"The real measure of your wealth is how much you'd be worth if you lost all your money."
-Anonymous
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On a queen-sized bed sat Ashley with her head bent low. Her blonde tresses flowed down her back like a river. They shone and were perfectly straightened without a single knot in them.
But her fingers were entangled together and she kept them that way, refusing to untie the knots.
Looking up at the spotless mirror, she stared at her reflection: a stick-thin girl clad in white pajamas, her dark eyes tired, and lips pale. Without her heavy makeup and lens, she looked like an entirely different person.
Yes, she wore blue lens or more like forced to wear as her mother had ordered to. Her mother, Mrs. Claire Cooper, was the epitome of class and sported the "Barbie doll" look perfectly. With her blonde hair and blue lens, she looked like a human Barbie. Yep, she wore lens too.
So Ashley had to as her mother wanted them to appear similar, uncanny in fact. The lens made her almost black eyes seem like an ocean blue.
Rich people can always get what they want. But are they happy with their choices? Clearly, Ashley wasn't. In fact, this wasn't her choice at all, it was an imposition.
An imposition which felt like a prison, the fake Barbie that she was supposed to look in front of people made her cringe every time. No one knew that her eyes weren't blue or that she was under rigorous exercise and diet to maintain her skinny figure.
People assume so many things about a person without knowing the actual truth. They say that they are thin because they're dieting or whatnot.
The truth was that Ashley hated her figure. She wanted to be the girl who could eat anything and everything that she wanted to. But she was strictly forbidden to consume food that could make her gain weight, another imposition that her mother had put upon her "delicate" shoulders.
Despite that, she loved her mother and would do anything for her happiness. A mother-daughter relationship is beautifully constructed with time, love and care. Time is the most important factor to show both love and care.
In Ashley's case, time was a rarity. Seeing her parents was a treat, and getting their attention an even bigger source of happiness. So, she could do anything to get their attention, especially her mother's.
It is said that rich people can afford whatever they wish for. But are time and love on their diamond-studded wishlist, affordable?
Ashley looked at the mirror once again, circling the dark skin which hung under her eyes like giant shadows.
Sometimes, she wished she could end this, tell her mother that she was done pretending... that she wanted to be her original self. But her yearning for her mother's smile or attention made her stop.
She placed her crystal tiara on her head and smiled genuinely, her dimples adding a charm to her smile. The tiara was her most prized possession, and she always protected it.
The time when Elena had threatened to smash her crown was stressful to her. She felt that she would do anything to get it back. Thinking about it made her clench her teeth towards Elena's doing.
No, her tiara couldn't be harmed, never...
A knock on the door whipped her head towards it. It was time for her breakfast, and she knew what the maid would bring for her.
Bread slices, muesli, milk, and yogurt, the menu never changed.
"Good morning, Miss," the maid greeted and flashed her a bright smile as she placed the food in front of her.
YOU ARE READING
The Alien Memory👽
Teen Fiction"I bet you didn't even have your first kiss, Van," Elena remarked and smirked, a knowing expression on her face. "Let's go, El," Kate urged, eyeing Ivan's startled face and dragged her twin's skinny arm. "It's Ivan and don't you act as if you know...
