Page 3 of Molt

Something is wrong with my face.

I crawl toward the vanity. “Jesus.”

My skin looks incredible.

That’s the problem.

I haven’t looked this good since I was sixteen.

No dry patches. No tiny lines beneath my eyes. The acne scar beside my chin is gone.

I touch my cheek.

Smooth and soft.

New.

A shiver crawls through me.

I turn my head. There’s a pale strip behind my ear.

I lean closer to the mirror.

“No.”

I touch it and the edge lifts.

Every muscle in my body locks.

Don’t.

My finger slips underneath anyway.

There’s no pain. Only pressure.

A strange little release.

I pull and the strip separates from behind my ear with a quiet, sticky sound.

My stomach turns.

I should stop but I don’t. I keep pulling.

It comes away slowly down my neck, across my shoulder.

A thin translucent layer stretches between my fingers.

My breath fogs the mirror. “Oh my God.”

I pull harder and the sensation changes.

Not pain.

Something worse.

Relief.

A shudder moves through me and my knees nearly buckle. I moan aloud as the skin underneath feels hypersensitive against the cool bathroom air.