[ graphic: @me ]

a jar of secrets
07 | i'm blonde

"I-I didn't mean to do that!" I apologise bringing my hands up to my mouth in shock at what I had just done.

"Yes you did." Hades objects looking down at me as he brings his hand up to the small red hand print I'd left behind.

"I'm sorry I-I'm so so sorr-"

I don't know if it's the sun playing with my eyes or what but I swear I could see crimson specks mixed in with the brown in his eyes but they're gone just as fast as they had came.

"I probably deserved that.." he sighs bringing his hands up to rub his face in a tired sort of way. "I don't expect you to understand all of this just yet Persephone but please I need you to stay with me so I can protect you, okay?" he pleads.

I should have opened the door and ran away. Tried calling Ash or Pat and find a way back to Misty Hallows but seeing how exhausted Hades truly looked, the emotions flicking across his face as he turns to look at me.

"Okay." I tell him removing my hand from the handle.

I don't know why I didn't get out and run, maybe it was the way he is looking at me right now or the feeling I have deep inside telling me that I had to stay.

"I'll stay."

"Wait you will?" Hades says confused, tilting his head slightly to the side resembling that of a lost puppy.

"Yeah you only live once so why the hell not," I mumble tugging my seatbelt back over me. "But I need some new clothes, I'm not going to this safe place dressed like this!"

"I believe there's a small town a few hours ahead, they might have something more fitting," he tells me with a smirk as he starts the car back up. "Although the yellow really does suit you, you know?" he jokes.

"Yeah well this sandal will suit you too when I shove it up your ass."

Hades just chuckles as he brings us back up onto the highway. It is a sound that I could get used to I realise, if only he did it more often.

❦

"So how long have you been a private detective for?"

We've been on the road for the last four hours, so far all I had seen outside the window was five cars, two trucks carrying logs, one house and a million trees.

"About eleven years I believe, although it feels a lot longer than that to be honest." Hades tells me as he takes a sip from the can in his hands before focusing back on the road ahead.

"So what.. you were about fourteen at the time?" I say calculating the numbers in my head. "Seems a bit young if you ask me?" I glance over at him but he keeps his eyes glued to the road.

"What, can't a kid have a hobby anymore?" I know it's a joke but I still glance over at him again curiously.

"I guess so," I say slowly dragging it out. "How many cases have you worked on? and I don't mean the ones where you figure out who stole the cookie from the cookie jar."

Hades cracks a small smile at this but stays quiet for a few short minutes before finally answering.

"Only one."

"What?" I must have heard him wrong, did he just say he's only worked on one case?

He casts a quick glance over at me, my eyes catching his before he looks away.

"You."

I let the information sink in for a few minutes, the faint sound of a radio station playing in the background around us.

"You've been working on my case for the past eleven years?" It comes out more of a question then an actual statement.

"Your case is pretty personal to me," he admits quietly before dropping the topic all together. "Anyways we're here."

I glance outside expecting to see an old haunted looking house but am surprised to see a one road street with little shops running along both sides.

"This is where the safe house is?" I follow as Hades jumps out and comes around to my side of the vehicle. "Seems kinda... small."

"No this is where you'll be finding some clothes and a place to rest for the night," he explains closing my side door behind me.

It's then that I actually pay attention to the suns position up in the sky, it's sneaking closer and closer to the horizon behind us.

"Oh.." I mumble feeling a little stupid as we both step up onto the pathway.

"I saw a motel back up the road a bit," he says pointing with his thumb behind us. "I'll go and see if they've got any rooms left, there's a store up to your left where you'll find some clothes," he adds digging into his front pocket for something.

"I don't need your money.." it comes out automatically as he holds out a fifty to me.

"Oh really? Cause I believe you didn't pack any with you," he smirks as I take the money from him with a sigh.

"On second thought, I might need it."

There hadn't been any time to worry about grabbing clothes or my purse when there was men trying to kidnap me, although it probably would've been a good idea.

"I'll pay you back when I can.." I mumble tucking the money into my side pocket in the off white cargo pants I wore.

"Don't worry about it, as long as you're safe that's all that matters," Hades tells me before walking off down the street.

As long as I'm safe. But safe from what though, a few men trying to kidnap me or is there something more to it then that?

I don't have my phone with me either since it got smashed during my dash across the street with weird light things coming at me.

I find myself coming to a stop when I reach a small white store with a sign out the front reading, 'Bits&Bobs'.

"I'm really hoping he doesn't expect me to actually buy some fabric and sow some clothes together!" I sigh under my breath as I open the door and walk in, a bell dingling above me.

"Hi honey, I'll be right over in a second," an elderly lady behind the counter calls out to me while serving another customer.

I nod my head letting her know that I've heard before looking around in ashsonament.

In one corner there's a row of shelves labelled high with bits and pieces like needles, ribbon and buttons, beside them there are five long horizontal beams supporting many different colours of fabric ranging from silk to cotton and all between.

I wonder if they've just got a pair of black jeans, plain top and leather jacket in their collection? something was telling me that'd be a big no.

"How can I help you today?" A young voice asks behind me cheerily. I turn to find a girl not much older then me, standing there with a smile on her face as she waits for my answer.

"I don't suppose you have any jeans or leather jackets, do you?" I ask hopeful and the girl laughs as she shakes her head.

"I'm afraid we don't sell things like that around here but I may have something that you might like," she says beckering me to follow her as she walks over to the other side of the store.

"As long as it isn't pink or yellow or anything too bright we'll be fine," I tell her in a joking tone but really, I'm being dead serious.

"That's a shame really, this shade of pink would suit your blonde locks rather beautifully," the girl comments holding a pale pink summer dress out in front of her.

Blonde locks? Maybe she's colour blind because I certainly don't have blonde hair but a more dark brown, black colour.

"Sorry but I don't know what you're talking about, my hairs not blonde."

The girl in front of me frowns and I see a name tag on her shirt reading, sophie.

"Why yes it is!" she goes on looking at me like I've lost my mind. "Quite beautiful too I must say."

I stare at her unblinkingly.

"You don't know?" she asks finally realising that I'm being dead serious and not joking around with her. "Oh gosh, I need to get you a mirror asap."

I watch as Sophie rushes off to the front counter, her own blonde hair trailing behind her.

I've put my hair up in a high bun earlier in the day and knew for a fact that it wasn't blonde. When the girl comes back with a mirror in hand I simply just hold it out in front of me to play along with her little game, I certainly don't expect for my hair to actually be blonde.

"What the!" I yell nearly dropping the mirror entirely. "My hair!"

My hair was no longer the familiar brown I came to see each morning but a pale blonde. A few strands of hair have fallen out of the bun and are dangling around the back of my neck, curled up loosely.

"How can you not know that your hairs blonde?" Sophie asks curiously watching as I start to poke my bun making sure it's real. The colour certainly isn't coming off.

"I-I don't know.." I cry still in shock.

"Maybe a friend swapped your shampoo out with hair dye?" she suggest shrugging. "A friend of mine did that to me last year, you should've seen the ugly mustard like colour.. it was-"

My mind isn't focused on whatever Sophie is saying to me and instead looking down at the mirror still in my hands.

My hairs blonde! And it doesn't look like a cheap hair dye either but really blonde like I was born with it all along.

Had it been blonde all day? Or just recently? I need to ask Hades immediately.

"I need to go I'm sorry," I tell her handing the mirror back and turn, running out of the store before she could even reply.

But because my thoughts are clouded around my sudden change of hair colour, I don't  see the person standing outside the door and I run head first into them.

"Woah what's the rush?" I'm relieved to hear his voice as he places his hands on either side of me to steady me.

I look up into his dark eyes, there's no sign of the crimson specks that I'd seen earlier.

Maybe it really is just my imagination playing tricks on me but I shake that away remembering the blonde in the mirror. It was real.

"M-My hair!" I cry out bringing my hands up to point at the bun on top of my head. "It's blonde Hades."

"Persephone you have to take deep breaths," he tells me worriedly, seeing that I'm getting worked up over this. "In and out, in and out."

I do what he tells me and focus on breathing.

In and out, in and out.

I open my eyes once I feel like myself again and look up to see Hades watching me closely, his hand still on my shoulder serving as comfort.

"Its been that way the last couple of hours," he confesses finally. "I didn't want to frighten you."

"It's been what?!" I scream making a few other people on the street look over at us worriedly. "Hair doesn't just change colour on its own."

"Persephone listen to me," he says leaning down to my eye level, placing both hands on my shoulders again. "I can explain all this to you but-"

"Oh am I interrupting something here?"

We both look up to spot the girl from earlier in the store, Sophie, and she's holding a plastic bag nervously.

Hades sighs before letting me go and standing back up to his full height.

I would have to wait for an explanation later.

"No you weren't, what's up Sophie?" I ask her glancing down at the bag in her hand again.

"You ran out of there so quick I felt so bad but I thought you might like these," she tells me shyly passing me the bag. I notice some jeans and a few tops tucked inside. "They were mine but they got too small, thought you could use them since you didn't seem to like my grandmothers fashion much."

"Thank you." I exclaim smiling as I spot a leather jacket at the bottom, Sophie must have caught me looking at it because she smiles.

"Good luck with your travels and I hope you find what you're after."

It is later when Hades is showing the way to the motel when I realise that I hadn't told Sophie anything about why I was here or that I was passing through.