The Price of Love

◆ 2 ◆

A party was no big deal for any average American family. Delicious food, pretty decorations, happy guests. All over in one day, right? Well, for the Evers family, a party was a national event. Six hours before guests were due to arrive, several news vans had already pulled up, armed to the teeth with journalists and cameras and contracts for my father to sign. Any event my parents threw begged for publicity, and publicity we did get. If I hadn't been born with my name in the papers, it'd seem almost too  pretentious. 

You know what else was real pretentious? Eating Cheetos with authentic Chinese chopsticks to avoid ruining a $300 manicure.

"-And so I was like, are you kidding me? You don't even have lips anymore, it's a freaking beak at this point. What's the maximum amount of lip filler fluid can one mouth take before bursting? Ugh! She doesn't even look human anymore, it's gross!" Lara, the stylist my mother had hired for tonight, made a face in the mirror at me. "It's like this-" She pouted dramatically, sticking her lips out. "-like she's about to kiss a fish."

Although bored beyond belief, I gave a polite laugh that I perfected over the years of pretending to listen to old rich ladies who felt the need to tell me about their handsome grandson who graduated from Yale and slyly hinting he was single. Who cared? 

Lara curled the last strand of my hair, at the same time pulling out a giant aerosol can of hairspray and covering a 5 mile radius in a cloud of floral-smelling droplets. I cringed, choking in the haze as Lara continued with her story of her mother's latest plastic surgery.

"She wants to get her eyebrows done next. Like, get an eyebrow lift for a better arch. Can you believe that? God, it's like she can't find any other part of her body to fix so now she's going for the most miniscule details." Lara nudged the chair in front of the vanity I had been sitting in for the last four hours to face her and began to fix up a smudge on my lipstick. "See, Daphne, you're one of the lucky ones. You have the perfect body and face without altering anything. All natural. In this day and age, that's rare."

"Years and years of fitness training." I murmured through pouted lips as Lara applied another coat of lipstick. As soon as she was done, I stuck another Cheeto in my mouth. 

"But still, there's no plastic in you."

"In our world, that's a bad thing."

"Well, as long as you're pretty."

I opened my mouth to reply but before I could say a word, the double doors to my bedroom burst open.

My mother strode into the room, already wearing her red cocktail dress and pearls. Her matching heels clicked on the marble floor as she walked over to Lara and I.

"Oh Daphne, you look gorgeous!" She cooed from behind me, leaning over to adjust one of her diamond earrings in the mirror. Her unnaturally white teeth gleamed in the lights surrounding the vanity. "And you better get rid of those gross orange things before guests arrive."

"Thanks."

"Lara, if you're all done with Daphne, would you mind coming over to help me?" My mother asked. "I seem to have misplaced my diamond brooch and I simply can't go out in public without it. It's my signature piece." Her eyes fell on me and she smiled, laying a hand on my shoulder. "Speaking of signature pieces Daphne, isn't it time you found one of your own? You mustn't keep this awful bracelet of yours." My mother motioned to the leather strap bracelet I had laying on the vanity, worn down from years of use. It had been a present from my father when I turned sixteen, another foreign imported object from one of his overseas business trips. That and 5.9 million dollar Lykan Hypersport, but only one of those I truly cared for.