Beautifully Tainted [2021 Rewrite]

Chapter 1: "Tell Me Michael Didn't Wreck the Plane..."

Seraphine stirred as she felt a light tap on her shoulder. "Miss Cavanaugh, would you like breakfast?" She opened her eyes, squinting in the sunlight that shone in through the windows to find a fresh faced stewardess leaning over her. The meal cart next by her seat drew her attention, prompting her to recollect the question.

"Sure, thank you." A tray of steaming scrambled eggs, orange juice and a fruit salad was set on the table in front of her. Lisa Parker, emerging socialite, beauty queen and Seraphine's best friend sat across from her, already mostly through with her meal.

The memory of how they'd met hit Seraphine then, as she watched the woman take another bite of fruit. It'd been six years ago, and they'd both been dragged to some stuffy charity dinner of some sort, bonding over the absurdity of hosting such an ostentatious night for charity. The peak of our teen angst phase, she thought with a smile. Since then, they'd been inseparable.

Lisa's dark eyes moved up to meet her ice blue gaze. The blonde woman's whole body was covered in a large blanket as she ate, her shoulder-length hair perfectly framing her face. She grinned at her friend brightly, the embodiment of Seraphine's polar opposite. Where Lisa rose with the sun to a productive morning of yoga and kale smoothies, her best friend awoke before noon if she was lucky, to a lot of grumbling and whatever leftovers were in the fridge.

"Mornin' Sera." She flashed a smile before turning her attention back to the fashion magazine in her hand, no doubt screening the pictures and articles for pieces she somehow did not yet have in her immense collection of clothing, both luxury and not.

Lisa shook her head as her companion just grunted in response. Sera straightened up, her reflection in the window catching her attention. Her dark hair sat oddly on one side of her head where she'd slept on it, the ends grazing the middle of her back.

She'd opted for no makeup that particular day, knowing it would just smear on the flight anyway. Absentmindedly running a stick of lip balm over her lips, she met her own gaze, jostling a distant memory. She glimpsed flashing lights for an instant before focusing back into the present, refusing to let her unease gather.

Without looking up Lisa sighed dramatically. "You don't have to check, you're gorgeous."

Seraphine flashed her a dry smile as she tore into her croissant. "Yeap, miss eye bags and dry skin, I'm your girl."

A snort sounded from across the aisle. A shapely redhead sat there finishing up her own breakfast, dolled up in winter finery and a full face of expertly applied makeup, complete with a subtle hateful look aimed at Seraphine. "Nothing a little effort couldn't fix, babe." She said around a smile that more closely resembled a sneer.

"Gee, thanks Claire. Always a pleasure." She responded sweetly, returning Claire's grin with her own, much more convincing, fake. The other woman huffed, putting her headphones back on as her attention turned back to the movie on her phone.

Lisa gave her friend a hard look, brandishing her fruit fork like a weapon. "Hello? More miss cheekbones and thick lips, don't make me go over there."

She couldn't help but laugh, conceding this time since she hadn't woken up feeling completely shit. "How long have you been awake?" Lisa put the magazine down and relaxed into her seat, shrugging out of the blanket to reveal the light pink sweater clinging to her willowy body.

"A while, I couldn't sleep because of the ruckus in the lavatory," she cringed as if she had just remembered something awful. Sera laughed.

At the severity of the expression, her laughter died on a wince. "Tell me Michael didn't wreck the plane..."