Lance sees a makeover offer at a costume shop that he couldn't pass up. Unfortunately, he didn't have the money to pay for it, but the store owner was willing to make a deal.

Lily was glad she hadn’t grabbed her backpack, because there was no denying that it was Lance’s backpack. Anna had a costume in her hand, it appeared to Dorothy.

“Sammie is that you?” Anna asked Peach.

Daisy answered, “Hello Anna.”

“Oh you are Sammie, so by process of elimination, you must be Lily,” Anna noted.

Lily nodded before, “Yes, A…”

“Anna Marie, get over here and give this guy the costume so we can get out of here sometime this century,” A lady angrily interrupted from the line.

The hidden classmate thought to herself, “Saved by the bell.” She did however wait until Anna had left the store before grabbing her backpack. They went to the measuring area where the two of them found two stools behind a table. Paper had been taped to the sides of the table to block customers looking under it.

As the two of them were putting their homework away, Aunty came up to them and put two plates full of pizza in front of them. “Dinner time girls,” she told them.

“What do you want us to do after we eat, Mrs. Kane?” Sammie asked.

Mrs. Kane answered the yellow princess while looking at her watch, “It is currently seven, we close at nine today.” She looked towards the front of the store before continuing, “The face paint line is manageable, but if Lily wants to do a face or two she can. No more than that, though. Really the only job we expect out of you two is to look pretty in those costumes. You two can gladly talk softly back here.”

Lily did do a six-year-old girl’s face up as a kitty. But before she knew it Granny was standing in front of them where they had been talking softly.

“Let’s find my granddaughter and her best friend again,” Granny said, directing the two princesses to the back room. Slowly she undressed both of the girls before leaving both of them just the camisole, tights, and ballet slippers. Sammie was handed her clothes she came in, and Lily got another stack of clothes. She then left the room to finish her closing chores.

Turning to her pile, Lily found jeans, some frilly socks, an orange long-sleeve shirt with a cat face on the front of it, and a sweatshirt with a black cat sitting on a pumpkin rounded up the clothes. Immediately after both of them were done getting dressed, Aunty came back in, like she was watching the camera. She handed Sammie a bag that already had something in it for her to put the clothes that were hers to keep into it. Lily soon got a bag too. She looked in it before putting the tights, slippers, and camisoles in it. She discovered her Girl Scout vest on top of Lance’s clothes in it.

As Granny was ushering them to the car, Sammie was told, “Sammie don’t lose that check that is in your bag. It is your payment for today and Tuesday. Lily, you don’t get one, your payment is your makeover on Saturday.” After they were loaded into the car, they watched Granny load their backpacks into the back.

The next morning Mrs. Berger wouldn’t listen to Lance pleads that he would gladly ride his bike to school instead of her stopping to drop the boy off at Gilbert’s costumes on the way home. Knowing he lost he got in the car and sat next to Lily’s best friend. Sammie looked like she was up to something and Lance was afraid it involved him or his sister somehow.

“What are you plotting, Sammie?”

“Nothing?”

“I don’t believe that one.”

“Fine, after my appointment, I have time to do what I have been threatening to do for a while.”

“Which is?”

“Find photographic evidence of young Lily.”

“Oh.” the boy answered, not sure how to answer that one.

“Hello Mommie,” Sammie told Mrs. Berger when she picked the girls up from school. Lance got into the opposite side, and the door had not been shut long when the older lady went, “Lily, show up at my house at twelve-thirty on Saturday for your ride to the Halloween party.”

The hidden girl responded agreeing to the instructions, before getting out of the car in front of the shop. Walking into the shop, she discovered it was even busier than it was yesterday. Aunty was doing face paint today, Uncle was behind the counter, and Granny was trying to calm down a fussy hyper toddler who was dressed as Minnie Mouse.

Seeing the preteen put her backpack behind the counter like she had been instructed before, Granny said, “Great, my babysitter is almost here, let’s go find her, Lauren.”

Granny grabbed Lance’s hand with one hand, and the toddler’s, who the boy assumed was Lauren, hand with the other hand. Hand in hand they went to the back room. The door wasn’t closed for long when Granny instructed the boy to strip.

Once stripped down to his … her pink panties, she was handed a package that was labeled “Sparkly Silver Tights - Size 7-10.” With a couple days of experience putting them on, she didn’t have a problem putting them on. She was then handed a shoe box, which she opened to find a pair of white one-inch heels. A white dress edged in various locations in pink was offered to her next. She looked at her makeshift mirror, a.k.a the cameras while Granny was doing up the back buttons. She couldn’t figure out what she was but did notice that the skirt started halfway between her real waist and her neck.

Granny then placed the brown wig that Sammie had used yesterday on her head. The older lady was fumbling with something on top of her head, which blocked her view of the camera screen. When she was done, the girl noticed she had a halo on top of her head. She was an angel, she figured that the wings must be here somewhere.

Lily next was treated to blush, lipstick, and mascara again. Her makeup was no sooner done when she was instructed to close her eyes. She felt something being misted on her face before she was allowed to open her eyes again. Lastly, the angel was helped into her gold wings.

As they were leaving the backroom, Granny told her, “I know you would like to do face paint again, but you will be more helpful by watching Lauren.”

Lily just nodded and took Lauren’s hand. They headed to the measurement area, where the table from yesterday was still set up. Well, adjustments have been made since yesterday. It was pushed against the wall and pulled away from the mirror more. She had to move a portable gate to get behind the table. She noticed under the table hidden from the outside by the paper, there was what could only be described as a makeshift fence. Also under the table was her backpack, how it got there, she wasn’t sure. Scattered on the floor Lauren had toys here and there. Also scattered around were pillows and blankets. The only place the floor was showing was where her stool was. She reclosed the gate before releasing Lauren’s hand.

She turned to the mirror to look at herself and noticed she had glitter all over her face and hair … wig. Turning back around, she started her homework. It felt weird for her to do homework on Friday. She usually did it on Sunday on the weekends.

Homework took longer to do than normal with Lauren as a distraction. The girl found that she actually liked watching the toddler even with those distractions.

After closing the angel expected to go to the back room and change, but no one came to get her. She was left with the now-sleeping Minnie Mouse.

After Uncle Eric picked up the sleeping toddler, Granny came up to her, and told her, “It is time to go Lily.”

“Shouldn’t I change, Granny?” she said looking down at her costume.

Shaking her head Granny said, “Nope you are going home just like that, Aunty Hanna made that costume just for you earlier in the week.”

“Is this my costume for tomorrow?” the girl nervously asked.

Again the older lady shook her head and said “Of course not my angel.” As she opened the car door, she instructed the little girl, “Let me have your wings so you don’t ruin them in the car.”

Once the door was closed, the girl watched Granny put her wings, clothes, and backpack in the back. Once that was done she started to head the two blocks to the Vanderbilt Manor. As the angel was let out of the car, she was instructed to put her wings back on so her parents could get the full effect.

“Granny, do I bring this costume back tomorrow?”

“It is yours to keep, Angel.”

As the girl walked up the walk, she shockingly answered, “Oh.” She didn't know what to say and just looked towards Sammie's bedroom. To her surprise, Sammie was looking back at her. It was already past both of their bedtimes, but Sammie must have stayed up to wait for Lily's return.

As Granny knocked on the door, the little girl finally got her voice back. “Granny, thank you thank you thank you.”

“For what?”

“For this week, for this costume, for just everything.”

“Well hello my angel, and Alison,” Mommie said, letting them in the house. Daddie was soon headed out to get the clothes and backpack. “That is a very pretty costume, Princess,” Mommie continued.

The girl said, “I think it is too, Mommie.”

“We will make sure she returns it when we drop her off at the shop tomorrow at nine.”

Alison Gilbert replied back, “As I told Lily coming up the walk, it is hers to keep. Hanna made it for her. She bought the fabric and supplies with her own money too. At least she didn’t turn in any receipts for it. And she has turned in other receipts this week.” The family was just speechless at this bit of information. Rhetorically Granny continued, “Granted she did assemble it on my dime.”

Mommie tried to change the subject, “So we drop her at the store at nine for the makeover?”

Shaking her head Granny said, “I know the makeover instructions say to be at the store at nine on your chosen day, but this one is my granddaughter. We can skip a step. I will pick her up from here. Please be dressed and ready to go at nine, Lily.”

Daddie said, “We can’t thank you enough for everything you have done for Lily.”

“She is my granddaughter, I spoiled her just like I spoil Lauren. At least this one came with a twin later in the week,” Granny said.

“Twin? And she isn’t really your granddaughter,” Mommie said.

Granny answered, “Sammie, and she is my granddaughter. I say so and she will still be my granddaughter on the first.”

The angel besides yawning was blushing with this discussion.

Seeing the yawn, Granny told the family goodbye and headed to the car.

“Okay, young lady upstairs with you,” Mommie instructed.

The almost sleeping girl had to have help undressing. Once dressed in a nightie and sitting on the toilet Mommie attacked the girl's face with a makeup remover wipe. Lily thought her face was going to be scrubbed off how many times Mommie wiped her face. Finally cleaned to the parent's satisfaction the girl was tucked in the bed.

Author's Notes:Comments and questions are always welcomed.

This story is fully written and will try to post new chapters on Tuesday and Saturday. -- Thanks Becky