Shattered
I awoke to chilled bones and a quiet humming sound. I squirmed under the stiff bed sheets. I was in a small room. A long rectangular window allowed a small yet intense light to stream in. Other than the window, there was only an iron door to the right of my bed. Both the walls and the floor were grey concrete and the room was bare. Suddenly a thought struck me. Where was I? I sat up as a wave of fear swept over me. My head pounded and I clutched at where my long hair used to be.
My long sandy curls were gone. Now my hair sat in a small clump on my head. I looked down at my body. I was dressed in a long hospital gown. I frowned as I tried to remember why I was here. There had to be some reason. This didn’t look like a hospital. No hospital I’d ever been to anyway. I heard the door click and I leapt up, ready for whatever was going to come through the other side. A lady dressed in tight white clothes came in, her hair short and brown, the same cut as mine. She frowned when she saw me standing.
‘Now you mustn’t be standing dear’ she said in a gentle tone. I swallowed the lump in my throat. Could I trust her?
‘Where am I?’ I said hardly recognising my own voice. Something was different.
‘Don’t you worry about that dear’ she said, ‘Just hop back into bed’. I obediently slipped back under the covers, although I was still sceptical. She placed a gentle hand on my forehead. ‘See dear, your head is burning. You should’ve stayed in bed.’ I frowned and brought my own hand to me head. It was stone cold. She must’ve noticed my puzzled look when she smiled. There was nothing friendly about her smile. It was a twisted smile that made my insides writhe. Something definitely wasn’t right. He cheeks were a bright pink, and shone as though they were a plastic. Her eyes were like small black pebbles. Her stare was deadly and I avoided eye contact. I had to get out of here.
She turned her back and I sprung from the bed. I heard her cry in shock and her hand enclosed around my arm. Her nails pierced my skin like a needle. My hand fumbled for the door handle. I threw my arm back and it connected with her face. An ear splitting crack erupted and echoed into the next room. It sounded as though something had shattered. I turned momentarily to see half of her face cracked like a china doll. I screamed as blood trickled from the cracks. I stumbled out of the doorway and into another room. There were Mirrors everywhere and I froze. My reflection hadn’t changed from what I could remember. I still had my warm chocolate brown eyes and sandy hair. My cheeks were puffy and covered with acne. My face was pale with terror. I smiled at my reflection. I wasn’t sure why. Suddenly I heard a scuffle behind me and my something connected with the back of my head. I was swallowed in a world of darkness.
This time when I woke, it was to voices. The same soothing voice as before and another I didn’t recognise. I opened my eyes slowly, my face sore and I could feel it was swollen. I tried to concentrate on the voices. Anything to stop my head from throbbing.
‘Well isn’t she something’ I heard a voice say.
‘She sure is. Probably one of the best. I must admit, she was a struggle though.’ A recognisable voice said.
I sat up. I was in the same room as before except now there was a mirror. The nurse from before was to my right, and another woman whom looked exactly the same. I looked at my reflection in the mirror. This time I didn’t smile. My eyes were the same black glassy pebbles as the nurse. They stared back at me, like black holes in space. My hair was shortly cut and now brown. My cheeks were no longer chubby, but slim and slightly swollen. They were covered in scars where my acne had been scraped from my face. I gasped and my teeth were no longer crooked. They were perfectly straight and pointed at the end. I tried to scream but nothing came out. I clawed at my face with my nails and my face shattered like glass. Blood oozed from the cracks. I was one of them. I wasn’t sure what they were, but whatever they had done, they had changed me. I was a monster; A definition of their ideal beauty. Voices echoed through my head once more.
‘Eventually she’ll calm down, and then the cracks will heal. Then she’ll be perfect.’
