Mask of A Legend (13 page)

L
egend boarded the private jet before she hugged her mother and Jenny. She said her goodbyes, and headed over to the stairway of the plane where her adventure shall begin, an experience that she wanted for a long time, consisting of her beauty versus the world. This experience, that she began, would begin when she first stepped foot on the plane. She knew it.

She climbed up the stairs, but with a shaky rhythm, and her teeth gleamed out its brightness through her smile. The wind blew vastly through her blonde hair, strands that were beautiful now. Her mother and Jenny watched Legend turn around to see her last glimpse of them. It was the last to Legend’s mind, because she desired this to last forever. A fairy tale. She wanted to go on the plane, and have it take her to a fantasy that every girl dreams of, a make-believe of riches, fame, and luxury. A dream that would cause her to leave her past behind, and travel to a future of fortune.

She turned back around to face the plane, her feet lifting off the last stair and levitating over the front part of the doorway to the jet. She then placed her foot down on the jet’s blue carpet, and pulled her body inwards toward the cabin, filled with luxurious, blue and gold seats. A cabin that was filled with champagne, seeming like a mansion through Legend’s blue eyes. She sat down in her seat and watched Dina and Stephen sit down opposite her.

Dina grabbed his hand, gave him a small kiss on the lips, and Legend still stared at them. The small kiss led to a bigger one once the plane lifted off the ground and Stephen looked at Legend for a moment; he had to catch his breath from Dina’s mouth. But, when he looked at Legend, Dina knew she had to cause him to look at her instead. So, she went on kissing him. Stephen lost sight of Legend’s beauty once again, but through their kissing, Stephen would still stare at Legend from time to time and imagine that he was kissing her instead.

Legend would turn away and roll her eyes every time she saw him staring at her: she knew he only wanted one thing, but that thing was something that Legend felt confused about. She never had a guy stare at her, and at the same time, show their eyes while she’s staring at them. All the guys in the past always wanted to turn away from Legend, due to her looks, her ugly mask. So for that, Legend never saw another guy’s eyes before, but now she had. She sees a flirtatious glare when he stares at her, but a glare that shows a sort of innocence to his black eyes. A glare that shows a man falling in love, but Legend didn’t philosophize that hard, after all, this was the first time she had ever stared into a man’s eyes.

Through the first hour of the flight, William was explaining the modeling business to Dina and Legend, but Dina concentrated on Stephen’s lips. William would discuss the business, and Legend would be the only one listening. She felt uncomfortable toward Stephen and Dina, because they kissed, and at the same time, Stephen still stared at Legend. Creepy or lust? She was unsure.

The second hour through the flight, Dina and William fell fast asleep, though Stephen and Legend stayed awake. They stared out their windows, too afraid to stare at each other. Stephen’s lips were pulsating and had a bit of Dina’s lipstick on them, and for that he tried putting some moisturizer on them. Legend gave a small grin, she thought it was funny, when suddenly air current swept under the plane, causing it to shake. Stephen grabbed onto his seat, while dropping the moisturizer on the ground, and began to show fear in his eyes. Legend saw the fear in his eyes and asked, “So, a stud like you is afraid of flying?” She felt that she had to be tough toward him, brief, to the point. She knew he was a pig, she knew he only wanted one thing out of girls. But, then again, she never was in this position before, the position where she had a man who showed a liking for her. This was a whole new experience for Legend, an experience that she didn’t realize. She was just going with the flow. Legend noticed that Stephen didn’t give any reply to her question. “You’re afraid of flying?”

“Well, just when the plane shakes like that. So, Legend, how about–”

“Alright, stop right there. First of all, I’m not going to do anything with you, and secondly, I’m not going to do anything with you!” Legend didn’t want to let down her guard, even though she was devastatingly attracted to Stephen. Every time she sees him, she remembers how he treated her when she had an ugly image.

“You have quite a sense of humor to you. I never knew a beautiful girl could have a sense of humor,” Stephen stated. Legend turned away from him. She still didn’t want to let down her guard, she thought he was a creep, but still she liked his smile. Damn.

“Well, this girl does,” she said.

“Well, before you interrupted me so rudely, I was going to ask you ‘if you wouldn’t mind having some champagne with me?’”

“I don’t drink!”

“Come on, this is a special occasion, you’re a hundred thousand dollars richer, and there’s plenty more where that came from,” said Stephen. He opened up a bottle of champagne, poured two glasses and handed a glass to Legend.

“I said I didn’t want any.” But she gave out a small, small grin. The more she was resisting, the more her guard was weakening in this new experience.

“Come on, just one drink!”

“Fine, but the only reason why I’m taking it is because I know you’ll nag me about it all through the flight.” She grabbed the champagne from him.

“Why are you so mean?”

Legend took a sip of the champagne. “I’m not mean at all, I just don’t want you getting the wrong idea with me. I’m not like Dina, thank God, and furthermore, you and Dina are a couple now,” Legend replied.

Dina moved her sleeping head to the right side of her pillow.

“Me and Dina are not a couple, we aren’t going out,” Stephen replied.

Legend gave out a smile.

“Oh, excuse stupid me, I thought that when I saw Dina checking every single tooth, that you have, with her tongue, something in my mind told me that you two were together. I’m truly sorry.”

Stephen laughed and said, “Listen, Legend, I just met Dina today. I admit, we are kind of kicking it together very heavily, but that’s all we’re doing. Don’t get the assumption that I belong to her, cause I don’t belong to anyone.”

“Well, I don’t really care, I’m sorry, but I don’t. . . . Everything is moving way too fast, and when it does, I create this toughness to me, so I’m sorry if we’re starting off on the wrong foot. I mean, I consider myself a highly intellectual young woman. But when a contract, for a lot of money, is given to you, and then you’re placed in a luxurious jet that is leading to a luxurious city, it kind of makes a young woman tough and confused at the same time,” Legend said. Stephen smiled at her; endearing.

“You said that you don’t really care about me and Dina supposedly going out. So, that means that you do care a little bit, because you said it like that.”

“No, it is a term people use.”

“So, does that mean you care or not?”

“Listen, Stephen, I really don’t care for the mind games you’re playing with me about that word ‘care’. Meaning, that I do mind for the way you are playing with my brain. And what are you smiling at?”

“No, I’m sorry, it’s just you are so beautiful, it makes me want to smile.”

“That is the first, I mean, the worst pick-up line I have ever heard of,” Legend said. She looked at him with a serious face and hoped he didn’t catch on to her mistake in words. This was the first time any man has ever used a pick-up line on her, and that initiated a smile in her mind. But, her smile vanished when Stephen caught on to her mistake.

“Wait a second, you said ‘first’ pick-up line. Are you trying to tell me that no guy as ever attempted to pick you up?”

“If you mean ‘ask me out’, yes, I have had plenty of experiences.” Legend then stared at her window and saw her ugly reflection in it. She stared at her acne-filled face and became startled. It was as if her mask of beauty was causing her to lie more, lie about everything to a guy she first met. She didn’t want to be known as a liar to herself, she felt that the mask of beauty was enough to be called a lie. So, she turned away from her ugly reflection and turned to Stephen once again. She didn’t want the mask of beauty to change her into a liar, so she said, “I mean, yes, that is my first pick-up line, but don’t let it go to your head.” She still didn’t let down her guard, the invisible wall of sarcasm, toughness, and overall, the guard that just wasn’t her character.

“That’s amazing how no one has ever asked you out on a date before.” He lit up a cigarette.

“Excuse me, but it is not amazing, I just haven’t been interested in guys. Also, please extinguish that cigarette, it is against the law to smoke in a closed compartment such as an airplane.”

“Well, this airplane belongs to me and my father. So, it’s not against the law!”

“Oh, I forgot, you’re the one who practically runs this modeling agency. Well, if you don’t put that cancer stick out right now, then I will rip up the contract and go back home, while forgetting about your agency,” said Legend in a forceful manner.

“I do not run this business, I just help him out,” Stephen said. He drowned his cigarette in his glass of champagne.

“Well, please, enlighten me, explain what it is you do?”

Suddenly, Dina started to open her eyes.

“I mainly help my father, by picking out girls who I know have what it takes for this business!”

“So, that’s your father’s secret to success, having a horny, studly young man, like yourself, to choose the girls after you kiss them. I see now, so if your organ points to the girls, that means they’ll be supermodels. Boy, I wonder what will happen if those girls would actually use your organ, I bet they would have happy riches and fortune.”

Dina listened to them talk, but pretended she was sleeping.

“If you are referring to my penis, then you are wrong. First off, I do not choose any girl who I kiss, I didn’t kiss you . . . yet. And secondly,” Stephen explained when Legend jumped in.

“What do you mean, yet? Listen to me, from here on out, we are only going to be friends. I want to be extremely professional in this business. I mean, I didn’t even realize I was going to be in this business. Furthermore, I didn’t realize I would be in this business with an ass like yourself.” Stephen began smiling again. “What are you smiling at again?”

“No, it’s just you remind me of someone. I think it was some girl with acne on her face. Yeah, that’s it, she acted the exact same way as you,” Stephen replied. He was so happy that he remembered. “Her last name began with a C.”

Legend became scared, but at the same time, angry. She was angry that he remembered that girl for her acne, not for any other part of her body. Shallow. Most people remember a person by the way they act, but he remembered that girl for the way she looked. The resentment built in Legend’s mind, realizing that girl with the last name of ‘C’ was here. That’s when the fear set in, the anxiety that she will be ‘found out’, the fear that her mask of beauty will be known. “Well, whoever this unattractive girl was, I’m sure she was beautiful inside.” She turned to the window and saw that girl in her reflection. “And also, you shouldn’t judge girls by their appearance!” She saw Stephen ready to speak, so she said, “Listen, I’m getting kind of tired right now, I’m just going to go to bed. Wake me up when we get there!”

“Alright, goodnight, and sweet dreams,” he whispered. Legend turned off the lights over her head and reclined her seat. Before Stephen turned off his lights, he stared at Legend and said in a low tone, “Goodnight, Sleeping Beauty.” Dina opened her eyes wide when she heard that, and saw Stephen turning off the lights.

Dina closed her eyes and kept the jealousy inside still, while saying in a whisper, “That bitch. . . .”

L
egend woke to the sight of white, flowered walls and a breakfast cart that filled the hotel room with the scent of pancakes and croissants. She left the luxurious queen-size bed with a strange feeling. “How did I get here?” she asked, walking across the red, velvet rug and proceeding to linger toward a big fireplace. She looked around her room and watched its beautiful shape take control of her mind. Oil paintings at every end of her room and a single crystal chandelier that hung directly in the center of it, the sight was breathtaking. She stepped over to the window, which was on the right side of her, and noticed stunning, soft snowflakes falling and the Eiffel Tower forced its way beyond the flakes into her view. “How did I get here?”

Stephen barged in her room.

“Good morning, sleepyhead, how did you sleep?” he asked, lighting up a cigarette.

“How did I get here?”

“Oh, well when the plane landed this morning, you didn’t want to wake up. So, I took the liberty of carrying you to the limo, and ending up here.” Legend then looked down at her clothes.

“Wait a second, who changed me?” Legend asked. She noticed a beautiful, silken nightgown on her body.

“Oh, Dina did. Don’t worry, I didn’t change you. Dina volunteered for the task. . . . Now, you better eat breakfast fast, because we have to be at this modeling gig in about one hour.” Stephen began eating a little piece of a croissant and added, “Dina and my father are already waiting for us in the lobby, so you better get a move on!”

“Is this going to be my room for the full four days?” Legend looked out the window again at London’s beauty.

“Yeah, of course it is, this whole penthouse is yours.” He left her room and she still kept looking out the window, smiling. She was full of enjoyment, a sense of awe and wonder, like a child on Christmas morning, a present that they know is theirs. She was on the first part of her adventure into beauty and people loved it. Amazing. She was so excited about doing her first modeling gig that she began to smile more. Alone and happy. But her smile faded when she noticed her reflection in the window. Doom. She turned away from it, and caused herself to come back to reality. Suddenly, fear crossed her mind, a terror that she would screw up this modeling gig by not walking down the catwalk correctly. The anxiety was just leading to one negative thing after another. Her own reflection triggered her to see the negative points of this modeling gig. But, she noticed that when she forgot about her ugliness, she only saw the good points of this modeling show; such as people smiling at her beauty, and the expensive clothes she’s going to model off. This confusion possessed her to walk out of her room and enter another room where Stephen was at. This room, she entered, resembled a small library. Smelled like one, too.

“Stephen, I was wondering if you can help me practice my walking.” Legend was embarrassed of admitting she didn’t know how to walk.

“You don’t know how to walk?”

“No, smart aleck, I mean walking on the stage.” Stephen extinguished his cigarette in an ashtray that was placed on a wooden desk.

“How about this? After today, I’ll help you out. I’m really busy today, I have four modeling gigs to go to, including this one, and I’m supposed to go to dinner with Dina,” Stephen said. He exited the room and paced toward the hotel room door.

“But, Stephen–” Legend suddenly looked down and didn’t finish her sentence.

Stephen stopped in his tracks. He felt bad for leaving Legend behind, so he turned around and saw her standing by the doorway of the library, her beauty allowed him to smile. “Listen, you’ll do fine up there, I promise you that. Don’t worry, I’ll be there every step of the way with you. So if you have any problems, I’ll help you with them,” Stephen said. He exited the room, but walked back in and added, “Oh, by the way, be down in the foyer in about, um, let’s say forty-five minutes. There’s some clothing for you to wear, I put it in the bathroom. See you then!”

Legend hurried. In the bathroom, she saw a big box, with a red bow on top of it, sitting on the bathroom sink ledge. She rushed and put on the long, black dress that was in it when she noticed a letter attached to the box. “Good Luck, Beauty,” she read out loud. She couldn’t help but smile. She turned to the bathroom mirror and looked at her beautiful dress and a greater smile came to her face, pure happiness. She then followed the dress’s image all the way up to her own. The ugly Legend was seen as her eyes shined with sadness. She saw her ugly smile vanish into a frown and then looked down at the reflection of the dress again, and smiled once more. But when she looked at her own face in the reflection, she frowned again. Legend suddenly ran out of the bathroom, as if running from a monster, and left the hotel room. Too much. Too fast.

She ran through the hallways of this luxurious hotel, fast motion was all she knew. Every person who saw her running, thought they were seeing an angel pass them by. She came up to a large staircase of the hotel, resembling a staircase from a mega mansion. It had blue carpeting, and dark, oak wood for the banisters. On the banisters were beautiful designs that only a well-known artist could create, beautiful designs that caught Legend’s eyes, and allowed her to smile again.

Stephen and Dina were standing at the bottom of the staircase, when suddenly Stephen turned around and saw Legend at the top. “She’s an angel,” he said under his breath. She slowly walked down it. Every step she passed, Stephen’s heart beat faster. It made his mind create a tickling sensation to it, and his legs, a numbing sensation. Dina’s jealous eyes saw the way he was looking at Legend.

But, Dina knew she couldn’t allow her evil side to be shown to Stephen, only because she didn’t want to lose him. Yes, she knew the game. Dina realized she couldn’t show the true bitch in her, so she put on a mask mentally and walked up to him. She looked up at Legend also, and watched Legend’s physical mask come toward them. Dina put her mental mask on when she asked, “Doesn’t she look beautiful, Stephen?”

Dina wanted Stephen so much, not only by lust, but also because she saw him as a prize, that she actually allowed herself to be someone else mentally. In Dina’s mind, she feels that Stephen belongs to her only. But the thing is, in Stephen’s mind, he belongs to no one.

“She is very beautiful,” replied Stephen as Dina looked down at the ground. Stephen turned to Dina, and saw how her eyes were not facing him, but instead facing the floor. He figured she was upset, or else hurt that he said that about Legend. But Stephen then realized that Dina was the one who asked him the question. He turned away from Dina, as she looked up at him. He turned to Dina again and saw hurt in her eyes. To her, she was only pretending to feel hurt, so that would draw Stephen into giving her pity, into allowing her to get attention from him. What Dina’s really feeling is jealousy, hatred, and overall, a killing sensation toward Legend. Stephen stared into Dina’s eyes and said, “You’re very beautiful, too!” He then turned away from Dina and looked up toward Legend’s image coming closer to his. Dina gave an evil grin to Legend and Legend noticed Dina’s grin, automatically understanding it. Hatred. It was the same grin that she gave to her every day at school. But, this grin had a different meaning to it, only because it was mixed with jealousy. Jealousy was something that Dina never had for Legend before. Legend walked up to Stephen while still staring at Dina’s grin, trying to figure out what other meanings it had to it.

But, Legend’s thinking was thrown off-track when Dina said, “Legend, you look stunning!” Dina never said that to her before, and that made Legend’s thoughts abrupt, confused and misplaced toward the real character of Dina. She was acting like Legend’s best friend, and that even allowed Legend’s mind to go haywire.

Legend didn’t know what to say. She felt like she knew Dina was acting like this for a reason, so she said, “Well, Dina, I wish I could say the same for you.”

Dina’s plan was beginning to work, she allowed Legend to be confused, and allowed Stephen to look at her with shock. “Why did you say that, Legend?” Dina asked. Stephen still looked at Legend with shock in his eyes.

“Yeah, she was only being nice, and also telling the truth,” Stephen said. Dina gave out an evil smile, but Legend couldn’t see it.

“I know, I was just joking,” Legend said. She didn’t know what to do. Dina’s smile went to a frown when Legend said that, she didn’t expect her to say that. Dina didn’t want Legend to show her true self, her true self that consists of pure kindness. No, Dina wanted Legend to show cruelty, to be a bitch, so Stephen would see it. For that, Dina yearned to take the mental role of Legend, and have Legend take the role of her: silver spoon. She felt that by her taking Legend’s character, and Legend taking hers, Stephen would definitely fall in love with Dina.

Dina put on the mental mask again and tried at being like Legend once more. Tricky. She asked, “Legend, how do I look, do you think I look as beautiful as you?” Check.

Fatal mistake. Legend saw Dina’s evil grin, and finally caught on to her plan. But the thing was, Legend didn’t exactly know what plan she had, where it was leading. “Yes, Dina, you look . . . you look pretty.” Check.

“Come on, girls, you both look stunning. We have to go now,” said Stephen, cuffing his arms together. Dina wrapped her arm around Stephen’s left arm, and Legend wrapped hers around his right. Dina longed to finish this game, but she was patient, like a snake. Whereas Legend wanted it to end, not used to playing games, and not liking it at all. Needless to say, game on.

They all moseyed out of the hotel and saw William standing by a long, stretch limo. “Well, son, I see you have both beauties beside you,” William said, Stephen starting to smile.

An hour later, they pulled up in the limo to a tall skyscraper that shined the sun’s light as it reflected off its glass. Stephen jumped out of the limo first, grabbed Legend’s gentle hand and helped her out. Dina reached out her hand for Stephen to grab, but he was too busy looking at Legend. “Um, Stephen, could you please help?” Dina asked. She held out her hand from the doorway of the limo. He then grabbed her hand fast and helped her out of the limo also.

Suddenly, as Dina, Stephen and Legend were standing next to the limousine, William jumped out of it, his cellphone in hand, and said, “Stephen, you and Legend have to wait here for a little bit, I just got a call saying that the media and the press are in there, literally stomping on every model that comes into sight. You and Legend wait here, while me and Dina sneak in, as a couple, and try to get past them!”

“Why can’t I go in with you instead?” Legend asked.

William grabbed onto Dina’s arm.

“Yeah, why do I have to go in first?” Dina asked, suddenly remembering her mental mask.
Wounded lamb.
“I mean, not that I mind, but Legend was the one who asked.”

“Because I kind of, sort of, well, I told the media about–”

Stephen cut off William. “You didn’t?” Stephen shouted.

“I did, I’m sorry, but I had to say something in order to get good media attention for my girls, and my–”

Legend cut him off with, “What did you say, William?”

“Well, I said that I just discovered a girl who I feel will be the next queen of modeling.” He looked at Dina and that caused Dina to smile, and Legend to frown. But the tables turned when William turned to Legend. “I said that about you, Legend. And now, instead of a good amount of media, there’s a herd of them. I don’t want any of my girls getting hurt . . . especially you, Legend. . . .” Legend smiled, while Dina’s smile turned into an evil, straight grin. Check.

But Legend’s smile vanished when he added, “I mean, they will trample you, just trying to get a snapshot of your face. That’s why I have to go in first, to calm them down, and say that you have already entered the building through the back door.”

“You’re scaring me,” said Legend. William guided Dina toward the doors of the building.

“Don’t worry, everything will be fine. I just want to be precautious.” The jealousy grew more inside Dina’s mental mask. Her mind, full of jealousy, especially when William stared at Legend and added, “After all, I don’t want them to stomp my most precious discovery. Now, come in the building in about five minutes.” He then entered the front doors with Dina by his side.

“Don’t worry, Legend, everything will be fine,” Stephen said while looking at her frantic face.

“You promise?” Legend was hesitant, she didn’t want to let down her guard, her shield, her way of not letting Stephen know that she’s a kind, generous and scared woman. But, she let it down anyway when she asked again, but with more nerves attached to her voice,” Do you promise?”

He looked at her with serious eyes. The snow began to fall from the London sky. He winked his left eye and then gave out a childish grin. “Yeah, Legend, I promise. Hey, I’ll be your bodyguard.”

Nice try.

“No, it’s okay, just be my friend, not my guard.”

Stephen looked at his watch and counted the seconds. Five minutes passed and he grabbed onto Legend’s gentle hand, walking toward the front doors. They entered this magnificent building, and media, photographers and fans shot toward Stephen. They looked at Legend, and knew she was the one William was talking about. The prize. They knew she was the beauty. That’s when Legend’s jitters grew inside of her mind. “Excuse me, are you the new discovery of the Drakson Agency. Are you Legend?” a journalist screamed out, but Legend kept on walking with Stephen.