Celeste teaches Alseya about vanity aww the innocence.
Me and Alseya were sat at the lunch table. We were tucked into a hearty cottage pie when I noticed Alseya's gaze was preoccupied with something.
'Hey dolly daydream what's up?'
'Celeste? Why does Sylvia keep looking in that tiny mirror?'
I twisted round and saw Sylvia held a compact mirror in her hands, her lips were puckered as she applied a garish red gloss.
'It's called a compact mirror. Older girls use it when they put on make-up,' I explained as I returned to my delicious pie.
'Oh. Why do girls wear make-up?' Alseya asked which nearly made me choke.
'Why do you ask?'
'Just curious because you don't have one.'
'That's because I'm happy with how I look.'
'So Sylvia isn't?'
'No. I. Do you know what the word vanity means?'
Alseya shook her head.
'Alright. Vanity means someone really cares about their appearance to the point they stop caring about other things like, family and friends, you know, important stuff.'
'So that's why she is super mean!' Alseya exclaimed as if this small fact could excuse all of the crap that Sylvia Welsh puts us through on a daily basis.
'Well not exactly. I mean think about it there must be a reason why she is vain.'
'Like what?'
'I don't know, maybe her home life isn't that great? Maybe she was bullied once upon a time about her looks and now she is using make-up to compensate for that? Bury her past under a mountain of blusher. The list of possibilities is infinite.'
I paused. The more I thought about it the more I wondered what made Sylvia the way she was.
'You are very insightful Celeste.'
'I know and I thought Ofi was meant to the prophet!'
We both laughed and were silenced when Sylvia sent us an icy glare.
In that moment I wished more than anything I could somehow help her. If I could understand her then maybe I could change her attitude and spare everyone from her intolerable taunting? Maybe she would finally leave us alone…