Page 135 of Gift from the Source
My question is cut off as the blaring sound of a timekeeper cuts me off. I look around confused, then my eyes follow Aurora over to where she cuts it and the music off.
“Well, girls, time to really get ready.” She sighs.
For a moment, I actually forgot we were supposed to be getting ready for something. I was so caught up in the moment with them, all my other worries just faded away.
Realistically, it won’t take us but a minute to truly get done up. Between our elements, it’s just a matter of doing it.
“Willow.”
“Yeah?” I ask in response to Oakly’s softly spoken call of my name.
“I’d like to wear that dress that I saw that I wasn’t supposed to. Maybe some curls in my hair,” she says, running her fingers through the straight strands.
“I can do that for you, Oak,” I mumble. “Aria, any ideas?”
“Surprise me, but I’d like the color to be red and black.”
“Aurora?” I ask.
“Don’t worry about me, my girl,” she says as she drags her hand down her body.
Cascading down her body is a white ball gown. The top, down to her waist is tight, accentuating her curves, while the bottom puffs out. Across her chest is gold lace that travels down the gown in delicate patterns. To match, a gold cape drapes over her shoulders and falls to the floor in a train.
She looks like a literal angel.
“You look stunning,” I whisper.
“Thank you, my girl. Now your turn. Let me see these dresses.”
Nodding, returning her sweet smile, I manage to tear my gaze free from her beautiful gown and I walk over to the girls.
Lacing my fingers with theirs, I give them both a squeeze before I close my eyes. I’ve pictured Oakly’s and my dresses countless times, and I’m ecstatic to be including Aria as well.
I want them all to match.
Starting with the base material, I create a soft satin slip. It forms a strapless sweetheart neckline that subtly perks up our breast, then the rest flows down to the floor. I add just a little puff to the bottom. Not as much as Aurora’s but enough to give it body.
Oakly’s is a dark rich black. Aria’s is blood-red. Mine is violet.
Around our necks, I form a vintage collar made of lace that hangs down our chests like necklaces. I make sure to coat the underneath with a soft nude material so we won’t itch all night long.
From each side of the collar, I connect more lace and have it crawl down our arms in intricate designs. I stop mine short just an inch, so my marks on my wrist are seen. For the girls, when it touches their wrists, I move back to the body of the dress.
I coat it in thin sheer material that doesn’t hide the colors of our dresses but gives me something to create embroidery all over the surface. I give each of our designs a little originality.
For Oakly, the violet-colored lace twist and turns like waves rolling in from the ocean. For Aria, the black travels the curves of her body like lava flowing from Pyra. And myself, my silver lace spreads across my body like I’m wrapped in the wings of my dragon.
To anyone else looking, these will just be complex stitching. They may not even make reason to them, but to me, I know what they mean.
None of us are high heel girls and our feet will be covered anyways. Plus, with all the standing and dancing, it makes no sense at all to make our feet hurt. So I just cover them with matching flats that resemble ballet slippers.
Before I open my eyes, I move on to our hair.
Just like Oakly asked, I give her curls and lots of body. I don’t have to see to know that the loose ringlets sit around her neck and frame her face perfectly.
Aria loves braids, and although I’m not the best at it, I give it my all. I start by giving her hair a little bit of curl, then I command my air to weave the strands together. The long rope falls over her shoulder and I gently loosen the tight braid.
Lastly, for myself, I pull all my wild curls up in an elegant updo. With it out of the way, Corentin’s mark on my chest is clear to be seen. I wish I had a way to display Draken’s and Tillman’s, but that would expose too much body for my liking.
