Spotlight is like melting platinum ,the air on red carpet was thick with smell of cloying mix with high end perfume, synthetic fiber, and a hormone called ambition. Cici, whose been starved for days and now trussed up in a custom-made, haute couture, azure blue gown as blue as lake, with design of mermaid that emphasized her hourglass figure gleaming in beads made of natural pearls, diamonds, sapphires and emeralds. She was not only gorgeous in a human way but also can be categorized as a luxurious item, an anitque vessel or a gem in glass box, and yes cameras love her. Basically all the journalists are busy telling her to ''look this way/ look left/right.'' just so they can catch her smile at it's best and get bonus for hitting headlines and views.
Cici had a beautiful face. Yes the AI beauties are basically getting all the markets and PRs but she's been swiping the competitors since the first day of her career. She was a hybrid, just like a lot of people on N1024 today. Her eyes are emerald green, vivid as trees in rainforests; the uplifted big eyes are fascinating with mist of slight sadness but also confidence of a serval cat; her nose is delicate and her lips are naturally full like roses after rains with drops on the blossoms. The ink hair is flow liked, shining like features of a raven. Her smile is too perfect to be true, and she was trained to smile this way, to show her best.
But just like a mermaid, this level of beauty causes price: under the sweet smile and perfect figure, was days of starvation with nutrition liquid as source for survive; the heels are seven inch high which causing her feet to be wounded and probably blooding later after an hour of standing and been interviewed; the spotlights are painful to see straight at and her fake eyelashes are like dark clouds ; and the lipstick had this texture of glue, but since that's from her brand ambassador's contract she had no other choice but wear it, and faking her smile with it.
Following the order from her earpiece, she stopped at a specific camera position, turned, and posed. It was at that moment her foot seemed to catch on something-- a designed '' accident''--and she succumbed.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
The low neckline of sweetheart design has already shown her boost, the desserts for male gaze. And now with her stumbling the chests are more obvious and in the director's studio, a guy with glasses had given quick orders '' hurry up you fools! All cameras on her chests!'' And just like what he predicts, the amount of online audience is increasing which made the diagram to appears a steep climbing, guys had putted down cigars to clapping and women are smiling and laughing, too. Everyone knew the reality show is backing up and they are probably getting bonuses.
But the expected happiness didn't last for two long. A girl with short hair quickly rushed to Cici and covered her up with a cashmere scarf, and helped her to get up. It was Momo, Cici's robot assistant. Momo's steading her arms, adjusted her hair and fixed her dress. Suddenly it was like nothing happened and Cici a graceful ''princess'' again.
''Thank you'' Cici whispered to Momo in front of the life-eating cameras and the greedy eyes behind those cameras and in director's controlling studio.
The blood boiling in her veins. She knew that was a trap, she knew they set her up. But she can't be angry now and leaving here. Sometimes she felt like a honorable prisoner.
'' Miss Cici, please be careful.'' The electronic voice of Momo is still the same, devoid of emotions, but now she felt the voice is like tranquilizer to her. Momo's optical lenses held no emotion, yet they felt strangely safer than any human beings around her. Momo has no emotions but programmed with '' protection'' but human around her saw her as cash caw and golden mine.
''Great job, babe! You nailed it!'' The manager Daniel with exaggeration and a big smile, a smile after smelling the cashflow brought from new comeback stages and advertising opportunities after today's charity ball.'' This body, woo, perfect! No one has a body as beautiful as yours, sweetie. Not even the old woman Selena who still thinks she's so hot even after AI surgeries and platinum transplants.'' Cici responded with a mocking smirk '' What would you commenting on me if I turned fifty? I'm wondering'' ''Cici you're joking. A hottie like you would still be hot when turned fifty. Besides there're plenty of plastic surgeries there. Don't worry.''
Cici didn't respond. She just felt the expensive gown now clung to her like a snake skin soaked in slime, something she desperately wanted to take off just now.
The subsequent charity gala felt like a prolonged form of torture. By the time she was seated in the live- streaming studio of Jimmy, the platform' s hottest host known as the '' Pope of Lipstick'', a new form of exhaustion had kicks in.
The studio set was glamouring with crystal decorations made of rosy quartz and polished gold plated tools. Jimmy himself was the most dramatic and eye catching above those all , with his feathered coat and fish net top, and sunglasses with heart shapes on his head as headpiece, he looks like a human flamingo, and as sharp tongued as always acting his role of '' fashion police''.
'' Listen up , sugars! No guy is gonna be your sweetie if you choose to be sloppy! With our products and tutorials, everyone can be perfect! We can turn miss wall flowers into miss universe. Your perfect Mr right and career is right around the corner if you're prepared . Yes girls, chances are always catering the ones that are ready. Ok show hands up in comments so I don't mark you as absent and causing you to fail my class. ''
He picked up a golden tubed lipstick, pointing it at the virtual comments section '' What? Too expensive? Oh my god, guys, look at this pathetic woman. So pathetic! She can't even afford a lipstick that cost one thousand and two hundred eighty two, can you believe that? If you're petty enough and lack of self respect and not even willing to spend a thousand something on lipstick, girl , you're messed up. You don't even want to invest in your own life, why would others do? Just quit dreaming of becoming rich and marrying rich. My live room is not for people with no ambition.''
The live room is flooding with comments of laughs and mockeries which Cici see as cyber bullying. Yes, the nick name is on point. To many woman, Jimmy is their priest, and they are just like lost sheeps waiting for guide, but unfortunely this ''priest'' is only interested in their money.
Jimmy after gaslighting the bullied girl seemed to be satisfied, he turned to his guest. He looked at Cici, this new solo idol whose also actress and singer. He knew she wasn't top in performing nor on stages but who cares? She get this appeal. Guys want her and girls want to be her, she's gonna be the great advertisement today and he was planning to apply cosmetics on her as many as possible so the PR moneys are not wasted. He picked up a shade notoriously called '' The sunset of Paris' and turned to her with effusive enthusiasm '' Come now, let our lovely girl the popular icon, Cici, show us how stunning this one is~ Bet ya wouldn't resist this, nobody can.''
The camera pushed in, focusing on her face. Her manager was frantically signaling off camera.
Cici took the lipstick, roll out, put it on her lips with Jimmy's holding the mirror in front of her. The vibrant crimson bullet looked like a piece of solid blood, overlapping with the blurred yet terrifying scarlet red flashing in her memories. Her hand was steady and calm but not her mind. She seemed to recall a woman's hand held a lipstick towards her , it was this close. The manicure was as scarlet as the lipstick. Above those hands with crimson nails and bright diamond rings, was two moving lips. So red, red as sea of poppy. And sometimes she wonder, if there's gonna be snake's tongue stick out of those lips whispering like rattlesnake.
''Gosh, look at Cici, she's also drawn to the beauty of the ' coucher de soleil a paris'. That's how gorgeous this baby is, and you get it only nine hundred fifty eight today, if I wasn't the host I'd grab it by boxes before all of you.''
Suddenly she was back to reality again, she can tell Jimmy was upset about her distracted from the live show and she also saw the disappointed look in Tom's eyes behind the cameras. But she didn't care.
On her way back to her luxurious living cell , she looked down from flyeroid's window and soon begin to contemplate. Who was the woman in her memories? It was so strange. Cici was the heiress, the star, the idol, the icon. Her life had been smooth sailing, she was the center of attention, surrounded by applause, flowers, camera flashes, and countless gazes filled with desire and envy. Even the negligible haters' comments were diligently filtered out by her manager.
So, what was the soul -trembling fear and suffocation before? where did those came from?
''Arrived'' said by the flyeroid with auto tone. Now she's at the gate of the magnetic island, you stand here you can see the whole city's view, and the people moving like ants. The greeting doorgaurds were smiling as always to open doors for her. The makeup on her was flawless, reflected by her huge mirror in bathroom, with quarts and natural amethysts around the mirror serves as lighting along with the automatic lighting. She gets up from her bathtub which basically a size of small swimming pool, looked up into the reflection.
Suddenly her hands are rubbing the lips violently. The swipe was harsh, with full power, across her own lips. It was like she was trying to remove plague but not lipsticks from her, or trying to avoid to be kissed by rattlesnake's scarlet tongue. The bright lipstick smeared, ruining her foundation, leaving a messy, stinging crimson mark on her face. Her skin turned pink from the friction, but an unprecedented, almost painful sense of relief seeped from the abraded skin into her taut nerves.
She started dazedly at the girl in the mirror --disheveled, but with clearer, brighter eyes. In a weak, murmured voice, as if it didn't belong to her, she whispered,
'' This way... doesn't it feel more comfortable?"'
The bathroom door slid open silently. Momo stood quietly at the entrance, her optical lenses recording it all. Her system could not comprehend this illogical act of self injury to seek comfort, but she detected that Miss Cici 's breathing rhythm had deepened after wiping, and the tension in her facial muscle had decreased by 17.2%.
''Miss Cici. according to psychological data monitoring, your adrenaline increased and the Hippocampus, Limbic system and hypothalamus were vibrating. I came up with prediction and analysis that suggest that you were in pain. How can I help you with it? Can you tell me what was going on?'' Momo 's words were showing that she was worrying, but since she was a robot her facial expression and tone were still automatic and electric.
'' No'' said by Cici, with fake audacity,'' I was okay, I'm gonna go to sleep now.'' ''Good night, Miss Cici.''
The satin curtain had been put down by itself because of that it was sounded controlled. Momo left with silence. Only Cici on her bed with shape of shell and rolling around with eyes opened and confusing mind.
Why?
For the first time, actress on the reality show had picked up some clues and her manufactured world of perfection had cracked with a micro fissure.