Devils Roses 01 - Cursed

the biggest grin I’d ever seen on anyone’s face. The excitement in his eyes melted my heart. “Is that your dress? Are we going?”
    His eyes were ridiculously hopeful. I couldn’t even imagine saying no. “Yes. I’m feeling a lot better.”
    It was still a lie, but I had been out of bed for the whole day. I could have fallen asleep standing, but my mind was reeling with all of the things it had learned. Or at least, attempted to learn in the small amount of time.
    Shane stepped forward and hugged me tightly. “I’ll be back in a couple hours to get you.”
    With that, he ran out the door excited. I closed off my heart to Aleks and let Shane in. It was the right choice. I was excited and tired of the tennis match going on inside of me.
    I went to my room to start the process and to contemplate a small catnap. I sat in my room staring at the letters, I knew the writing from somewhere. I couldn’t place it. It reminded me of Blake, but when I thought about Blake and his chicken scratch, I shook my head. I knew it was like a word search. I needed to walk away from it and eventually the word would come to me.

Chapter Ten
    Happiness is in the eye of the beholder…???

    The dress fit like a glove. Giselle and I were apparently the exact same size. It was an aqua-colored dress that was floor length in the back. It went from short in the front to long in the back, gradually, as it wrapped around me. The top was like a tight corset with the fabric folded vertically, but fastened tightly to the dress. It had an empire waist, with a large amount of the fabric pulled into a sweep, making it look like a belt. The belt went all the way around the dress, making up the small amount of back I had covered. It was strapless and the skirt of the dress was several layers of free-flowing, rippling fabric. There was a huge, oval broach under my right breast that was silver. It sparkled from the fake diamonds.
    I shook my head in amazement as my sister smiled brightly. “You look hot. Like model hot.” She pulled a pair of sparkling, silver pumps from her closet and put them in front of me. I stepped into them and marveled at how I looked. I pulled my light-blonde hair out of its usual ponytail and shook my head to release the long locks.
    Alise clapped. “Dad, you have to see this.”
    “ You even look a little tanned. Have you been tanning?” she asked looking me up and down as I gave her my, 'remember who you are talking to' look.
    She raised her hands defensively. “I was just thinking, you seem a bit tanned.”
    I nodded contemplating it, I did look a bit tanned. “You know, it's probably just a little of the jaundice left over from the poison.” My normally extra-white skin did seem more golden, like Aleks'.
    My dad came into the room. His eyebrows raised in stunned, shocked awe.
    “ Oh my goodness, Aimee. Alise, did you do this?” His voice was a whisper, not accusing at all. He sounded proud of her.
    Alise shook her head. “No, this is all Aimee, and there isn’t even any makeup yet.” She took a black and aqua-colored bracelet and hung it off my left wrist. She smiled at me in the mirror. I looked to see my dad's eyes mist over. My sister's eyes were not long behind him, which made my eyes start to water.
    My dad wrapped his arms around us both and began to sob. He held us and hugged us tightly, with shaking arms.
    I felt myself losing my control, as I joined what was left of our small family in a moment of sorrow. I felt the warm wind. I looked up knowing it was my mom watching down on us. My skin shivered, as I let my face burrow into my dad's shoulder.
    He pulled away after a few moments and nodded. “You look beautiful and if your mom were here, she would make me tell you so.” He walked from the room and I knew he was heartbroken.
    Alise walked into her bathroom and started to wash her face to get ready for the big night. She looked over at me and smiled, "I'll do your makeup, if you want."
    I shook my head, “Thanks, but I’m going to try to do my own makeup this time. I think I’m getting the hang of this girlie business.”
    She laughed at me from the bathroom. “Yeah right. Well if you mess it up, I’m right here.”
    I closed her bedroom door, feeling more in love with my family, than I ever had. I knew in that moment, we were going to be okay. My dad had muttered the words, ‘if your mom were here’ for the first time and we had all lived. We’d cried together, we’d grieved together,