Josephine spotted a fuzzy towel hanging on the back of the door. She climbed out of the bath, dried off, and wrapped herself in the towel.
She opened the bathroom door to find Alma standing there, beaming, holding a cornflower blue dress with matching shoes. “I thought these looked like your size.”
A dress! Josephine had never owned anything but pants. And this dress had long bell sleeves and a nipped-in waist, like the older girls at school wore. She grinned happily. She jumped back into the bathroom and slipped on the dress. It fit fairly well, though it was a little long in the sleeves. But the color—oh, the color! Josephine thought it was the most beautiful blue she had ever seen. The shoes were big, but not nearly as bad as her rubber boots had been.
She stepped out to show Alma, who clucked her tongue in approval, but then: “There’s still one problem.”
Josephine looked down at the dress, wondering if the long sleeves looked silly.
“Your hair, dear. It’s a disaster.”
Josephine’s hand went up to her wet mop of tangles, and she flushed with embarrassment.
Alma sat on the bed and patted the spot next to her. Josephine went over obediently and sat down. Alma held a large wooden brush and she began to painstakingly work on Josephine’s matted hair. It was painful, but Josephine didn’t want to appear ungrateful, so she didn’t wince.
“Alma?”
“Yes, dear?”
“It’s daytime, and I saw Bruce outside.”
“Yes?”
“Isn’t he afraid the Brothers will get him?”
“No, dear. The Brothers don’t bother us inside the borders of Gulm.”
“Why not?”
Alma yanked at a particularly nasty knot, pulling Josephine’s head backward. “We made . . . an agreement with the Master many years ago.”
“What kind of agreement?”
“Nothing a young girl like you should worry about,” she said curtly, signaling that the conversation was over.
It took an hour for Alma to unknot the nest of tangles Josephine had accumulated. But when she had finished, she was quite pleased with herself. She turned Josephine to face her. “That’s more like it.” She then reached into her apron and pulled out a headband, the same blue as the dress. “And it would be nice to see that pretty face for once.” She used the headband to gather up the hair that usually fell in Josephine’s eyes.
She tilted up Josephine’s chin, examining her handiwork. “You’re a real beauty, hon. You should stop hiding it.” Josephine shone with pride. No one had ever called her beautiful.
Alma stood to leave. “I’m going downstairs to make you some hot chocolate.”
Josephine stood too. “Thank you . . . for everything.”
Alma shooed her with her hand, as if to say, “It’s nothing,” and then left the room.
A large oval mirror stood in the corner and Josephine went over to look at herself. She didn’t recognize the girl that stared back at her. She hadn’t been gone from home for very long, but she already seemed more mature. The dress covered her long, gangly limbs and gave her a look of ease. Her hair shone from Alma’s brushstrokes, and with it out of her face, her eyes were bigger and brighter than ever before. Josephine felt far away from the awkward, shy girl she’d been at home.
Suddenly, Ida came bursting through the door. “Get your stuff! We have to get outta—” Ida froze when she saw the new Josephine. Her jaw dropped. “What happened to you?”
Josephine’s heart sank, and Ida could see the effect of her words on Josephine’s face. “I mean . . . uh . . . you look pretty.” Josephine half smiled, not sure if Ida was lying.
“Thank you.”
“I’m glad you’re dressed. We gotta get out of here.”
“Why? What’s wrong?”
“I heard them talking about us. They want to keep us here for the Master.”
“What? Alma and Bruce don’t work for the Master.”
“Yes, they do!”
“They can’t! They’re the nicest people I’ve ever met!”
“But it’s not real nice—it’s fake nice. I’d rather someone just spit in my face than be fake nice.”
Josephine shuddered at the idea that Alma was just pretending to be kind. She felt tears form at the idea of being on the run again. “I don’t care what you say. I don’t want to leave.” She crossed the room and picked up her dirty shirt and pants. She removed her gloves from her pants pocket and shoved them into the pocket of her new dress. She would need them when she finally got back home.
“Listen to me,” Ida said. “They had a meeting. The whole town is in on it—even the mayor!”
Josephine crossed her arms. She would not be persuaded. “Alma and Bruce said they would help me find a way home, and I trust them.”
“Fine,” Ida said. “Then Fargus and I will leave without you.”
Josephine studied Ida’s face, wondering if she was bluffing. “Fine.”
Ida didn’t blink. “Fine.”
