Beauty Queens

Thanks to the caring staff at Breast in Show and The Corporation’s revolutionary new Fill ’Er Up™ implants and injectables, I’ve overhauled everything from my lips to my cheeks, my feet to my scalp. There’s no part of you that can’t be improved by Breast in Show. Visit one of our showrooms today and find out about our:



Tummy tucks



Cheek implants



Lip fillers



Butt implants/reduction



Liposuction



Brow-and face-lifts



Hair grafts



Chemical peels



At Breast in Show, you can also scale down your imperfect earlobes, inject fat into your thinning gums, slim the area around your knees and ankles — anything you like to make you look just like me and all the other girls you see on TV, in movies, and in magazines. And our trained aestheticians can help you identify parts of yourself you didn’t even know could be improved. Why wait? Schedule your appointment today. Financing is available. There’s even a drive-through, so you can get right back to your busy life.



Breast in Show. Because “You’re perfect just the way you are” is what your guidance counselor says. And she’s an alcoholic.



36Bridal Death Match, the popular TV show about brides who cage fight each other in order to win the wedding of their dreams.



CHAPTER NINETEEN



The girls had brought Taylor into her hut and placed her on the palm fronds like a sleeping princess. Taylor had been vaguely aware of the movement, but her mind was too confused to speak. She woke from her fever dream sometime in early morning. She’d gathered a few supplies and stolen away to a remote part of the jungle where she could be safe. It was so hard to feel safe in the world when you were a girl. But this place was good. It was a small cave hidden in the leafy growth of a mountain not far from a freshwater lagoon. And there were unicorns with rainbow-sparkle tails. Sometimes the unicorns spoke to her, and that was a little disconcerting. But then she would tell them to go off and work on their step-ball-change for the opening number and they did.



Now she was alone. She was alone like when her mother left and the world became a frightening place. When she’d had to build the sculpture to feel safe. But Taylor had proof that her fears were real. She’d seen what they were doing. She put her head down on her knees and began to cry.



“Tay-Tay, why is my pretty girl so sad?”



Taylor lifted her head. Through the haze of tears she saw her mother, resplendent in a bright yellow evening gown and surrounded by a silvery glow. “Mama? You’re here?”



“Yes, I am, Taylor. I’m here to help you.”



In the flickering glow, Taylor’s mother looked just like she had when Taylor was six, but this mom wasn’t crying at a sink full of dirty dishes. “Something’s wrong, Mama. I can’t make my head work right.”



Her mother sat beside her and offered her a section of orange, which Taylor couldn’t be certain she was eating. “Why did you leave?” Taylor said.



“I didn’t know what else to do. I didn’t know it was okay not to be perfect.” Her mother tucked Taylor’s hair behind her ear softly. “You’re not like me, Taylor. You’re a fighter. Who’s no quitter?”



“Me.”



“That’s right. Taylor Rene Krystal Hawkins. Miss Texas.” Her mom tapped her nose gently with her finger. Outlined by the fertile greenery, she was like an exotic plant. “Life can be ugly, Taylor. That’s why it’s so important to keep things pretty. And we are going to keep things pretty, aren’t we?”



“Yes. We are.”



Taylor’s mother was no longer there. “Mama?” Taylor whispered urgently. Sweat beaded on her skin and ran down her arms. A snake hissed from a tree. And Taylor was afraid. In the jungle, she heard the creak of branches breaking, the squawk of a walkie-talkie. She hid behind a bush and watched the man with the earpiece and the AK-47. In his left hand was a cell phone, which struck Taylor as odd, but she tried to keep her focus. That was what made winners — focus. Not getting distracted by the little things. The man wore a black shirt like the others she’d taken out, five by her last count. The walkie-talkie squawked with a voice, and the man in the black shirt answered. “Nope. Haven’t found her yet.”



Hidden by the thick vegetation, Taylor watched the man carefully. It was hard because sometimes things didn’t look right to her anymore. She could see smells and smell colors and it was all just a little fantastical. She couldn’t even be sure of this man. She needed to be sure, though, and so she risked stepping out from the bush.