— "To Be Beautiful"

The school hallway was filled with metallic echoes—hurried footsteps, laughter, lockers slamming. Sarah Lyons walked silently, dodging groups of students as if navigating an invisible storm. Her red backpack weighed heavily on her shoulders, and the muffled sound of the popular girls near the water fountain made her quicken her pace.

She stopped in front of her locker. She turned the lock, heard the click, and the door opened. Inside, the cracked mirror reflected the face she knew all too well.

Sarah: — “Maybe if I were beautiful, everything would be different…” —

She murmured softly, touching the unruly lock of hair that never stayed in place. The reflection seemed to mock her — the same tired look, the same uncertain smile.

These last few days, everything had felt strange. The school had changed. New people had arrived, and this made Sarah even more invisible than before.

At the end of the hallway, a tall, quiet boy — the new student in science class — carried a box of wires and gears. Sarah had seen him once disassembling a toy in the library, and his classmates whispered that he “fixed machines like a robot.”

Further down, a new girl in a light-colored coat and straight hair was photographing the school bulletin boards with an instant camera. Sarah had seen her last week, talking to Professor Bennett about “old and rare things.” She seemed like the kind of girl who fit in anywhere. The kind of girl Sarah could never be.

Sarah: — “At least, not yet…” — she thought.

On the other side, the popular group laughed. The Beautifuls. — That’s what Sarah called them. — they were surrounded by people, talking about the dance that would be happening at the end of the month. Sarah looked away, embarrassed.

Sarah: — “They’re perfect. And I’m just… me.” —

The bell rang. The students began to file out, but Sarah remained still, staring at her own cracked reflection.

It was then that she heard a familiar voice:

Abby: — “Sarah? Is everything okay? You’re kind of… distant.” —

Sarah gave a brief, tired smile.

Sarah: — “Just thinking.” —

Abby: — “Thinking or torturing yourself?” — she laughed lightly.— “You should stop comparing yourself to them.” —

Sarah closed her locker and sighed.

Sarah: — “That’s easy for you to say. Some people are just… born beautiful.” —

Abby watched her silently for a moment.

Abby: — "Not everything that looks pretty is real, you know?" —

But Sarah couldn't hear clearly anymore. Outside, through the window, she saw a scrap truck passing slowly. In the back, piles of metal, toy pieces... and something that caught her eye: a female metal leg, articulated like a doll's.

For a second, she thought it moved.

Owen — the new boy — also stopped to look. He was holding his cell phone and seemed to be recording the truck.

Owen: — "Must be some old animatronic," — someone said in the background.

Sarah didn't know why, but she felt a shiver run down her spine.

As the truck disappeared around the bend in the street, something glinted on the ground, reflecting the sunlight streaming through the window. She bent down and picked it up: a small piece of gold metal, like a pendant. Engraved on it was a word.

ELEANOR.

Sarah turned the pendant over in her fingers, unaware that, at that moment, the cracked reflection in the closet mirror had moved on its own — and smiled.

Note for Players: You can play Sarah, a character from the scene, or an original character.