Chapter 3 #2
Melody hopped off the table and grabbed Xander’s wrist. She yanked him over to an armchair and forced him down onto the cushion. “You sit here,” she instructed. “You’re going to be our model.”
Xander’s eyes went wide. “What?”
“I need someone to demonstrate on. Remind me—are you allergic to latex?”
“Well,” he replied, cocking his head in consideration. “I’ve never tried to eat it before, so I’m not sure.”
“Don’t be a smart-ass,” Melody said as she rolled a huge professional makeup case over to the armchair. The organizer had eight drawers and was almost as tall as she was.
His mouth twitched, hiding a grin. “No, I’m not allergic.”
“Awesome. Nearly all the products I plan on working with today I’ve used on you before, so they’ll be safe, but we should check the ingredient list of this new foundation I’ve been dying to test out.”
“What do you mean by safe?” I asked as Melody rifled through one of the drawers and produced a small bottle.
“I have a lot of allergies that I need to be careful about,” Xander explained. “Most people aren’t aware that some makeup products are made with ingredients that trigger allergic reactions, like nuts, dairy, and eggs.”
“Wow,” I said as Melody scanned the tiny print on the back of the foundation. “I never realized that.”
“What’s Arachis hypogaea?” she asked.
Xander pulled out his phone and typed it into Google. “Peanuts. I can’t use that.”
“Not a problem. I’ll just have to test it out a different time.
” Melody placed the bottle back in her organizer.
“Okay, now be a good boy, and don’t move.
” Opening the top drawer of her case, she revealed a collection of premade prosthetics.
There were everyday body parts like noses, ears, and chins, but there were also gills and horns and scaly skin.
“Whoa.” I shook my head in amazement as she pulled out supplies. “These are awesome.”
“This is nothing. You should see what I have at home. My boyfriend thinks my studio looks like some kind of twisted morgue or the den of a serial killer. There are fake body parts and life casts everywhere,” she said, grinning as she fastened a black barber cape around Xander’s neck to keep his clothes clean.
“Anyway, let’s get started. Can you grab a bald cap? They should be in the bottom drawer.”
Xander shifted nervously in his seat. “A what cap?”
Melody laughed at his horrified expression. “Don’t worry. It won’t hurt.”
This didn’t seem to convince him. “You’ve done this before, right?” he asked, turning to me with wide eyes.
I offered him a reassuring smile. “Plenty of times.” Bald caps were common appliances in SFX.
The process was a bit tedious but not painful.
I’d learned to put them on by practicing on myself, which was much harder than applying one to a model.
The first time I tried, I wasted three caps before I was able to get one on without ripping the thin material.
“His hair is going to be a nuisance,” Melody said, tapping her chin as she surveyed Xander. “We’ll have to put it back.”
Leaning forward, Xander shook out his bangs and combed a hand through the golden-red locks. “Are you saying I need a haircut?”
“That depends. Are you going for a shaggy dog look?”
He shrugged. “What if I am?”
“Then keep doing you, buddy.” She passed me a handful of ponytail holders and said, “Can you wrangle the mop?”
Her question made me pause. Melody wanted me to touch Xander’s hair?
That felt intimate somehow, like something only a girlfriend or hairdresser should do.
I knew it was stupid, but I suddenly felt awkward.
“Can you put your hair back for me?” I asked, pressing the elastic ties into Xander’s hand. “It will be easier if you do it.”
“Sure thing.” Completely oblivious to my discomfort, he separated and tied off his waves into two sections, one at the top of his head that reminded me of Pebbles Flintstone and the second at the nape of his neck.
“That won’t work,” Melody said, pointing out the top ponytail. And she was right. There would be a huge bump under the cap if his hair wasn’t put back properly. She dug around in her case until she located some styling gel and tossed it to me. “Use this instead.”
“I guess you have to take that out,” I told Xander as I popped the cap off the bottle. Once he removed the elastic tie, I squeezed a glob of gel onto my palm, sucked in a quick breath, and began working the product into his bangs.
Of course he has great hair, I thought as I smoothed everything into place. It was soft but thick, the kind of hair that was perfect for running your fingers through.
When I finished, I went to wash my hands.
Melody had already set the gel with a hairdryer by the time I returned and was cleaning the skin around Xander’s hairline with an alcohol wipe.
I tore open the package of bald caps, and as soon as she was done, I carefully eased one on.
It was too big, and I had to trim the edges so the latex wouldn’t cover his eyebrows.
“Do you want to glue or dry?” Melody asked, gesturing between the hairdryer and a bottle of Pros-Aide. I selected the adhesive and a few Q-tips for application, and for the next ten minutes, we worked in silent tandem.
“I feel ridiculous,” Xander grumbled once the cap was secured.
“That’s because you look ridiculous,” Melody answered, offering him a compact mirror. “Hopefully balding isn’t a trait that runs in your family, because this is what you’ll look like in twenty or so years.”
“Thankfully, no,” Xander said, turning his head from side to side as he checked out his reflection. When Melody held up her phone with a smirk, he snatched it from her hands with the speed of a lightning strike. “Absolutely no pictures. If JJ saw me, I’d never hear the end of it.”
“Fine. Can I have my phone back?”
“Nope. I’m keeping it as a precaution. Indie, I’ll need yours too.” Turning to me, he held out his hand. “You’ll get them back when I’m done being your guinea pig,” he added.
The only person who might need to reach me was Violet, so I handed over my cell without a second thought.
Xander nodded in thanks and tucked both devices into his pocket. “Okay. Now that that’s sorted, carry on.”
Melody rolled her eyes but turned her attention back to our lesson. She picked up a wicked-looking horn that was four inches long and grinned. “Okay, time for step two.”
* * *
An hour later, Xander was unrecognizable.
We’d transformed him from heartthrob to alien monster worthy of haunting nightmares.
He had scaly skin that faded from purple to black, a Mohawk of deadly spikes, and cheekbones as sharp as razor blades.
Melody taught me two different techniques for blending the edges of prosthetics, and it was the most fun I’d had in ages.
“Guys, this is wicked,” Xander said as he inspected his reflection. “I could be a character in a sci-fi movie. This looks so real, I’m actually scared of myself.”
“This is all Indie’s handiwork,” Melody replied. “Not mine.”
What a truckload of bullshit.
I shot her a pointed look. “You’re the one who came up with the alien concept. I just helped you execute it.”
She crossed her arms. “Sure, but you did the application.”
“And you’re the one who made all the prosthetics,” I pointed out.
“They’re just horns. You could make these in your sleep. Besides, it was your idea to create a Mohawk out of them, and that’s what makes this particular look so sick.”
When I opened my mouth to disagree, Xander cut me off. “Take the compliment, Indie. She’s totally right. This is badass.”
I cleared my throat. “Well, thanks.”
“You sure you don’t want a career in prosthetic makeup?” Melody asked. “I could use some competition.”
A blush swept over me from head to toe. “To be honest, I never really considered it as an option.”
She shook her head in disappointment. “Well, you should. There’s a new school called the Academy of Cinema Makeup opening in LA next year.
I’m one of the instructors. We’ll be teaching all kinds of things from beauty and editorial makeup to prosthetics.
You’d be a perfect candidate, and I’d be more than happy to write you a letter of recommendation. ”
“Wow, that’s incredibly kind of you,” I said. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Melody held out her hand to Xander. “Give me Indie’s phone.”
“Why?” he responded.
“Did I ask for lip, E.T.?”
“No, but a please would be nice,” he muttered as he grudgingly dug out my cell.
Ignoring him, Melody typed something into my phone before tossing it back to me. “I’ve added my contact info. Once you realize how much potential you’re wasting, give me a call.”
I beamed. “Will do.”
Xander relinquished Melody’s phone. “Now that I look like a badass instead of a balding eighteen-year-old, can you take some pictures for me?”
As Melody took a few close-ups of our creation, I stood off to the side and reflected on today’s events. What started off as the world’s worst day had turned into a dream come true. Not only had I caught a glimpse of Chelsea Hirano, but I’d met and worked with my makeup hero.
“Indie, come here,” Xander said, waving me over. “You should be in this.”
“Yeah, okay.” I shook out my hair to make sure my waves were in order before stepping into the shot.
Xander caught me off guard when he wrapped an arm around my shoulders.
When I glanced at him, I actually had to tilt my head back to see his face.
It was a pleasant surprise. Most guys were either the same height as me or shorter.
“What?” Xander asked when he noticed me staring at him.
“What, what?”
“You’re looking at me funny. Do I have something on my face?” he asked.
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t hide my smile.
“Seriously, my forehead is super itchy. Feels like there’s something growing out of it.” He gestured at one of the spikes. “You sure there’s nothing in the general vicinity?”
“Hey, guys, I’m trying to take a picture over here,” Melody said. “These candid shots are cute and all, but are you two going to look at the camera or what?”
Snapping my head in Melody’s direction, I forced myself to ignore the warmth blooming on my cheeks.
Xander’s gaze lingered on me for a second longer before he too focused his attention on her.
A few pictures later, our photo shoot was finished, and I pulled away from Xander as if my side was on fire.
“So, Melody,” Xander said, sinking back onto his chair. He stretched out, draping his long legs over an armrest as he lounged against the opposite. “How does the rest of your day look?”
“I’m meeting up with another YouTuber in thirty minutes. We’re doing a collab video. You?”
“I was supposed to do a signing with the Immortal Nights cast after their panel, but they didn’t need me anymore,” he said. “Other than that, there are a few industry parties I was invited to, but I’m not in the mood.”
“What happened with your panel by the way?” Melody asked as she started cleaning up her equipment. “You never said.”
Because of the makeup, it was impossible to read Xander’s expression, but I noticed his hand clench before he tucked it out of view. “Nothing I’m not used to. It’s not a big deal.”
“You sure?”
His responding smile was small but sunny. “Yup, I’ll be fine.”
Melody let the subject drop. “Well, what’s the plan?” She grabbed a package of alcohol wipes from her makeup case and turned to me. “Should we help him get cleaned up?”
“Actually,” I said, “I have a better idea.”