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Dec. 27th, 2010 11:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kat8chaSteph stared into the mirror as the final touches were put on her outfit and the Two's stepped back. She looked perfect, her long blonde hair pulled back from her face with a headband and carefully styled so it curled around her shoulders and shone in the warmly lit room. The dress was perfect too, a tight red bodice with short green sleeves and a short red skirt that was proceeded by green tights and black boots. Yellow lines accented everything.
The uniform was different every time but the colors of those chosen to be Alice never changed. Stephanie's shoulders shook in the mirror when she shuddered but the tight, perfect smile never dropped.
She was enhanced now. Changed slightly so she would fit the mold, her hair would never tangle, she'd never squint, or slouch, and the smile would never leave her face. When she walked her hips swayed somewhere between childhood innocence and lascivious intent.
"You look lovely, my dear." The Hatter murmured from his perch across the room. "You'll knock them all dead."
Steph closed her eyes and remembered how she had gotten into this mess.
She'd been born the child of a Four and a blank. Her mother, the blank, was high on synth most of the time and her father was either working as a servant in the house of Clubs or pulling small time heists after night fell and the Face Cards retired to their palaces leaving the blanks unprotected.
Most blanks were high on Synth most of the time anyway. It was a drug manufactured by the house of Diamonds and it had existed for as far back as Stephanie's history books went, which wasn't far at all, many historical documents had been destroyed in the war of 2406. What happened before that was more myth than mystery, as a mystery had clues that could be used to solve it and the past did not. The rise of the houses in the city of Cards had only happened in the past two hundred years. Stephanie knew she was lucky to have been born in the city of Cards as most of the rest of the world was irradiated wilderness, but she wished some days she had been born a blank. Blanks could take Synth and spend their days in blissful ignorance. She had never wished to be born a face card, but she wished she wouldn't spend the rest of her life toiling as a number in some deck.
She had shown signs of being a card when she turned fourteen, when men and women were sorted into Blank or Card classes. She would have two more years of classes before the final test determining her card value was given.
When she had met the current, the former, Alice she had felt anger boil over inside of her. Tim wasn't beautiful. He was handsome, but it was an understated handsome that could be easily overlooked; he had black hair and blue eyes, like all the current King's Alices, and his smile had been so perfect. Stephanie had hit him, with a brick, and then she had run off. The next day there was an emergency message to the citizens with a brief description of the young man who had attacked Alice the night before. It sounded nothing like Steph, and it sounded nothing like anyone Stephanie knew. The next time she met Alice, she had been a little nicer.
Their friendship, and their romance, had been short and bittersweet. Steph wasn't even sure what had happened to Tim. A pair of Ten's had shown up at her door a week ago and dragged her out, kicking and screaming and fighting for all she was worth.
Alices did not have a long survival rate. It was noted in the history books how few lasted the five years of indentured servitude, how fewer still survived long after they were released from their house's service. Some of course went on to make names for themselves, but they were few and far between.
'Tim's not dead,' Stephanie whispered inside of her mind. She would know if Tim was. And the King… the King had said he wouldn't.
He had said that this would bring Tim back to Stephanie, that all she needed to do was step into the court and smile and it would bring Tim back home, that it would make Tim stronger. Stephanie knew it was all a test, and she knew it wasn't a test for her. She knew what it looked like when a face card lied.
Face cards always lied.
She was strong however, and she could survive five years of being Alice. Even if she would never be able to frown, or scream, or cry again after it. And if Tim hadn't come back… she'd take the money won from the house of Hearts and go find him.
"Open your eyes my fine girl," Stephanie did and faced her perfect frozen expression, "time to go see the king!"
The uniform was different every time but the colors of those chosen to be Alice never changed. Stephanie's shoulders shook in the mirror when she shuddered but the tight, perfect smile never dropped.
She was enhanced now. Changed slightly so she would fit the mold, her hair would never tangle, she'd never squint, or slouch, and the smile would never leave her face. When she walked her hips swayed somewhere between childhood innocence and lascivious intent.
"You look lovely, my dear." The Hatter murmured from his perch across the room. "You'll knock them all dead."
Steph closed her eyes and remembered how she had gotten into this mess.
She'd been born the child of a Four and a blank. Her mother, the blank, was high on synth most of the time and her father was either working as a servant in the house of Clubs or pulling small time heists after night fell and the Face Cards retired to their palaces leaving the blanks unprotected.
Most blanks were high on Synth most of the time anyway. It was a drug manufactured by the house of Diamonds and it had existed for as far back as Stephanie's history books went, which wasn't far at all, many historical documents had been destroyed in the war of 2406. What happened before that was more myth than mystery, as a mystery had clues that could be used to solve it and the past did not. The rise of the houses in the city of Cards had only happened in the past two hundred years. Stephanie knew she was lucky to have been born in the city of Cards as most of the rest of the world was irradiated wilderness, but she wished some days she had been born a blank. Blanks could take Synth and spend their days in blissful ignorance. She had never wished to be born a face card, but she wished she wouldn't spend the rest of her life toiling as a number in some deck.
She had shown signs of being a card when she turned fourteen, when men and women were sorted into Blank or Card classes. She would have two more years of classes before the final test determining her card value was given.
When she had met the current, the former, Alice she had felt anger boil over inside of her. Tim wasn't beautiful. He was handsome, but it was an understated handsome that could be easily overlooked; he had black hair and blue eyes, like all the current King's Alices, and his smile had been so perfect. Stephanie had hit him, with a brick, and then she had run off. The next day there was an emergency message to the citizens with a brief description of the young man who had attacked Alice the night before. It sounded nothing like Steph, and it sounded nothing like anyone Stephanie knew. The next time she met Alice, she had been a little nicer.
Their friendship, and their romance, had been short and bittersweet. Steph wasn't even sure what had happened to Tim. A pair of Ten's had shown up at her door a week ago and dragged her out, kicking and screaming and fighting for all she was worth.
Alices did not have a long survival rate. It was noted in the history books how few lasted the five years of indentured servitude, how fewer still survived long after they were released from their house's service. Some of course went on to make names for themselves, but they were few and far between.
'Tim's not dead,' Stephanie whispered inside of her mind. She would know if Tim was. And the King… the King had said he wouldn't.
He had said that this would bring Tim back to Stephanie, that all she needed to do was step into the court and smile and it would bring Tim back home, that it would make Tim stronger. Stephanie knew it was all a test, and she knew it wasn't a test for her. She knew what it looked like when a face card lied.
Face cards always lied.
She was strong however, and she could survive five years of being Alice. Even if she would never be able to frown, or scream, or cry again after it. And if Tim hadn't come back… she'd take the money won from the house of Hearts and go find him.
"Open your eyes my fine girl," Stephanie did and faced her perfect frozen expression, "time to go see the king!"
