Characters/Pairing: Velma Von Tussle
Word Count: 345
--
She started every day the same. She woke promptly at 4:30; not a minute too early, nor a minute too late. The correct amount of sleep was fundamental to keeping herself fresh. Not being one to stay in bed and dillydally, she would quickly begin her morning routine. After her bath, she had to make sure she stayed in long enough to ensure the softest skin without resembling a prune; she would walk to her vanity.
This was where the true ritual began.
She noticed everything. The wrinkles and creases, those few hairs that weren't as golden as the rest, a dainty beauty mark decorating her cheek; all the way down to the flawed curve on her upper lip when she smiled. A rarity for a reason, one could be assured. These shortcomings were visible to all, and were simply unacceptable. She was Miss Baltimore Crabs. She represented beauty to all those who dared question what it was. She would not stand for anything but the utmost perfection.
She quickly plucked out those less than blonde hairs and then lined her lips to fix that unsightly curve. That hideous mole that had once, and only once, been called 'adorable' by her departed husband vanished under countless coats of heavy foundation. At all times, Miss Baltimore Crabs was to show no defects.
She scoffed as she heard her daughter getting up to start the day. The child didn't understand what it was to be truly faultless in everything. If this was the time Amber felt she needed to wake up, she still had much more to learn.
She finished removing those useless imperfections and deliberated her finished work. Even though everything was applied, those colorless hairs removed, and all was symmetrical, something was still off. Her lips twisted into a bitter frown and she stood abruptly, tipping her chair in the process. She tore away from that atrocious mirror and stormed into her closet, her mothers' words ringing through her head.
"Baby, no matter how hard you try, you will never be my perfect, beautiful angel."
--
A/N: It must have been hard, growing up and being viewed as a failure.
Thank you to my lovely beta-authors!