[Invader Dee and Reiinko appear courtesy of DeadLegato. I was going to ask
around if I could borrow other people's invaders, but I got lazy. Maybe if
you leave me a review and you want your Invader in the second chapter, I
can put them in. All others copyright the great JCV.]
Gaz took a deep, solid breath. Her smallish hands were shaking slightly. She stared at herself in the mirror. Her purple hair, neatly pulled back with multiple clips and pearls, had already begun threatening to spring free through the hair spray. She could just see and hear it now: boing, and then everyone would laugh.
No, don't think that way, she thought, wringing her hands. She looked so pale. Why should she be so nervous? She hadn't even gotten sweaty when she'd taken part in the big vampire-piggies video competition, and that was far more important than what was going on at the moment in her opinion.
Everyone was bustling about. Things were so hectic and so loud. She couldn't believe she'd come so far, through so much… she couldn't believe that she was going on twenty-four years old already.
Time had turned the girl into the woman. She stood around five and a half feet tall, with long purple hair dripping in a cascade halfway down her back. Her eyes had become dark and flashing under her thick eyeliner. She'd always worn it that way since she was a child playing dress-up, she thought in an amused way. She lightly touched the mirror, surrounded in sculpted white roses. I look like the pictures of mom, she thought. She hoped she wouldn't cry. Not today. Today was… a happy day.
Her plastic skull locket was cold against her breasts, as she had it tucked neatly under her dress. It wasn't appropriate for the occasion, but she felt that it was so important to her past that she had to have it there with her. Mom will be watching from heaven, her dad had said to her that morning. And from here, inside the locket I wear on my chest, she thought. She wiped the start of a tear from her eye.
"You're going to smear your eyeliner!" her friend Kate warned.
"This stuff? I could go swimming and it wouldn't smear," she replied.
"Your dad come by to give you any words of wisdom?" Kate asked as she fixed the red flowers in her hair.
"He came by," Gaz replied, smoothing out her dress. "But all he could do was talk about mom, how I looked like her, how beautiful I'd become."
"I remember you from elementary school. You haven't changed a bit, Gaz, even if you did get taller."
"I'll take that as a compliment," she replied, tugging on her garter belt. It was overly tight, and had begun to get itchy.
"Gaz! Can't you act lady-like for even a day?" another girl in a purple dress accented with red flowers asked.
"Sorry," she said sheepishly, putting her dress back down. She wished she had gotten the one with the shorter train. Why did she have to like dresses with such long trains?
The dress was a creamy white, low-cut across her chest. The arms were lacy and extended into fingerless gloves over her hands. Each wrist was adorned with a pale white ribbon and the blossom of a white rose. "This is going to set dad back a mint," she said thoughtfully.
"Your dad said you were worth it, didn't he?" The other girls in the room laughed, but Gaz didn't. She was too nervous to laugh.
They were wrong about her not changing. Back in elementary skool, she hadn't had any friends. Going to high school, finding the others goths, ravers, and rivetheads had been a blessing to her. She suddenly had friends. She suddenly found herself hanging with the same group of people as Zim.
Her brother, on the other hand, hadn't changed. He'd gone all the way to college a loner. Gaz sighed. He'd always been there in the shadows, watching like a hawk over Zim. Watching over her. It was kind of creepy, really, the way he stalked their little group. She knew the whisperings in school said that her brother was a creepy stalker.
Staring out the window into the beautiful blue sky, Gaz wondered if Dib would be there today. He'd been sent an invitation, but… he'd been so weird, lately. She hoped if he did show up, he wouldn't do anything embarrassing. She especially hoped that he wouldn't start something with Zim. This was finally her day, not his. She was tired of being simply known as "Dib's Scary Sister." She was a real person with a real name, for the love of God.
Finally, everything was ready. Gaz took a deep breath and stepped out of the preparation room.
She finally got a chance to see the church, all decorated up. The shiny silver crosses sat beside a less familiar logo, the purplish form of a circle with two triangles extending out of the top and a small triangle down the bottom.
On her side sat most of her family and her few, few friends. The vast majority of her side was filled up with people her dad worked with. That was okay with her. After all, the groom had packed his side of the church pretty full.
Gaz could only smile with her brightest, yet most cruel smile. Her side of guests kept staring at the other side. Well, it wasn't like she blamed them. The first three rows of the groom's side were filled up with scrawny, red and purple eyed, green skinned creatures in militaristic space suits. The remaining rows hosted assorted giant rats, four-armed ogre creatures, five gangly, red-faced creatures in "Foodcourtia" uniforms, and all assorted other space creatures that Zim had seen fit to invite. Geez, thought Gaz as she shook her head. What had he done, invited the entire galaxy?
"GAZ!" a voice cried, and she found herself wrapped in a tight glomp.
"Aack… nice to see you, Dee." Dee released Gaz from her death grip and stood back. She was dressed in the same purple and red outfits as the other bridesmaids. "It looks great on you," Gaz complimented her.
"No, you look super-great! After all, it's your day, so you get the compliments."
"Is Reiinko ready?"
"He's never performed a wedding before. This will be his first ceremonial act as new tallest, so go easy on him. He's kind of… shaky."
"How is the human priest doing sharing podium space with the Invader tallest?" Gaz asked nervously. Her fingers twitched with small motions. It wasn't often that she didn't have a computer under her hands. Her natural love of GameSlave17 had resulted in her going into the computer game programming industry.
"He's okay. What about… your brother?"
"He never RSVP'd to say he was coming," Gaz said, looking down. "I mean, I know he still wants to kill Zim, but I thought… it's my wedding," Gaz wept softly. Dee pulled a cloth out from her bag and wiped Gaz's tears away, being careful not to get it on her.
Meanwhile, Red and Purple were hanging out by the window. "This suit is too… itchy," commented Red, scratching himself. He looked up at Purple. "What's wrong with you?" he asked.
"I always cry at weddings!" he sobbed, sniffling and wiping his eyes.
"You've never been to a wedding before!"
There was a momentary pause. "Well, I'm crying now, so I always cry at weddings," Purple retorted, sticking out his long, corkscrew like tongue at Red. Red sighed heavily.
"We did we EVER agree to be in Zim's wedding? I can just see the disasters waiting to happen!"
"Because Reiinko and Dee asked nicely," Purple answered. "Hey, bet you five squid something will catch on fire."
"Bet you ten it's the buffet table."
"Deal," Purple answered, and they shook on it.
"Everyone get in your places! It's about to start!" someone called loudly, probably one of Gaz's human bridesmaids. Everyone scrambled to get into place. Gaz took a deep breath. I hope I don't pass out, she thought.
[This will be two chapters because it's too long to put in one.]
Gaz took a deep, solid breath. Her smallish hands were shaking slightly. She stared at herself in the mirror. Her purple hair, neatly pulled back with multiple clips and pearls, had already begun threatening to spring free through the hair spray. She could just see and hear it now: boing, and then everyone would laugh.
No, don't think that way, she thought, wringing her hands. She looked so pale. Why should she be so nervous? She hadn't even gotten sweaty when she'd taken part in the big vampire-piggies video competition, and that was far more important than what was going on at the moment in her opinion.
Everyone was bustling about. Things were so hectic and so loud. She couldn't believe she'd come so far, through so much… she couldn't believe that she was going on twenty-four years old already.
Time had turned the girl into the woman. She stood around five and a half feet tall, with long purple hair dripping in a cascade halfway down her back. Her eyes had become dark and flashing under her thick eyeliner. She'd always worn it that way since she was a child playing dress-up, she thought in an amused way. She lightly touched the mirror, surrounded in sculpted white roses. I look like the pictures of mom, she thought. She hoped she wouldn't cry. Not today. Today was… a happy day.
Her plastic skull locket was cold against her breasts, as she had it tucked neatly under her dress. It wasn't appropriate for the occasion, but she felt that it was so important to her past that she had to have it there with her. Mom will be watching from heaven, her dad had said to her that morning. And from here, inside the locket I wear on my chest, she thought. She wiped the start of a tear from her eye.
"You're going to smear your eyeliner!" her friend Kate warned.
"This stuff? I could go swimming and it wouldn't smear," she replied.
"Your dad come by to give you any words of wisdom?" Kate asked as she fixed the red flowers in her hair.
"He came by," Gaz replied, smoothing out her dress. "But all he could do was talk about mom, how I looked like her, how beautiful I'd become."
"I remember you from elementary school. You haven't changed a bit, Gaz, even if you did get taller."
"I'll take that as a compliment," she replied, tugging on her garter belt. It was overly tight, and had begun to get itchy.
"Gaz! Can't you act lady-like for even a day?" another girl in a purple dress accented with red flowers asked.
"Sorry," she said sheepishly, putting her dress back down. She wished she had gotten the one with the shorter train. Why did she have to like dresses with such long trains?
The dress was a creamy white, low-cut across her chest. The arms were lacy and extended into fingerless gloves over her hands. Each wrist was adorned with a pale white ribbon and the blossom of a white rose. "This is going to set dad back a mint," she said thoughtfully.
"Your dad said you were worth it, didn't he?" The other girls in the room laughed, but Gaz didn't. She was too nervous to laugh.
They were wrong about her not changing. Back in elementary skool, she hadn't had any friends. Going to high school, finding the others goths, ravers, and rivetheads had been a blessing to her. She suddenly had friends. She suddenly found herself hanging with the same group of people as Zim.
Her brother, on the other hand, hadn't changed. He'd gone all the way to college a loner. Gaz sighed. He'd always been there in the shadows, watching like a hawk over Zim. Watching over her. It was kind of creepy, really, the way he stalked their little group. She knew the whisperings in school said that her brother was a creepy stalker.
Staring out the window into the beautiful blue sky, Gaz wondered if Dib would be there today. He'd been sent an invitation, but… he'd been so weird, lately. She hoped if he did show up, he wouldn't do anything embarrassing. She especially hoped that he wouldn't start something with Zim. This was finally her day, not his. She was tired of being simply known as "Dib's Scary Sister." She was a real person with a real name, for the love of God.
Finally, everything was ready. Gaz took a deep breath and stepped out of the preparation room.
She finally got a chance to see the church, all decorated up. The shiny silver crosses sat beside a less familiar logo, the purplish form of a circle with two triangles extending out of the top and a small triangle down the bottom.
On her side sat most of her family and her few, few friends. The vast majority of her side was filled up with people her dad worked with. That was okay with her. After all, the groom had packed his side of the church pretty full.
Gaz could only smile with her brightest, yet most cruel smile. Her side of guests kept staring at the other side. Well, it wasn't like she blamed them. The first three rows of the groom's side were filled up with scrawny, red and purple eyed, green skinned creatures in militaristic space suits. The remaining rows hosted assorted giant rats, four-armed ogre creatures, five gangly, red-faced creatures in "Foodcourtia" uniforms, and all assorted other space creatures that Zim had seen fit to invite. Geez, thought Gaz as she shook her head. What had he done, invited the entire galaxy?
"GAZ!" a voice cried, and she found herself wrapped in a tight glomp.
"Aack… nice to see you, Dee." Dee released Gaz from her death grip and stood back. She was dressed in the same purple and red outfits as the other bridesmaids. "It looks great on you," Gaz complimented her.
"No, you look super-great! After all, it's your day, so you get the compliments."
"Is Reiinko ready?"
"He's never performed a wedding before. This will be his first ceremonial act as new tallest, so go easy on him. He's kind of… shaky."
"How is the human priest doing sharing podium space with the Invader tallest?" Gaz asked nervously. Her fingers twitched with small motions. It wasn't often that she didn't have a computer under her hands. Her natural love of GameSlave17 had resulted in her going into the computer game programming industry.
"He's okay. What about… your brother?"
"He never RSVP'd to say he was coming," Gaz said, looking down. "I mean, I know he still wants to kill Zim, but I thought… it's my wedding," Gaz wept softly. Dee pulled a cloth out from her bag and wiped Gaz's tears away, being careful not to get it on her.
Meanwhile, Red and Purple were hanging out by the window. "This suit is too… itchy," commented Red, scratching himself. He looked up at Purple. "What's wrong with you?" he asked.
"I always cry at weddings!" he sobbed, sniffling and wiping his eyes.
"You've never been to a wedding before!"
There was a momentary pause. "Well, I'm crying now, so I always cry at weddings," Purple retorted, sticking out his long, corkscrew like tongue at Red. Red sighed heavily.
"We did we EVER agree to be in Zim's wedding? I can just see the disasters waiting to happen!"
"Because Reiinko and Dee asked nicely," Purple answered. "Hey, bet you five squid something will catch on fire."
"Bet you ten it's the buffet table."
"Deal," Purple answered, and they shook on it.
"Everyone get in your places! It's about to start!" someone called loudly, probably one of Gaz's human bridesmaids. Everyone scrambled to get into place. Gaz took a deep breath. I hope I don't pass out, she thought.
[This will be two chapters because it's too long to put in one.]