CHAPTER ONE
Mirrors don’t lie. They are not capable of it. They merely
reflect what exists on the other side.
It is the viewer, the one who looks into the pane of glass, who
interprets what they see. Sometimes the viewer loves what they observe whether
it be beauty, happiness, or transformation. On occasions, specifically an
occasion like this one, reality hits hard. It lands square in the face and jolts the viewer to accept
what is, what has become of them, and what must be done.
Gretchen’s jaw dropped, her stomach churned, and she gasped
audibly as soon as the woman’s hands uncovered her eyes and she looked into the
mirror. Her face, under the garish makeup was ashen gray. Who was that poor,
pitiful, hideous creature in that awful dress? She was oblivious to the chatter and bustling activity
around her, the fingers fussing with her hair, as she stared at the girl in the
mirror. She was unrecognizable.
Sure, she knew she was staring at herself, but it wasn’t. The girl’s eyes were sad. Dark circles
were covered with heavy make-up as was the rest of her face. The eyelids had been painted a
particularly ugly shade of blue, which clashed with the brilliant blue of her
eyes. Her cheeks were orange, and her lips, oh my. The lips were bubble gum pink.
Gretchen forced back tears. What did these horrible women do to
her? Gretchen’s long blond hair had been curled, teased, piled high and glued
with a case of hair spray. On the
top of her head was a silver crown with poufs of satin and lace which was her
train and veil. She dared not look down.
It was like looking at a bloody accident. Horrible, but compelled to
look. The garment started under Gretchen’s chin. It was an ugly, vaguely
off-white satin with ruffles. Lots
and lots of ruffles. The top of
the collar, just under her chin was lined with ruffles. Its shoulders puffed up as if a child
had cut and sewn the dress and stuffed it with pillows then glued all the
scraps onto the shoulder and sleeves.
“Oh my God,” Gretchen thought to herself as she touched her
cheek, “kill me now. What have I done to deserve this? He told me I was
beautiful. I used to be...”
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This book has been nominated for a Global E-book award
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