Exposed

She dressed carefully, making sure that everything she wanted covered was hidden. Her makeup ritual was set in stone; she knew exactly what to use, and how to use it, in order to create her trademark flawlessly natural look.

Ditto for her clothes. The seemed to reveal all; but in the privacy of her dressing room, she was a very different creature. She was not above taping her anatomy into the contours her skin no longer assumed on their own; one did what one had to do at her age. Surgery could only go so far; there was a limit on how many times one could go under the knife without it becoming painfully obvious. She'd seen far too many horrible before-and-after photos of her contemporaries splashed across the pages of the tabloids to risk that.

They'd uncover her secrets someday; but she hoped she wouldn't live to see it.

© 2010 Cynthia Newcomer Daniel seed beads, bead-woven.

Darkness

"Never mix, never worry!" Melissa thought ruefully; if that old adage were true, she knew that right about now she should be very worried, indeed. She'd started with champagne; she always started with champagne. Champagne made her happy, and she liked being happy.

It was what came later that could be a problem.

To be honest, she wasn't really sure what came later. She remembered something sweet, cold, rimmed with sugar and garnished with mint; she suspected she'd had rather a lot of them, whatever they were. Actually she could use another one; or maybe it would be safer if she switched back to wine.

No matter. She was still standing, and, as long as she could stand, she could dance.

© 2010 Cynthia Newcomer Daniel

Seed beads, crystals, chain. Pattern available on ArtFire and Etsy.