by Tyra Banks
Why all the bedlam, you ask? Well, the only thing certain in the world, the only thing on which many people could depend, their single source of happiness and hope, had been postponed … indefinitely. What did that mean? One day? Two? Or … forever?
Think about how you’d feel, dahling. Think about if someone suffocated you, strangled you, cut off your nose, held you underwater, for that is how the globe’s population felt.
Guru Gunnero’s announcement had cut off the world’s oxygen supply, and they were desperately gulping for air.
In the depths of the stadium, Persimmon led Tookie through a dripping corridor and stopped at a heavy stone door with the words LA CAMARA BRUTTA etched into it. The artery-like dungeon walls were red and pulsing, like they were inside a giant organ. There was a bloodthirsty feeling in the air … as well as the unpleasant odor of human waste. Tookie recognized the eerie place as the location where she had first seen Ci~L abusing herself. But she had only peeked in. She had not entered.
Persimmon finally spoke. “The Ugly Room is a place for those who have committed vile sins. Sins far worse than the ones that send Bellas to the Catwalk Corridor.”
“Ci~L spent some time here, didn’t she?” Tookie asked, already knowing the answer.
Persimmon nodded. “Every mirror, every surface in this room, reflects the most repugnant version of the transgressor. Now close your eyes.”
Tookie did as she was told, and Persimmon sprayed a fine golden mist around her face. “Anti-Repugnancy Spritz,” Persimmon explained. “To make sure you don’t experience the Ugly Room’s effects.”
Tookie opened her eyes once more. Persimmon still stood in front of her, as if she wanted to say something. Tookie thought of the memory that she’d just seen. “I’m sorry,” she said in a small voice. “About … you know. You.”
Persimmon lowered her head. “So am I,” she sighed, then sharply turned and walked away.
A moment later, Ci~L stepped inside the Ugly Room. While Persimmon sprayed her, Tookie overheard Persimmon whispering in Ci~L’s ear. “Do you realize that if you were never born, I’d be you—a Triple7. The day you took your first breath was the day my life ended.” Persimmon took one last look at Ci~L and then left the room.
When Ci~L opened her eyes, she looked guilty, fragile, and naïve instead of confident and strong. She turned to go after Persimmon but stopped when she heard Tookie’s voice.
“Ci~L, it’s not your fault. Or Persimmon’s. You’re both victims. Are you … okay?”
Ci~L shrugged. “I have no idea.” She sounded absolutely drained.
An ominous voiced boomed from above, as if the room itself was speaking to them. “The gates will rise and you two can see your mothers now.”
Tookie and Ci~L walked together down the long dark-red corridor, and they were greeted with a new smell: the stench of rotting flesh, which grew stronger with every step. They stopped at a room that looked like a gaping red mouth, badly lit and filled with shadows and more rancid smells. The BellaDonna sat upright in a chair, dressed in a gray Ugly Room jumpsuit, similar to the one Ci~L had worn. Her body faced a wall of mirrors, which reflected not the lovely woman they had just seen in the flesh for the first time, but a pockmarked, scaly-skinned beast. She had entrails for hair, a twisted tree root for a nose, and millipedes for eyelashes. The BellaDonna writhed in pain at her hideous reflection, but she couldn’t turn away: a restraint around her head forced her to face forward. Her wrists and ankles were bound to the chair, which was bolted to the floor. Metal clamps held her eyes open, making blinking impossible. A saline stream dripped into her eyes from a clear bag above.
“Ohhh,” Tookie gasped, averting her eyes. The BellaDonna’s face reminded her of a ghastlier version of her own at THBC.
Next to her, Creamy, also dressed in an Ugly Room jumpsuit, lay on a cot, her filthy feet splayed out, her dingy, wrinkled skin looking even more puckered and damaged than usual. Her soot-caked eyes were shut tight. Tubes protruded from her veins. Wires stretched from her nose. A bag was attached to her gut, draining blood. Bellissima lay on her back next to Creamy. Someone had kindly wiped the dirt from the doll’s face.
Tookie studied Creamy carefully. “My mom doesn’t look that much different from when she was in the Flashback room.”
“I guess the Ugly Room figured she was already dirty and ugly enough,” Ci~L said.
Tookie looked desperately at Ci~L. “Do you think my mom’s going to die?”
Ci~L pulled out a chair for Tookie to sit, and read a medical chart at the foot of Creamy’s cot. “It says here that no vital organs were hit, but that she’s lost a lot of blood. It looks like it’s touch-and-go. But if your mom survives, Tookie, she’ll probably remain in the Ugly Room for a long time, possibly a life sentence. She broke a serious rule by invading Modelland. You saw the flashback. She was banned for life.”
Tookie inched closer to Creamy’s cot. The woman looked so small, nothing like the Creamy Tookie knew back in Metopia. The flashback Tookie had just lived through swam through her mind, filling her with confusion, awe, and shame. Who was Creamy? How had she been capable of such terrible betrayal of a girl who was supposed to be her best friend? How was it that Tookie never knew about any of this … and yet she’d lived under her mother’s roof for fifteen whole years?
The mysterious creature who lay before her had never uttered a word about being at Modelland, knowing the BellaDonna, or Wingtip—Ray Faye. But then again, would Tookie have wanted to know about any of it?
Tookie touched her mother’s foot. It was ice cold. “C-Creamy. I—” She struggled to get the words out. “I l-love y-you. All I’ve ever wanted is for you to love me b-b-back.”
Creamy didn’t answer. All Tookie heard was the sucking sounds of her mother’s blood in tubes.
Tookie glanced at Ci~L, who was slumped over, whispering her own plaintive, pent-up feelings to the BellaDonna’s turned back. “I was raised in poverty, with barely anything. But a wonderful woman raised me and three other beautiful girls: Hendal, Woodlyn, and Katherine. Then I got chosen to come to Modelland and I had to leave them all. It was so hard … but never once did you acknowledge I was yours!”
The BellaDonna didn’t respond.
“I—I know you l-loved me before,” Tookie continued, her heart pounding. “I saw that one flashback … when I was a baby. Wh-what h-happened after that to make you h-hate me?”
“Did you ever want me back after you got your youth back?” Ci~L asked the BellaDonna. “Did you ever come looking for me after you became an Intoxibella?” Ci~L and Tookie were crying out in stereo, their own small chorus of pain and questioning. “Or were you happy to give me up in exchange for your beauty?”
“Why didn’t you ever think I was special?” Tookie said. All of a sudden, she realized she wasn’t stuttering any longer. “You should have, Creamy. Because … because I am. Even if I don’t belong here, I’m still worth something. I know that now.”
Ci~L wiped the tears from her cheeks and stared at the BellaDonna. “When I went off message, when I dug up …” Ci~L paused, obvious in pain. Then she continued, “When I did what I did, why did you bring me back here? You should have just sent me away somewhere! Cut me loose! Been free of me for life! That’s what you wanted!”
Suddenly, the BellaDonna wrenched her head, breaking free from the restraint. She turned and stared into Ci~L’s eyes so harshly that Ci~L jumped back. “Listen to me, child, because I will only say this once: Gunnero was going to kill you for what you did! Your act threatened everything we stand for here, Ci~L! We all were livid! Furious! Disgusted by your actions. And I was embarrassed. But Narzz … oh, he was the worst. He put a price on your head! And even though I detested what you did and knew it was justifiable to punish you with death, I could not let that happen. Not to my child. Your Day of Discovery was so long ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday. I brought you here so I could spend every day with you, so that I could watch you grow and learn and live �
� close to me. I realize it was too little, too late. I realize it did not make up for giving you away. But it’s the best I could do!”
“No it’s not! You could have refused to give me up in the first place!” Ci~L roared, clutching the BellaDonna’s arm. “You could have let go of your pride and your vanity and raised me! Kept me as your own!”
“I know that now. But you saw everything in that flashback. The difficult position I was in. The lies, the trickery. I was confused! But … what’s done is done, Ci~L. The decision I made that day was the worst choice of my life! I’ve always regretted it. I’ve always wondered … what if? Yes, I’ve been hard on you this past year. But it’s because I’m looking out for you. I’m trying to save you from harm. If you do not reform, Narzz has every right to execute you. You are my whole world, Ci~L. More than Modelland. More than anything.” The BellaDonna erupted into violent sobs. “When I had you, I looked into your gray eyes and the first thing I said was, I see love. And Ci~L, every time I see you, even right now, I see love. That’s how I named you. Ci~L … see love.”
Ci~L’s mouth dropped open. Her chin trembled. She was trying desperately not to cry. “Really?” she whispered tenderly.
“Yes, baby,” the BellaDonna blubbered. “Yes, my love.”
Tears ran down Ci~L’s cheeks. She tore away the leg and wrist restraints on the BellaDonna; the shackles fell to the ground. Ci~L then collapsed her head onto her mother’s lap and the BellaDonna leaned forward, embracing her daughter.
The only sounds in the Ugly Room were the racking sobs of Ci~L and the BellaDonna, when without warning, the sound of heavy doors banging filled the space. Guards rushed in and surrounded Ci~L and the BellaDonna. Gunnero Narzz pushed to the front of the group. “Get up, Body Girl. You’re coming with us.” He grabbed Ci~L.
A look of fear flashed across Ci~L’s face. Tookie recalled what the BellaDonna had just said about Narzz wanting to kill her. The BellaDonna stood up. “Narzz. Get. Your. Hands. Off. My. Daughter.”
Gunnero wrinkled his nose. “Oh, now she’s your daughter.” Then he looked at Ci~L with hatred. “Body Girl, you must pay for who you are and what the hell you have become.”
Tookie jumped to her feet too. “Ci~L!” she cried.
“Shut up, Crazy Eyes!” Narzz screamed, and the guards dragged Ci~L out of the room. Tookie took one last look at her mother and then slipped out of the Ugly Room, following close behind.
46
WITH PERFECT EXECUTION
Beautification Boulevard was pandemonium. Bellas walked around in a daze, not understanding what was happening. The upperclassBellas, their fates suspended indefinitely, cried in protest. ZhenZhen lay in a heap outside the stadium, tears and makeup running down her face. “I can’t believe this!” she wailed. “I held on to my no–Ci~L look for forty-eight whole minutes! I could have done it today! I could’ve become an Intoxibella!”
Mannecants rushed around, but without instructions from the BellaDonna, they were aimless and useless. Everyone knew something was up, but they didn’t know what. A mob flanked Ci~L and Gunnero as they emerged from the Ugly Room. “Where is the BellaDonna?” voices cried. “Why is she not showing herself? Why has she postponed the 7Seven Tournament? Why is she doing this to us?”
Narzz didn’t answer, whipping past them without even giving them a second look. Then the girls noticed Ci~L, whom the guards were dragging by her hair. Horrible screeches emitted from Ci~L’s mouth. “What are you doing to her?” the girls asked. ZhenZhen ran to the front of the crowd.
“Let Ci~L go! You’re hurting us!” she shrieked.
Narzz shoved ZhenZhen aside.
Tookie breathed heavily to keep up with Narzz and Ci~L as they marched toward the M. When Narzz approached the building, the entrance slid open. The guards pushed Ci~L inside. Tookie slipped in just before the giant doors closed once more. The sounds of the angry mob were muffled once the doors banged shut. No one stopped her. No one saw her. If there was ever a good time to be a Forgetta-Girl, this was it.
Narzz led Ci~L down the glass corridor Tookie recognized from the last time she’d been in the M. Then he slapped a button on a wall and the large frosted-glass door split into two halves and swung open. Tookie blinked to adjust to the stark brightness of the room. Inside was the grand chamber she had seen before. Bizarrely shaped windows, some like triangles, some like trapezoids, some round portals, speckled the high walls. Tookie felt like she was entrapped in a surrealist crystal painting.
The three-dimensional tic-tac-toe board loomed at the front of the room, seemingly transported back from the stadium. A member of the Bored occupied each seat, staring down on Ci~L as the guards pushed her into a bright golden spotlight. For once, the eyes of the Bored members were wide open. Their faces were alert, interested. Maybe even nervous. Guru Applaussez’s head-hand was chewing one of its own fingernails.
Tookie slipped behind a wall of glass that had just turned opaque, her heart pounding.
Ci~L peered at the waiting tribunal. Her hands shook by her sides. Her knees knocked. “What else do I have to do? I’m on message! Modelland is perfect, one type of beauty is the only beauty that exists! Blah, blah, blah! See?”
A loud gavel struck the glass table and shattered it, cutting Ci~L off. “I’ve had just about enough of you, Body Girl,” Narzz growled. Then he signaled for the Bored. They rose in unison. Without a word, Narzz dragged Ci~L to a contraption and slammed her head into what looked like a crystal guillotine. “Guards!” he called behind him. “Let’s hurry up and get this over with!”
Tookie’s scalp prickled. Her stomach churned. They were going to behead Ci~L!
Two guards marched up to the guillotine, their faces grave. The other Bored members visibly quivered. Tookie could hear her pulse racing in her ears as one guard smoothed Ci~L’s hair away from the back of her neck. The other adjusted the guillotine.
The first guard held Ci~L’s shoulders still. “Please!” Ci~L screamed. “Just hurry up and do it!”
The diamond blade glimmered in the light, blinding Tookie, just like her mother’s mirror had blinded Chris-Crème-Crobat on the tightrope many years before. She squinted for a moment, watching the blurry guillotine rushing toward Ci~L’s neck.
Just as the blade reached it, red liquid gushed from Ci~L’s neck, covering her body. And then an object appeared on Ci~L’s head. A fashionable, off-kilter crown. The red liquid transformed into fabric, a stately red damask cape.
All at once, the other Bored members began to applaud. “To the new BellaDonna!”
The color returned to Ci~L’s cheeks. She stood and looked around confusedly, then felt the crown on her head with the tips of her fingers. “Is this a joke?”
“Unfortunately, no, Body Girl,” Narzz growled.
“You are ze BellaDonna’s daughter, you are technically royalty,” Guru Applaussez said. “And as you know, the mantle of la BellaDonna passes from one member of la famille royale to ze next. You, Ci~L, are ze only living heir. Once your Bella lineage was verified, we summoned you here.
“It was almost unanimous,” it said, eyeing Gunnero, “but my extra hand in the air got us les votes we needed. But a vote was très unnecessary. Royalty always prevails. I flip ze bird to democracy!”
Ci~L scratched her head. “Me? The BellaDonna? Seriously?”
“Oui oui, ma belle petite. Come on, now. Take your rightful seat,” Guru Applaussez said, gesturing to the middle throne on the risers.
Ci~L looked at it, a frightened expression crossing her face.
Gunnero raised his brows hopefully. “You can say no! It is an immense responsibility, after all, Body—”
Ci~L shot him a don’t you dare look, cutting him off. “If you call me Body Girl one. More. Time. Gunnero! That is no way to speak to the newly crowned BellaDonna.”
“Is that a yes?” the other Bored members said in unison.
Ci~L nodded. “I suppose it is,” she said, smirking at Narzz.
Everyone exc
ept Narzz began to applaud.
“Yes!” Tookie screamed, forgetting she was in hiding.
The guards whipped around. They spied Tookie and lunged for her. Gunnero screeched, “What are you doing here?”
“Ze seamstress?” Applaussez said, confused.
“I—I’m sorry!” Tookie stammered. “I was just—”
Gunnero cut Tookie off, pinning her arms behind her back. “Princess BellaDonna, I will handle this crazy-eyed, shouldn’t-be-a-Bella intruder!”
It took Ci~L a moment to realize that Gunnero was addressing her. Slowly, she descended from her throne and approached Tookie. “What are you doing here? What, did you follow me here? You are not allowed in the M building!”
“I just wanted to help you!” Tookie cried. “I was afraid you were in trouble!”
“I can take care of myself!” Ci~L spat.
Oh my God! Ci~L has turned into a demon again! Where can I run? Tookie thought, panicked.
Ci~L spun around and eyed Gunnero and the guards. “Release her immediately. I will punish her myself!”
Gunnero smirked, pleased.
The guards dropped Tookie’s arms and Ci~L said, “Psych! Tookie, I was totally kidding. I was spooky, huh? Like before, when I was crazy, but I’m not crazy now but I feel crazy cuz I’m the frickin’ BellaDonna. I’m so nervous and now I’m sweating again. You know how I sweat. Augh! Come here, girl!” And then Ci~L wrapped Tookie in a big hug.
“Ci~L, you totally freaked me out,” Tookie said, giggling nervously. “I thought you were gonna kill me.”
“Gunnero!” Ci~L called out to Narzz. “Don’t you dare harm a curly, straight, wavy, or frizzy hair on her head. Ever.”
Gunnero grimaced like he smelled something foul, but reluctantly nodded.