pandora said while they were walking over campus. “Madame Margot is really nice. I mean, she is also quite judgy and won’t be pleased by your overall lack of attendance to your general appearance but she can work wonders, I promise.”
“That makes me feel so happy”, Cassandra said but Pandora, who was usually quite aware of Cassandra’s moods, was so excited about going to Madame Margot’s that she simply kept on talking. Eventually they stopped in front of a round stone building with big wooden doors which opened as if by themselves when they knocked. Pandora simply dragged her in after herself. Cassandra had expected something more extravagant, colorful even, not the white-washed, almost sterile atmosphere she encountered in the small room that seemed to be something like a reception area. It held nothing but a high wooden desk behind which a stern, breathtakingly beautiful young woman was keeping guard with nothing but a pencil poised slightly above a huge black book. By the look in her eye it was obvious that Pandora and Cassandra were not on the list.
Cassandra had never been so intimidated in her life and hated that she felt that way. She was about to turn around, when the door behind the beautiful girl opened and another long-legged girl in a sort of toga that was so short it only covered what was really necessary, came in and smiled at them. Pandora did the shrieking thing again and excitedly hugged and kissed the girl, whispering something into her ear, before she turned around and introduced Cassandra, who was still standing in the doorway, not knowing what to do or where to turn. This girl’s nose also wrinkled slightly when she took in Cassandra’s appearance but then forced herself to smile a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
“Be nice”, Pandora whispered loud enough for Cassandra to hear. “She is my sister. And Charlie sends his regards as I am sure you already know.”
“Pandora, Charlie didn’t tell me she was an almost hopeless case”, she said with a voice too deep for a woman. Cassandra opened and shut her eyes several times but still saw a beautiful girl.
“Stop teasing her, Marge”, Pandora said but seemed to be having a lot of fun, too. “By the way, Cassandra, this is Madame Margot.”
Cassandra murmured that she had gathered that much already.
“So you are wondering what I am”, the girl said and started towards Cassandra. Cassandra tensed.
“Don’t worry”, she said and walked around Cassandra. “You will never guess right.”
Now her voice was high and melodic but her face had changed into that of a beautiful young man. Cassandra blinked again but couldn’t make out the true face.
“Let’s see, what do we have here”, the man-woman said, still circling Cassandra. “Very fine cheekbones, nice eyes, good skin. Body in excellent shape. And what does she do with it?”
His voice was shrill and accusatory all of a sudden.
“Nothing.”
The boy with the female voice sounded offended. Then he turned into a she again.
“How can you care so little for your appearance? And what are those?”
She pointed disgustedly at Cassandra’s clothes. Just then Pandora whispered something in a language Cassandra didn’t understand into Madame Margot’s ear which made her smile.
“Alexander’s contestant you say?” she said and looked thoughtfully at Cassandra. “And a friend of Charlie’s? You have some powerful – and in Charlie’s case entertaining – friends, girl. Pandora, get her into the room at the back and naked and I will see what I can do.”
With that she disappeared through the door again. Pandora had to laugh at Cassandra’s look of sheer terror
“I am not going to get naked”, Cassandra said, aghast.
“Yes you are”, Pandora said. “And now we have to at least get rid of our shoes.”
And with that she gave her shoes to the girl behind the high desk.
“Take good care of them, Sal, will you?” Pandora said and the girl looked like she had bitten into a lemon. “We don’t have a lot of time so I will just lead her through dressed, ok?”
The girl didn’t look very happy about that either but finally she shrugged and told Pandora that she owed her. Pandora grinned and quickly planted a big kiss on the girl’s lips who looked at least a little appeased then. She dragged Cassandra along behind her through the door through which the mysterious Madame Margot had disappeared.
They passed through the dressing room and then entered a room that was perfectly circular, hot and humid. At its center was a round swimming pool tiled with turquoise and white mosaic stones that had steam coming off of it. High up and right above the swimming pool was a vaulted glass ceiling through which the grey and cloudy sky could be seen.
The bath was very quiet except for the occasional splash and the constant patter of feet. Cassandra recognized most of the girls from sight and nodded to some of the more familiar ones while Pandora, who seemed to know exactly where to go, walked with her at the side around the room to one of the several dozen doors that led from the bath to smaller rooms. Each door had a small number engraved on it and Cassandra guessed that that was how people knew where to go.
They were continually passed by long-legged women in togas as well as beautifully built young men covered with nothing but loincloths who were walking around with tablets full of ointments, bottles filled with colorful liquids and sometimes with devices that Cassandra didn’t know whether she wanted to f
ind out what they were made for, disappearing into the rooms or coming out of them.
Finally, Pandora stopped in front of one of the doors, knocked twice, waited a moment and then entered with Cassandra following her cautiously. When they entered, they found themselves in a small, curved room that held a table with a white cloth on it as well as a shelf filled neatly with creams, ointments, brushes and towels. The room smelled of flowers and beeswax and because it was even hotter and more humid than outside, Cassandra immediately broke into a sweat.
“Get undressed now”, Pandora said in a bossy voice and didn’t hesitate to do the same. “Don’t worry. She is not going to hurt you. Much. I bet she is going to turn you into something else and maybe you will even like it.”
“I quite like myself the way I am”, Cassandra said and slowly started to undress. “But I know that there are rules to this game. And I know that surprise is one way to take an enemy and maybe she can truly do something with this.”
Cassandra pointed at her hair and her sister laughed.
“You know you are always beautiful, don’t you?”
Cassandra shrugged and nodded.
“In my own way”, she answered and sat down on the table that had a small round hole on one of its sides.
“Which still leaves the clothes”, she said with a sigh.
Pandora, who loved Cassandra very much, blew her a kiss.
“Let me worry about clothes, ok?”
“Don’t leave me…”, Cassandra started but Pandora was already gone.
Almost instantly, Madame Margot came in through the small door in the wall and took a long look at Cassandra. Cassandra, feeling exposed, sat down on the table and drew in her long legs. Still there was not much she could do here to cover herself. She came closer and carefully traced Cassandra’s scars with a gentle finger. Her hands were warm and soft and Cassandra found that she didn’t mind.
“You have been through a lot, I can tell”, Madame Margot said, changing into a man again. “It is not easy for a girl to survive in that world, is it?”
Cassandra shrugged. The man looked searchingly into her eyes, hungry somehow and Cassandra felt dizzy for a moment, like something was clawing at her. She tensed and balled her fists but then the feeling was gone. Madame Margot, in her male version, smiled a dangerous smile that showed too many teeth.
“Guess again”, he said and that’s when Cassandra knew.
“You are both. Man and woman”, Cassandra said and moved back a little to have some moving space in case Madame Margot decided she didn’t like her answer. Somehow Cassandra doubted that she was just a simple lady with a beauty salon.
Madame Margot bared even more of her teeth and changed into a woman again. Apparently Cassandra was on the right track.
“It is difficult to see your true self, because both are true for you”, Cassandra continued. “You are a hermaphrodite.“
Madame Margot’s face became a mask, then finally she smiled, but it was a sad smile.
“The second to guess right this week”, she murmured and then stroked Cassandra’s face in a thoughtful manner. “I guess my magic isn’t as strong anymore.”
Suddenly she looked sad and Cassandra felt sorry for her.
“No”, she said softly. “It’s perfect. Otherwise you wouldn’t have been able to fool me.”
“That sounds like a paradox”, Madame Margot said but looked a little more hopeful. “But never mind, I gave you a promise, so let me start working on you.”
“Who was the other one?” Cassandra asked and Madame Margot locked her lips with a zipping motion. “No talking about other customers, it is bad for business. And now lie down and be quiet.”
She took a much closer inspection of her body than Cassandra felt comfortable with.
“We don’t have much time”, she said now all businesslike, her voice that of a man again. “We are going to skip over the middle section here and here and just go straight for arms, legs and face.”
And with that she produced a pot of hot beeswax from out of nowhere and started to apply it all over Cassandra’s body. Twenty minutes later, Cassandra felt like her skin had been removed and her whole body was on fire.
“Much better”, Madame Margot said. Then she put some cold, nice-smelling ointment on her face and the rest of her body and Cassandra gave a sigh of relief.
“If you had done that to me on the battle field, you’d be dead now”, Cassandra said through gritted teeth and felt her body relax a bit.
“Such sweet words of thanks”, Madame Margot said and took out a pair of scissors. “Now for the hair.”
Madame Margot went to work again silently. After a while she seemed to be happy, and took a small mirror from one of the shelves and held it up in front of Cassandra who involuntarily gasped at the sight of herself.
Madame Margot hadn’t done much, Cassandra thought. Just brought a little shape to her eyebrows and cut her hair in a way that made it look like it hadn’t been cut with a razor and she had managed to hide all the bruises on her body somehow.
“What can I say? Give me mud and I will turn it into gold.”
“I am still naked”, Cassandra muttered and that was when Pandora came back in. She was waving something that looked to be made of nothing and it was very, very short.
“Tadadada”, Pandora said and threw it at Cassandra.
It was soft and cold and surprisingly heavy. Cassandra held it up.
“If I put this on, I am still going to be naked”, she said and gave it back to Pandora.
“Are you kidding?” Pandora cried. “This will look amazing on you. You have perfect legs and with these – ” she drew out a pair of impossibly high silk stilettos – “everyone will tear their hair out in envy.”
Cassandra shook her head vehemently.
“I am not going to wear that”, she said and got up. “Or that.”
Pandora knew when she had overdone it and Madame Margot seemed to feel it as well.
“Let’s see what I can do”, Madame Margot said.
Then she made a series of complex movements and suddenly the dress was much longer.
“See, it’s not so bad now, is it?”
Cassandra fought her flight instinct, nodded and slipped into the clothes. Pandora looked at her in awe.
“By the gods”, she whispered. “You look very… nice.”
Cassandra turned and looked at herself in the mirror that had suddenly appeared on the wall. She could live with it. She was indeed looking nice, not that she had ever cared for nice, but at least all the important parts were covered now.
“As for shoes”, Pandora said and Cassandra felt like crying. “I was sure you would say no to those” – she pointed at the stilettos– “so I guess it will be these?”
This time she held delicate silver shoes with only a tiny bit of heel that matched the dress perfectly. Cassandra nodded, relieved.
“And I brought you a cape because by now it is even colder outside than it was this afternoon”, she said and produced a cape as black as night, with a big hood.
“Did you steal it?” Cassandra asked sharply and Pandora looked offended.
“No, he… I promised not to tell you where I got it. It’s a present.”
Cassandra hesitated for a moment, then put it on. It felt like a dark, warm summer night enveloping her. It didn’t take much to guess who had given it to Pandora. She took it off again because it was just too warm in that room.
“Now just one more thing before you go”, Madame Margot said and motioned for the girls to follow her. “You have made me curious.”
They went through the smaller door into a corridor that seemed to go around the whole building again. They walked for a bit and Cassandra thought that the dress and even the shoes felt nice. She held on tightly to the cape and thought of the person that had given it to her. Why had he done it? Maybe she would ask him later but she wasn’t sure how.
Eventually they came to another door and entered what seemed to
be Madame Margot’s private quarters. They were plush and colorful, with discreet lighting and lots of carpets and cushions everywhere. Madame Margot asked them to sit down and Cassandra carefully tried to sort her legs underneath the dress while Pandora excitedly jumped up and down on several cushions. When she saw Cassandra’s stern look, she let herself fall down beside her and finally managed to sit straight as well. Madame Margot, who had been rummaging around at the back, came back with a box in her hands. She set it down in front of them.
“Tell me what you see?” Madame Margot said and looked curiously at Cassandra.
“A simple wooden box”, Cassandra said and Madame Margot looked disappointed.
Cassandra inclined her head and saw that it vibrated although it stood perfectly still.
“Does Heracles know you are a sorceress?” she said and this time Madame Margot looked satisfied.
“Well done”, she said. “Pandora, tell her, what do you see?”
Pandora, who had started humming ever since the box had come to stand before them, was rocking back and forth. Cassandra could see Greed with a capital g in her sister’s eyes.
“It’s very pretty”, Pandora said and seemed to be in some sort of trance. “It’s massive gold. With diamonds. And rubies. And I want it.”
Pandora stretched out her hand. The box vanished and Pandora let out a cry of frustration. Madame Margot snapped her fingers.
“What just happened?” Pandora said, confused, while Cassandra was watching Madame Margot carefully.
The fact that she was a sorceress, not just a witch or someone with magical abilities, was in itself so rare that it made her something very special. Cassandra knew of only one other sorceress who had been so vile and evil that she had been banned to an island so that she wouldn’t do any more harm. That Madame Margot was allowed to live so close to them must have therefore meant that she wasn’t quite as dangerous. Or was she? Cassandra was pretty sure that Madame Margot was able to hide much more about herself than being a hermaphrodite and she wasn’t even sure that was what she was anymore. Every time Madame Margot seemed to reveal something about herself she also added another layer of disguise.
The Unclaimed (University of the Gods Trilogy Book 1) Page 15
