𝖳𝖺𝗌𝗍𝖾 𝖮𝖿 𝖧𝖾𝖺𝗏𝖾𝗇 | 𝖪𝖳𝖧 |

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚗𝚎 🥀

ALORA'S POV:

I pushed my hair to the front to cover my shoulders and stood from my white vanity ready to leave. "Alora, I almost forgot." My mother said, walking into my room just as I was to open the door. I glanced down at the white bow in her palm. My stomach tightening at what she held in her palm. She always made me wear my hair up with a white bow pin in it whenever we went church.

"I forgot." I murmured, and she walked me back to my vanity. "I want everyone to know just how sweet and innocent my daughter is." she smiled at me through the mirror. I watched her lift two front strands of my hair and pin it back, the bow being the centre piece. She said it was mandatory to look clean and respectful, especially on Sundays when we visit church.

"Just a little bit of neck." she said, and I was shocked she let me leave the rest of my hair fall free on my back. "We need to speak to Father Kim about your baptism." she then said and I turned around, "I'm glad we can finally do this." she continued, but I just stared at her.

My mother was heavily religious, much more than my father and brother were.

"Can you not speak alone with Father Kim?" I asked her, "Must I be there?"

Her brows furrowed, "There is nothing to her embarrassed about, almost all the mothers within the church have introduced their daughters to Father Kim. It about time you meet him too." she said.

My mother was also really competitive. Especially with the mothers in our local church.

"He is a man of God, not a fallen angel." she smiled, rubbing my shoulder, "Now get your brother and meet your father and I in the car." she left my room and I made sure she was gone before turning, and lifting my cherry red lipstick. I wasn't allowed to wear much makeup, and in church, my mother acted as if it was forbidden.

But I was meeting him today.

And he is going to finally notice me. So I can bend a few rules.

I rubbed the pigment over the pad of my finger and rubbed it on the inner part of my lips before using the rest on my cheeks. The pigment was beautiful.

"Alora!" she yelled, from downstairs.

"Coming!" I gasped, dropping the lipstick and rushing out my room to my brothers.

________

We got in the car and I kept my head down the entire time. If my mother even saw the slightest tint of red on my lips she would go ballistic. She would force my dad to pull over and reach over the seat just to wipe it off my mouth herself.

The church was fifteen minutes away from my house but for some reason my mother would force the whole house to leave almost an hour early. "To get there first for God." she says, but what she really meant was before the other mothers. Lord, this woman-

"Nice church shoes." I scoffed, looking over at Enzo, my nineteen year old brother. He narrowed his eyes at me, "Is that-- lipstick?" he then grinned.

"Keep your mouth shut." I warned. "Or what?" he said, "What boy are you wearing it for?" he asked, furrowing his brows. Despite being only a year younger than him, I never really enjoyed the whole 'over protective brother' role he played in my life. I never bothered with boys because it was either him or my mother breathing down my neck.

I was a daddy's girl, but only because he was the more relaxed parent.

Enzo shrugged his shoulders, "She will see it as soon as we enter church." he told me and I turned to look out my window. I know she will. She hardly misses anything.