It strikes her with the force of a basketball early one Thursday morning and it almost knocks the air out of her.

 

She is standing in her bathroom, her black hair hanging dully at the sides of her pale, puffy cheeks, her dark brown eyes assessing the familiar planes of her face over and over again.

 

She’s already late for school; so she figures another five minutes won’t hurt.

 

Today she’s figured out exactly what’s wrong with her face.

 

Soon her scanning eyes aren’t enough and her hand reaches up to touch it, but before it reaches its destination she stops, dead still and holds it out in front of her. 

 

And she stares.

 

She stares at her hand, at the boniness of her knuckles, at the fine ebony hairs on her fingers and at the slightest hint of dirt under her nails, which in her opinion are by far too long to be pretty.

 

Her eyes snap back to her face and so does her hand. 

She pokes and prods.

 

Her chest constricts as she touches the rough skin on her face - acne scars here and there, black heads dotting her nose. She winces when she comes into contact with a pimple on her chin, the bumps on her cheeks and forehead, the large curve of her nose and she asks herself, why was she cursed with such bad looks, when are her pimples going to fade, why on earth is her nose so damn big and oh my god why are her eyes so close together?

 

Her hand drops and she stares into her reflection with an odd sense of understanding and pity; as if she’s looking at herself from another person’s body. 

 

Now she understands why nobody has ever asked her out; she understands why many of her friends are in relationships and she is always left hanging awkwardly on the side.

 

She regards face with eyes as empty as a desert. 

 

Is it sad that she can’t even meet her own eyes? 

 

Is she really that disgraceful?

The girl in the mirror nods with detached sympathy.

“It’s okay to be ugly.” she whispers, but the shiver down her spine tells her that no, it’s really not.

 

A sharp knock on the door brings her from her thriving garden of misery.

 

“Coming!” She calls, and as she leaves she is careful to avoid the mirror, as if a demon will stare back at her if she looks again.

 

The door closes with a click and another day has begun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the distance the wolves howl.

 

He is coming for her. 

Feel free to check out my other stories…

In order of bias:

TVXQ - 

I’m Kim Jae Joong’s Sister In Law... || Bringing Back the Gods of the East || My Little Heartbreaker || Intoxicated by Jae || Lessons in Heartbreak || Breaking Bad ||It’s A Long Story (Request Shop) || I Have Listened To Every Lie

Teen Top -

The Blind Side || It’s A Long Story (Request Shop) || Why Haven’t I Noticed Him? || He’s Out Of My League

SHINee –

The Angels Wore Black || Making It Better || It Isn’t Supposed To Be Like This (MIB Sequel) 

B.A.P -

Intense Attraction || It’s A Long Story (Request Shop)

EXO - 

Forbidden Fruit || At Long Last || War of Words: Unravel Me || The Way You Tease Me || How To Turn Your Boyfriend Gay || The Porcelain Club || It’s A Long Story (Request Shop) || We’re All Going To Hell Anyway || Chanyeol the Murderer || Be Careful What You Pray For || The Angel Above