Chapter 3 ( A night outside the walls)

As soon as she removed the mask, cool air kissed her face. She stared at her reflection in the mirror. She touched her face carefully, her smooth skin glowed under the soft lighting, her long hair framed her face beautifully. Her soft full plump lips, flawless white face, her perfectly carved eyebrows, her long lashes resting on her pretty doe eyes, her pointed nose sitting pretty on her face, her face screamed beauty.

“Woof!” Tega barked, its attention on the small teddy bear it was playing with.

Shayla stared at the reflection in the mirror. Her hand traced down the features of her face. This was the real her, not the face people branded ugly. A sadness free smile appeared on her face as she thought about the many ways society had defamed her beauty simply because she was too beautiful, a scheme her family displayed outside for the world. She was forced to start wearing a mask at age 16, after her mother died. Her father wasted no time bringing Alice home. If she could remember clearly.

Alice was already pregnant with Morgan. Alice felt her beauty would cause Morgan to lose opportunities and lose chances to gain favor. She didn’t want that for her daughter, and was forced to start hiding her beauty while Morgan received the praises and love from people. Shayla let out a chuckle. Before she was forced on a mask, she has her perfect life. No matter where she went, she was adored and admired. People always said she took after her mum's beauty. A smile slips out involuntarily. She could also remember how Alice locked her in her room and refused to let her out, telling her her beauty was a curse. The way her father didn’t call out to any injustice against her by his dear wife, instead he watched her being stripped off her rights. There was a time, Alice had to lock her in the basement and ordered guys to beat her aiming to disfigure her face but that didn’t work. Alice did everything to disfigure her but that didn’t work. Then she resorted to branding her ugly, telling the world her face was not worth seeing.

Her phone chimed with a notification. She reached for it and swiped it open. It was a notification from Tessa and that brought a smile to her face.

Tessa: Party tonight? I’ve recently got paid, so let’s party.

Shayla: Where?

Tessa: The Delancey Rooftop.

The Delancey Rooftop sounded like the right place. She needed to clear her head from the weight of the day. It had been so long since she had gone anywhere just for herself. She needed to breathe air that didn’t belong to the Wilson house.

She stood up and walked to the bathroom. Tega followed for a few steps before settling near the door. Shayla stripped off her clothes, turned on the shower, and let the warm water run over her body, washing away the heaviness of the day. She took her time scrubbing her skin, then stepped out and wrapped a towel around herself.

After drying off, she opened her wardrobe. Most of her clothes were plain not because of Alice, but because she preferred them that way. She didn’t care for anything flashy. She pulled out a simple black dress that stopped above her knees, got dressed quickly, did light makeup, and brushed her hair into a loose style. She picked up the black mask, slipped it on, put on her flat slippers, and grabbed a small black bag. From her vanity table, she took some cash and slipped it inside.

Her eyes searched for Tega. She found him asleep, breathing slow and steady. She gave him a quick rub behind the ears. He whined softly, sensing she was leaving.

“Be good. I’ll be back later,” she whispered.

The puppy lifted his head but stayed quiet as she left the room. Thankfully, no one was in the sitting room. She left the house without being seen.

Tessa was already waiting outside, not far from the Wilson mansion. She was dressed in a bright top and jeans.

“You actually came!” Tessa grinned, pulling her into a quick hug. “I thought you’d cancel.”

“Silly,” Shayla said, slapping her shoulder playfully.

Tessa checked the time. It was already past ten.

“Come on, it’s getting late. We don’t want to miss the fun.”

They took a short taxi ride to the club. The ride was lively, and before long they arrived at Delancey just before midnight. From the outside, the building pulsed with light and music. A short line of people stood near the entrance, laughing and talking loudly. The bass could already be felt on the sidewalk.

Inside, the club was alive. Colored lights swept across the dark space in waves of blue, purple, and red. The air was warm and thick with perfume, sweat, and alcohol. Bodies moved on the dance floor while others crowded around the bar. On one side, Shayla noticed a group of girls in bikinis gathered around a drunk man. Some stood beside him, kissing his neck, while another girl bent in front of him, twerking hard to the beat. Shayla shook her head and looked away.

The music was loud enough that people had to lean in to speak. They pushed through the crowd until they found a small table near the side. Tessa waved a waiter over.

“Two drinks, please.”

The waiter returned quickly with their glasses. Tessa took a long sip and leaned closer so Shayla could hear her.

“I saw this job site online today,” she said, eyes bright. “The pay is actually good.”

“If the pay is good, then go for it,” Shayla replied. “Just be careful. There are a lot of scammers online.”

“I know, I know. I’ll check it properly.” Tessa grinned, then pointed at Shayla’s mask.

“What?” Shayla asked, surprised.

“Can you take that mask off at least? Everyone here is busy with their own things. No one will notice. Just remove it and breathe a little.”

Shayla shook her head. “No. I’m not taking it off. Some random guys might start bothering me, and I’m not ready for that.”

She could have removed it, but she knew it would only bring unwanted attention — especially in a place like this.

Tessa reached out and gave her hand a light squeeze. “You’re so beautiful, Shayla. I get why you’re worried. I respect your decision. I’m not going to force you.”

Shayla felt a small pang of guilt. Tessa had asked her many times before, and she always said no. Over time, the mask had become more than just something Alice forced on her. It had become her safe place.

“Since you still won’t take it off,” Tessa said with a playful roll of her eyes, “why not dance? You’ve been down lately. At least dancing might make you feel better.”

She stood up and pulled Shayla with her.

“Okay, okay. I’ll stand on my own,” Shayla said, laughing as she got up.

They moved with the beat. Tessa dropped low and started twerking, making Shayla laugh at her crazy friend.

While they were lost in the moment, a man pushed through the crowd and came straight toward them. He staggered drunkenly toward Shayla and grabbed her by the waist.