Page 53 of You Found Me
“Hmm.” Annie eyed her with professional skepticism. “Don’t get me wrong. I love that color on you. It’s perfect for Della Bellamy, pop star. But we need to leave that behind and make it a little easier for you to blend in with the crowd.”
“And you think red is going to do that?” Della watched Annie arrange things on the counter like a surgeon about to operate.
“Yes.” Annie put a comb and a pair of scissors next to the gloves. “Trust me. People will notice your pretty red hair so much they’ll forget to look at your face. By the time I’m done, they won’t even recognize you.”
“That sounds…horrifying, actually.”
Annie flashed her an understanding look. “I bet it does. But don’t worry. It’s all temporary.”
Della looked at herself in the mirror. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d walked down a street without being noticed or followed or recorded. “If nobody recognizes me then who am I?”
“You’re a woman who owns every stage, no matter how small.” Annie patted the back of the chair. “Hair and makeup and clothes are just window dressing. It’s loads of fun to play with, but it doesn’t change who you are. Nothing and nobody can do that but you.”
Della dutifully sat.
Annie combed her fingers through Della’s hair with a thoughtful, considering look. “You have beautiful hair. I love the wave. Mine doesn’t do that without alotof hair spray.” She pulled it up until it was just under Della’s chin. “You’ll look stunning in a retro bob. It’ll bring out your cheekbones, and the auburn will make your blue eyes really pop.”
“Wait. You want to cut my hair? As in…actually cut?” Della’s voice squeaked up. “You want to chop it off to my ears?”
“Yes,” Annie said definitively. “It’ll look adorable.”
Della popped out of the chair and backed away until her legs hit the toilet. “No. No, no, no.” Panic made her throat tight andher voice an octave higher than it should be. “I’ve never had it short. Ever. Especially not that short. I mean, I know it’s silly and shallow, but Ilovehaving long hair. I like flipping it around when I sing, and I adore the way it feels when someone runs their fingers through it.”
“They can still play with your hair with it short. It can actually be a lot more fun if their fingers don’t get tangled. Believe me,” Annie said in a gentle yet firm tone. “We need to do this because your stalker will be looking for California-blonde, long-haired Della, not short, red, curly Della. It’s the first step to getting you out of his reach.”
“He’s the bad guy, butI’mthe one paying the price.” Fear and righteous indignation made her stubborn streak puff up like an insulted cat.
“It sucks. I know. Believe me. I’ve been there and done that and it’s not fair.” Annie leaned against the counter. “Here’s the thing. Fair or not, you still have to deal with the fact that someone is determined to screw with you. He’s not going away until we make him. So that’s what we’re going to do.”
Della thought about the flowers in her dressing room, the photos on her bed, and Scott. “How? How can you find him when he can get in here even with everything? How can you keep someone like that from doing it again? Or worse?”
Annie’s gaze was steady and confident. “First, we hide you. If you’re not in front of his face, he’ll get frustrated and make mistakes.”
“Hide.” She ran her hands through her hair. Tangles caught her fingers, driving home the fact that she hadn’t brushed it since the show. “I thought we were already doing that.”
“Hanging out in your sister’s house isn’t hiding. I think you know that.”
“So you’re taking me to a different prison. Somewhere remote? Like one of those movies where they hide out in a cabinin the woods, but I still can’t go outside in case someone notices me? Do you really think cutting my hair will stop people from figuring out who I am?”
“Fair point. I’ll admit hiding you in plain sight won’t be easy. You’re Della Bellamy. You’re recognized no matter where you go, and people document your every move. I’m looking forward to the challenge, actually. I’ll get to brush offallof my tricks from my model days.”
“Won’t people wonder if I just…vanish? Won’t they miss me?” She hated the way her voice sounded. “Jesus, listen to me. I sound ridiculous. It’s funny, right? Famous Della Bellamy is worried about being forgotten?” Tears prickled her eyes, and she glanced away.
“It’s not ridiculous or funny. At all.” Annie put a light hand on her shoulder. “And it’s up to you. All of this is your choice. We can’t make you go anywhere, and we can’t make you do anything you don’t want to do. We wouldn’t even try. We need your buy-in for this to work. Otherwise, we’re all wasting our time and energy. But if you let me work my magic, and if you let Ward do his thing, we can stop working so hard to keep you safe and we can focus our efforts on finding this asshole.”
Della remembered the video of Scott’s attack and imagined Lizzie in his place. Della would do anything to make sure that didn’t happen. Anything.
She sniffed and pushed her self-pity party to the back of her mind. “You’re right. It’s the smart thing to do. Don’t mind me. I’m just tired. It’s been a long day. Actually, at the moment, I can’t think of a single person in my personal life besides my sisters who would even look for me. I’m on break. Nobody will even notice.”
That realization stung a lot more than she was ready to deal with. Especially today.
“I know this is all moving too fast,” Annie said as she led Della back to the chair.
“It’s fine.” She melted onto the chair. “It’s just hair, right? Not a big deal.”
Annie squeezed Della’s shoulders. “Now, I didn’t say that. It’s definitely a big deal, but I really do think you’ll look amazing. Honestly, I love changing up my appearance. I get to be whoever I want with just a wig and sunglasses. And Ward will be with you every step of the way. He’ll get you through this.”
“Really?” Della looked up at the ceiling until the unwanted tears went back into her skull where they belonged. “Because I’m not so sure my warden is interested in helping me through this. All we do is argue. I’m pretty sure he hates me.”