“I know it’s not glamorous,” the dean of students told Clove, “but community service is an important part of being an August Witch.”

“Is there any way I can skip this?” Clove asked. “I’d really rather do more homework.”

“No,” the dean said. “I’ve assigned you to work as a hairdresser because the barber shop is struggling to find help. As a sealant witch, you are perfect for the assignment. Your clients will have perfect hair for months.”

So here Clove was, dressed in an apron, standing behind a chair, waiting on her first client.

The door opened. Ding. In walked the processing witch.

“Your first client,” Lavender said.

Clove walked forward to meet the processing witch.

“You?!” the processing witch said. “What are you doing here? I thought you wanted to be an August Witch now. And you were so difficult to place. My most difficult client to date.”

“No,” said Clove, “I’d rather not become an August Witch, but I am still at Afterglow Academy. It’s community service day, so I’m helping out.”

The processing witch wrinkled her nose. “Well, don’t just stand there,” she said. “Are you going to cut my hair or not?”

Clove lead the processing witch over to the chair.

The processing witch sat down.

Clove put a cover over the processing witch.

“Too tight,” the processing witch said. “Loosen it.”

Clove complied.

The haircut proceeded in this manner.

First, the processing witch insisted that Clove had left her hair too long. Then, she said Clove over corrected by making her hair too short. She said that Clove had made her hair too uneven. She said that Clove had made her hair too even. She said her hair was too curly. She said her hair was too straight. She said her hair was too flat. She said her hair had too much body.

Clove started to look at the bottle of pink dye on the counter. She imagined how the processing witch would look with pink hair. She was seriously considering using the dye on the processing witch.

“Wow,” Clove said. “It seem that, no matter what I do, you are not satisfied.”

The processing witch tilted her head. “Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?” she asked. “Someone who isn’t content with any of the options, who is never satisfied.”

Clove didn’t respond and finished the haircut.

Clove thought about cutting out a random chunk of the processing witch’s hair, but she held back.

“Please look in the mirror,” Clove said, “and let me know if any more changes are needed.”

The processing witch looked and studied her reflection. “You know,” she said. “It’s not half bad. You are a difficult client and a difficult hairdresser, but you got it right eventually. I’ll have to see you for all of my haircuts from now on. I think you owe it to me for causing me so much trouble.”

Clove had no intention of cutting hair ever again after today. She wanted to spend all of her time studying and trying to improve her grades and to compete with Oleander.

“I want to focus on school,” Clove said. “If you can get me extra credit for it…” Clove shrugged. “Maybe.”

As the processing witch left the shop, Clove watched the back of the processing witch’s head, looking for a tiny streak of pink hair. She found it and smiled.