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    Beautiful People
    Beautiful People
    Beautiful People
    Ebook89 pages1 hour

    Beautiful People

    By James Alexander

    ()

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    About this ebook

    In a world where beauty equates with wealth and power, Mary, a disadvantaged but intelligent, young student attending an elite college filled with beautiful, rich peers, must accept the reality that she will never be equal to her classmates because of her family’s economic station. Unable to enhance her beauty with the expensive gene therapy her fellow students have received, Mary is faced with a constant barrage of ridicule from her wealthy counterparts and instructors.

    Mary’s life is about to change.

    About to give up on her academic future, Mary is presented with a very expensive, early Christmas gift from her parents-one that would change her life forever. Sacrificing their life’s savings, Daniel and Bridget, hope to buy their daughter happiness with a gene therapy package. Now, Mary is confronted with accepting a new way of life filled with the possibility of money and power, but first she must make some difficult decisions.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJames Alexander
    Release dateAug 1, 2012
    ISBN9781476090429
    Beautiful People
    Author

    James Alexander

    James Alexander has always had a deep fascination with science fiction and fantasy. As an avid fan of all things extra-terrestrial, he’s passionate about crafting unique and thrilling stories that bring the universe and its mysterious inhabitants to life. In his spare time, James enjoys exploring Information Technology, spending time with his wonderful kids, fixing things around the house (but breaking them more often!) and dreaming up new story ideas. He’s a lifetime resident of Maine, USA.Sign up to the newsletter to receive freebies and promotion offers: http://eepurl.com/dkJgbr

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      Book preview

      Beautiful People - James Alexander

      CHAPTER ONE

      The chair squeaked, sending its grating sound echoing throughout the small office. Mary cringed. It was embarrassing enough to be sitting in front of such a handsome man looking the way she did without having to draw further negative attention to herself. She self-consciously pinched together the small opening at the top of her shirt to cover the pale skin beneath. Taking a deep breath, she tried to relax, smoothing out her pants as she did so.

      Mary, you are not going to amount to anything with these grades. Perhaps you should reconsider your career path. Mr. Lake patted back his perfectly groomed hair and swung his chair around to look at her. Mary felt as though he was forcing himself to focus on her, sensing his disgust as his eyes narrowed and his forehead creased in a frown while taking in her features. You know, sometimes we set goals a little too high for ourselves and need to face reality. As your adviser, I need to help you do that.

      Mary felt her face redden and gritted her teeth. She felt as though all he saw was the mole on her cheek and her slightly receding chin. Mary frowned at Mr. Lake and clenched her fist, her eyes narrowed as she leaned forward. Ron pulled away from her, sensing her frustration. You feel you need to help me? How nice of you Mr. Lake. We both know my grades are bullshit, so stop dishing it out. Mary stood up, sending the noisy chair skidding across the floor. I'm smart and you know it. Perhaps if I were one of the pretty ones, I could be an astrophysicist or a brain surgeon. Who gives a shit about what they know or don’t know so long as they’re pretty, Mary paused a moment when she noticed Ron wasn’t paying much attention to what she was saying; instead, it felt as though he was staring at her teeth, "and yes, had my parents had money, I’d have perfect teeth, just like all your pretty students."

      Mr. Lake rolled his chair slightly back away from Mary and cleared his throat. Mary watched him. What a handsome prick, she thought as he tried his best to smile at her.

      Mary, between your attitude and physical appearance, you’ll wind up just like your parents. He stood up and adjusted his tie. You really should focus on your grades so that you might be able to save enough for a correction. Over time, you can achieve what your peers have. Don’t you want to be successful, Mary?

      Typical! Why do my parents have to be poor? Why me? Mary shook her head. Mr. Lake, I am trying so hard but it feels as though I’m being discriminated against because of my appearance.

      Discriminated against? Mary, the college does not discriminate. If it did, you wouldn’t be here. You’re here because the college helped your family with the tuition.

      I can feel it, Sir. All the professors look at me like I’m trash. I’m the only non-corrected student in a lot of my classes. I feel like other students are getting leniency on tests and assignments that I am not receiving.

      Mary, I don’t want to hear any more of this nonsense. No one is discriminating against you. The fact is, you need to stop feeling sorry for yourself and pick your grades up or you’re going to miss out on this opportunity to better yourself. Now, I have some work to get back to. We’ll talk about this at our next session. He reluctantly held out his hand for her to shake.

      Mary released her fists when she realized she had been clenching them throughout the whole conversation and shook his hand. Yes Sir. Thank You. She turned and stormed out of the office, slamming the door shut behind her. Turning, to look through the glass window, she could see Mr. Lake pour disinfectant into his hands.

      Two beautiful women skirted around her, both staring at her. They scowled at her and, the tall brunette with gorgeous calves rolled her eyes and snickered just loud enough for Mary to hear. Mary watched with awe as they passed by. To her they appeared to be perfect in every way. She didn’t think there was any flaw in either woman's appearance or movement. It’s so unfair. She wiped away a small tear from the corner of her eye. One of the girls, the blonde, turned to her friend and made some comment. They both laughed and kept walking. They even smell good! Mary thought it must be from the corrective surgery. The most expensive packages included a pheromones upgrade that only the wealthiest clients could afford.

      Taking a deep breath, Mary swallowed her misery and made her way outside the administrative building. As difficult as it is, you are lucky to even be going to school here. She walked with her head down, as students passed by, most intentionally bumping into her on their way to class or back to their dorms. She had become used to being made fun of. Being watched and then having jokes made at her expense had become a normal part of the school day. She desperately wanted to go home, curl up, go into hibernation for a few decades, and wake up to a nicer and friendlier world- one where success was not dependent on beauty.

      Before heading home for the night, Mary swung by the college cafeteria to grab a snack. The trip home to Mary’s apartment was a long one. Her parents could not afford for her to stay on campus, so she had to commute back and forth from home to college every day, an hour each way. It was the part of the day she liked the most though, since the only others on the bus were non-corrected students like her. It was the only time during her day that she felt like someone wasn’t watching and laughing at her. An added bonus to the trip was spending time with her childhood friend Doug, who would be riding the bus as well.

      The cafeteria was buzzing with conversations of students enjoying their dinners. The smells were wonderful. Looking around at the other students, she noticed they were enjoying fried foods and delicious looking sweets. Mary walked up and stood in line watching the attractive students order their food. Her mouth watered as she eyed the items on everyone’s trays. She stepped up to the register. Berta was leaning against the counter, trying to take some weight off her legs, waiting impatiently to take her order. Her wrinkled face was drawn and showed signs of fatigue. Mary tried not to focus on the giant mole sprouting hair that was centered in the middle of her nose.

      Mary sighed. Berta was very nice to all the other students but felt she could be herself in front of Mary and, for some reason, liked to make fun of her.

      She

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