Reflections in Shadow

1. Behind The Curtains

Evelyn St. James had always known how to put on a show. Long before the cameras flashed and her name appeared in lights, she learned to perfect the art of keeping her true self hidden. It began in her childhood, in a small town that never saw its name in the papers, but where appearances meant everything. Evelyn's mother was the town's version of a celebrity. She wasn't a movie star, but she carried herself like one, moving through the town square with her chin held high, draped in fur even when it wasn't cold. It wasn't out of vanity; it was survival. In their house, every detail was controlled, her mother's hair perfectly styled, the table always set just so, and young Evelyn's dresses always pressed, as though they were preparing for an audience that never came.

But inside that house, where the curtains were drawn tight, there was no glamour, only tension. Her father's temper flared behind closed doors, his frustrations with life spilling over into harsh words and the cold, sharp sting of silence. It wasn't the kind of violence that left bruises, but it carved something deep into Evelyn's soul. She learned to step lightly, to stay silent, to be perfect in every way possible, because perfection was the only thing that kept the peace. As long as she smiled just right, stood just so, and said the proper things, the storms wouldn't break. Her mother, too, had perfected the art of pretending. She never spoke of the cracks in their lives, the tension between love and fear that tightened like a wire. Instead, she placed all her energy into shaping Evelyn, grooming her daughter to embody the same composure she wore like a mask. "They don't need to see everything," she would say, brushing Evelyn's golden hair back into perfect waves. "Always keep something for yourself. Don't let them in too close."

By the time Evelyn was a teenager, she had learned to perform, to be exactly what was expected of her. At school, she was the popular girl, the one everyone admired. She smiled when she needed to, laughed at the right moments, and made friends easily, but none of it was real. Beneath the surface, she was alone, a fortress of secrets built from years of hiding who she really was. She grew up believing that to be loved meant to be flawless, to reveal nothing.
When she moved to the city and began to model, it was as though her childhood lessons had prepared her for the stage she would now step onto. Her face became a commodity, her beauty something people wanted to own, but Evelyn knew the game. She gave them what they wanted the perfect smile, the graceful movements but never let them get too close. Her private life was impenetrable, guarded by walls she had been building since she was a child.

But as she ascended the ranks of fame, the pressure of maintaining this illusion became suffocating. The public adored her, but she was little more than an image to them, a reflection of what they wanted to see. The real Evelyn the one who had been molded by her parents' strained marriage, the girl who had learned to hide her pain behind a smile was buried beneath layers of perfection. And though she lived in the spotlight, inside she remained the lonely girl standing in her mother's shadow, terrified that one wrong step would shatter the fragile world she had created. Now, as she stood in front of the mirror, the glittering city outside her window, Evelyn stared at her reflection. The woman looking back was flawless, her hair in perfect waves, her lips painted red, but behind her eyes, there was a hollowness that no amount of makeup could conceal. Even in the midst of her success, she was haunted by the lessons of her childhood: never let them see the cracks, never let them too close.

As she turned off the lights and slipped into bed, the silence of the house enveloped her. It was a familiar silence, the same one she had known growing up, the kind that crept into the corners and wrapped itself around her heart. Evelyn had everything she thought she wanted the fame, the adoration but at night, when the world wasn't watching, she was still that little girl hiding behind the curtain, desperate to be free from the role she had been forced to play.