"Is this really necessary?" I pleaded, holding up the deep blue dress. Alice only nods, giggling gleefully. The gown was held between my fore-finger and thumb in a way that clearly shouted disapproval.
"Oh, come on," she goaded, squinting her light butterscotch eyes in disappointment. "It's not like you didn't see it coming." I sighed dramatically, rolling my eyes at my best friend.
"Alice, not everyone can see the future or read minds like you and Edward can," I reminded her gently, slightly peeved at the fact that I seemed to not have any power to call my own whatsoever.
"Oh, yah." Her lighthearted giggle rang through the room, and I grinned at the sound. It was so easy to amuse Alice, and so rewarding, too. I returned my skeptical gaze to the filmy fabric in my hand, and let out my breath loudly. Not bothering with privacy, both of us being girls, I began to remove my clothes at human speed, stalling for time. When I'd run short on clothes that I was required to remove, I hesitantly slid the admittedly beautiful dress over my curvy body.
Though I despised having to get dressed up for anything, I had to admit that I looked a lot better in this dress than I would have were I still human. The only good part about black tie events, in my opinion, was getting to see Edward in a tux. It took my breath away every time at how striking the ebony was against his ivory skin. I heard an excited squeal sound from my right, and I turned my attention to the ecstatic vampire besides me.
"Edward's going to love it, Bella," she assured me, sensing exactly what I had been worrying about. My nod in response wasn't very convincing, but thankfully, Alice let it go.
"Why do we still do this?" My voice clearly showed my exasperation with this trivial ritual. After over seventy years, prom still didn't appeal to me, the same as the first time around.
"Here." Alice produced a tall pair of heels, and I sighed. Though I wasn't clumsy anymore, wearing high-heels just made me feel like I was jinxing my good balance that was due solely to the fact that I was a vampire. Not in the mood to argue, I quickly snatched the sparkling white shoes from Alice's waiting hands, slipping them on too fast for human eyes to follow. Catching Alice just in time from my puerperal vision, I quickly called doing my own make-up, having already let her choose and buy my dress, and do up my hair in a complicated array of cascading mahogany curls. Not one to take much time on my appearance, I quickly, even for a vampire, lined my eyes, applied mascara and eye-shadow, and smeared gloss over my pouting lips.
"Edward, don't you dare come up here!" Alice's voice rang out, an edge of panic evident in her tone. My heart sped up, and I wished Alice would loosen her hold on everyone's leashes for tonight at the very least, and allow me to see Edward. I briefly wondered if they made vampire-proof duct-tape, so I could silence Alice.
"I'm hurt, Bella. How could you ever consider doing that to me? I thought you loved me!" Alice's voice had just enough threat to ensure I stay in line, but enough hurt to make me feel guilty. Needless to say, it worked every time.
"Wait," I interjected, "I didn't think I was even seriously considering the tape…" I trailed off, wondering how Alice had seen it if I wasn't even sure yet. Unless I was sure…
"Tape? No, I'm talking about your plan to team up with Edward and hold my gown hostage." I shrugged nonchalantly.
"Sorry, Alice. I know nothing of such plan, though it is an admittedly good idea." She glared at me, then her eyes glazed over for a split second, her away look morphing swiftly into horror as she rushed to her room.
"Edward, I swear if you don't give me my dress back…" her shrill screaming was unbearably loud, even from across the house, so I could only speculate on how Edward's ears were holding out. His velvety voice informed Alice that he had hung it on a tree in the yard, and she was gone in a flash.
Just as quickly as Alice departed, Edward appeared, his breath warm as it tickled my cool neck, our like temperatures making his cool skin feel as a humans would to another human. It's all in the eye of the beholder, I suppose.
"Miss me?" his low, gravelly tone had my breath coming in short gasps, and I wanted desperately to claim his lips with my own, so I did. My lip gloss smeared something horrible, but it was well worth it. Feeling his lips moving in synch with my own was as close an analogy to heaven as I could conjure. My fingers twisted themselves into his bronze hair, pulling hard as his tongue tickled the roof of my mouth. He groaned as his hair was yanked, and I almost laughed at the hilarity.
Suddenly, Edward was slammed against the plaster wall across the hall, and a very upset Alice glared up at me, looking comical as she dusted off her clothes from her little encounter with Edward. Her skin seemed to turn an even paler color as she read my intentions in her future, and she backed towards her precious closet protectively. Her small arms were spread wide, and I laughed at how funny she looked. I decided I wouldn't set fire to her wardrobe today, but the next time she broke up a make-out session between Edward and I, there would be hell to pay.
"Relax, Alice, I won't incinerate your clothes." A melodic chuckle rises from the doorway, and I add to my promise quickly. "That is, as long as you let Edward be." She sighed, and defeated, retreated to the room shared by her and Jasper to prepare for the prom. I squeezed the bridge of my nose between my thumb and fore-finger, a habit picked up from Edward.
"Why do we still participate in this ridiculous ritual?" I asked, meaning to be rhetorical. Apparently, though, my question wasn't taken that way, and he answered,
"Because, it helps us to blend in with the humans, and," he took a lock of springy hair and tucked it gently behind one of my ears, which were I still human, would have been flaming, "I would never give up an opportunity to see you in a dress. It's not that I don't like the way you dress, but you're extremely beautiful, and the gown merely brings you're radiant beauty out."
I looked at the ground, not expecting the rise of color in my cheeks that I was accustomed to as a human, seventy-years of vampirism having wiped away my natural born expectations.
"Let's make this a good one, shall we?" Edward nods and gently brings my hand up to his lips, kissing my knuckles in response. We link arms, and continue through the house, at human speed for old times sake, to the waiting Vanquish. As it rumbled to life, I wished feverishly that the time would pass very quickly.
Compared to what was to come, I really shouldn't have been worrying. I had no reason.