It was springtime, early May of 1918. My bonnet was secured on top of my head and my laced white gloves were pulled up to the crook of my elbows. I was wearing my favorite light blue dress with ruffles at the bottom. These clothes were my best. They had all been a gift from my mother for my seventeenth birthday last summer. My mother requested that I wear it for the city fair today, as it was the anniversary of the founding of the town. I had never been a big fan of public events, however today I had promised myself I would have fun instead of letting social interactions wear me down. Being a lady in this day in age meant that I couldn't express my true feelings to those around me. So no one really knew my distaste for such events except for myself and my best friend Mary Alice. We often made fun of such ridiculous expectations, "Young ladies should always be pleasant, present, and well dressed. They should be soft-spoken, with delicate features." Ideally, I should be a decoration in any room. However, I didn't agree with much of these expectations, I did my best to follow them regardless, to make my mother proud.
Everything wasn't so black and white, I did my best to meet these expectations, sure, but sometimes I truly didn't mind. I enjoyed dressing up, I enjoyed being treated politely by all. It only bothered me when choices weren't mine to be made, or when men expected me to be weak-minded, including my father. However, mostly I could ignore these realities, and replace them with my own. I did this daily by reading my books, and finding other realities to live in. However, today was not the day for finding other realities, it was a day for putting up with my own for a while.
I walked the cobblestone street in the middle of the day, towards the fair. I could see the famous Ferris wheel left over from the World's Fair of 1893. It was a sunny day, with a slight wind, making it perfect for events such as these. I remember thinking how much I loved the feeling of sunlight on my skin. The flowers were in full bloom, including my favorites, Mrs. Harbinger's marigolds. Mrs. Harbinger was my neighbor and her beautiful apartment was always brimming over with marigolds this time of year. She was a burly woman, she wasn't respected in the town because of her behavior and low status. She had moved from Ireland when she was a little girl. Her brusque accent was still very evident in everything she said, and it didn't help her any that she was loud too. She was one of my favorite people around. She saw me and smiled her iconic toothy smile and waved.
"Hello Isabella! Good day to be out, isn't it?" She yelled loudly and proudly, making others walking the street look back at her in shock for being so obnoxious. However, it only made me adore her more than I already did.
"Indeed Ma'am, it's a wonderfully sunny day. My kind of day!" I yelled back as I walked off towards the fair, earning a few stares of my own. Mary Alice waited for me by the entrance of the fair. Her long black hair tied up neatly in a bun such as my own. Mary Alice was an exquisite being, I had always envied her delicate features and petite frame. However, she did not see herself as clearly as everyone else, and she was quite humble and kind.
"Ah! There you are, Isabella! I've been waiting for you, did you wake up late again, silly," She smiled as she grabbed my hands excitedly. "No matter, I have fantastic news, Isabella," Mary Alice was always going on about the next piece of gossip in the town. She was an easily excitable creature. The smallest bit of news could make her jump for joy. It really was entertaining and endearing.
"Yes, well Mary Alice, not everyone can be early birds such as yourself," I said, smiling fondly at my best friend, "Now what news have you recently obtained that has made you so fanatical?"
"Edward Masen Sr. is in town, Isabella! He is moving to Chicago in hopes of finding a house and a place for his business. He has brought his whole family, including his son, Edward Masen Jr., can you believe it?"
"That is thrilling news, Mary Alice, but how did you find out? I'm sure I would've heard of this by now,"
"Well I heard from my mother who was close friends with Mrs. Masen, before they left town the last time,"
"Pardon me, but did you say they left town before?" This piece of news surprised me, I'm sure I would've remembered if the famous Masen's had lived here before. Mary Alice didn't seem surprised by this at all.
"Oh, yes, well actually, Edward Masen Jr was born here but they moved to New York when he was just a baby, but they're coming back now because Mr. Masen has gotten a better job offer here," She explained with ease, a big smile still plastered on her face. I took her arm and wrapped it around mine and began walking again.
"I never knew this, how interesting," I said while looking forward to know where I was headed. We had just entered the fair, and were walking towards the Ferris wheel.
"It is, isn't it? Also, from what I hear, Edward Masen Jr is quite a catch," I heard Mary Alice say this in a very suggestive tone, and when I looked to her she was raising her eyebrow and elbowing me in the ribs. I gasped at her implications
"Mary Alice Brandon! Control yourself," I said while laughing hysterically, and trying hard to conceal it. A lady never laughs loudly in a public place.
"Isabella, you're a very beautiful young lady, I think it's about time someone other than me acknowledged it," Mary Alice was always going on about the boys of the county, she considered herself the invisible matchmaker, even though her own love life was just as empty and boring as mine.
"Well what about you then, Mary Alice? You should start using those matchmaking abilities for yourself,"
"I don't see how. Cupid doesn't have a significant other," She said matter-of-factly, however I knew she was wrong. As much as it was unladylike to correct someone, I could never help it.
"Ah, but that isn't true. In Roman mythology, Cupid falls in love with a mortal and takes her as a wife," I said gently, trying to conceal my eagerness to be right, it isn't ladylike to boast. However, Mary Alice knew me, and never seemed to mind.
"My word, a mortal? Isn't it against the unspoken rules of mythology that a mortal and a god do not correspond?" Mary Alice was correct, of course.
"Well sadly yes, the human girl was not allowed to look upon him because he was a god,"
"How tragic, well I'll just be the smarter version of Cupid," She said, smiling at me wickedly. She knew she had won this round. I laughed quietly and lightly smacked her arm.
"Very well then," I treasured the conversations Mary Alice and I engaged in, they were always spoken in discretion, because they were considered unsuitable conversation topics for young ladies.
We walked around the fair, arm in arm, laughing silently as we talked more about the gossip of the town. The day was passing quickly, Mary Alice and I had only just left the fair when we noticed the sun was beginning to set.
"Have you heard that Mr. Umbrage was seen with a young woman around our age?" Mary Alice asked me, always the source of titillating gossip.
I gasped, "My word, he is so old, how scandalous," I giggled at the idea and Mary Alice joined in soon after. My giggles began to get out of control and I hide my face in my hand to stifle them.
I wasn't looking where I was going when suddenly I felt myself run into something hard and warm. I gasped and jumped back, my arm leaving Mary Alice's and my feet losing their balance. I began to lose hope that I would gain it back when I felt someone grab both of my arms, effectively stopping the ground from coming up to meet my head.
I couldn't stop my heavy breathing as I looked up to my rescuer, "Oh, I am so sorry, sir, I wasn't looking where I was going." I stood back up and he let go of my arms, allowing me to smooth my skirts. I felt my face heating up at the idiocrasy of it all, and of course he was certainly a beauty. If Cupid was around I'm sure he had already cursed me with one of his blasted arrows. The young man was around our age, his face held a resemblance to the famous sculpture David by Michelangelo. His features were sharp, and could've very well been carved from stone. However he still held a youthfulness in his eyes. Those emerald eyes looked worried and held my complete attention, while his strange bronze colored hair fluttered slightly in the wind.
"It is perfectly all right, miss. I apologize for almost causing you to fall, are you alright?" His arms were still raised at his sides, towards me, as if he expected me to fall again. The way his eyes kept me in his trance, I was almost sure I would need them again.
"Yes, I am quite all right. Thank you for catching me. I don't know what I would've done if I ruined my mother's favorite dress. She certainly wouldn't have been happy with me," I found myself rambling, and somehow I couldn't stop, "You know, because she bought me this dress. It's my best one." I could feel my inner self screaming at me to stop talking, "But thanks to you, we won't have to worry," I cleared my throat softly, hoping it would impede any more blathering.
"Well yes, it is fortunate it is still in perfect condition," He smiled and held out his hand, "I am Edward Masen, and who are you, may I ask?" I could feel Mary Alice's stare boring into me, she was in shock just as much as I was. Luckily, he didn't seem to notice her shock. I almost forgot to take his hand, but his confused expression allowed me to recover.
"Uh, Excuse me, I am Isabella Swan," I took his hand and he smiled as he leaned down to kiss the back of it.
"It's very nice to meet you, Ms. Swan, would you allow me to escort you ladies back to your homes? It is getting quite dark out." I looked around and found that he was correct in that statement. It surprised me, it seemed only a few minutes ago that the sun was still gracing us with its presence.
I looked to Mary Alice and she encouraged me with a slight nod of her head, I looked back to Mr. Masen and smiled, "Yes, that would be much appreciated, thank you."