Beauty Is Her Name (#OnceUponNow)

Chapter Four

Shelby Lawson had been patiently waiting for this day for years – Beautiful Whalen's 21st birthday.

For years, she'd stalked the ingénue, watching her grow up from a snot-nosed, nappy-haired child with curious freckles (which she believed were painted on) to someone who took pride of her name and used it as her calling card.

Yuck.

There was nothing remotely beautiful about Beautiful. Everyone overhyped her appearance like she was some exotic beauty but to Shelby, she was just average. Long, brown hair, freckles across her cheeks, light eyes, and café au lait skin tone. She could've been a model or an actress, but instead turned her fame into being a YouTube personality.

Shelby snickered. How much money could Beauty actually be making from her channel?

It didn't matter. With her mother being a Svengali in her own right and her father being one of the world's most respected directors, Shelby didn't have to worry about anything for the rest of her life.

Well, until that night.

Over the years, life and time hasn't been kind to Shelby. She had a series of low-end jobs and never kept a position longer than a few months. She bounced from place to place as she kept her dream of acting alive with constantly being cast as an extra in films, but never a meaty role.

Her appearance also took a dramatic turn. Once a stunning beauty in her own right, Shelby packed on a considerable amount of weight and a poor diet turned her flawless skin into Breakout City. The smile that once radiated in her eyes was replaced with an evil scorn as dark and blackness took over.

As Shelby took a seat in front her computer desk, in her shared two-bedroom apartment in Inglewood, she anxiously awaited to hear the news about Beauty's untimely passing online.

It was going to be a long wait but oh-so worth it.

****

She already regretted what she'd done.

As the priestess kept herself busy over the years, performing spells and magic on locals, she kept track of Beautiful Whalen's birthday. When she finally reached 21, she shuddered with regret and severe remorse. Why on earth did that child had to die? She'd done no harm to anyone and was much better than some of her contemporaries.

What's done was done. The child would die after she took her first drink and in front of the world.

At least her death would be painless.