Mirror Self-Image

By Vicky Neal

17-year-old Katie has led a young life of isolation within her home. Scarred on her face by a tragic accident as a small child, her parents decided to keep her protected in their care so kids couldn't be cruel to their beloved daughter. She was home schooled her own life. Never went outside, except to doctor's appointments. It is a life she has accepted while loathed at the same time.

Realizing that their decisions may have permanent repercussions on Katie, her parents decide she should attend public school for her senior year. Katie resists but finds that she is powerless to refuse. First, her senior pictures must be done, something Katie is set against. She wants no pictures of her disfigurement The photographer's wife works on Katie's makeup, completely hiding the scars and giving the girl confidence she has never felt before.

In school, Katie hides her scars daily to look like a normal teenager. She makes friends. Even has a boy who seems to take interest. Things are moving along well until the second semester begins and she is forced into gym class. When fellow students learn of her secret, the girls are cruel and Katie flees the school in tears.

Ready to return to her life of isolation and self punishment, Katie locks herself away in her room. When Doug, her young suitor, visits with a gift, Katie will learn to see herself in a way she never thought was possible.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Vicky Neal
• Release date: Aug 29, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370150946

Vicky Neal

Vicky L. Neal is a produced screenwriter with feature and short films. She has more than 70 feature screenplays she is in the process of translating into book form to be published. While working on those, she has begun the endeavor of writing numerous short books in order to publish herself. She writes in a wide variety of genres, including horror, thriller, comedy, drama, family, fantasy, action, and adventure.

Book preview

Mirror Self-Image

written by

Vicky L. Neal

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Afterword

About the Author

Preview for Max’s Cab

Prologue

The night air was thick with fog. A steady rain had fallen for two days, coating the atmosphere around Stanton with heavy moisture. Cooler than normal evening temperatures created the perfect blend for the dense haze.

A pair of headlights pierced the darkness on a remote road lined with ditches, some very steep in spots. It was a challenging route under normal conditions. Under hazardous circumstances, it became an obstacle course full of winding turns with potential destruction on all sides.

Daniel Blanchard was behind the car’s wheel, driving home following dinner with his two favorite girls. His wife Helen was next to him, both secured by seatbelts. High school sweethearts, the two were inseparable, even going to college together. Less than six months after graduation, they took the leap into marriage. Seemingly the perfect couple, their love for each other was as clear as the sun on a crisp Summer morning.

After two years of wedded bliss, enjoying their time alone together, it was time to expand their family. Helen struggled with fibroids since she was a teen. Her gynecologist warned that she may never conceive, but that failed to dishearten Helen. She felt in her heart that they would be blessed with a child as long as they believed it was possible. Frame of mind was important for so many things. It took nearly six months to conceive and despite concerns from everyone involved that she may not carry the baby to full-term, Helen delivered a healthy baby girl.

Katie was now a precious three-year-old, the apple of her parents’ eyes. There was nothing they wouldn’t do for their little girl. While she was a tad bit spoiled, there were limits on how far her parents would go. Helen’s fibroids grew worse after giving birth, to the point of having a hysterectomy nearly a year later. There would be no more children for the couple, so they hoped to raise Katie into a wonderful adult who would contribute greatly to society. Being overly spoiled would limit the chances of success.

Soft music played on the car stereo. Katie was strapped into her car seat in the rear, a place she didn’t like to be but she rarely complained. All she needed were a few toys to occupy her. Being late in the evening, it only took Katie a matter of minutes before her eyelids grew too heavy to remain open and she fell asleep with her favorite doll in her arms.

There had been very little alone time for the couple since Katie came along. A few family members were more than willing to babysit for them, but the new parents didn’t feel ready to leave their little miracle. As Katie grew older, it should be easier to take her places with them. They could have fun as a family, doing activities together that would mold their daughter into a well-rounded young lady who would value the closeness with her parents greatly. There would be plenty of time for Helen and Daniel to go out as a couple when Katie grew more independent. Right now, they wished to cherish every moment they had with her. It had been a rough road just to arrive at this point.

Helen laid her head on Daniel’s shoulder and savored the quiet moment. With Katie asleep, it felt, for the time being, that they were the only ones in the car. That was close enough to quality alone time. It was having their cake and eating it, too.

I’m glad we went to dinner, Helen said.

"Well, we did have to eat," Daniel teased.

Helen laughed. I suppose that’s true. She turned briefly to look at Katie, whose head lay back in her small seat as she snoozed the car ride away. It was such an endearing sight. No matter how many times Helen saw her little girl, it never awed her any less.

I wish it could always be like this, Helen added.

I don’t, Daniel said bluntly. His tone sounded very cold. The look on his face matched his pitch.

Helen looked at him in shock. How couldn’t he want their daughter to stay so precious and helpless? This wasn’t what she expected from the man she had chosen to spend her life with.

Daniel gripped Helen’s hand, his mannerism doing a complete one-eighty as he continued, Growing up is a part of life. One day, she’ll be all grown, go off to college, get married, and give us a grandchild. She’s entitled to experience life, and we’ll be all right because we will always be a part of hers.

Helen held Daniel’s arm as she returned her head to his shoulder. It hurt her to think about Katie growing up when there would be no more children for them, but Daniel was right. A bird had to leave the nest and fly or it would never truly be a bird.

With the roads being so saturated, Daniel encountered places on the pavement where his car hydroplaned. That