Page 25 of Prickly as a Porcupine

“What will make them run into our trap?”Jennifer asked as she inspected Ariel’s supplies.She tugged on an IV line, testing its strength.

“I think all we have to do is make sure they know about our party and that there will be minimal agents around,” Ariel suggested.

“But I don’t want to ruin the operation Agent Stone is working on.”Joline didn’t like the idea of them potentially sabotaging it.

“Grimm gave us the invite.He’s expecting the agents to go there.Grimm will be miles from the trap he set for them.I just want to draw him here.”Ariel stabbed her finger into the desktop in front of her for emphasis.

“What if we say how dumb he is for thinking the agents wouldn’t know it’s a trap and we’re throwing a party to celebrate him getting captured?”Jennifer suggested with a dark smile.“The man seems a little narcissistic.I bet if we insult him, he’d be sure to come here to crash the party and remind us how big and powerful he really is.”Jennifer puffed up her chest and struck a bodybuilding pose.Joline found herself chuckling.Ariel looked insulted at first, but then joined in.Joline figured Ariel still had some good memories of Grimm and struggled with remembering he was the bad guy.Even though this elaborate hoax was her plan.In the not-so-distant past, Joline knew Ariel would have attempted to defend Grimm if anyone insulted him.She was glad to see Ariel joining in on their fit of giggles.

Ariel wiped at the corners of her eyes.“That would work.Are you okay with waiting here for the others to work on snares to bring out to the obstacle course tomorrow?Joline and I can spread the word under the marked vents and will be back as soon as possible.”

“Sure thing.”Jennifer settled into a chair and Joline and Ariel stepped into the hall, enjoying a brief moment alone as they walked.

“Where was Agent Quackenbush starting at?”Ariel asked while running her fingers through her greying hair.

Joline remembered she said the metamorphosis could be taxing on her.“By the classrooms.Do you need time to shift back to normal?”she asked, wondering if it made a difference.

Ariel shook her head.“It’s the change that tires me out.The damage is already done.Although I must admit, my joints are a little achy.”She rubbed at her hip before looking down at the white lab coat.“I should return the ID badge and the coat before we get started.”

Joline brushed a lock of greying hair out of Ariel’s face.“You’re still beautiful.”

A glow of blush settled in Ariel’s cheeks.“Thank you.It can be a lot to get used to.I forget how old I appear until I look in a mirror.”She sighed.“Maybe I should turn back after I return everything.I don’t want FUC getting the wrong idea.”

Joline smiled.“As you said, you were using your talents for good this time.”

Ariel looked down at her feet and stopped before they rounded the next hallway.“Maybe.”She pointed to the ID badge pinned to the breast pocket of the lab coat.“But I stole these things and tricked a nurse into opening the supply closet for me.”

Joline lifted Ariel’s face with a finger to her chin.She gazed into her green eyes, noticing the hurt there.Joline shed off the doubt that Jennifer sewed in her earlier.Ariel was trying her damnedest to do better.To be better.Joline wasn’t about to hint that her effort wasn’t good enough.“We told the agents about our plan.Our plan to catch a bad guy, remember?”

Ariel exhaled sharply, blowing forward from loose strands of auburn hair mingled with grey that glittered like tinsel.“I’m afraid if I convince myself that the ends justify the means again, I’ll be right back where I started.”Her brow creased in worry.“I have to do better next time.No more stealing.”

Joline put a hand on Ariel’s shoulder.Ariel lit up with a smile, the corners of her eyes crinkling with the wrinkles of her new age.“Agreed.I’ll hold you to that.But for now, you’re doing things differently than you would have in the past.You’re not perfect, but it’s still progress.”

“That’s what Paige says all the time.‘It’s progress, not perfection.’”

Joline gave Ariel’s shoulder an encouraging squeeze.“Exactly.So let’s put these things back and spread a rumor!”

Ariel kept the older appearance until the ID badge and the lab coat were back in the doctor's office.Hopefully no one would get in trouble for her deception.That would make her feel even worse.Once the door was shut, Ariel suggested, “Let’s go to a bathroom so I can wash off the makeup.Then we can get started.”

Joline nodded before taking her hand.Ariel felt relieved that Joline didn’t think any less of her for using her talent for another deception.Joline did have a point that Ariel was using it to gain the upper hand on the bad guys.Although, Ariel still felt that unless she was an undercover agent, she shouldn’t be disguising herself at all.Maybe it was the thrill of it that scared her.Getting ready felt exciting.Her heart was racing just remembering it.It felt too similar to how she felt working for Grimm.That’s what scared her most.The adrenaline addiction simmered just below the surface, ready for excitement.Guilt put it back in its box.Shame heated her cheeks over enjoying disguising herself again.

Ariel picked up the pace, leading Joline to the nearest bathroom.The sooner the disguise was gone, she hoped the growing pit in her stomach would go away.She tied her hair back in a low bun so it wouldn’t be in her way.A make-up wipe would have completed the job better, but Ariel found that soap and water removed the foundation just fine.The fake moles on her face she created from the eyeliner were a different story, but she didn’t have to look perfect.As the contouring and foundation swirled down the drain of the sink, Ariel allowed herself to tap back into her hormones.She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing until she was able to center herself.Then she reached for the door in her mind, opening it to find the dial that controlled her hormones.She turned the dial back down to zero, which allowed her to shift back into her normal age appearance.

She opened her eyes, taking in her reflection.She frowned.

“What’s wrong?”Joline asked, putting a hand on Ariels’ shoulder.Her touch comforted her, easing her confusion.

Ariel inspected a swatch of hair.It was still a mix of auburn and grey.“Usually when I shifted back, my hair would turn back to its normal color.”She didn’t know how many times she shifted her age in the past, but it was a lot.Enough to know this wasn’t her usual experience.

Joline pushed her glasses back up on the bridge of her nose before running a hand through Ariel’s hair.“It’s thinner than before, too.”

“That actually is normal.I have to wait until the hair that fell out when I aged grows back.But what remined of my hair always turned back to its normal color after.”She sucked her lip in as she thought.Hair wasn’t everything, but Ariel was concerned.What could this mean?Was it no longer safe to change her age?

“Maybe Grimm was doing something while you were with him that helped your hair go back to normal after,” Joline proposed after a moment of thought.

After what Agents Sparks and Stone told her about how Grimm was manipulating her health from the first day they met, Ariel wasn’t surprised.“You’re probably right.I don’t think I should use my little trick again until I speak to my doctor.”Ariel felt that lifted a load from her shoulders.All her worry about slipping up and using her special abilities for bad melted away.If she could never change her age again, it wouldn’t be a potential problem.What else was Grimm lying to her about?

She unraveled her hair from the low bun, letting the ashy strands cascade around her face.It was strange to see all the grey in her hair.She’d probably forget until seeing herself in a mirror again.“Let’s circle back to the classrooms and see if Agent Quackenbush found anything in the vents.”