The Masks

They call her a star.

But stars don't feel anything, right?

At least, that's what Dahlia Marie Smith keeps telling herself.

Everywhere she goes, cameras follow.

Every smile she gives becomes a headline.

Every mistake she makes becomes a trending issue.

#DAHLIA_SMITH_SPOTTED-IS_SHE_DATING_AGAIN?

#FANS_PERFECT_PRINCESS_BUT_IS_IT_ALL_AN_ACT?

#THE_COUNTRY'S_DARLING_OR_JUST_ANOTHER_MASK?

She doesn't even react anymore.

Because all of it is fake.

The LOVE.

The HATE.

The OBSESSION.

Even the PEOPLE.

They all wear MASKS.

And Dahlia learned early, that behind every "I care about you"...
there's always something they want.

After being betrayed, something inside her changed.

Love became suspicious.

Care became questionable.

Trust became a joke.

Even the world itself started to feel staged.

Like everyone was acting.

Like everyone had a hidden script.

And Dahlia?

She became the best actress of all.
___

Now, she's twenty.

Famous beyond control.

So famous that if someone is seen standing next to her- they instantly become known.

In Billboards.

In Magazines.

In Screens.

In Streets.

Her face is everywhere in Aurelia

And yet...

she feels nowhere.
___

Tonight, she's not an actress.

Not a model.

Not a brand.

Just hungry.

12:03 AM.

She walks alone, hoodie up, searching for something simple.

Jelly bread and Egg pie.

Something warm.

Something real.

Because fame is loud... but loneliness is louder.

She finds a small bakery glowing in the dark.

And that's where everything changes.

Because inside, behind the counter- there's a man.

With brown chocolate hair.

Kind brown eyes.

Warm smile.

Hands dusted with flour.

A stranger who looks at her like she's not a headline.

Not a brand.

Not a goddess.

Just... a person.

And for the first time in years- Dahlia doesn't know what scares her more.

That he doesn't recognize her... or that she wants him to.