The first thing Sarah did was leave, she expected relief to come when she was away from the bizarre situation, here she was, suddenly unnoticed, suddenly shy, she walked into the mall and no one turned a head, no one seemed to care she was there. All of this was a reinforcement of the strangeness she found herself in, she suddenly saw the whole world with new eyes, and through the frames of glasses, just another reminder. She no longer felt like she owned the world, and now the world felt noisy, cumbersome, and too busy, all around her the business of a mall continued without her say so. She turned and returned to the bathroom.
Kyla was fumbling through her purse, she was a girl, she knew how to do make up, she had put on mascara before, she wasn't an idiot, but there was doing it, and doing it as well as she had apparently already done it. Beauty isn't only about natural gifts, it's about standards, putting in the work, Kyla understood this now. This was important, this had to be done right. So she undid what had been damaged, and for a moment like a chip out of a stained glass window she saw her face again, her old self again, she was still there, her face hadn't changed, it was the same face she had seen for years, so she immediately went to work improving it. Her phone buzzed. Biff again, he would be waiting, he would be hers. That was new. Kyla had only had one boyfriend and it was more a sad, settling on each other situation that didn't go anywhere, while still hanging around. This seemed more purposeful, like he was a king, waiting on his queen. She was the queen. He could wait, he'd thank her for getting this right.
Sarah walked into the room again. Long enough had passed for the old Sarah to have finished the work the new Kyla was embarked on, it was just a touch up, but Sarah saw a Kyla who was still fussing away at herself. Now it was Sarah's turn to laugh, but this was more of a titter. Here she saw this beautiful lioness of a girl, struggling to find her roar after but a scratched paw. Even the titter was noticed.
"What?!" Kyla turned in frustrated panic.
Sarah could feel the energy coming off Kyla, she was aware the bear had been poked. So with all earnestness Sarah asked.
"Do you need a hand?"
Kyla looked at Sarah confused. For one it came from Sarah in such a small voice, but from a face which Kyla knew was more beautiful than her own, the great beauty Sarah McMillian was offering to help her in the posture of a small meek dork.
"It's just really important it gets done.." Kyla said trying to defend her seeming failure.
"..right. I know" Sarah finished for her, and Sarah did know, in her mind she knew all the things. Sarah knew exactly how to be the center of attention and it was that knowledge that would be her salvation and also that knowledge that terrified her.
Sarah approached, took the tube, opened it and said "It's ok. I know what I'm doing" in part to herself and in part to Kyla. It took all of a minute to do, by the time Sarah was done Kyla looked like a princess again, a glow about her had returned.
"Wow you do good work." Kyla said, basking for a second in her own face. Even this made Sarah blush. The phone buzzed again.
"It's nothing...just...' but Kyla had already started for the door, drawn excitedly to her boyfriend, who she felt she had kept waiting long enough.
Kyla left and found the arms of hot guy and the attention of the crowd.
Sarah stayed and tried to work up the courage to do for herself what she had just done with ease for Kyla.
