WHEN THE SEA CALLS
Chapter 54: Getting Ready

Chapter 54: Getting Ready

Rhea was dressed in the black gown she had gotten for Louie’s birthday. This was going to be the first time she would be going to school without her uniform.

Rhea stared at herself in the mirror. Aside from the black dress she wore, nothing seemed different from the way she always dressed to school; her uniform was the only thing missing.

She should be ready to go. She thought. She doesn’t have anything else to add to the way she is dressed and she doesn’t plan to take anything out of it either.

Rhea picked up her bag and was ready to leave. She heard a knock on her door.

"Rhea?" Celia called out softly. "Are you in? Can I come in?"

"You can come in," Rhea answered.

Celia opened the door and walked in. "I knew it," she mumbled.

Rhea furrowed her brows. "What do you know?"

"I knew the black dress would be the only thing different in the way you would be dressed today. You did not prove me wrong, darling. I won’t let you go to school like this though."

"What do you plan to do?"

" Come sit." Celia gestured. "I will style your hair and do some touches to your face."

Rhea shook her head quickly. She is comfortable with the way she is. She is already looking different in her dress. She doesn’t want to look more different than she already is, today.

"That won’t be necessary. I think I am okay with this."

"We are not bargaining on this."

Rhea dropped her bag on the bed and moved closer to Celia. She held her black gown up slightly.

"Do I not look good in this?" Rhea asked. She dropped her gown down and pointed at her glasses. "Look at my glasses sitting well on my face. I already packed my hair into a ponytail. Why do I need to make my hair and make my face up?" Rhea turned around and then faced Celia. "I am pretty already. I don’t need to look different today."

Celia chuckled. That is the first time she is hearing Rhea say that she is pretty. She must really not want her to touch her face or her hair.

Celia held Rhea’s hand. "I know you are pretty dressed like this but I want you to look more beautiful. So like I said before, I am getting your hair and face done. I need to let your classmates know that I have a beautiful sister."

Rhea rolled her eyes slightly. Why won’t Celia change her mind? She can’t look different today. Her classmates will stare at her strangely.

"Come sit down. We do not have much time left," Celia said. She made Rhea sit down. "I will start with your hair. Do you have hair clips? Or do you want me..."

"Celia, can we not do this. I don’t want to look..."

"Like I said before. We are not bargaining on this. Let me lend you some of my seashell clips. They will look good on you."

"I have some in my locker," Rhea mumbled.

She knew she would not be able to change Celia’s mind on this.

"Which of the lockers?" Celia asked.

"The first one," Rhea mumbled.

Celia stretched her hand to open the locker but Rhea stopped her. Rhea had just remembered that the bluestone was in one of the lockers. She can’t remember which of the lockers hold it.

Celia is going to ask so many questions.

Rhea knew that, but she wasn’t ready to answer Celia’s questions about the bluestone; she didn’t want to lie to her, and she wasn’t going to tell her the truth either.

Celia noticed that Rhea wasn’t uncomfortable and she became worried.

Maybe she should not try to change her mind. She thought. She only wanted her sister to have fun in school today, and looking different from the rest would only push her away, and she did not want that.

"Are you okay?" She asked Rhea who nodded.

"I am fine. I just remembered I kept them in my bag," Rhea lied. "Can you check my bags for them?"

Rhea had planned to distract Celia. And while Celia is distracted, she can quickly take out the bluestone if it’s in the locker and then put it into another locker.

Celia went to get Rhea’s bag from the bed. Rhea used that as an opportunity to open the locker. The bluestone was there and so were the seashell hair clips. Rhea put her hand into the locker to pick up the bluestone.

"I have found them," Celia announced, which caught Rhea by surprise.

Why would there be hair clips in her bag when they are all in the locker?

Rhea looked at Celia, who was now holding the hair clips in her hands. Rhea turned to look into the locker, and there weren’t any hair clips in it, only a beaming bluestone.

Rhea was stunned at what just happened. Did the bluestone teleport the hair clips into her bag?

"They are so beautiful." Celia admired the hair clips. "You haven’t told me how you keep getting so many seashells. Look!" Celia pointed. "Your room is filled up with them. I love seashells too but I haven’t been able to get any."

Rhea only stared at Celia. She was still in shock at what happened. She was also confused about what to do next.

"Rhea?" Celia called.

Rhea took a deep breath. This is not the time to be in shock. She can’t let Celia see the bluestone beaming.

She closed the locker quickly and smiled. "There are a lot of them at the sea."

Celia shrugged. She had tried so many times to get them but she saw none. Rosa also talks about how difficult it was to get seashells; she had only picked a few times.

Maybe the seashells choose whom they want. Celia thought.

"You can take some from my room if you want them," Rhea added.

Celia’s face beamed with a smile. "I can?"

Rhea nodded. "Of course."

She has so many of them.

"Celia? Rhea?" Their father called out.

"Yes, Dad," Celia answered.

"Good morning, Dad," Rhea replied.

"Louie is here. You shouldn’t keep him waiting," their father answered.

"Okay, Dad. We will be out soon," Rhea answered.

Celia chuckled slightly. "The birthday boy is here? I bet he is here to pick you up."

"Are you going to style my hair or do you want me to..." Rhea was about to stand up but Celia stopped her.

"Where do you think you are going? Now that Louie is here. I need to work harder."

Celia began to style Rhea’s hair. Rhea kept reminding her that she didn’t want something too extravagant.

"A messy bun and a few hair clips should do the trick. My face doesn’t have to be baked before I look beautiful. A simple touch would be fine."

"Shhhh..." Celia whispered. "Let me do my job."

Rhea sighed. She can’t stop Celia from doing what is in her mind but she hopes she won’t make her look too different.

"Done!" Celia announced after a while. "You can turn and look into the mirror now."

Celia had made Rhea turn away from the mirror while she styled her hair and made her face up. She wanted to be done with everything before letting Rhea see it.

"Wait!" She stopped Rhea. "I think you should close your eyes first."

"Can I just see what you have done without us being dramatic?"

Celia groaned. "You are no fun. Can’t you just close your eyes for a bit and let me turn you to the mirror. Then I ask you to open your eyes and you do that slowly. I want to capture that moment. We both know you won’t be doing this any time soon."

Rhea sighed. Fine. If that is what Celia wants, she will do it. And Celia was right. She won’t be doing this anytime soon.

"Let’s do what you want," she mumbled and then closed her eyes.

Celia will not let her go if she doesn’t do what she wants. She was sure of that.

Celia turned her to the mirror. "Don’t open your eyes yet. Let me get my phone. I need to take a picture of you with your eyes closed before taking a video capturing when you open your eyes."

Celia looked around for her bag to take her phone from it and when she realized she might have left her bag in her room, she groaned.

"I think I left my bag in my room. I will go get it."

"You can use mine. It’s in my bag."

Celia shook her head. "I don’t want yours. I want it saved on my phone."

Rhea groaned slightly. Why is Celia so obsessed with this? Is there a reason behind it?

"Rhea, you can’t open your eyes before I return. Promise me that you won’t."

"I don’t know why you are so obsessed with doing this."

"Just promise me," Celia insisted.

"Fine! I won’t," Rhea assured her.

"You can’t peep at yourself either. You can’t ruin the surprise I have for you."

Rhea nodded. "I won’t ruin your surprise."

Celia quickly went to her room to get her bag. Rhea was tempted so many times to open her eyes and see the magic Celia had done on her face but she decided against it.

She has promised Celia she won’t peep, she can’t go back on her words now.

Celia walked in a few minutes later with her bag and her phone.

"Celia? Is that you?" Rhea asked.

"Yes, it’s me. I got my phone already. Let’s get to work."