andead99
A week had passed since Claire joined the agency. One week after Tina’s defeat.
The girl was still getting used to the environment in which she would have to spend the rest of her career. As with all the first days of school, she tried to make a few friends here and there, she gathered information on how things were going, in short, she tried to be part of that place. Some girls who had recently entered like her tried to do the same, finding the solidarity of the other colleagues. Claire was no different.
But not all of them could be nice.
The agency was famous for its prestige and long history. It was the elite for models. The veterans dominated all the others. Together they formed a kind of brotherhood. It was almost an obligation to submit to them in order to have an important role in the agency. Soon the poor girls would find out the hard way.
“Hi girls.”
The rookies stood close together to gain courage in the face of the veterans.
“I think you already know who we are but I prefer to make a proper introduction. I’m Heather, the number one of the agency. They, on the other hand, are the veterans and I can consider myself the ‘boss’ of the veterans.”
They all knew who they were. They were especially famous for their ‘initiation rites’.
“You’ve heard about us and our unorthodox ways of ushering in newbies, haven’t you?”
No reply.
“Don’t be afraid. We just want to understand what you’re made of. Come on, follow us. This way, girls.”
The smile on Heather’s face didn’t bode well. They all knew that she would take them to a place for their initiation. Among them there was also Claire. The group consisted of six girls, including her. It was impossible to escape the veterans. There were two possibilities: either they underwent the ritual, or they were fired for failure to collaborate with their superior.
The choice was always the most obvious.
Minutes pass and the two small groups move further and further into the immense structure of the agency. The corridors became increasingly darker and the walls increasingly disused, like the rest of the furniture. Where were they taking them? What would they do to her once they arrived? The girls couldn’t help but wonder, Claire most of all.
A panic door appeared in front of Heather, who opened it. It led to an immense ruined dressing room.
“Once upon a time, in here, they used to make up the models and then go to the fashion show. The fashion shows were held directly in the agency. I remember when we were still using it a couple of years ago.”
Although in her eyes it looked like a total mess, in those of the newbies it just looked a little dusty. You could tell that Heather was used to seeing anything out of fashion as a pile of junk and rubbish.
Six chairs had been placed in a row for the occasion. Cones of light, one per chair, illuminated only the seats, leaving the rest of the room in darkness.
“Go ahead and stand in front of the chairs.”
The remaining five veterans stood behind the chairs, one for each.
“Please, sit down.”
The girls felt their shoulders grabbed from behind and pulled down to sit. Only Claire had to sit by her. There was no one behind her chair. Not yet.
“As you well know, all of you were not admitted by chance. Your beauty far surpasses the average. The proof of this is that you now stand here in front of me. Only the best enter the agency.”
Everyone’s hair was gently caressed by the hands that had previously forced them into the chairs.
“You will be the most beautiful and acclaimed models in the world.”
Heather turned her back to everyone.
“But not today!”
Without expecting it, a kind of sheet stood out over the girls’ bodies. They were capes.
“Your beauty, for the first time, is wasted. You won’t do much here except bring us coffee. It won’t do you any good.”
A buzz never before heard by the girls came to their ears. They were electric razors.
“Don’t try to rebel. If you do, you will be fired on the spot, and your lifelong dream will go up in smoke forever.”
The rookies had no choice but to obey and let the veterans do their thing. All their lives they had wanted to parade around the world and they weren’t going to let a scene in front of a superior ruin their life.
The seat behind Claire had filled with Heather’s presence.
“You will have the honor of being initiated by me.”
They were just waiting for a gesture, a nod from their mistress to begin.
It arrived.
“Begin.”
The bowed heads of the rookies housed the sharp blades of the razors now in the hands of the veterans. Some wore their hair short, some wore it down to their butt, all of them were about to have the same cut. The bobs fell helplessly at the feet of the priestesses; the long waves of a life crashed against the unguarded razors. Lock by lock, the girls would go through that ritual. Claire too.
What was done to the other girls was repeated on her: from the cape around her neck to the razor on the back of her neck. What distinguished that cut from all the others was who performed it. The number one.
“Oh, what beautiful hair we have here.”
Claire bit her lip.
“I’ll make sure there’s nothing left.”
The razor began to run along the entire length of the skull. From the nape of the neck to the forehead. The length was still intact throughout the head, except for a long, shaved strip of hair. What she had done to Tina up until a week ago, she was now experiencing it first-hand.
As the minutes passed, the hair on the girls’ feet became more and more numerous. Bobs turend into round spheres, the waves were now flat calm. The only relief from that situation was that at least they couldn’t see themselves in the mirror. None were spared. The veterans had promised no more hair and were also famous for always keeping their word.
Claire’s curvy hair grew thinner and thinner with each pass. She wondered what Heather had to go through when she was just a newbie like her. It was the agency’s tradition to hold rituals every time new aspiring models were hired.
The veterans seemed very calm and at ease. Quite the opposite of their customers. This was the price of success.
Every conceivable locks of newbie lay helpless on the ground. When all the razors were turned off, Heather returned in front of the girls.
“Welcome to the world of fashion.”
Late in the evening, Claire decided to steel herself and return home. The shame she felt at being seen completely shaved after being the first to shave Tina’s hair was indescribable. What would she have told her? Was what they did completely useless then? She was afraid of Tina’s reaction.
She slowly walked up the stairs but fast enough so that she wouldn’t be bumped into by anyone from the building. Her gaze scanned the rug in front of the front door. She put the key in the lock. She turned it over. A flash of light came out of the house and illuminated part of the landing. Tina was in the kitchen preparing dinner.
“Welcome back. How did it go today?”
Claire didn’t answer. She simply stopped in front of the kitchen door, waiting for her to turn around.
“We are quiet today…”
She turned around. She was speechless.
Claire’s gaze was directed towards the ground. She didn’t have the courage to look into her eyes.
Tina took off her apron and put down the plate she was holding. She walked slowly towards her friend. When she approached her, she remained silent. She hold Claire’s hairless head by the sides.
“Wow. I’m not even a model and I’ve already started a trend!”
It was destined that the two friends would remain close for life.
It was their destiny.
