"And I can wear anything I want...Megan's clothes...your clothes...how do I pick?" Katie said. "Wait...I have plenty of time for that..." she said. "So many other things to try...like real food...But first I can't breath with this on..."
She reached around the edge of her plastic face and gently pulled at the edge...and it started to separate out...coming off in one piece like a cheap Halloween mask. Beneath it, Sherry could see smooth skin...a full nose, and a mouth....a whole human face. "That was crushing my nose." she said. She opened her mouth, revealing a row of teeth, smiling, her blue eyes gleaming. "I want to try makeup next...I've never got to try makeup..."
Katie put the mask on the dresser and turned to look at Sherry. "What do you think I should try first? Maybe some eyeliner?" Her voice sounded much louder...as if it was no longer muffled behind the mask.
"Katie...stop this..." Sherry said, still finding herself unable to raise her voice above a soft level.
"I don't WANT to," Katie said. "I told you...things will be better soon...You'll see..."
"But..." Sherry desperately tried to think of something. "if you put things back the way they were before...I promise I'll play with you."
Katie giggled at that. "Don't worry, Sherry. You'll have plenty of time to play soon." She picked up the mask and leaned down, seeming to tower over the woman. "If you don't want to wait while I fix my face..we'll fix yours first..."
She held the back of Sherry's head, and looked her in the eye. "We're both going to be really pretty," she said.
Then she took the mask and pressed it to Sherry's face, then smoothed it around the edges. When Katie's hands moved away, her face felt a bit numb. Then she looked in the mirror. It still looked like her face...but it had taken on a plasticky quality. Her mouth was slightly open, and she was still breathing through it....and she could see her brown eyes looking out.