Falling Anyway

POV Cleo.

I flinch backward as the rigid, densely packed bristles of the makeup brush jab against my right cheekbone for the fifth consecutive time. Piper stands looming over me with the fierce, unwavering focus of a battlefield medic, diligently buffing yet another thick layer of liquid foundation into my skin. The sharp, powdery scent of expensive cosmetics and hairspray suffocates the cramped