Caught in between

Ariel couldn't believe her ears, she looked this beautiful for the first time in her life and her mother wanted her to wipe it off? No way! She knew that if she did exactly as her mother said, her life in the new school would be more worse than that of her previous school, her skin condition was on that was rare, the contrast in it tones made her look not different and weird, covering it up was the only way to look normal.

"Are you deaf? I said go back and wipe it off!" Patricia repeated.

Ariel sucked in some air, she knew she needed some strength for what was to come.

"No." Ariel refused.

Patricia snickered, this daughter of hers was out to not only disrespect but also kill her, there was no way she would allow her go to the school looking like that.

"Are you daring me? No?" Patricia said flatly to scare Ariel.

"Why should I take it off Mom?" Ariel demanded.

"Why should you take it off? Because I said so." Patricia said, using the motherly command tone.

"But I spent a lot of time and effort to look this good, taking it off just because you want me to seems unfair to me!" Ariel argued.

The new look Ariel had gave her more confidence, she thought It probably would give her a new identity.

"This is not the real you, this is just an imposter that looks nothing like how, how can I allow you to live a liar right from your teenage years? Never!" Patricia explained.

"But Mom, this isn't wrong or me disguising as someone else, this is me with a but of concealer and make up on." Ariel reminded her mother.

"Is that so? I thought this was you from the future, of course I know it is you with make-up on but it isn't the natural you, you have to embrace yourself and live the way you are, not some unnecessary charade." Patricia replied.

"But I look good in this." Ariel pouted.

Patricia shook her head, her daughter wasn't getting her point, before she opened her mouth to talk, Debby intervenes in the issue.

"Mom, there's no use arguing with her, she looks absolutely beautiful, she looks exactly the same just more beautiful than before, I don't think there's nothing wrong with how she looks, besides; she had spent a lot of effort to look this good and look! Her skin condition isn't even visible anymore, you're always worried of what people would say about her skin right? There! It's all covered up, Ariel looks absolutely normal to me and beautiful too, no one has to know about her skin condition anymore, we just moved, isn't that a plus?" Debby said convincingly.

Patricia sighed, she contemplated what Debby had said and she decided it would be better if Ariel was left that way, she had always been ashamed of her daughter's skin condition and secretly wished she could get rid of it somehow but this was her prayers answered, Ariel would finally quit bringing shame to the family, she as a mother always felt bad that she had a daughter whom they had to hide from their guests because of how 'hideous' and 'horrible' her skin made her look like.

"Okay, fine! You can wear it, but just because Debby said it isn't wrong." Patricia conceeded.

Ariel was overwhelmed with Joy, she mouthed a 'Thank you' to Debby.