Prologue
Bennett's Beauty Co.
Ursula Scott shuffled uncertainly towards the cosmetics lab quietly. Somehow, in a rush to find her boss, Ursula had stumbled down to the laboratory. She had never been allowed down here, but Ms. Bennett needed to have her phoneconference withJackson
/Peince before the old ass turned purple from annoyance.
She'd been working at Bennett's Beauty Company since she was twenty-five, having gone to the same cosmetology schoolas the owner,Karen Bennett. They were good friends, and Ursula was even Karen's private assistant.
Ursula would have never guessed, or even imagined, that someone as generous and fun as her boss would go to such extremes to keep Bennett's Beauty above water. Ursula knew the company was in a little bit of debt. Consumers were getting tired of the same
/old productsand ever since the nasty lawsuit between Bennett's and a scarred customer, people haven't been buying as extensively as before.
The cosmetics lab door was usually closed due to wanting to contain and control any chemicalsthat might've been dangerous if exposed. Though the door was wide open, and Ursula could see people, ten or so, standing huddled around something. Ursula
/moved to go inside the doorway, but didn't close it,and huddled behind a large fridge full of makeup samples.
Normally, she wouldn't sneak around like this but the whole demeanor of the room put a chill into Ursula's body. All the lights were shut off, and only five overhead lights were lighting the laboratory. Ursula was intrigued by what captured the people's
attentions. She tried moving to different spot but the refrigerator was the only large object that could hide her frame perfectly. Especially considering there was another refrigerator on the other side of the room.
Despite her change of position, Ursula still couldn't see what everyone was looking at, but she could assess who was was there;along with three cosmetics doctors. She knew from the familiar lab coats the doctors at Benett's wore, that all three
of them must've worked there in the recognized the tall Asian man with greeting hair asDr. GarretYhenand and a women with dark skin and sharp eyes wasTanya Jones, while the other doctor didn't even spark
familiarity in Ursula.
The other people she didn't recognize, but from their suits Ursula guessed they were ready for business. Of course Karen Bennett was present. Her midnight hair looked slightly disheveled and her pink full lips were pursed womanwas
a bit worried when she saw theserious lines etched in her boss's usually gorgeous face.
"Ms. Bennett," Dr. Yhen went to go reach for a glass beaker on a small table. It was a purple-ish color, and though Ursula couldn't see from where she was hidden, she could guess thatthe texture of it wasgooey.
"This is just what test 2779 needs! We think this could be the cosmetics breakthrough you've been looking for." Dr. Yhen's voice was excited, and it seemed to make everyone in the room satisfied.
But Karen Bennett still looked worried and tense. She walked around the other side of what looked like an examination table. Ursula was then horrified to see a peak of anunconscious old woman strapped down.
Ursula was at a loss for words, but watched as Dr. Jones put a gloved finger in the beaker. The receptionistwas correct about its texture resembling purple slime, only cleaner looking and not very thick. She watched as Dr. Jones rubbed her goo-covered
finger over
the woman's wrinkled face.
"The goop is made to communicate with the cells to continue making the protein to prevent wrinkles. But it does more than make someone look young again, we've observed how some gain enhanced senses, and evenperfect functioning organs if rubbed on
the correct place!" The doctor's face was perspiring
with excitement as he went on.
"We have witnessed a man with six tumors:three in his brain and three in his liver, weinjectedthis serum and the following month he stopped going to chemotherapy all together because there was no cancer! It's as close as we'll ever get
to immortality!" Dr. Jones and the other unfamiliar female doctor with red hair nodded excitedlyto this revelation.
Ursulafelt shock run through her at Yhen's word and, as she saw the gooey substance turn blue. It was then gently wiped off by one of the doctors. Ursula found herself stuck between horror and awe as the unconscious women's face was revealedto
have no wrinkles in sight. Only pale and perfect skin left in its wake.
The group of businessmen gave a clap. All just as in awe as Ursula.
"You're gonna make a fortune Bennett!" One of them cried poking and prodding the woman's face. The others murmured in agreement, looking at the woman's wrinkle-free face. Ursula saw that Karen was tillstill on edgeas she shook the businessmen's
hands one by one.
"A billion then? That's seems like a good amount. This will put you at the top of our economy with stocks and trades. Everyone in the world is gonna want some of this!" One man with glasses praised.
Ursula cowered behind the large lab station as Ms. Bennett, the doctors and the businessmen walked out of the back door to thelaboratory.
Ursula kneeled there in shock for a moment still trying to get over what she had just witnessed. She popped her head up, and when Ursula saw or heard no signs of anyone coming, she scurried over to the woman. She was still unconscious, but
marveled at how perfected her skin looked now. Gone were the wrinkles and blemishes; now replaced with fair skin. She looked at least thirty years younger.
Ursula wondered if this women had done this willingly. Though it was unlikely considering that she was strapped down like and needed to get them out of here. She tugged on the restraints on her wrists and ankles. Ursula felt the bottom
of the examination table for a switch of some sort. Her heart pounded hardand rough. All she could think about is not gettingcaught.
Whatever the hell was going on at Bennett's Beauty Co., Ursula needed to stop it. In her search around the room for a switch, she didn't notice the way the woman's face changed.
When Ursula looked towards the trapped woman, Ursula saw how her perfect face was morphing. With disgust, Ursula watched as deeper, uglier wrinkles grew on her face. She witnessed in horror how the woman's face grew wasn't just
tainted with wrinkles; her skin looked cracked, like broken glass.
Ursula felt so faint, she actually thought believed that she wasgoing tofaint.
"Miss Scott?" Ursula whipped around in fear to see Karen Bennett look at her with a sickly worried face. Doctor Yhen and Jones were standing beside her boss with equally grim expressions. There was no sign of the red haired doctor, a fact that made
"Karen...what is this?...What are you doing to people?" Ursula was at least satisfied to see that her boss and once friend looked ashamed.
"I'm trying to save the company my family built with their lives." Karen stalked slowly towards Ursula and the woman felt fear prickle her skin.
"You don't seem to understand that kind of pressure, do you? It's hard; to know that you're always so close to ruining an empire like this one. I'm slowing piling up in debt and I need to sell something that will save the company forever." Karen stopped
/at a lab table with a cup of the purple goo.
"This is Bennett's ticket to fame. And this is the key to making everyone immortal..." Ursula looked at the woman, the crazed woman. She could see it in her eyes; Karen Bennett had gone insane.
"You're...you're crazy." Ursula backed up hoping she could make it out of here alive. Karen Bennett looked at her, but with no shame or guilt like last time; instead he eyes revealed crazed greed.
Ursula cried out as hands grabbed both her arms tightly. She struggled but both doctors held tighter grips and would not let her go.
She saw Karen snap on a glove and in the other pick up the tube of purple goo. Ursula's struggles continued, she realized that she was going to die, but at the same time, she didn't know what kind of chemicals were in that stuff. Though she wasn't ready
/to find out.
Ursula tried fighting to vice-like gripsof the doctors but they weren't relenting their hold. She looked up at the face of her co-workers and felt tears prick her eyes as Karen approached and stood in front of the three of them.
"Open her mouth." Ursula wasn't quick enough and she felt hands pry her mouth open. She tried closing it, and did so once and bit the finger of Dr. Yhen, but Karen slapped her so hard, her brain felt dizzy.
They again grabbed her jaw, not gently at all, and pried it opened. Ursula didn't have enough fight left in her to try and chomp down on the doctors'sfingers.
Ursula watched,disoriented,as Karen scooped up a generous amount of goop with her gloves fingers. The captured womangave a low wail of terror,because she knew what thiswoman was going to do. Tears burned her eyes but she
wasn't going to give this evil bitch the satisfaction of seeing her cry.
"It's a shame I have to do this Ursa, you've been such a generous employee and friend. But, business is business, and I refuse to let this company fall." The determination was there in the woman's grey eyes, but there was also the haunting touch
/of insanity there as well.
As Karen roughly rubbed the goop on to the screeching woman's tongue, her screams still piercing, even though the young woman's tongue was practically being burned off. Ursula chocked and gagged but soon everything stopped hurting, and she looked up into
/the eyes of Karen Bennett. Anyonecould see the blankness in her eyes, like a gray sky.
No one would stop her.
CEO Wendy Osbourne entered a spacious limousine. The sleek, primp woman looked back at Karen's Beauty Co. with a unknowing smile, so sure of her new investment.