Dress [2430-2-1 Thur 2:00 pm]

[Skye Thompson]

Skye felt her heart sinking slightly at the news that Persephone couldn’t help her with cooking. But it was true that there must be something about it on the Network. There was everything on the Network. But still, it wasn’t like learning from an actual person. And she somehow didn’t feel comfortable asking Titus to teach her. He had done so much for her already, and she couldn’t start asking too much of him all of the sudden. Since Skye didn’t know what Titus considered too much, she tried not to ask anything of him.

On the other hand, she glowed at Persephone’s approval of her drawing. Adrian had always complimented her, tried to make her feel happy, but approval was different. No one had ever approved of Skye before. Or at least, not in a way she was comfortable with.

But as she nodded in answer to Persephone’s comment, Skye found herself opening her mouth, and the question came out before she could stop it. “Persephone? Was Titus different?” She hesitated, suddenly worried she was walking on dangerous ground. “You know…” she said slowly, “Before?”

[Persephone Ruspoli]

Persephone leaned against the side of the elevator, thinking about what she should tell Skye. She was Titus' sister, and she had a right to know about her brother. But on the other hand... it wasn't fair to tell Skye some things, not if Titus didn't feel like telling them to her.

There was a middle ground, and after a moment of hesitation, Persephone found it, "Not exactly different... he was... he's always been withdrawn and quiet, and... intense. I used to find his intensity attractive, but..." Another pause. There were some things she didn't feel comfortable telling Titus' sister. Especially considering Skye's life before Titus.

There were plenty of reasons Persephone ended her relationship with Titus, and his job was the least of their problems. It was the way he could go from cold to terrifyingly angry, and then cold again in a second. It was the way he held no value for life, even his own. It was the way he looked at her sometimes, when he thought she didn't notice.

"He was more angry before, and more hurt by the death of his- your father." She finally admitted. "But he was also kinder... and more emotional. He's been more like his old self with you around. I think you've been very good for Titus. He's been wanting family for a long time... a very long time."

[Skye Thompson]

It was a huge relief to Skye when she realized Persephone hadn’t been angered by her question. Now all she had to do to make up for her mistake was nod and give sounds of general agreement. As she did so however, she couldn’t help catching Persephone’s mention that she had once been attracted to Titus. That they had once been in love. The though made Skye shudder.

Love was not usually something that induced unpleasant thoughts, and perhaps would not have in Skye, if not for Adrian’s stories. Every night, to lull her to sleep, he would tell her stories of his childhood, when their parents were young and… in love. Her parents had been in love. Could the same thing that had happened to them happen to Titus and Persephone? Or worse, what if it already had? But she found it difficult to believe that Titus could ever have been anything like her father. And there was another thing. Because of what she’d suffered at her husband’s hands, Skye’s mother had left and never come back. And as she looked at Persephone with a small smile, Skye spoke out loud almost unconsciously, as though Persephone had been included in the conversation she’d just been having with herself. “But you came back.”

[Persephone Ruspoli]

Sometimes Persephone really wished Skye would have some of those conversations in her head out-loud. It would make it easier for her to understand what was going on behind her friend's face. It was moments like this when she suspects there was far more going on behind those eyes than she usually gave away. She was Titus' sister after all...

"In a way, yes." She reluctantly agreed. Once again, she wasn't sure how much she could or should disclose to Skye. The last thing she wanted was to worry Skye, espeically when Titus was likely on his best behaviour. "Titus and I ended on very good terms. We've remained friends. It's just that... we want different things in our lives at the moment."

The elevator's journey ended as they reached the right level, the elevator slowly just enough that the stop on the level was barely felt. The doors swished open, and Persephone stepped out. She felt some relief as she saw that it wasn't crowded. The fewer people Skye had to deal with, the better.

[Skye Thompson]

They had wanted different things. In Skye’s experience, everyone wanted different things, or at least wanted things to be different. But the phrase struck a chord with her, because she remembered Adrian using it. “Mom and Jack wanted different things,” he used to tell her, as long as she could remember Adrian had called their father Jack. “But I guess there's one thing neither of them wanted. Or at least they don’t want anymore.” Here her brother’s firm voice would fade away, but from the time she was a little girl, Skye had known how to finish his statement. “Us.” And Adrian would nod.

It was for this reason that Skye hated her mother almost as much as her father. She could hardly bare a grudge against the woman for leaving, she’d done that for herself. But for not taking her children with her, for abandoning them at the hands of a madman and sending the message ‘I don’t love you’ which hurt just as much as being beaten by her father, yes, Skye felt perfectly entitled to hate her for that.

The elevator door opened and Skye followed Persephone out onto the street, gazing around her with renewed amazement. Their air felt even cleaner here, and the sky seemed brighter, closer. The bliss of the moment wiped away her dark thoughts, and Skye closed her eyes for a moment, letting herself be engulfed in joy. How long she had wanted this. And now she had it. She was going to grab onto it with both hands and never let go no matter what happened. But what did that leave behind? If everyone wanted something different… Skye turned again to Persephone, her expression petulant, yet expectant as though her friend might really know the answer. “Persephone? What do I want?”

[Persephone Ruspoli]

Persephone couldn't help but smiling when she turned to look at Skye, and found the younger girl soaking in the sun and the air with a joyous look on her face. This was something Persephone took for granted, but Skye didn't. And she really hoped that Skye would never take it for granted.

"What do you want?" Another serious question. Looked like today was going to be full of them. That was fine. Persephone could handle them. "Let's see... you probably want to keep making your own art. And you want to see other worlds. And you want to learn how to cook. Beyond that, I'm not really sure."

"But I don't think anybody really knows what they want." Persephone continued, walking away from the elevator and down a set of stairs, to the collection of small shops. There was a fountain in the middle of the plaza, and a few benches here and there. The clothing store was just off to the right, but she dawdled a little, giving Skye a chance to soak in everything. "Mostly people just stumble through life knowing what they don't want. That one's easier to figure out."

[Skye Thompson]

How could anyone not know what they wanted? From the time she had been able to formulate such ideas, Skye had always known quite clearly what she wanted. At least, until now. It was a frightening emotion, like being lost in out in the world and not knowing where to turn. How could anyone live like this long term? But then, she reminded her self, to live like this was what she had always wanted. To live like this forever and ever.

And little though she would ever admit it to herself, there was a small part of Skye, very small, but there nonetheless, that wanted her old life back again. Things made sense there. She knew what she wanted, and she knew what to expect. Her father, terrible as he was, was nevertheless predictable. He was cruel, but his cruelty was dependable. Yet deep inside she knew that nothing in the world was worth being back in his hands. “You’re right.” She said quietly, looking at Persephone. “I know what I don’t want. I want to never go home. Never, ever again.”

[Persephone Ruspoli]

"You never will." Persephone assured Skye, putting an arm around the girl's back. "I promise. You won't have to step foot in the Below ever again if you don't want to. You can live a nice quiet life up here, doing whatever you feel like, even if you don't have an end goal. Lots of my friends have no goals, besides having a fun time."

With her arm on Skye's back, she guided the girl towards one of the shops. Maybe some clothes would get Skye's mind off of this train of thought. She wondered what Titus had done to trigger it? But that wasn't exactly a fair thought. Maybe Titus hadn't done anything. This could be normal to start asking question, espeically when everything seemed to be better than it had any right to be.

The doors slid open automatically as they approached the doorway. Music was playing inside, and a wall of warm air embraced the pair as they stepped inside. The saleswomen looked busy. Good. It would give Skye a little time to adjust. In the back, one woman was browsing through a catalogue over a viewscreen, and another pair of women were standing by the dressing rooms, clearly waiting for see a friend step out. Everywhere else were displays of clothes and racks waiting to be browsed through.

[Skye Thompson]

Skye closed her eyes for a moment, soaking in the warm, gentle pressure of Persephone’s hand on her back and the sincerity of her promise. For the first time in almost as long as she could remember, Skye felt truly safe. It wasn’t that she didn’t feel safe with Titus. She did. But there was always that knowledge in the back of her mind. The knowledge of what he had done, and what he could do to her if he wanted to.

Somehow, she didn’t get that feeling around Persephone. But what her friend said confused her. It didn’t seem right for a person to go through life with no goals, no dreams, no plan for the future. Since the day she’d been born, such plans had been the framework of her whole life, fueling every action and decision she made. Without them, she had nothing.

But that certainly wasn’t what Skye saw when she followed Persephone through the door to the shop. No, she saw one of her favorite things about the Top. Colors. Every shade of anything anyone could possibly imagine was there, ranged out over the wide room. A smile spread across Skye’s face as she stared, but before doing anything more, she turned to Persephone and asked, “What do we do now?”

[Persephone Ruspoli]

"Now we pick out something nice!" Persephone started with the rack closest to her, quickly sorting through the dresses to see if there was anything she liked. And of course, there was. She loved this boutique, and she loved that it had a ton of colours while keeping to a more classical style. She did enjoy outrageous outfits from time to time, but Persephone usually tended to stick to more timeless outfits.

There was one style, mid-thigh, no sleeves, scoop neck, and nearly the same shade as her hair. Persephone found it in her size and held it in her free hand. And then beside it, same style, different shade, was a yellow dress. She glanced at Skye, estimating her size, and picked out one that looked close. Persephone held it up against Skye to see how the colour looked on her. "Hmm... I think we'll give his one a try. Yellow might be your colour."

One of the sales women approached and Persephone handed over the dresses. She turned back to Skye, "Don't be afraid to pick out something. It's the only way we're going to find out what works and what doesn't."

[Skye Thompson]

This part of the process made at least a little sense to Skye, as it was represented fairly accurately in the Network shows. Still, it would take time yet to get used to. The idea of being selective about your clothes was simply so foreign in the Below, where no one could afford to do such things. Well did she remember the way the little girls used to gossip in the street under her window. “My mumma says people in the Top are so rich, if they don’t like something, they just get rid of it. Poof! And then they get something new!”

And the others had all crowded around the young storyteller, not quite believing, but anxious to hear more about these alien creatures, who called themselves, funnily enough, humans. Which was laughable, because that would mean they were like us. And therefore, by extension, we were like them. But this was one custom that couldn’t have felt less natural to Skye if it had come from some distant race in a far away galaxy. Still, for Persephone she would try.

Reaching out to a rack of clothes nearby, Skye ran her fingers up and down the rows of fabric as she’d seen women do it the Network shows. Then she waited for a moment, expecting… she wasn’t quite sure what, but something. When she didn’t have an epiphany, Skye bit her lip, wondering what to do next. At a loss, she closed her eyes and reached out until she felt her fingers grab onto a hanger. Opening her eyes again, she pulled the dress from the rack and looked at it.

The top was gold and the skirt was bright orange, adorned with sequins to match the top. Skye stared at the dress. She sniffed it. She shook it. She swung it back and forth so that the skirt rustled. But she remained unenlightened as to the mysteries of clothing selection. Finally, she turned to her friend, feeling a bit ill at ease. “Persephone? What exactly um… I mean how do I… how exactly do I do this?”

[Persephone Ruspoli]

Persephone's heart broke a little. She had expected Skye to be overwhelmed, but this was truly sad. But this was what came from a lifetime of poverty, and being controlled by that horrible stepfather of hers. At least she was here now, and Persephone could show her how normal girls lived their lives.

"Well, first, decide if it's something you'd like to wear." Persephone took a good look at the dress. "Do you like the colour? Or maybe the cut? Sometimes you can tell on the rack, but usually you have to try it on to see if you like it or not. If you like it, then we grab it in your size. I'm not sure exactly what size you are, but that's where the trying-it-on bit comes in."

Persephone quickly picked out three or four dresses in different cuts and shades. When the sales woman came over, she gave her the dresses, and had Skye follow her back to the dressing rooms. "How about you try these ones on, and we figure out what you like and what fits, and then you can pick out some on your own when you feel ready?"

[Skye Thompson]

“Persephone?” Skye was worried by her friend’s sad expression. “I- I’m sorry. I didn’t…” Why was Persephone upset? What had she done to cause her friend such unhappiness? She tried to take in what Persephone was saying, but the questions just didn’t make sense. Of course she liked the dress’s color, of course she liked the way it was shaped. Choosing clothes couldn’t just be about wearing something beautiful, could it?

If it was, Skye pondered as she followed Persephone to the back of the shop, then why was it such a big deal? Why did the women in Network shows always toss perfectly wonderful items of clothing away as though disgusted by them? If people really had as much money to spend as they wanted, and all they had to do was pick out beautiful clothes, why wasn’t someone buying the entire shop? Every item in here was stunning. How did people choose? But then, perhaps it would make more sense in this new place Persephone was taking her.

[Persephone Ruspoli]

"Sweetie, it's nothing you've done. It's all me." Persephone quickly assured Skye, already seeing her start to blame herself. They were going to have to work on that, though it would probably take a lot of time to repair the damage done to her. "Come on, the best way to learn is to do."

The changing room had a full-length mirror on the inside. The saleswoman hung up the dresses on a couple of hooks, and Persephone ushered Skye inside. "Okay, all you have to do is try on a dress. When you've got it on, come out and let me see what it looks like on you. If you have trouble getting anything snapped up, or zipped, just yell for me and I'll help you, okay? Otherwise, I'll be right here." She waved a hand overtop the door to assure Skye that she wouldn't be going anywhere. There were chairs up against one wall for waiting in, but she didn't want to go too far away. So instead, she lent against the wall beside the change room door and waited.

[Skye Thompson]

The dressing room door closed behind Persephone, and Skye just stood there a moment, clutching the dress to her. Was she really expected to try it on? Here? Now? Skye had seen women do just that on the Network shows, so she knew that was what she had to do, but she just could bring herself to. She’d have to take off her clothes. Here, in this unfamiliar place, surrounded by unfamiliar people. What if someone was watching?

This is the Top. She reminded herself as she hung the dress on a hook and forcefully ripped of her thick sweater. Things like that don’t happen here. She pulled of her shirt before she could lose her nerve and turned to take the dress of its hanger. She gasped as her eyes met someone else’s, and it was several tense seconds before Skye realized she was shying away from her own reflection.

Breathing rapidly, she slipped the dress on over her head, keeping her jeans on under the skirt. It hardly drowned her, but though Skye had gained several much needed pounds in the last month, the dress still hung off her slightly thin frame. But used to wearing clothing that was several sizes to large or small, the girl didn’t notice. She took a deep breath and slid back the bolt on the changing room door. “Hi.” She raised her hand in a shy greeting uncharacteristic to her usual relations with Persephone. “How do I look?”