Unmasked Beauty

Rebecca

Rewind about a couple months back, and it was the last week of summer, before Rebecca had met Nikki. Rebecca had gone home, only to find a plain white mask by her bedside. She leaned over it to take a closer look, thinking it was some sort of Halloween costume part.

Holding it, she turned it around in her hand, tracing her finger along the mouth and eye holes. Walking to the bathroom, Rebecca put the mask over her face and stared at herself for a second, just for fun. She was about to go scare her mother with it, but something made her stay. The mask scared her for some reason. Shivering, she unclasped it and took it off. Staring down at it, she set it aside and turned back to the mirror. Popping a zit on her face, she sighed. She didn't get the glo-up she had hoped to get over the summer, and wasn't nearly as pretty as all the other girls she knew she'd see when she returned to school. Washing her face, her eyes were shut as the water ran over the skin. Drying herself off, she looked up into the mirror one more time.

Rebecca let out a bloodcurling scream as she looked at her reflection. Her face was twisted and gnarly, with mold and black, swollen eyes. That's not me, she told herself. The person in the mirror reached out a scarred hand, then disappeared into the depths of the mirror.

Shocked, Rebecca slowly lifted her eyes to the scratched-up mirror once more, but saw her normal face. Sighing with relief, she began to get ready for bed. Crawling into the covers, she settled down for the night. She felt uneasy after the incident, but shrugged it off and fell asleep. ************************************
Something jolted her awake in the middle of the night. A door creaked. Her heartbeat immediately increased and terror filled her head. She looked at the doorway and nearly passed out. A girl, who looked about her age, and was gorgeous, with golden flowing hair and beautiful eyes. Rebecca stared at her in wonder, until she grabbed both sides of her face. Rebecca came to a horrid realization. SHE'S WEARING A MASK! Rebecca stared with sheer terror as the girl slowly took the mask off to reveal her real face. Scarred, gnarly, and the exact thing Rebecca had seen in the mirror.

The girl took a step closer. "What do you want!?" Screamed Rebecca, hoping her parents would hear, but nobody answered. "I used to be pretty, like you." Rasped the girl. Rebecca gulped. "Then, I put on the mask." "I was beautiful with it on, never wanting to remove it." One day I did, but I couldn't take back what I'd done." She continued. "I was ruined!" She said, increasing her voice. "This mask was my cover up." "Why are you here!" Whispered Rebecca. "Let me tell you something." "There's someone here, you'll meet her." "She did this." Replies the mysterious figure in front of her.

"This artifact feeds off negative energy, as well as strongly positive ones." "Self hate, doubt, sadness, but also, anger, overconfidence, and everything in between."  She rasped. "And now it's here."

"I can't live like this anymore, hiding my real self," she replied, coming closer to the bed, smiling. "You put on the mask." It's YOUR turn!" "It was an accident!!" Rebecca pleaded as the girl held the mask out.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Rebecca screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks. It was too late. "Cover up," the girl whispered as she fixed the mask upon Rebecca's tear-stained face and disappeared.