Are you kidding me!! 1k freaking votes!!!
How do I start saying thank you! *Slaps random stranger and kisses them*  I hope it was you I kissed, I wouldn't want strange saliva in my mouth.

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I am standing in front of the huge floor to ceiling mirror, staring at an unfarmiliar face. but what stopped my heart for a second was the entire look. My Dress is ......

"Wow." I breathe.

Then it crossed my mind that i have said that word at least ten times today.

My dress is purple, with a lace out line. Its an off shouldered dress in which the neckline stopped right at the middle of my chest, showcasing my colar bones and a glimpse my cleavage. It's got flower intricates in the lace that covers the short layer of satin under, that is covering my upperbody and stopped just after the middle of my thigh. the smoky purple eyeshadow looks even more beautiful with the dress on.

I tilt a little, making the little crystals Freda fixed in my hair catch in the sunlight, they glinted, reflecting the light at different angles. Why do i feel so much like cinderalla right now? only, i don't have a stepmother or step sisters or talking mice to help me get ready for the ball.

I blink, a bit of glitter fell on the dress. Why am i afraid to smile?.

I make no movements to get away from the mirror even when i hear the door open and slam, revealing a very excited Lyla. she looked right at my direction and caught my eye in the mirror.

Her jaw dropped.

The thing is, lyla and i have had many, many make overs before, made by ourselves and different make up artists, all of which we turned out looking beautiful in the end. But there's just something different about this time.

Maybe it's the fact that i have spent the last four months sitting in my house, welcoming injuries, loosing weight and eating ice cream or the change in eye colour or hair, or maybe it's just Freda, because this is not the normal turn out of our make overs, i don't look like myself at all. It just adds to the whole not being Vanessa thing.

"You have been standing there for five minutes now, Lyla, say something."

"uuugggrre"

"hmm, uuugggrre indeed." freda said, raising two fingers in the air . Dork.

I reluctanctly move away from the mirror and walked towards lyla. I fought the urge to laugh as I pushed her jaw close, damnit she was drooling.

She stared at me wih big grey eyes and a flushed face. Then something i didn't expect happen.

She started crying, like full on crying.

"You, you.. are...you're so beautiful!" she managed to say between sobs.

"Why are you crying?" i asked, feeling the back of my eyes burning.

"I...i don't k now!!" she broke into hysterics.

I felt my chest constrict and my eyes tear up as i watch lyla bawl her eyes out.

Freda who was watching us, me more than lyla finally caught on what was hapenning and pulled me away from lyla.

She spun me around to face her and told me with stern eyes
"Don't you cry on me vanessa, don't even dare!"

Okay that didn't help at all. I felt tears brim the edges of my eyes and tried to blink them back.

"DON'T!!!!!!!!!" freda screamed. "Don't blink!, Don't you blink!"

"But i can't help it!" i scrunched my face, my lips quirvering

"no no no no no no no no no no no gaaaaahhhh!!"

I started crying, probably ruining my make up.

I walked over to lyla and freda let me, i mean, i'm already crying, whats the use of stopping me now?

"Why are we crying?" I asked between sobs.

"Because you're beautiful" she gasped.

"But that's a good thing."

"yeah.......you're right. why are we crying?" she stoped sobbing.

"You guys are so stupid" freda joined the tear party.

"Why are you crying?" Lyla asked her and broke into sobs again.

"Because you guys wouldn't stop crying"

"Well how did that result to you tearing up?"

"I don't even know!" Freda burst into hysterics.

Then i started crying hysterically, hugging Freda. lyla broke into hysterics again and wrapped her arms around us.

"What the bloody hell is going on?" Stella walked in and scrunched her face in confusion.

"What the bloody hell is going on?" lyla replied.

"Oh." stella said, Then she made an ugly face and started sobbing softly.

I gave her a 'you know you want to look', she broke into hysterics and ran to join the hurdle, her blone hair flying behind her.

We cried for what seemed like an eternity but was just ten minutes, before we broke up awkwardly, staring at each other, then i started laughing.

Lyla and Stella stared at me with shocked expressions.

I laughed hysterically for some reason i cannot quite fathom, then freda joined me, slowly first then she broke into hysterics too lyla an stella came out of their shocked states and joined us.

We laughed like stupid teenagers who just pulled a prank on the gym teacher because that is what we are at heart and what else could we do?

The sound of our laughter slowly died down, the only evidence of our laughter was the smile that remained on our lips.

"We are so stupid." Lyla spoke up, breaking the comfortable silence

"You are so stupid. why did you have to start crying?" I exclaimed

"Why did you have to look like a siren?" she fired back

"Why did you have to bring in make up artists."

"Hey!, i think i'm a good reason to be happy about the make up artists." Freda flipped her hair

"How did I surround myself with dorks?." Stella said and stood up.

"you love us." Lyla wiggled her eyebrows. Stella rolled her eyes.

"I have to go get ready, Yvonne is not a patient one and its almost 2pm. I have to be there by 2;30pm to get things ready before 4pm." she walked to the door then turned around in the middle of the doorway. "I love you dorks, even you Freda" she winked and walked out.

"Oh you're so lukcky we used waterproff mascarra" Freda said, pulling me to the small mirror.

"What are you doing?" i asked, confused

"Unfortunately, we did not use water proff eyeliner or any other make up, you look like a scare crow." she pulled some eyeliner, concealer an brushes from her bag.

"A beautiful scarecrow." lyla walked over and stood by my side. her nose all blotchy and red from all the crying.

"I can't say the same about you" I sniggered, looking at her through the mirror. Her grey eyes had red surrounding it instead of white.

"I'll let that slide, because i don't want to ruin your hair or face or..." she crouched down to my level and touched my dress. "Your dress. I knew you could do it" she smiled at me.

I took her hand in mine and squeezed. I looked down at her eyes watching me with pride. my heart swelled.

"And that was the best freaking surprise in the history of surprises!" she beamed

I laughed.

"You should be leaving now, you have to get ready too." i say, looking around for a clock or something  but i didn't find any, but i must have disturbed Freda's work because she pushed my face.

"Yeah, Kira must be sick of waiting for me. Gotta go" she stood up and kissed my cheek before walking out.

"What time is it?" I asked freda.

"It's 1:30pm." she replied

"Will you be at the gala?" i tried to raise my eyes to see her but she pushed my face again.

Ouch.

"Yeah, i sort of am part of the make up crew for the event." she said nonchalantly. I caught a hint of her accent and wondered again.

"Where are you from?"

"I'm from austrailia, was born and raised there but after travelling around the world, you're bound to pick up some other accents but i have been in the Uk for a year now." she says absentmindedly, her platinum blonde cropped hair bouncing along with her head.

"Is this your dream job?"

"Well, i wanted to be the hottest air hostess in the world but i always used to get sick when we travel by air, i still do" she paused. trying to concentrate on something on my face.

"But i also loved art, i used to make my friends' hair and do their make up when i was still back at austrailia, it was all fun until my work started getting attention by the higher social status in the school, it was really hard to get by with things in my family so i started charging people. I used the money i got to buy groceries and necesary essentials for the house. The more people came to me, the higher i priced. Soon, i was able to buy some wants for the house. Then one day," she paused again and went around the back and started doing something to my hair.

"One day i was in my living room, eating cherrios and watching some sappy cartoon when someone just barged into my house. It was rosanne, she used to be a popular make up artist in our neighborhood but she charged too much, so i started taking her customers, taking, not stealing, slowly. she threatened to break my 'pretty fingers' if i didn't stop. Even though I was scared, I convinced myself i wasn't doing anything wrong so i didn't stop. i gained even more money and soon i was able to run the house really well. Rosanne came again and went over her list of threats again but once again, i didnt listen. Then one day, she came and instead of threatning me, asked me to join her. I needed an official location and she needed money so we became partners. it worked out well. we went on competitions and stuff and our business grew. I got an internship in a make up organisation when i got into college, second year. i trained and practiced and became a professional. i never used my degree, just my skills. one day, stella came to our office and asked for make up artists, i was reccomended and so was Rosanne. so," she paused again and looked at me through the mirror. she tilted her head a little, her hair following her direction and slowly, a smile graced her face.

"I became part of stella's make up crew, but rosanne has this commanding edge to her, so she automatically became our leader." she said nonchalantly and grinned.

"Wow, i don't even know what to say." i truly am speechless.

"Well, we're done and it's already 2pm." she walked over to my front and took my hand in her's. "Time to show the world the other side of vanessa."

She pulled me up and over to the large mirror, my dress flowing around me. I stared at myself and looked into my eyes, I saw the undoubted fear in them but i quickly masked it and fixed my confident facade back on. I straightened my back, raise my head, fixed a smile on my lips and diverted my eyes to look at Freda through the mirror. She's got a small smile on her lips.

I looked away from her and back to myself. I said it before and i'm going to say it again, I dont look liie myself at all. But i'm not vanessa today. Freda gave me a nod and walked out. leaving me and my reflection to sort things out.

I thought about the badass heriones in my book and immediately got the surge of courage i needed. oh yeah, lets do this thing.

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Lyla and stella already left to sort things out at the venue, Freda, Kira, Rosanne and Yvonne left with them, leaving a slepping cassie, Theresa, the maid and i at home. I was hungry so i got some bananas and apples from the fruit bowl, making sure not to ruin any of freda's make up even though i know she will want to tweak it again when i get to the venue. i ate them carefully and left to tell cassie goodbye before i leave. this cinderella thing only lasts a night doesn't it?.

I walked up the stairs and stopped at cassie's door. I slowly opened it and walked into the semi lit room.

"Cassie?, Cassie sweetie, are you awake?" she didn't answer. I walked over to her and kissed her forehead, leaving a lipstick stain there but i didn't wipe it off, i just whispered "I love you" in her ear, hoping she would wake up and kiss me and say it back but she just twitched and went back to being motionless.  I sighed but smiled nonetheless and walked to the door but before i walked out, i heard her say something that i wouldve missed if i had made the slightest noise.

"I love you too nessie."

With a sad smile, i walk out .

I walked back to my room to get my things and put my back dress back on, having taken it off earlier so as not to do anything I'll regret.  I wore it carefully and stared at myself in the mirror for a while before putting on the purple heels lyla threatened to put on my feet herself if i don't wear them and my litttle purple earrings.

  I search for my phone to take a picture of myself but i must have left it at the mansion because i can't find it. I shrugged and walked out with all my stuff.

It'll take about half an hour to get to the venue and it's already 3:40pm. i'll be ten minutes late, i can afford that.

fourty minutes later, I arrived at the venue and asked the driver to take the rest of my stuff to the mansion.

"Please tell weisly I'll be home tonight, thank you James." I smile at him. He blushed.

"No problem ma'am, and I have to say, you look really beautiful and....... different, ma'am."  I thanked him.  He made me wait to take me out of the car even though I could do it myself but I listened anyway.

Immediately he opened the doors, I was welcomed by flashes and noise from various reporters.  Immediately I got on the red carpet, James let go of my hand and tipped his hat.  He walked back over to the car and zoomed off.

I stood in front of stellon's official building with faux confidence and gave myself a peptalk for a minute which was really hard with the reporters and flashes and all.  But I smiled nonetheless and walked on the red carpet. I'm so doing this.

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Heyya peeps.

You gotta love me. I'm actually following the updating schedule!!  I mean... That's a first.

1k freaking votes! *okay breathe Tee, breathe*

But even though I have 1k+ votes, I have like.. 2 comments *hides in shame* where are y'all commentators!  I need you dammit!

Okay...so, next chapter will reach you by Friday or Saturday.  Don't give up on me yet,  we're done with the boring part, lol.

See you next update.

Vote, comment and follow. I think that's wattpad author's official anthem, lol. But do it:-P :-D.