Daydreamer

Everyone chases the same face now. Two lips pumped thick, cheekbones shaved down to shadows, all the girls start to blur. Kitana sees the line forming outside her clinic before dawn. Another client waits in silk robe while the photographer shoots tight close-ups for afters. Needle in hand, she presses latex-gloved fingers to soft tissue, fills it, watches the mirror lift her lips into something overripe. The silicone spreads smooth under the skin. Money hits her account every time the payment code flashes green. She doesn’t pause to admire her own reflection; she can already hear the next girl tapping her nails on the waiting-room glass.