700+ votes!! *Does happy dance and bathe in blue chocolate.*

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"Please!"  I plead.

"No!we're not done yet."  Lyla said from my bed, and by 'we', she meant the make up artists.

She has been sitting on the bed for three hours now,eating ice cream with cassie and texting on her phone.

"Cassie, sweetie, tell me how i look"  I smile cloyingly.

"Not gonna happen nessie, i might be six but i'm not stupid" she scoffs.

I was dumbfounded.

"Good girl cassie, but no more ice cream for you."  Lyla said, taking the ice cream bowl away from cassie who is staring at her like she could pluck out her eye.

"Nessie, you look-"

"Heeeeere's your ice cream, cassie!" lyla interupted.

"Thank you." cassie grinned slyly and skipped into the closet with the ice cream bowl. she's probably going to ruin some clothes there but i don't really care.

"She's just like my little neice." Freda, the pretty make up artist with the African skirt and platinum blonde hair said.

"In that case, i'm sorry for you and her mom." lyla said with faux remorse.

"I heard that!" cassie screamed from the closet.

"You were meant to." lyla fired back.

Sometimes i feel like cassie is the older one between them.

"No, don't put that." a grupmy voice came from above me. i dont need to look up to know that its Yvonne. The one with the blue jeans and white top.

"Put what?" i ask.

I was completely ignored.

I hate her, i hate the fact that she's touching my face.

"Stop being a grouch, we're done lyla." freda said.

"oh! Let me see let me see let me see"  lyla ran over, barely skipping a spoon that may or may not hurt her if stepped on. Then she stopped abrubtly her grey eyes widened.

"Oh my chocolate chip ice cream!" her voice came out breathy.

She walked towards me slowly with teary eyes. she does know that i will wash this off right?

"You look, you look...." she fanned her eyes.

"Is it that bad?" i ask. Freda just stood there smiling at me

"If bad means absolutely breathtaking then yes, you look really really bad!"

"Thank goodness. so now can i see my face?"

"NO!" lyla shouted.

i groan.

"Why!" i ask

"We should get going." lyla said

"What's the time?" i ask

"Um ...i'ts 12 o clock." lyla said.

"What time is the event?"

"4pm."

"When do we leave?" i ask

"In twenty minutes"

"When do i get to see my face?"

"Shut up and go grab your dress." she said.

"Why can't i just see my face for a second"

"Because i want it to be a suprise." she puffed her chest.

"Haven't you given me enough suprises for today?"

"No."

"You're a pain in my bloody ass!"

I push myself off the chair and stretched.

Freedom!.

I walk out the room and into the other bedroom. It smells like Ethan. I haven't seen him in a while and I have started to worry.

He didn't pick any of my calls and didn't reply any of my texts, he never did answer any of them before but still.

I go into the closet and immediately came face to face with a mirror. I think lyla's plan has a flaw.

I stopped dead in my tracks.

Bloody hell.

"Wow." my voice came out breathy

I look............ beautiful?

I actually look beautiful.

Confidence radiates from my facade, i look like i'm daring the world, like a woman who knows her worth. in other words

I don't look like vanessa.

I was given fake lashes and new contacts. The lashes made my new blue–grey eyes pop out. My lips are painted with maroon lipstick, giving me a bold look, My hair is still undone but they curled it so it would cup my face. Different is an understatement but i like it. I think i like it.

I tilt my face and raise my hand to touch my face, carefully making sure not to ruin anything. it's really me, it's my face. its my face!

Then, a suprising grin slowly stretched on my face, my whole face brightened like a match stick glowing in the dark and i let it stay there because for just tonight, maybe i can pretend to be one of those heroines in my novels. I can pretend to be someone else tonight. This match stick will burn out at a point but for now, i'll enjoy the little light i have been given. Tonight, i am not vanessa.

I grab the box containing my dress and walked out of the bedroom with a smile on my face.

"You saw your face didn't you?" lyla deadpaned.

I laughed. A hearty and genuine one because i'm not vanessa today, i'm a confident woman.

"Let us just pretend i didn't." i winked at her and walked towards the closet. leaving her wide eyed and mouth agape.

"Did you just laugh?" she asked but i was already walking into the closet.

"Did she just laugh?" she asked the puzzeled make up artists who were gossiping among themselves. Freda looked ridiculously confused.

"Cassie, common, we're leaving" i called out. She came out wearing a pink hat with a fur scarf and one of my sundresses. There are clothes everywhere, at least marylyn would have something to do today.

"Just five more minutes." she pleaded. Her face looks sticky, probably from the ice cream. I'm worried for her stomach. Cassie is stella's daughter. I used to babysit her alot until Ethan made me stop. He never liked stella.

"No princess, we don't want to be late now do we? there will be alot more ice cream there." I lied. well I'm pretty confident right now, Let me Lie.

"Will there be chocolate there too?" her eyes sparkled from under the huge hat.

"Yes." I lied again

"And ponies?" her whole face brightened.

"lots and lots of ponys." I lied even more.

"Do you think I'm stupid?" she quirked an eyebrow and crossed her arms.

"Uuhhh.............what?" i furrowed my eyebrows.

"I know you're lying Nessie. But i'll come anyways, someone has to keep auntie lyla in check."

What the bloody hell do they show on kiddies television channels these days?

"You think you're so funny!" lyla said in a mocking voice

"Grow up! you'd think since she was a Grown up, she would have done that a long time ago, like how old are you? fifty!." I help her take off all the oversized clothes she was wearing and she walked away, talking about how lyla should go back to Creche.

It's really hard to believe this girl is only six years old, she's an only child and she's home schooled. she barely have friends so she had no choice but to make friends with the adults that surrounded her leading to her growing up fast.

"Where are you going cassie?" i shout.

"To the car!" her tiny voice echoed back

"Don't worry, i'll go after her. be down in ten minutes." lyla instructed me. she rolled her eyes and sauntered after the adult like child.

Yvonne, kira and Rosanne, the face painters began to pack up their stuff while freda walked up to me.

"You look really beautiful Vanessa." the way she said my name with her faint unrecognisable accent made me actually like it.

"Thank you, i don't feel like myself at all." I admit and flashed her an embarassed smile.

"You know this will only last for tonight right? you'll go back to being regular vanessa by next morning" she asks with worried eyes.

"I know." i keep my smile on my face "But instead of sulking about the duration of my fake identity, why not enjoy it while it lasts?"

She smiled and walked away, towards her bag lying on my queen sized bed and pulled out a card. She walked back to me and handed me the card. she's about three inches taller than i am. At five foot seven, i'm not what you call short but when i stand close to freda,i look shorer than i already am. she bent down and i was confused until she whispered in my ear "Don't worry, i covered the bruises with concealer, no one saw it."

Then she walked away with her friends who were waiting rather impatiently for her. She saw the bruises, how could I have forgotten to cover them!?

I look down to the card in my hand, her phone number. I smile, despite the situation and grabbed whatever i need and shoved it into a bag. I folded my dress and placed it inside the bag, carefully.

As i walked out of the mansion, warm air immediately hit me. It's already spring and its beautiful. I look up to the clear sky and squinted but smiled nonetheless, taking in a deep breath. The flowers have bloomed, the grasses are green, and the rose bush is definetely not dead.

Everything looks the same but different. I don't feel that unexplainable joy i feel when i'm hit by the delicious whiff of the wet earth, or the urge to plant more flowers, or sit on the grass and have a picnic with weisly, marylyn and eleanor. But today, i won't let that overwhelming sadness envelope me. I take a deep breath, catching a whiff of that wet soil again and walked towards the driveway.

When i got to the white mercedes, lyla and cassie were having an argument about who gets to sit in the shotgun seat.

"I'm younger, i should get it." cassie waved her hands frantically in the air

"I'm older, i should get it!" lyla copied cassie's motion

"But you sat in it when we were coming here already, it's my turn now!" cassie gritted her little teeth

"The back is safer!" lyla narrowed her eyes

"Well then why don't you sit there!" cassie asked exasperatedly

I walk past them and nod at the cheauffer who was holding the door open with a frustratrated exapression and sat in the shotgun.

"Quit your whining children, momma's got shotgun!, go sit in the back." I say over their voices and they both snap their heads to me, breaking their staring contest.

lyla rolled her eyes following behind cassie.

Then...

"I want to go in first" cassie whined

"No, i want to go in first." lyla said.

The cheauffer groaned the same time i did. i looked towards him and he blushed.

I did a silent laugh.

******************************

We rolled down the street and past a lot of beautiful houses. They all looked the same from a few months ago. we drove past alot of places i used to go to.

Creamers, a coffee shop i used to go to when I was still in secondary school, Grover's ice-cream shop, they have the best ice cream in all of london. I spent all my month's allowance the first time i went there. Seriously, you could sell your soul to Grover for a cup of that stuff.

A wave of nostalgia hit me as we drove past my old house. It's already renovated and a new family is living there. the roof is painted white instead of the black it was when we were staying there, the picket fence was painted white, there's a cherry tree by the house and  a lot of flowers were planted, giving the white house some colour. we never had flowers, mom was allergic to most of them.

Despite the change in decor, it's still my house, the place i spent the best years of my life before one night, one single night, everything went down the drain.

It all happened like a dream, one minute, i was with my boyfriend, screaming at the screen displaying a field of footbal players and the next, i was holding my sisters in the hospital, trying so fucking hard not to cry.

  I still remember the look on dad's had in his eyes when the doctor told us she passed away, that was when he his eyes lost that spark in them, his eyes looked lifeless, empty, dead.

His suicide was suprisingly a suprise because even after i had every single sharp object and rope in the house hidden, he did it. he found a way to do it and in a sick way, i admire him. He had the courage to do it and i'm still a coward.

I shake my head to clear my thoughts when i see the familiar huge modern building rolling closer. Lyla is on her phone, telling stella we're almost there and that she'll pee her designer panties when she sees me. Her words, not mine.

We finally reach the building and a petite woman came oustide to help pack our stuff inside. A Dark-blue BMW rolled in after us and four beautiful farmiliar women walked out of the car. Freda smiled at me and my heart picked up it's pace.

She knows.

"Oh my God!!" i heard a shriek and almost ran away.

bloody hell!

"Vanessa!" stella squealed and ran towards me. I open my arms and hug her. She wrapped her hands tightly around me and kissed my ear because my face was covered in paint.

"Stella!" i say.

"I....i missed you so much baby." She sobbed. Using her hands to wipe away the tears from her beautiful make up free face.

" I missed you too." i say back. it's not a lie.

She looks even more beautiful than I remember. her eyes are big and blue but not to big for her face, it's gives her this doll like look, her face is round and her complexion is lighter. Her hair is still the same Light blonde but she dyed the ends maroon. It's beautiful.

We walked into the house with Stella by my side and cassie sleping in lyla's arms, funny enough, she's closer to lyla than she is with her mom. I smile at the irony.

We did a lot of catching up, Lyla was telling Stella how she heard me laugh and saw me wink.  They made a huge deal about it and then we split up.

Lyla loves suprises, you should be able to tell by now and she really wanted me to suprise her with my dress.

Freda came with me to the one of the guest rooms where my stuff have already been settled. She closed the door behind me and i look around trying to avoid freda's eyes.

  The floor to ceiling windows and marble floor give the room a sophisticated and modern look.

"You don't have to tell me anything you know, this doesn't have to be awkward." Freda spoke up.

I reluctanctly turn to her and met her beautiful eyes.

"I know. But the questions will still be there"

She nodded and gestured to the chair in front of the smaller mirror, with a lot of body and hair creams on the stand. there's a huge floor to ceiling mirror beside it. I catch a glimpse of my reflection before sitting in front of the other mirror.

"The answers will come when they're ready. Until then, lets focus on getting you all dolled up" she beamed and started working on my hair.

"I think i'm dolled enough, i don't want to look like barbie's barbie doll" I rollled my eyes.

She laughed.
"It sounds like there's a story behind that.why dont you tell me."

"Actually there's none. but i can tell you about the time a cheerleader in my secondary school came to school wait for it...."

"without make up!"

freda brurst out laughing. "You make it seem like it was so horrible."

"Oh, she looked horrible alright. turns out she had a skin disease and used extra make up to cover it up, thats why she always looked like one of those underaged girls trying to pass up a fake ID at a night club." I snickered.

"Oh oh, talking about fake ID's, once, my sister Daphnee and i tried to get into a bachelorette party at a bar because her crush worked there and she couldn't pass up the oppurtunity to impress him with her fake boobs. Of course i was only 14 and she was 17. We ended up sleeping at a police station because she punched a bouncer."

I was trying to calm myself down from laughing at the image of a teenager pushing through two hundred pounds of muscle to touch her crush's hair.

"Why didn't she just tell the police she was underaged and the ID was fake.....oh wait, nevermind."

"Yeah...." she trailed off, grabbing a lotion and filling her palm with it. Then she applied it to my hair.

"What are you going to do with my hair?" i asked.

"Just you wait and see, i've got a different plan." she smiled

And scary enough, i trust her.

After twenty highschool stories, fifteen drunk tales, a decent amount of boyfriends and break ups later, Freda was done with my hair and it truly was different.

I cant even begin to describe it, i mean, i can describe it but i can't describe it. I look even less like vanessa. my hair looked like a bunch of roses and smelled like it too.

"How did you do that?" i asked

"I don't know, i've always had my way with barbie's hair." she smirked and walked over to the bed. She came back with my dress and gave it to me. wordleslly, i walked into the bathroom and slipped the dress on.

I walked out of the room, smoothening the sides of my dress and trying not to look at the expression on Freda's face.

"Fucking hell, i'd turn lesbian for you" freda gulped.

I smile.

she took out her phone, her eyes never leaving me, she said into the phone. "lyla, i'm sorry for this but get your bloody ass up here. you have got to see this."

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Okay I am so mad at myself right now!!  The part I was excited to write didn't make it into this chapter either. Sorry pumpkins. Next chapter.  This should be the longest chapter in this book with 3000+ words. I think of deserve a reward.

Thank you, all of you for sticking with me up till this point.  700+ votes wouldn't be possible without you.

Please comment on the book, your votes are very encouraging but I still want your opinion on the book, maybe I could correct some things.  Thank you.

Keep the votes coming people, momma loves em' 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙