The Girl with the Painted-On Face and Other Stories
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About this ebook
The Girl with the Painted-On Face and Other Stories collects four imaginative short stories by Ellie Reynylt: “The Girl with the Painted-On Face,” “The Biggest Mistake,” “Inside,” and “Blueberries.”
When a new girl named Emma enrolls in the local high school, teenager Holly is immediately taken with her charismatic and assertive classmate. But unbeknownst to Holly and those around her, something is very, very wrong with their new friend. From jealous spats to feuds between friends, “The Girl with the Painted-On Face” reveals the subtle horror of the high-school experience. (2,500 words)
Sometimes the Second Coming just isn’t what it’s cracked up to be. In “The Biggest Mistake,” the resurrected Jesus is more interested in scoring a book deal than in performing miracles. When editor Anna Birch declines to publish Jesus’s memoir, her colleagues and friends believe she’s made the biggest mistake of her life—but has she? (4,000 words)
In “Inside,” transhumanist technophile Audrey assembles a group of like-minded friends and begins to work toward her goal of bridging the gap between humanity and technology. When her body begins to fail her, Audrey must choose between giving in to the limitations of her human existence or moving beyond them. (4,300 words)
In “Blueberries,” college grad Danielle takes a summer job as the caretaker of a small bed and breakfast in New Hampshire, where she hopes to hide from the painful memories of her recent breakup with her now ex-girlfriend. When she meets Jenna, a teenage guest at the B&B who is embroiled in a fiasco of a relationship that shares unsettling similarities with her own, Danielle is forced to confront the memories she had been trying to avoid. (4,500 words)
Ellie Reynylt
Ellie Reynylt writes imaginative fiction for young adults. She lives in New England, where she spends her time taking long walks (rarely on the beach) and being ignored by her cats. She welcomes reader feedback both good and bad; please feel free to send any comments, questions, complaints, epic poems, love letters, or ephemera to [email protected].
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The Girl with the Painted-On Face and Other Stories - Ellie Reynylt
The Girl with the Painted-On Face and Other Stories
Ellie Reynylt
The Girl with the Painted-On Face and Other Stories
Ellie Reynylt
Copyright 2013 Ellie Reynylt
Smashwords Edition
This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to individuals living or dead is entirely coincidental.
License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Contents
The Girl with the Painted-On Face
The Biggest Mistake
Inside
Blueberries
The Girl with the Painted-On Face
Have you seen her yet?
Sam asked me as I approached our usual table at lunch. I plopped into a chair and flung my bag onto the floor, where it landed with a muffled thud.
Seen who?
The ‘hottest girl in school,’
Allyson said, rolling her eyes. Sam’s words, obviously, not mine.
"Someone’s jealous, Sam said with a smirk.
And we’re not even going out anymore. Jesus Christ."
She slumped down in her chair. Screw you.
But seriously, Holly,
Sam said through a mouthful of chicken patty. This new girl, Emma, is—seriously, she’s so hot. Like, damn.
Screw you,
Allyson said again.
The school day was nearly over when I had my first Emma Sighting.
I didn’t recognize her at first—how could I have, with hot
being the only description I had been given? She just looked like an unfamiliar girl with long, pale blonde hair. She was standing at her locker, rummaging through her pink-and-white checked messenger bag. I nearly walked past her, but then she turned around, and I stopped short. I knew it was her. I also knew better than to stare blatantly, so I pretended to look for something in my own bag, all the while sneaking glances in her direction.
Sam was right—she was hot. But at the same time he was wrong, because hot
didn’t even begin to describe Emma. She was gorgeous, lovely, with a round, soft face and the kind of lips that less fortunate people pay for. But her eyes, they were what really got me. They were a shade of green so brilliant that they almost hurt to look at, yet I couldn’t bring myself to look away. At that point, I truly thought that she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.
There’s the bitch,
Allyson remarked, coming to stand beside me. "I don’t know what Sam sees in her. She’s not that hot." Inwardly, I squirmed. Emma was more than hot. She was exquisite.
You’re way hotter,
I said. Allyson nodded, but she didn’t smile. We both knew the truth.
A few days later, at an after-school meeting of the yearbook committee, Emma spoke to me for the first time.
Tell me what we’re doing,
she said to me as she sat in the chair next to mine. I’m new.
For a moment, I said nothing. She sat there patiently, waiting for me to speak, almost as if she knew that I had been rendered speechless by her presence.
We’re mostly discussing financial stuff today,
I said finally, stammering a little. Our advisers think we should have a full-color current events section in the back, but most of us think it’s a waste of money. Yearbooks are expensive enough as it is, without adding all that extra junk.
She nodded slowly and then held out a delicate hand. Emma.
I’m Holly.
I shook her hand, hoping that some sort of osmosis would occur. I wanted to absorb some of her perfection, take some of her beauty for my own. I wanted, so badly, to be forever in the presence of all that glory.
Holly,
she said, as if inscribing my name in her memory. Holly.
Then, as the yearbook advisers called the meeting to order, Emma said, We should go shopping after the meeting. It’ll be fun.
Of course,
I whispered. I would love that.
I called Allyson as soon as I got home. I couldn’t wait to tell her what a great time I had with Emma.
"So then we went to Sephora and Emma talked me into buying this lipstick that I totally never would have bought on my own—it’s like, this weird dark pinkish color—but it actually looks really good on me. I was