ONE – AVERY
The alarm blared, pulling Avery Quinn out of a restless sleep. She groaned, blindly fumbling for her phone on the nightstand until she silenced it. The room was still dim, the early morning light spilling weakly through the blinds. With a sigh, Avery pushed herself up and shuffled to the bathroom.
She flicked on the light. The harsh fluorescent glow made her wince. Her reflection stared back at her—pale skin, blemished cheeks, messy shoulder-length hair sticking out at odd angles. Her round face always looked softer than she wanted it to, no matter how she angled her head.
But her eyes… her eyes were startlingly bright. A pale, icy shade of blue-green that caught the light in a way that always made strangers pause. Avery leaned in, her breath fogging the mirror slightly, and traced her finger under her left eye.
"If only the rest of me looked like you," she murmured.
The compliment felt hollow, even when it was from herself. Her eyes didn't matter when the rest of her body drew so much cruel attention.
She dressed in her usual oversized hoodie and jeans—baggy armor that hid her shape. Grabbing her bag, she headed out the door, mentally preparing herself for another day of invisibility and ridicule.
School hallways were always the worst. The chatter and laughter seemed to rise in volume the moment she walked in. Avery kept her gaze fixed ahead, clutching her books tight against her chest.
"Whale incoming," a boy's voice muttered as she passed.
A chorus of snickers followed. Avery's cheeks burned hot, but she didn't look back. She'd learned long ago that reacting only made it worse.
In class, she slid into her usual seat in the back. The teacher asked a question, and Avery, knowing the answer, hesitantly raised her hand.
"Jessica?" The teacher called instead, smiling at a thin, pretty girl in the front row. Avery's hand dropped. Jessica got the answer wrong anyway.
At lunch, Avery sat alone at a corner table, her tray untouched. She picked at her food, half-listening to the table of popular girls nearby.
"Did you see what Ethan posted last night?" one girl giggled. "God, he's so hot."
"Totally. He'd never look twice at someone like her."
Avery stiffened.
"Imagine if someone had to take her to prom," another girl said, her voice dripping with laughter.
They all glanced at Avery before bursting into giggles.
She bit down hard on her lip, eyes stinging, refusing to cry in front of them.
When she finally got home, her stepmother barely looked up from her tablet.
"Did you even try walking home today? You know, it wouldn't hurt to lose some weight."
Avery said nothing. She slipped quietly upstairs and locked her bedroom door.
She collapsed on her bed, pulling her phone out. i********: lit up with perfectly curated images—slim girls in bikinis, laughing with friends, their lives seemingly effortless and enviable. Avery scrolled, her chest tight, lingering on a model with pale, striking eyes.
"I just want one chance to be beautiful," she whispered.
She set the phone down, closing her eyes.
The screen flickered back on by itself.
An unfamiliar ad glowed brightly: "Eterna Beauty Salon – Transform Your Life."
The tagline pulsed like a heartbeat:
Beauty beyond imagination. The price? Only what you're willing to give.
Avery frowned, reaching for her phone.
She didn't know it yet, but her life was about to change forever.
