Read Trapped: Chaos Core Book 1 for Free Online

the
blueprint.”
    “You realize I’m
going to be dead in two years anyway, right? Like a switch going off,
I’ll get painfully sick, my organs will take about a week to fail,
and then I’ll be another corpse buried in the back garden, rotting
under the lilac trees,” Aspen said, creating the deepest
uncomfortable silence she’d ever seen, it was fantastic. “I’ve
got an expiry date so all this is really pretty pointless.”
    “Let’s try to keep
our composure, luv,” the eldest of the technicians said, plucking
an errant hair from her neck. “This will take much longer if you
bring dark clouds into the room.”
    There was no escape,
not for the moment, Aspen reminded herself silently. Sometimes the
only way out was through, not around, not up or over, so she went
against every instinct she had for the rest of the day. “I’m
sorry, you all work very hard, thank you.”
    “Well, thank you,”
the only male one said, he was one of the so-called technicians,
which meant he handled the more invasive devices. “We honestly
don’t hear that enough.”
    The next hour was one
Aspen wished she could forget. Even when they were finished and
rubbing a special blend of lotions into her skin – the reward for
all the rest – she knew it wasn’t really at an end. The assembly
line went on, the makeup artists got to work on her next. To Aspen’s
chagrin, the Countess had something special planned that night, and
she was to be made up in brown and green dye. “You mean body
paint?” she asked when one of the artists informed her.
    “No, my girl, take
that robe off. We are to paint you like a wood nymph from ancient
lore from head to toe. The presentation for your second debut will be
a work of art. Nothing can run, nothing can drip, so it’s brushes
and dyes for you. Hold still please.” Those were the last words
spoken for a long time as the lead makeup artist and five of his
assistants painted her until she looked like some child of the woods.
It took two hours for them to do what a bot would have done in
fifteen minutes if it were the old days.
    They kept her robe as
she was sent on to the next stage, where she hoped they’d dress
her, since all she was wearing was green, brown and black dyes. They
covered her from head to toe so she looked like she was made from
grass and trees but still very feminine – enough so she wished
there was a bush she could hide in – so she hoped it was just
undercoating.
    “Well, they certainly
did their best,” a tall woman covered in fine silver fur sighed.
She was of a race Aspen had never seen before, but she liked the big
eyes and long, pink nose tipped snout. “I’m sorry dear, your
frock is to be very simple tonight, the Countess wants to show you
off. Court has been boring this season.”
    A soft brown and green
cloak was wrapped around her shoulders, cloth twigs and leaves were
sewn into the garment. The tall furry woman regarded her for a
moment, tilting her head and looking at the robe. “It fits, and it
hides all but your neck and face, exactly as the Countess ordered.”
    “Then why did I just
get painted?”
    “That is an excellent
question that I can’t answer, my dear. I’m Tonic.”
    “It’s good to meet
you,” Aspen replied.
    “I’ll be dressing
you until you eventually escape,” she replied in a whisper. “Don’t
say anything, I just know that’s how your time here will end. There
is something about you that tells me that this won’t last long.”
    Aspen raised the sides
of her cloak high enough to surround her face so only Tinick could
see her and mouthed; “Can you help me?”
    Tinick laughed cheerily
and shook her head. “I’m from the theatre, a place where we
understand the importance of timing, you understand. If someone comes
in too early, they embarrass themselves, too late and they show a
kind of unprofessionalism that leads to even deeper humiliation. When
treading the boards of a great house, either one is akin to death.