With a longing gaze, Beth stared into the poster of her idol that hung upon the wall. It was not the only piece of memorabilia from this particular person; numerous photos plastered the room like squatting insects. She admired the long, flowing locks of blonde-hued hair that cascaded about the woman's perfect face. Her eyes, looking from a side angle, seemed to glitter within the portrait. Her fashion sense was spot on; Beth absolutely adored the clothes that she both made and wore whenever a picture was being snapped in her direction.
Beth hated herself. She hated her bland brown hair and her boring brown eyes. She hated the baggy, inexpensive clothing that her mother always ended up buying for her. Her glasses were the worst. Like two, clouded bottle caps that sat upon her face, she always looked cross-eyed and unfocused. With a sigh, she turned her face from the blowing picture and laid back upon her small bed. She stared blankly at the ceiling for several, long moments. Time seemed to begin to blur. Her body felt excessively light within her trance, the muted tone of the wall starting to swirl.
Then, she was falling. Beth let out a gasp of surprised terror as she slipped into a dark, vapid void. Discerning up from down was impossible. She merely attempted to brace herself; for what, she had no idea.
“It's her!” came the shrill voice of a girl.
Camera flashes were suddenly all around her, causing her eyes to water from the sudden light change. People were all around her, each with the look of longing that seemed oddly familiar. She gazed down at her arms to see hand-tailored sleeves clinging to her. With mouth agape, she patted at her face. A strand of blond hair fell between her searching fingers, causing her to smile wide. She was her! All past confusions melted away like boiling ice as she threw her shoulders back in pride. She looked to some of the onlookers, flashing them a smile. Some of them leapt into the air, others reaching out with pens and scraps of paper. They all wanted her. They all wanted to be her!
Then, something turned her attention toward a girl that was standing in the front of the enormous crowd. Her head was cocked downward, but the unmistakable brown hair and thick glasses gave her away immediately. Beth slowly approached the girl.
“Are you ok-?”
Her face shot upward, causing her to scream in shock and horror. The crowds instantly died out around her, leaving just the two of them amidst their indiscernible surroundings. Her face was completely missing. Two empty eye sockets gazed through the glasses. A permanent smile was etched upon the girl's carved face. Blood poured from the injury, staining her neck and clothing beneath. With one, swift movement, her small hands grabbed at Beth's cheeks. She let out a second scream as she felt the girl's fingernails dig deeply into her pulpy flesh. She felt the skin begin to tear away. Her entire body was paralyzed; she could merely watch as the girl continued to force the skin to rend and tear.
“I'm just like you now!” she said triumphantly.
Searing pain seemed to come all at once. Beth touched at her mouth, immediately drawing her hands back at the resulting feeling of skin and bone. The girl had crudely placed the flap of skin over her own empty face. As she pressed it closer, it seemed to fuse with her body.
“Just what I always wanted,” she concluded, those empty eye sockets continuing to stare blankly, “Just one more thing.”
Beth cried out in pain and surprise as the girl's small fingers stabbed at her left eyeball. With one, swift movement, she felt it dislodge from the socket. She watched in one-eyed terror as the girl pushed her glasses aside and inserted the squishy sphere in one of the gaping holes-
Beth awoke with a start. She wiped away a layer of thick, cold sweat that had built upon her brow. With wild eyes, she looked about the room, settling upon the serene face of the poster.
She suddenly stood from her bed, approached the large picture, and tore it from the wall.
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