The Power of Beauty

Introduction

A swing of a door, a twirl of hair.

That was really all it took to make the whole council stop and stare, holding their breaths in anticipation.

The Beautiful has power. We abase all logic in the face of ardent desires. We cannot help but be drawn to things that we find beautiful, a primal extinct to conquer and attain washes over us. Those that are love-blinded become easy targets. Easy to persuade. Easy to anger. Easy to make money from. That's why celebrities have been given a hallmark status by our society: in an almost sadistic sense, the celebrities monetize their fans, but instead of running away, those who are in love are on their knees begging for the celebrities to not stop. This, of course, is an extreme example of what The Beautiful can do. Oftentimes, however, its powers are not as elusive. Studies have shown that good looking children performed better than their peers on average and that attractive workers are more likely to score promotions. Beauty is ingrained as subconscious merit in the fabrics of society. Whilst the generous are accredited for their morals and the intelligent are applauded for their skills, the Beautiful are revered for their mere existence and ability to evoke desires. That's why good looking people get away with everything.

But she, Lalisa Manoban, was not going to be a part of that bullshit.

In a world so hyper-focused on outward appearances, Lisa was determined to prove that there are things worth more than beauty. Her late nights were spent on perfecting her academics, her energy exhausted on attaining her dance scholarship, and her free time sacrificed for her position as the unquestioned president of the student council. 

But with just a swing of a door and a twirl of hair... 

That was really all it took to make the whole council stop and stare, holding their breaths in anticipation. 

With this girl's presence, the leadership and admiration that Lisa took years to cultivate was contested by no other than the granddaughter of the university dean Jennie Kim. Not that she needed any more glorification."Can you stop wasting my time?" Jennie asked, clearly annoyed. 

Though Lisa assigned the Vice President to specifically deal with Jennie, judging from her deer-in-the-headlights expression, Lisa decided to step in.

"Alright. I'll get to the point then. What you're doing is slander. Stop spreading false rumors about the council and start following the university policies. You're the dean's granddaughter."

Jennie scoffed. "I'm just stating the facts. A council with a bunch of losers. If you want me to follow the rules, then enforce them."Lisa knows exactly what Jennie is talking about. 

Jennie gets away with everything because, as can evidently be seen from the lovestruck officers, everyone lets her. Try as it might, a bee cannot resist the sweet temptations of honey, and the student council, too, cannot resist the likes of Jennie Kim. 

"I will," Lisa said sternly.Jennie cocked her to one side, a little interested now that finally someone was not just outright obeying her, and said very matter-of-factly " And what can you possibly do to me, little miss dancer?" 

As much as Lisa wanted to swing a chair at Jennie to wipe that smug look off her face, Lisa knew Jennie had a point. Lisa was incredibly dependent on her scholarship and that put her in a tight spot. Jennie sashayed out the room, and no one even attempted to stop her.

Lisa was frustrated. Frustrated that, like everyone else, she was going to let Jennie Kim get away scot-free again. This was not right. Lisa knew it was not right. Was she really going to continue to let Jennie Kim use her beauty and power like a whip on everyone else? Without thinking, Lisa grabbed her coat and decided to follow Jennie, storming off in a steam of anger. Lisa began brainstorming in her head the list of places Jennie could go, given the time that elapsed.

Only to be surprised by a slender figure waiting, cross-armed, leaning against the wall outside the student council.

"Well, that took you a while."

"You were waiting?"

"What do you think?"Jennie gave a crooked smile.

Lisa swore at herself when she felt her anger dissipating.

Jennie was so beautiful to the point it's terrifying.