ENCHANTED ESSENCE

THREE – AVERY & MILO

Dinner at the Quinn house was always the same—lukewarm food, lukewarm conversation, and sharp little barbs that stung worse than outright insults.

Her stepsister Emily scrolled on her phone while her stepmother twirled a forkful of salad.

"You know, Avery," her stepmother said without looking up, "if you ate more greens and less… whatever it is you eat, you might actually lose some weight."

Emily giggled. "Yeah, Mom, maybe then she'd actually get asked to prom."

Avery's throat tightened. She stabbed her food with her fork but said nothing.

After dinner, she retreated to her room. It was small, cluttered, and safe in the way only solitude could be.

She scrolled through i********:, stopping on a post of a stunning girl in a silk dress, her icy eyes piercing through the camera.

Avery touched the screen lightly, wishing she could trade places with her—even for one night.

"I just want one chance," she whispered, her voice trembling.

She set her phone down, tears blurring her vision.

The screen flickered on again by itself.

The same glowing ad appeared, but this time it didn't look like an ad.

"Eterna Beauty Salon – Transform Your Life."

The words pulsed faintly, almost like a heartbeat.

Beauty beyond imagination. The price? Only what you're willing to give.

Avery stared at it. For the first time in a long while, she didn't feel invisible.

Milo sat hunched over his desk, his new gaming rig glowing beside him. The hum of the fan was the only sound in his room.

He should have been proud. He'd built the thing from scratch—most people at school wouldn't even know where to start.

But all he could hear was Cara's laugh.

"Oh my God. You're serious?"

Milo closed his eyes, shame clawing at him like sharp fingers.

He opened his phone, scrolling through old pictures of himself. Every angle made him look worse—too thin, too pale, too… forgettable.

If I could be someone else, he thought, just once… I'd never waste it.

His monitor lit up on its own.

"Eterna Beauty Salon – Transform Your Life."

The same tagline glowed beneath it:

Confidence. Power. Desire. The only price is what you're willing to give.

Milo leaned closer. His hand hovered over the mouse.

Maybe it was a sign.

Neither of them knew it yet, but the choice they were about to make would change everything.