Lynell gives Zach a filthy look. He chuckles and pulls her back into the chair. He makes quick work of snipping a few inches off her dark brown hair. When he’s done, they switch places, and Lynell trims the sides of his hair as close to the scalp as she can get it without a razor.

“We’ll have to shower after we dye our hair,” Zach says, brushing pieces of hair off his shoulders. “Let’s go raid the closet while we wait to see if we can find anything that will fit you.”

Lynell follows Zach out of the bathroom and to the bedroom she and Daniel used the night before. “Wasn’t this an old lady’s home?”

“What? Scared you’re going to look like a grandma and a little boy?” he teases. Lynell shoves him gently, aware of his many wounds.

“Was the woman married? Maybe you can find some nice old-man suspenders to go with that old-man scowl you love to wear.”

“Ouch,” Zach says, flipping on the bedroom light and turning to Lynell. He raises his eyebrows in delight. “Clever. You really do have the Elysian charm, don’t you?”

“I don’t think ‘charm’ is the right word.” Lynell passes Zach and opens the door on the other side of the room. She’s hit by the smell of mothballs and lingering perfumed detergent. A quick survey of the closet shows that either the old lady lived alone, or she lived with someone with the exact same clothing taste as her.

“Lynell, this is so your color!” Zach pulls a bright yellow dress from the far end of the closet, holding it against Lynell’s body. She looks down, scowling at the putrid green design covering the top half of the dress.

“I think that fits your style more,” she says, shoving the dress away. Zach laughs again and continues pulling out the ugliest clothes he can find. It doesn’t take long for Lynell to break and start laughing, enjoying a fleeting moment of humor and joy with her cousin.

They find a pair of black slacks, a gray sundress, and several simple shirts that fit Lynell and make her go unnoticed in a crowd. The rest they shove back into the closet just as there’s a knock at the front door.

Lynell rushes to open it, but before she can, Zach grabs her wrist.

“What are you—” she starts, but he holds a finger over his lips, and she falls silent.

There’s another knock, followed by three quick ones, and then two more five seconds apart. Zach smiles and unlocks the door.

“Hey,” Daniel says, walking through. He drops the bags and accepts Lynell’s gentle hug with a muffled grunt of pain. “I was only gone an hour,” he says, chuckling. Zach closes the door behind him and locks it before grabbing the bags.

“I know,” Lynell mutters, letting him go. Daniel touches her hair, now shoulder-length, and she’s about to ask if he likes it when Zach starts unloading the bags and calls them over.