The day had finally come. September 2nd, the day Orion would finally have her surgery and leave Uglyville for good. Of all her morphos faces, she'd finally decided on the one Tally had made for her, and she eagerly awaited when the doctors would call for her.
She sighed softly as the other uglies around her were being called in for their surgeries.
"You've been sighing a lot."
"What?"
Orion warily met Tally's gaze. "You've been sighing a lot since we got here."
"It's been two hours, Squint! What if they realized the surgery won't work on me? What if I'm going to be an ugly-for-life?!"
"Hey now, don't start that bogusness again. You are not going to be an ugly-for-life."
Orion sighed again, scowling at her reflection in the window. She truly hoped the surge would work on her. It had worked on her crumblies, after all.
"Orion Kinsley?"
Orion jumped up so fast she knocked over her chair. "Present!" she squeaked.
The nurse chuckled, and led the ugly girl to the operating room. Orion shot one last glance at Tally, who smiled and waved at her.
"Don't worry!" she called out just as the operating room doors shut.
The nurse took Orion's duffel bag out of her hands and gave her a paper gown.
"Put this on and lay down on the operating table. Soon you'll be floating in pretty dreams and you won't feel a thing."
Orion nodded, turning away from the nurse as she undressed. Today was her big day, she just hoped she'd actually end up pretty. Ever since she turned twelve, she'd been convinced the operation would never work on her. Now that she was actually in New Pretty Town hospital, about to go under, she began to panic even more. What if she'd been right all along? What if-
"Orion, dear. On to the table, please."
Orion turned to look at her surgeon. She was a middle pretty, of course. Her wise older features calmed some of Orion's nerves. She knew she could trust this woman, that she would be pretty if this woman operated on her.
"Yes, right." Orion climbed onto the table, and was strapped down by the assistants. As an oxygen mask was fitted over her face, she breathed in deeply, tasting the sterile air. Soon, she'd be dancing under the fireworks of New Pretty Town, Tally not far behind. She'd enjoy the look on Lottie Masen's face when she saw the new Orion Kinsley.
Soon...
Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess.
She lived in a large castle by herself because all the other princes and princesses avoided her. She'd never understood why, and she'd heard whispers of the feared Plague-faced monster. Because of this, she never left her castle, except for at night. She knew she'd be safe during the day, as the monster never seemed to lurk at night.
One day, the princess was invited to a party. She was wary, yet excited. She was convinced all the others hated her. That night, she left her castle, and snuck out among the other princes and princesses. When she reached the castle where the party was to be held, she was handed a mask. She accepted it, and joined all the other guests in the theatre.
"Welcome friends! Tonight we are going to have a special show! Our dancer is a bit afraid, but we'll ease her nerves." The blonde princess said.
Everyone wondered what was going on, until the blonde princess came out dragging a girl in a jester's costume. She was crying and struggling, begging to be let go.
'How awful! I must help her, but how?' the princess thought.
Then, it struck her! She ran out of the theatre as fast as her small legs could carry her, and summoned the guards. However, upon returning to the theatre, she realized she'd been too late. The blonde princess shoved the jester out the window, and the poor girl screamed as she fell to her death.
"How could you?!" the princess stood atop her seat, and ripped the mask off. "What did she ever-"
A scream rang out in the theatre. More screams began to join it.
"The Plague-faced monster!"
"Plague-face!"
"Monster!"
"It's so ugly!"
"PLAGUE-FACE!"
The princess gasped as the stage began to turn into a giant mirror. Instead of the beautiful face she'd known and loved, there stood a stringy-haired, beady eyed, hunchbacked monster. Its mouth seemed to have no lips, and the wrinkled skin was covered in disgusting red lumps. The princess opened her mouth in horror, and so did the monster in the mirror. The interior of it's mouth was also covered in the horrid red lumps.
"No. No no no no! NOOOOO!"
Orion flew up out of her bed, her breathing heavy and labored. She desperately grasped at her face, relieved to feel the soft, silken skin. She tugged at her hair, which was still long and blonde, and no longer the stringy black mess of five days ago. Her body was covered in sweat, and her sleep clothes clung uncomfortably to her body.
"Just another stupid nightmare." She muttered. Ever since she'd woken up from her surgery, she'd been living in a daze. Of course, she was relieved that her fears had been disproven, that she was going to be beautiful forever, but that didn't stop the nightmares plaguing her. Every night she went to sleep as the beautiful princess, and she always woke up thinking herself to be the ugly monster.
She glanced at her holo-clock. 6 am.
"Ugh, don't want to go back to sleep." Reluctantly, Orion got out of bed and into the shower.
As the hot water pounded down on her back, she tried to get the dream out of her mind. She was pretty for crying out loud! Very soon, Tally would be joining her.
She furiously rubbed her gardenia scented shampoo into her hair, breathing in the scent and trying to slow her pounding heart. At least she felt cleaner. She would recycle those old sleep clothes and make cuter ones, then she'd have her breakfast tray. What should she do with herself after that? Maybe a hot-air balloon ride? or the ice rink that floated over Nefertiti stadium. Maybe even both!
Orion smiled. Yes, she would definitely have a wonderful day today.
'What did I do to deserve this?' Orion thought as the balloon rose over the New Pretty Town spires. She was trapped in a balloon with Lottie Masen, of all people!
She had planned to take a solo ride, but before she could get off the ground, she was accosted by a group of Hot-Airs. She tried desperately to get them to take another balloon, but they were so aggressive that she was drowned out by their excited cries. Now, she was squished in the corner of the balloon, with Lottie Masen chattering in her ear and the other Hot-Airs pointing out of the balloon at every single thing they saw.
'Lottie would be a Hot-Air. Ugh, why does this always happen to me?'
"So, what's your name?" Lottie smiled dazzlingly at her. Orion froze in horror. She couldn't tell Lottie who she was, she'd shove her out of the balloon as soon as she got the chance.
But, Orion had been eagerly awaiting the day that she would join everyone in New Pretty Town, to show Lottie that she could be pretty just like her.
Orion squared her shoulders, lifting her chin defiantly and staring down at her former tormentor. "What, you don't remember me, Lottie? You don't remember the girl you so lovingly dubbed Plague-face?"
Lottie's eyes flashed with surprise. She narrowed them, staring carefully at Orion. It was as if she couldn't believe they were the same person.
"Orion?" she finally whispered.
Orion held back her surprise. After years of only being called Plague-face, she couldn't believe that Lottie actually knew her name. "In the flesh. Finally pretty as of five days ago."
Lottie swallowed hard. Orion was sure she was hoping she'd have ended up as an ugly-for-life so she'd have even more reason to make fun of her.
"What's wrong, Lottie? You mad because my bogus acne is gone forever? Poor you, you'll have to find another ugly to make fun of now."
"N-no. I'm just surprised. You're so pretty-making Orion-la." Lottie smiled again, but Orion knew it wasn't a real smile.
"Why thank you Lottie-wa." Orion accepted a champagne flute handed to her by one of the other Hot-Airs and drank deeply. The whole ride was filled with tension. Orion tried to make conversation with the Hot-Airs, but all they seemed to care about was how pretty and bubbly-making hot-air balloons were. It made her miss Tally even more. She needed to visit her, even though her birthday was only in two days.
'There's no reason I have to wait two days. Tally really isn't that ugly anyway, she's actually really cute.'
Orion had no problem forgetting her own ugly mug, but she wanted to see Tally one last time before she became blindingly beautiful like everyone and everything in New Pretty Town. Besides, she knew Tally would be happy to see her again.