Marie sat on her bed, looking at the wardrobe across the room. And the wedding dress just hung there like a ghostly sign of everything that was out of her control. The cloth was soft and it was white and sheer in color, and with lace work barely visible in the dim light of the lamp. It was supposed to mean a new start, love, and commitment. To Marie, it was a chain, a thing that confined her to a life she had not yet desired and to a man she did not have affection for.
The makeup artists had finally left her alone, giving her sufficient time to think all by herself. She was scrutinized in the mirror, and her cheeks shone, her eyes were wide and painted to perfection. At first, she almost failed to realize who the woman was. She did not see her reflection in the mirror; she saw someone else instead, a stranger who looked like her but was not; a clone conditioned and groomed for a fake life.
The next day, she had to come forward to a congregation, proclaim things she never intended, wea
