A short burst of text messages appeared on her phone. It was risky to check messages at work—her coworkers may torment her for it. GC&S allowed employees to check personal messages, but Iris was still afraid that someone like Ryan would give her sass about it. She covertly read them over, and her expression softened afterwards. It was Ramona, her closest and dearest friend.

“Hey gurl. U free tonight? Wanna come over? I have a surprise for you. <3”

Iris smiled, knowing exactly what this was about. Ramona was there last year to pick up the pieces after Iris fell apart. The anniversary of the funeral was tomorrow, and Iris wagered that Ramona wanted to try and lift her spirits. She was kind and clever like that. Iris clamped her eyes shut and tightened the muscles in her face, remembering how hard it was last year. She was a mess back then and was often bleary-eyed and exhausted from crying.

Ramona was there for all of it, the tears, the anxiety, the grief. She had made sure Iris had food, company, and showered occasionally. Ramona was the only one who had seen the squalor of the apartment in those low days, the heaps of trash, and the unopened stack of mail. Looking back, it was embarrassing. Iris winced at the shame of feeling weak and powerless back then and tried her best to mask those helpless feelings now. She typed up a response to Ramona with trembling fingers.

“Sure. To the house or the salon?” Iris asked.

“Salon’s fine. I’m out at 6.” Ramona replied. “Can’t wait to see ya. <3”

Iris smiled, then stowed her phone away. She began running calculations on timing for the evening. Iris could make it across town by six if she left right at quitting time. At that moment, the alarm set on her computer for lunchtime jingled softly. Iris grabbed the green change purse out of her bag and took the elevator down to the cafeteria to see what was available.

Everything was so expensive in the city. She remembered “back in the day” that she could get such and such for half the price of city food today. Even as recently as her senior year in university, Iris could have at least gotten something to eat with whatever funds she could cobble together. Iris counted change in the palm of her hand, lamenting how small a meal this would buy her.

She ended up with a container of soup, a fistful of free saltine crackers, and a small banana. It would have been cheaper to bring such food from home, but Iris was stretching her pennies until payday and hadn’t gone grocery shopping since last week. She stood in line for the register behind a few GC&S coworkers from her floor, but they paid her no mind and went on with what they were talking about. Iris could see the more palatable food on their trays and tried not to be envious.

Fleeing the overly crowded cafeteria, Iris spirited her food upstairs to eat quietly at her desk. Most everyone went out to lunch, so she would likely be alone and unbothered for a while. She sipped at the noodle soup and crushed a handful of crackers into the broth. The steam from the soup caressed her face and calmed her nerves. All was quiet, save for the relentless hum of fluorescent lights overhead.

Iris surveyed the tiny fiefdom of her desk. There wasn’t much to look at. A single framed photograph and a stuffed plush bee toy were all the decorations she had on display. The bee must have fallen from its perch, as it was lying on her keyboard. She poked the bee with her plastic soup spoon.

“Is it time to go yet?” She asked the bee. From behind her, Mr. Maker lingered with an iced cappuccino from downstairs.

“Hey Iris. Didn't you hear me calling you?” Warren asked.

“No, sorry sir. I was lost in thought. What can I do for you?” Iris shrunk and kept her eyes to the floor. She wondered why he was speaking to her during their lunch break. They weren’t exactly on social terms.

“Have you finished with the quarterly numbers and the research for the presentation next week? Mr. Cavendish wants to be ready for when the board convenes. No surprises.” Warren took a drag from his drink, slurping up the last of the coffee.

“Uh, yes. I finished the talking points and submitted a presentation draft last Friday.” Iris offered. Doing this sort of research wasn’t really part of her job description, but Mr. Maker had asked for her help specifically. This was an opportunity to be useful, and Iris wasn’t about to abandon any chance to improve her lot at GC&S.

“Oh good. Good. I know this has taken a lot of effort. Keep your chin up. The day’s half over and tomorrow's payday. What could be better, huh?” He tossed his spent coffee cup into her trash can and gestured two half-hearted “finger guns” at Iris before turning around and leaving her cubicle.

The traitorous chime on her computer tolled again. Just like that, her lunch break was over. Her inbox blinked insistently with thirty-two new, unread emails, and the indicator light on her desk phone had someone waiting for her to answer. C’mon Iris. Let’s finish today strong, she thought to herself.

Finally, her computer screen clock read 4:59p.m. Iris hovered her mouse button over the “logout” button on her screen, ready to pounce on it with hair-trigger precision. She could see her reflection in the monitor, and also that of Ryan skulking around behind her.

“You wanna get outta here that badly, huh?” He snickered at her.

“I have somewhere to be after work,” Iris snapped back, a little more harshly than she might otherwise have done.

“Ooh, where at? For what? Does our little Imogene have a date?” He leaned in close for the remark, and Iris raised her shoulders high in annoyance. Her defiant stance encouraged him all the more.

“It's not a date. I'm meeting a friend of mine after work.” Iris stood up to leave, but Ryan towered over her and blocked her way out with an outstretched arm that leaned crookedly against the cubicle wall. He meant to use his size to intimidate Iris, but she deftly ducked underneath this ineffectual barrier before he could detain her further.

“Not a boyfriend? Aww, you poor thing,” Ryan teased. “You know, I'm not doing anything after this. If you ask me nicely, I might keep you company.”

Iris darted past Ryan and rushed to the elevator at top speed. “No thank-you, Mr. Dämmerung. This isn't something you can help with.”

Ryan tilted his head and mocked her loudly for all to hear, as Iris stepped onto the waiting elevator. “Well, let me know if you change your mind. I'm always here for you, Irene!”

Iris raced past the bus stop and tossed a quarter in a small plastic bucket for a woman collecting for a local charity. She hustled down the sidewalk, checking her watch. I can make it. I can make it! Come on, Iris! Move!

She cursed herself for being so out of shape. At last, the building appeared before her, with a bright pink neon sign that was a beacon for Iris to follow. Gasping for breath, she arrived presently in front of a glass-windowed salon, wheezing and hot. A silky-smooth voice called from inside.

“Right on time!” Ramona beamed. “Come on in, baby girl!” Ramona cheerfully greeted Iris with open arms and a generous hug, enveloping Iris in her glossy pink sleeves that slinked off tiny shoulders. Nearly a head shorter than Iris, Ramona clasped her arms around Iris’s waist and clung tenaciously. Ramona’s rounded features and infectious grin were obscured by her thick tangle of luscious, immaculate caramel curls. “Got a surprise for you,” she taunted.

Iris entered Ramona’s booth at the salon. Laid out before her were all the supplies and tools needed for a full hair treatment. Ramona winked at Iris and guided her to the stylish swiveling salon chair with a dainty, soft hand.

“What’s all this for, Ray?” Iris asked, not sure what she was hoping to hear.

“Let’s call it a belated birthday gift. Got a new color in and wanted to try it out on ya. What do ya think?” Ramona produced a box of hair dye in a stunning dark purple. Iris didn’t know much about hair dye but thought a new color would be a welcome change.

“Thanks for doing this, Ray. I could never hope to afford it right now.” Iris squirmed in the chair, but Ramona would brook no refusals.

“Nonsense! I still owed you a birthday present. I kinda procrastinated a bit, so I'm glad this works instead. If you like what I do, I can always keep doing it for your holiday gifts. Saves me a bunch of time shopping and stuff. I never know what to get ya. You're so hard to shop for.” Ramona unboxed the dye and readied her tools.

Ramona busied herself with the task at hand, giving Iris the premiere salon treatment. Her hands glided gently against Iris’s scalp, massaging her head, and causing Iris to drift into a relaxed stupor. Iris had the most gorgeous, glossy hair, but seldom did anything with it. Ramona aimed to change that.

The booth had the sultry aroma of hair product, Barbicide, and essential oils, adding to the effect. Iris half-listened to Ramona chatter about her day, smiling and nodding as appropriate. Before she knew it, Ramona was finished.

“Alrighty, we're all done. What do ya think?” Ramona spun the chair, and Iris looked on in shock as a stranger peered at her through the reflection in the mirror.

Iris’s long, raven hair was replaced by a stylish, shorter flounce of dark purple instead. “Oh my god. I look so different... I love it! Thank you, Ray!” She leaned out of the chair to hug Ramona, and the leather creaked at her sudden jostling. Ramona hugged back, bopping her luxurious bouquet of curls gently against Iris’s temple.

“I'm so glad, hon. Purple's a tough color to get right.” Ramona mused. Iris grabbed her faux leather bag and motioned towards the door to leave. “Where are you goin', lil' miss? I haven't told you about part two!” Ramona countered.

“Huh?” Iris tilted her head, confused. The new locks of purple hair bounced unexpectedly in front of her eyes, giving her a youthful air that matched her age.

“You and me, tomorrow night at the Busy Bee, my treat!” Ramona rested her hands at her hips and grinned triumphantly.

Iris smiled widely. “Really? That's my favorite! Thanks, Ray! I'll see you tomorrow after work. You have a good one!” Iris waved at Ramona, who replied with an air kiss.

Leaving the salon, Iris admired her new hairdo in the darkened windows of shops she passed by. The length of it reminded Iris that she hadn’t cut her hair since the funeral. It looked so short now, and she wondered why she waited so long to cut it. The color’s so beautiful. Ramona’s a real whiz at this.

At the time, Iris had no way to know that this was the last night of her “normal” life as she knew it. If she had, Iris might have lingered longer to appreciate her new look, instead of heading straight home. She strode joyfully to the bus shelter to wait for the evening bus to take her home, unaware of the strange forces about to conspire and change her life forever…