One lone woman in high heels takes step after step, approaching closer and closer until she stops walking.
"My name is Eve Taylor..."
A loud echo resonates throughout the fashion palace as large spotlights shine down upon the stage, illuminating both runway and audience, showcasing the extensive set design. An audience full of empty people stare in silence at the only person, the one lone woman, standing at the entrance ready to be judged; Eve Taylor. A smile compliments the vast artwork painted on her face, showing her confidence in the carefully-woven tapestry of her gown she wears. Her hair flows down, curling and twisting in all the right places. Heels inching her higher off the ground, accentuating her long legs and stellar figure. The peoples' perceptions on what true beauty should be, right down to a T.
"... and I'm the world's most famous super model."
Taylor poses for the cold cameras of the professional photographers before she begins to strut down the catwalk with no fear despite the eyes of the critics throwing daggers, attempting to cut down Taylor as she makes the difficult walk.
"It's a cut-throat world out here, in sight of the public. An art form revered by only those involved and yet, they are the ones most critical of you. Their judging eyes, watching you as you take a few steps to appease the people you attempt to impress. On the outside, it truly is a cruel environment to involve yourself."
Eventually, she makes it to the very end of the runway, planting her heels with authority as she turns almost sideways, commanding the entire audience to look at her striking pose.
"But I love it! I've grown up my entire life fighting through insults and heinous words of man, proving that a poor girl from the then-poverty stricken outskirts of Milan can transform into a beautiful swan and become a self-made entrepreneur. I'm used to the harsh thoughts circulating this industry: I'm almost bulletproof on this stage. It is who I am, on the outside in front of full view of the audience.
Eve pivots, reversing the direction as she continues, slowly going back to the entrance where another model makes her way through, looking slightly nervous and uncomfortable but also staring menacingly at Eve in a jealous rage that she cannot be as good as her. Eve smiles at the other model, passing her with flair.
"I am untouchable... on the outside."
Taylor goes through the curtain and instantly, she hesitates. The once confident strut has turned into awkwardness, doing her best to stand as straight as possible. Her perfect heels are now replaced with two completely different shoes with uneven heel length, causing Taylor to be quite unbalanced. She looks on in horror as the people backstage seemingly ignore Taylor as if she doesn't exist, trying her best to climb down the stairs without tripping.
"Back here, on the inside, I am no longer the powerful model Eve Taylor. I'm merely Eva Pellegrini, a scared and lost girl with no-one to lean on but herself, a foundation that can barely stand up by itself."
Her best attempts however land her face-first on the ground, finally catching the attention of everyone else who begin instantly laughing and casting insults her way. She lifts her head and looks directly into the looking glass: the beautiful model that tore it up is no replaced by a ragdoll. Her mascara is thick, running down her checks. The rosy checks uneven and the scars & blemishes on her face apparent. Hair stringy and wet, almost pulled at and torn. Her dress wrecked and unwashed, unkept.
"Without the stage and the fashion, I am nobody. Just another girl with no money and every dream crushed by the nightmares of life. It is same exact world on the outside as on the inside yet I had no crutch to lean back on; no way to escape; no way to suppress my weakness..."
Embarrassed, Taylor does her best to scramble through the crowd and find her safe place... a tiny room only illuminated by a single flickering bulb swinging slowly. Taylor locked the door, pressing her back against it to prevent anyone else seeing her like this. The only other object in the room, is a make-up bench containing a mirror and a chair to be seated. Slowly, Eve approaches the bench and sits down, looking at herself in the mirror before noticing a picture frame.
"... that is, until I met you Aubrey Sloan."
She lifts it up and sees the picture of Aubrey Sloan and herself, with smiles all round and laughs to be had as the memories of their times together beginning to flood her brain. A smile appears on Eve's face and the troubled soul turns into a heart-warming feeling, re-igniting the confidence in Taylor as she begins to stare into the mirror, using the make-up products to rebuild herself.
"You gave me the confidence to become the person on the inside that I was on the outside, someone who could walk the streets without fear of being teased behind their back. You gave me hope for the first time in my life Aubrey Sloan that there was something more than superficial success and an image to become... happy. You inspired me Aubrey to pick up the pieces when the only world I knew that protected me cast me aside like I had eaten the forbidden apple from the Garden of Eden."
Slowly, the process of cleaning herself up began to take shape as Taylor fixed her eye-liner and foundation, becoming more wholesome and natural in looks.
"We have many memories together, some that still haunt me to this day Aubrey. Fun; laughter; happiness... all of which I thought would be feelings that would last forever between us! Through all the successes, accomplishments and moments in my life, the most important to me was when I met you and became best friends!"
As Taylor looks into the mirror smiling at her fixes, it takes mere seconds for the products to slide off her face and fade away, returning her back to her wrecked image as horror and fear returns.
"But just as quickly as we bonded, it all fell away when you abandoned me."
The make-up table disappears and Taylor falls to the ground again, with the single bulb flickering off, leaving Taylor trapped inside a tiny dark room with no escape.
"Cold darkness consumed my world once again when you left me alone, Aubrey. When I needed you the most, you were nowhere to be seen and everything spiralled back into abyss that I spent my entire life trying to fight... and you destroyed it in seconds. Why would anyone leave someone in need like this? Why would you leave me behind? Why did you go Aubrey? Why?
I loved you Aubrey Sloan! You were my everything when everything came crashing down on me! I wanted to run away with you to a place very far away from that which confused you and live with you forever! I was willing to give up everything I loved and everything I wanted to be with you because I loved you... and you turned your back on me! Why?"
Just before it seems like Taylor is about to breakdown into a puddle of tears, a single bright spot on the floor shows a wolf mask. The reflection of the light shows Taylor looking around as she slowly goes towards the mask, picking it up and holding it her hands.
Suddenly, the lights begin to come back on, revealing Taylor to be inside a much bigger room than before as two figures in wolf masks approach Eve with extended hands. She looks up and accepts, pulling Eve to her feet. She expects the broken heels to cause her to tumble but she stays standing. The broken heels are no more, as is her dirty clothes and messed-up face. The masked men help Taylor across the room to a lavish mirror where clothes made out of wolf skin and fur hang down. She looks to the two masked men who usher her to become one of them. Slowly, she approached the wolfs clothing, caressing it with her fingers. The feelings of confusion and weariness were replaced with feelings of... home.
"For the first time in my life, lady luck decided to finally smile down upon me and brought forth two men in wolf masks who took me in as one of their own, adopting me into their pack. Even though I wasn't as vicious or dangerous to hold my own, they made me a member of their family with smiles on their face."
The men placed the clothing on Eve before slowly placing the mask on their head. She turned back to them and they nodded once, signalling Taylor to don the wolf mask over her head. She turns to the mirror and on the ground, she sees the same picture that she once saw of Aubrey Sloan and herself, only with herself removed from the picture. Anger filled her heart as she stared at the picture.
"Two complete strangers whom were previously apart of the judging crowd took me in and removed all my troubles, making me family... yet all the times I spent with you Aubrey, was all for naught. You threw our cherished relationship away and the anger & hatred you instilled inside of me twisted me into a rabid wolf myself. Every time I think about you, all I see is a cunning, conniving sheep in wolf's clothing that tricked me into thinking I could find true happiness... and the rage that whispers to me, instructing me to devour you."
Taylor throws away the picture causing it to shatter into a million pieces, just like Aubrey did to Eve when she left her behind. Eve, walking with purpose, exits the room and back out into the sea of judging people. All of them stand still as Eve re-emerges as a threatening wolf, stalking her prey as she heads up the steps and back out into the runway. She stands huffing and puffing, staring directly at the only other model on the ramp: a woman dressed like Aubrey Sloan with a sheep's mask covering her face. Eve walks towards her, stomping her feet with every step, commanding the attention of the big stage.
"At Kingdom Come, on the biggest stage of them all, it will be my duty... neigh, my honour and privilege to wear this wolf's mask with pride and face you, the woman I loved, and make sure that you never hurt anyone again by doing the same thing as you did to me..."
Eve reaches the Sloan figure and pushes her off the stage, doing so in slow motion. The crowd moves out of the way, causing the Sloan figure to fall into a giant hole as Taylor stands at the edge of the runway, looking down with a menacing stare.
"... by casting you to the lonely abyss."
Taylor continues to the stare at the Sloan figure until she fall so far that she fades into obscurity. The hold closes and Taylor looks up, staring at the shocked faces of the audience before slowly sliding the mask into position.
"At Kingdom Come, I, Eve Taylor, will reclaim herself and fulfil her destiny as per the intentions of the almighty Cerberus, as the gatekeeper of your demise Aubrey Sloan. You shall drown with Hades and I shall protect the world from your treacherous ways, never allowing anyone to be deceived as you have deceived me."
Taylor turns her back and begins walking away down the runway back to the curtains. However, before she goes through, she turns back and looks out to everyone. They stand in shock but with respect of Taylor's actions, looking on proudly as the Third Head begins to place her hand over her heart, mimicking her actions. Eve closes her eyes and raises her head high before proudly howling into the crowd.
"HAIL CERBERUS!"
For the first time in her life, Eve Taylor found her home.
