4. Daisy

CHAPTER 4

Daisy

D aisy stares at her reflection in the mirror, working up the courage to do what her brain has convinced her is the only way to calm her inner self. Her thoughts haven't stopped churning since the council meeting, and for some reason, she's latched on to this idea that a big change in her appearance is what will help. That it will allow her to gain back control and be the piece that sets her life right.

With her magic still unresponsive, she has to do this the hard way. Her hands find the sink's rim, and her eyes close as she tries to picture the final result, imagining it bright and present. She breathes in deeply, manifesting those feelings of bright energy, a focus on the now, and a renewed confidence to build internally as a result of what she's about to do. Releasing her breath, she opens her eyes and stares back at herself. She nods, knowing deep down that she needs this. She needs this change to show herself that even without her literal power, she has influence over herself. Her life. Her path.

"Fuck it," Daisy says before taking the bleach paste on the little plastic paintbrush in her hand and applying it to her hair. She sections off a small patch, starting an inch or so from her roots, paints down the length, flops it over the top, and picks up another section. She repeats this process around her entire head and then goes back through and applies the paste to her roots. Once sufficiently covered, she takes a shower cap and puts it over her head to keep in the heat and help with processing.

Is bleaching and ultimately dyeing her own hair the best idea? Probably not. Is she doing it anyway because she feels like she needs some level of control in her shithole of a life? Absolutely. What better way to feel, if not better than at least something, than to drastically change her hair?

After applying the color and giving it time to set, she rinses her hair, watching the streaks run down the tub and into the drain, like her life. She carefully wrings out the excess water and scrunches out some more with an old towel before blow-drying it. After a multi-hour process, she stands in front of the mirror, marveling at her new look. Yes, this was exactly what she needed.

She checks her phone for the time, realizing she is set to meet Petra soon and probably should have started on her hair earlier. She quickly changes and grabs her purse, coat, and keys before running out the door.

She arrives at Krumb-Krushers, a heavenly coffee shop, with a minute to spare. When she enters, she spots Petra staring at her phone, already at a table.

"Goddesses' gonads! Your hair is purple!" Petra exclaims, looking at Daisy in shock when she stops beside the table.

Daisy preens. Posing, turning, showing off her new look. "You like?" She runs a hand through her hair, enjoying watching Petra take in the change.

"It's amazing!" Petra beams, causing Daisy to blush slightly. It's a small thing, but approval from Petra always feels good. "What prompted this?"

Daisy's smile falters slightly, enough that Petra catches it and frowns.

"It's been a rough couple of weeks, you know, and I needed to do something . I wanted some semblance of control back. Rather than find every available man and woman I could find to fuck, I chose a less destructive outlet and attacked my head with bleach and dye."

"Smart choice."

"I thought so too." Daisy laughs. "What would you like to drink? Are you hungry?"

"I would love a caramel macchiato and maybe a scone?"

"Coming right up," Daisy replies, standing from the table and going to the counter to place their order. Along with Petra's request, she orders herself an iced vanilla latte and a slice of lemon loaf. Returning to the table a moment later, Daisy does her best to put on her I'm fine persona as she settles into her spot across from Petra. She channels the new energy from her new look and uses that as fuel for this little hangout, even though she'd love nothing more than to be at home, under the covers, binge-watching Slayer Bites.

"Any update on my parents?" Daisy asks, unsure of what to expect. Have their memories been wiped yet? Have they run and hidden themselves away, thinking they can evade the council? Have they been killed? Her chest tightens, turning any modicum of joy into coal, afraid of the response.

Petra's face falters ever so slightly, letting Daisy know without even saying a word that there is news. "Yes."

The lump of coal in Daisy's chest turns to ash. "And?"

"They have been taken into custody. The wipe will happen in two days' time. I'm sorry, Daze."

Petra's hand finds hers, trying to comfort her, but Daisy doesn't want comfort. Her voice is hard and cold as she responds, "No need to be sorry. It's not your fault that they're trash. They knew better."

She catches Petra's flinch at her tone. Remorse for the harshness of her reaction bubbles up, but she stamps it down. No. She will not be sorry for being angry. For being hurt. She will not allow them to take this from her as well.

"I'm here for you. Whatever you need. The council has agreed to allow you to say goodbye. Supervised, of course. Should you wish—" Petra says.

"No," Daisy says, cutting her off. "They didn't care enough about me to make better choices, and they won't remember me after anyway. We had our chance." Daisy angrily tears a chunk of her lemon loaf off, flinging crumbs across the table before shoving it in her mouth.

"If that is what you want."

"It is," Daisy says curtly.

Petra stays silent, allowing Daisy to stew into her anger as she processes. She wasn't anticipating such quick action from the council. In less than two days, she will no longer have a family. Her parents will be forever lost because of their own stupidity. Yet again, she suffers the consequences of their actions.

"Thank you for telling me," Daisy says, plastering on a fake smile. Petra will see right through it, but she'll play along, knowing how hard it is to lose family. Even the shitty ones.

Maybe it's better this way, not having her parents at all. At least now she won't have to wonder if they miss her. Now, they won't even remember she exists. A short bubble of laughter bursts from her, taking both Daisy and Petra aback.

"What's so funny?" Petra asks, concern marked all over her face.

Daisy clears her throat, composing herself. "I was thinking how a couple of hours ago, I dyed my hair because I needed something in my life to control. To have power over. And now I'm here being crushed yet again by my stupid fucking parents who, even in their absence, find a way to ruin me. It's comical, really. I'm going to be the talk of the town yet again, and I can't do anything about it." Daisy wipes away an escaped tear.

"Daze…" Petra begins. "You are so loved here. This town is going to rally around you, not against you."

Daisy laughs bitterly. "Keep telling yourself that."