The City of the Broken (Prince of the Broken) by Ceri Beynon Page A

there. Come on.” He grabs my hand and leads me away from the great stadium .I’m temporarily dumbfounded as I see a zeppelin floating above my head with ‘Eternal Black’ written on it.
    In the shop window, there is an Elizabethan style black dress. It looks like a collection of antique dresses.
    “What kind of shop is this Calix?
    “ They sell very elaborate, one-of-a-kind, hand made clothing and accessories. Its where a lot of people get stuff for balls and special occasions. They sell wigs as well, come on”.
    We walk through the door and are greeted by a tall, elegant lo oking woman. The shop looks like a boutique, the costumes seem haute-couture.
    “ Good afternoon your Royal Highness, what a pleasant surprise. Is there anything in particular I could help you with?”
    “ Well Seren needs a wig” he says, motioning to me as I blush .
    “ A wig? Her hair looks perfectly lovely to me, all those auburn tones” she says kindly.
    “ Its for the SuperBall, I’m dressing up” I say quickly and truthfully.
    “ Oh I see. Well we stock only the finest wigs here Seren. Is there any particular colour or style you are looking for?”
    “Umm” I look at Calix, not really knowing what style I’m meant to be choosing myself.
    “ Can we see your selection?” he says in a non-committal tone. 
    “ Yes, follow me please” she walks briskly through the parlour, her exceedingly high shoes clip-clopping all the way through.
    On a wall at the back, wigs decorate it like a form of hairy wallpaper, each a work of art displayed beautifully. Strawberry-blonde bobs ,a Marie Antoinette heavy looking hairpiece, long jet black hair, curl y purple hair and edgy platinum blonde tresses.
    “ A lot of the cheerleaders had blonde hair, Calix” I whisper so I’m inaudible to the shop-keeper.
    “ Shall we take the blonde wig then Seren”? he says out loud.
    “ Yes, the platinum blonde please. I’d like to look as different to myself as possible!” I say enthusiastically.
    “ An excellent choice Miss, bold yet still effortlessly stylish” she says theatrically.
    She shows me to a seat in front of a mirror that has Hollywood style light bulbs all the way around it. I sit down excited as a child in a dressing up box. Calix stands looking on. The shop keeper aids me in putting the wig on. I put a less than glamorous rubber cap on first to gather all of my natural hair, then she places the razor cut wig on my head.
    “ Oh Seren, it looks amazing. You would barely recognize you” says Calix.
    I look in the mirror and I certainly don ’t look like myself. I like it, though its so different to the usual me. I look edgier.
    “ I’ll take it”.
    “ Very well. You look fabulous darling, the perfect hair do” says the ever enthusiastic shop keeper. We buy the wig and walk swiftly back to the stadium.
    Its grown dark, louder and busier since we ’ve been in the shop. There are crowds everywhere. I have the wig on, and Calix is smiling at me like he’s impressed and fascinated to be walking around with a girl that is me and yet doesn’t look like me. We’re holding hands. People are bound to think that Calix is dating somebody new.
    “ Don’t you think I should get some new clothes? I still have my same old look. I wont quite pass as a cheerleader in this” I have to shout because its still so loud.
    “ Yeah you do look too much like you dress wise. We’ll look for a clothes shop”.
    Calix chooses to go in the most upmarket shop in the whole shopping centre, but a s a girl I’m much more shopping savvy so I grab his arm.
    “ Hey Mr! Cheerleaders don’t shop in places like this. Didn’t you see what those girl had on? Miniskirts and tiny vests.” I lead him to a shop that seems to sell mainly party wear, glitzy and short .Exactly what I’m looking for. Upon entering ,I spy a sequined black skirt.
    “ I think this would be good”
    “ Isn’t it a bit too long? I mean for a cheerleader?” he asks.
    “ It is, but