“Oh, you poor thing—that’s terrible,” Kat said, when she finished. “But are you sure he ought to break the bond? You know, I’m bonded to Twin Kindred myself and one of my guys was certain we shouldn’t be together, but when he tried to sever our bond, some very bad things happened.”
Em shook her head.
“I don’t know anything at this point except that I’m supposed to be having a press conference as soon as I get home and I don’t feel ready for it a bit.”
Kat nodded.
“Okay, I know—we got off topic. I’m just supposed to get you looking fabulous. Though honestly, doll—you already look amazing. What did you do to your hair?”
Em explained the purification treatment she’d had to get ready for the Rigellen Trials and how spending time in the “Mists” had lightened her hair from iron gray to silver.
“Though I wish it wasn’t so noticeable now,” she said dolefully. “The tabloids are certain to make it out as though I ran away from the Earth when it was in danger and then went to some alien spa to have my hair done. They’ll make me out to be a horrible person—deserting my planet when it needed me most.”
Kat frowned and a determined glint came into her blue eyes.
“They’ll only say that if you let them,” she announced. “Minister Oxley, we are not going to let the Press spin this their way. We’re going to tell them all about your trip and your dealings with the Rigellen people and how you saved the Earth by bonding with Commander Rarev!”
“No, no!” Em said hastily. “We can’t do that! At least, we can’t tell them I’m bonded to Rarev. They’ll say I’m working for the Monstrum and against Earth’s best interests. Besides—he feels that he has to break the bond, remember?”
Kat sighed.
“All right—we won’t tell about the bonding part. But we are going to be sure the Press knows that you went away to save the Earth. And we’re going to make you look fabulous while we do it!”
Em nibbled her bottom lip uncertainly.
“I don’t know about that. I rather think it would be better if I dressed down a little bit. And maybe did something to my hair? I need to put it up and try to hide the new color somehow.”
“No, absolutely not!” Kat exclaimed. “Look, I’ve seen how you dress, Minister Oxley, and don’t take this the wrong way, but you could use a little glamming up.”
“Glamming up?” Em asked, astonished. “But I’m a British Minister—a public servant—not some kind of influencer!”
“You’re in the public eye and the public eye is always nicer to pretty people.” Kat shrugged. “It’s not fair but it’s true. Now come on—let’s go get you ready for the press conference.” She tilted her head to one side, considering. “Not that you need much help—your skin is positively glowing. Look, I know a lady never tells her age, but do you mind just letting me know how old you actually are? I thought you had two grown daughters but you look like you’re in your early thirties.”
“I do have two grown daughters. But are you serious? I can’t look that young—can I?” Em was rather taken aback. She knew that the Mists she’d floated through had smoothed her worry lines a bit, but the changes they had wrought hadn’t been extreme—well, except in the case of her hair.
“Come on,” Kat said, nodding at her. “Let’s go look in the viewer and you’ll see what I mean.”
She pulled Em through to another room where a 3-D viewer was set up and positioned her in front of it.
“Have a look at yourself, doll,” she said. “You’re gorgeous!”
Em looked at herself…and did a double take. The red-haired woman was right—she looked like she was somewhere in her early 30s now—much younger than she had after her time in the Mists. What was going on?
“I…I don’t understand,” she murmured, putting a hand to her face. “How is this possible? I’m going through menopause right now!”
“Well, you certainly don’t look it,” Kat remarked. “Like I said—you look fabulous.”
“But I don’t understand,” Em began again. Then she thought of something. “Oh,” she whispered. “Oh my God!”
“What? What is it?” Kat asked excitedly. “You’ve figured it out, haven’t you?”
“I…I think it must have something to do with me bonding with Rarev,” Em said slowly. “His kind of Monstrum Kindred—the Feline type—seem to be extra attracted to older women. They call them ‘Mature Elites’. And they think all the symptoms of menopause are actually leading up to what they call a female’s ‘Second Mating Period.’ Rarev told me that being bonded to a Monstrum of his kind might give some properties of rejuvenation, but I never thought it would be this extreme!” She shook her head and watched as the much younger-looking woman in the viewer did the same. “The Press is going to think I had work done!”