DIED A BEAUTY, REINCARNATED AS A BEAST

MY FIRST KISS

"Betty, wait!" Alicia cried out, stepped closer, placed the baby in her hand inside a bathing bowl and stood with arms akimbo and then let out, "I just want to be sure you are kissing him... And also note that I will have your weekly allowances if you failed to kiss him."

Betty smiled, shrugged and mumbled, "it's a deal. Now watch me as I kissed his pink lips."

"That's my babe," I mumbled and smiled broader. 

"He is not bad when he smiles... Have your first kiss, Ugly-face," Betty announced, giggled, close her eyes, and brought me close to her lips, and then, the most horrible thing happend.

 

It was for an instance, the nastiest you could ever imagine. It started a cough, followed by loud sneezing, and mucus flew out of my nose and mouth, and then splashed on Betty's face.

"Holy Madonna! What the hell is this?" Betty opened her eyes when something liquid splashed on her face. And when her fingers touch something sticky, all hell broke loss.

'Gush! What a dirty and ugly baby."

"Hahaha. You must kiss Ugly-face and lick his mucus... Hahaha!" 

"Oh... Betty, I am so sorry, my love!" I raised my right arm to clean the mucus off her face, then looked frightened at the way she glared at me. 

"Shut up, Alicia. I will rather give you my weekly allowances, than kiss this dirty little thing... And you, Ugly-face, I will make you pay for making me lose my hard-earned money."

"Forgive me, Betty. It's never intentional. Please give me another chance," I begged, but my words sound like babbling to her. Even if she understands me, I doubt she is ready to give me a chance. Not after what I did to her. 

After putting a flower-designed shirt and pants on my plumpy body, Betty carried me into the large hall, and then placed me among several cute children. 

Since this is the first celebration I will be witnessing in the Cavalry orphanage home, I was shocked when we were arranged like some kind of dolls for guests to droll at, and their hot gaze keeps making me uncomfortable. 

"Stop gawking at me," I frown at one of the guests who keeps looking at me with open mouths, then giggled out loud when he leapt back in fright. 

"This baby is really ugly, and keeps reminding me of evil spirit."

"Shh... Be quiet. Have you ever seen an evil spirit?"

Funny enough, I was the centre attraction despite the number of beautiful babies at present. And most of the guests lined up in my front and took some pictures of me. 

During my short moment of stardom, my past life flashed through my mind, and this made me sigh. 

Before, I was popular because I was beautiful, but now, I am becoming famous because of my ugliness. 

'What an irony!'

After showing us to the guests, and receiving lots of gifts from them, Mother Magie climbed the pulpit to deliver a short sermon, and her voice boomed louder in the large hall. 

"Everything created by God is beautiful... The sky, the stars, the moon, the sea, trees, animals and humans. They were all wonderfully made. We must all learn to appreciate them, and not to body shame anybody, no matter how they look," Maggie let out in her usual booming voice.

'Hypocrite of the highest order,' I mumbled to myself when I heard Mother Maggie's deceit. She just called me Ugly-face some minutes ago, and here she is, talking as if she is a saint.

Thunderous clapping made me know she is done with her deceitful sermon.

'This should be over soon,' I uttered when the music from some speakers nearby boomed louder. 

And I was right, the guest promptly began to leave as the music volume keeps reducing, and the hall soon became empty, except for the nuns and some staff. 

Because of the festive mood, all the children were brought out and placed in the middle of the hall, and we were fed to satisfaction, and then laid on the rug to relax. 

While other kids were sleeping, my eyes wandered around the room as I search for the three nuns that will determine if I will live or die, and my smile become huge when I caught sight of Alicia and Betty as they whispered among themselves. 

"He is smiling at you," Alicia winked at me and mumbled. 

"Not me, I still haven't forgotten what he did to me," Betty answered back, stared at me and said, "I feel like strangling him."

"What are you girls talking about?" Alice who just arrived in their midst asked. 

"Betty was about to kiss-."

"Oh my gosh!" Alice exclaimed, placing her two palms over her mouth and her eyes became huge.

"You don't allow me to tell you what happened, before cutting into my speech," Alicia mumbled. 

"Did she kiss him or not?" Alice asked.

"No. She lost her courage along the way. And had to lose her wage for this week because she is a coward," Alicia giggled and answered back. 

"You mean you bet with a week's wage and she lost... Oh, poor baby. I can kiss him for free."

"My eyes became large when Alice said this, and this made me offer my most seducing smile and babbled out, " come to me, Alice. Please come and give me my first kiss and save this miserable soul from eternal damnation."

"He spits some mucus on me, and that was why I was unable to kiss him," Betty explained. 

"Just clean his face and suck his pink lips," Alice let out, peeked at me, smiled, stood up and walked towards me. 

"Why are you talking as of you can do it?" Alicia asked, snickered and let out, "I am ready to bet with my weekly wage and also Betty's wage that you can't."

Alice turned  toward Alicia and asked, "Are you sure?" 

When Alicia nodded her head to signify yes, she turned back at me, bit her lower lip and mumbled, "stop smiling, Ugly-face. Just don't do anything stupid."

"I won't honey... I swear with my life that I won't," I mumbled, smiling broader and praying to all the gods and goddesses that something unexpected won't rob me of Alice's kiss.