Sohielle flipped open the glittering box, and a rainbow brush tumbled out, landing with a soft tap on the wooden desk.
She swept the brush across her cheek, leaving a bright blue stripe. The cozy room suddenly felt like a treasure chest. She reached for the next pot, fingers brushing cool glass, and the whole collection gleamed in the warm sunlight.
She dabbed green paint onto her fingertip and swiped it beside the blue stripe, then tried to blend them with a dry brush — it just smudged into a muddy mess.
She scrunches her nose and wipes the mess away with a tissue. The papery rustle filled the quiet room. Then she reached for a shimmery gold pot with a tiny star on the lid.
Sohielle dipped a thin brush into the gold shimmer and painted a single bold stripe across her forehead.
When she glanced at the mirror, a shiny golden lightning bolt stared back. She gasped, then burst into giggles, pressing her palm to her mouth as the gold sparkled like a tiny sun.
She grabbed a pink pot and a purple one, painting wild zigzag lines across both cheeks. Then she stepped back to study her reflection with a serious, concentrated frown.
The mirror showed a girl covered in rainbow stripes and sparkles, grinning back with paint smudged on her nose. She did a little happy dance, making the brushes rattle in their cup. This is me, she whispered, painting one final golden dot in the center of her forehead. She felt proud and bright in her cozy, colorful room.