The reflection staring back at her is a stranger. The teased hair, thick makeup, and blue eyes under fake lashes should be familiar, she’s worn this mask for almost 16 years, but the eyeshadow, hair extensions, and spray tans have never felt comfortable, no matter how many times she’s slipped them on.
She reaches down the front of her shimmering gown pulling the rubbery oval from one side and then the other. She can hear her mother’s shrill tone the first time she’d tried to give them back.