Hideously Beautiful

A Story by Rinni

Is she a hideous vision or a beautiful nightmare?

She was hideous, in the most beautiful sense of the word. Her face, twisted into a sneer, was pale as death and was marred by three long white scars reaching from one side of her face to the other. Her eyes were big and long-lashed but they were cold and empty, appearing as if she had been drained of all emotion. As if she was simply a shell, not a real person. Her lips were cracked and dry, yet they were full and pink. She was beautiful, but hideous all the same.

The energy radiating off her was strong. Or maybe it wasn’t energy at all; maybe it was the sheer force of her presence. Either way, it was dark and mysterious and fully captivating. It drew you to her and you couldn’t stay away.

When she smiled, it was dazzling but all you wanted was for her to stop. It wasn’t right for her to smile; it seemed as if the world had turned itself over and over until you couldn’t tell left from right. She beckoned to you, and though you were sure you shouldn’t go, your feet were moving before you had a chance to stop them. It was impossible to stay away.

Her touch was as cold as ice, so cold it burned your skin, and her grip on your wrist was vice-like. She started to move, taking you along with her. Her steps were graceful, her feet only skimming the ground as she glided across the snow. The snow that had been threatening to fall ever since the morning was drifting down from the sky, landing in her dark hair and sticking to her lashes. And she was laughing, the sound drifting all around the valley. Her laughter was lovely and joyous, yet you felt it must be the sound of death.

You spent what must have been hours running through the snow with her until the snow finally let up. She looked at you, her emotionless eyes barely seeing you, as she, like the snow, started to fade into nothingness. You knew you would see her again. Tomorrow night in fact. It seemed neither of you could stay away.