Aunt Alice
Fashion fades.
Only style remains the same.
-Coco Chanel
Prom; the proverbial rite of passage for the typical teenager, yet I'm nothing close to being a typical teen. Truth be told, I'm only six and a half. The reflection in the mirror tells a different story, though. Copper ringlets cascade against the powder blue dress hugging my frame that resembles a sixteen year old young woman.
"No! This is nothing like what I had in mind," proclaims my Aunt Alice in her high-pitched voice.
Before I get the chance to voice my own mirroring distaste, the pixie-like vampire has danced her way over to the rack of prom dresses. The scrape of the hangers against the metal rod is loud, and I begin peeling the dress away from my porcelain skin to distract myself.
Prom was never something I intended to indulge in. With the prospect of eternity before me, I thought I could catch up on that human experience down the road. Then, Jake had to drop the bomb this morning that he'd never been to prom before. It tugged on my heartstrings, and here we are. Five hours until the dance kicks off, and I don't even have a dress. All morning, Alice has been scouring the boutiques in Port Angeles, and nothing has even come close to her standards yet.
A flurry of activity reels me back into the present, and a mass of deep red fabric is pushed into my arms.
"Try this."
"But Alice…"
"No buts, Nessie. Try it. For me? Please?"
The innocence inflected into her words wins me over, and with a practiced speed, the dress is a blur as it slides over my head and down onto my slender figure. Before the corset lacing has a chance to be tied, Alice is shaking her head.
"We need something lighter. How do you feel about a crème lace design? It'll flatter the tone of your skin perfectly."
Without waiting for my approval, Alice disappears to the rack again with a more pronounced bounce in her step. Like the dress before it, the red one winds up on the top of the pile in the floor. Shopping with Aunt Alice isn't usually this painful. The knot of nerves in my stomach is also influencing my demeanor. The prospect of a night with Jake seems perfect, but the idea of a night with Jake around my high school peers doesn't. It's only been a short while since we've moved into the "boyfriend/girlfriend" territory, and I'm often left to wonder what he thinks of my status as a senior at Forks High School.
"Ah hah!"
The chime-like announcement reveals that the dress has been found, and I pivot on bare heel to take in the dress. Immediately, I know it, too. A lace overlay the exact pale crème color of the fabric underneath screams feminine elegance, but the above-the-knee length adds a flirty twist. With sure place footing, the dress begins to rise over my form. Once it's securely in place and Aunt Alice has fixed the zipper, I drink in the effect in the mirror. The fabric underneath the lace overlay is cut into a sweetheart neckline, but the lace reaches the hollow of my throat. Palms glide over the front of the dress and across the cinched waist. It's perfect, except my father may have an issue with the length. Blunt edges of pearly whites comb over my lower lip in a habit picked up from my Mom, and chocolate eyes find Aunt Alice's glowing amber pair.
"Is it too short? You know how Dad is," I start, a hint of worry in my tone.
"You let me handle your father, Nessie. It's perfect, and I won't have you going to your first prom in anything else," An almost too chipper Alice replies, her tiny hands clapping together in a show of bubbly excitement.
My lids flutter closed, and a picture materializes in my mind of Jacob and me walking into prom. Nestled in my up-do of bronze locks is Mom's heirloom hair comb from the wedding. A pair of Aunt Alice's towering Louboutins completes the vision.
Excitement surges inside of me, and Aunt Alice's proximity allows me the usage of my gift to convey my wish for the night. Her arm is cinching my waist in an embrace as we stare at the mirror, and I shift slightly to press my palm against her cheek. The chill of her porcelain skin seeps into my hand as I reimagine the same mental picture of Jacob and me waltzing into the prom. A twinkle lights up her yellow irises and before I realize it, she's on the phone with Mom.
"Bella, hi. We found the dress. It's perfect."
Aunt Alice's phone conversation carries on as an attendant unzips me from the dress, and I carefully step out of the frock. Passing it over to the attendant to place in a dress bag for safe transport, I duck back into the dressing room to retrieve the outfit I had worn today.
"No, it's very lady-like, maybe a bit on the short side."
Even the walls of the dressing room do little to muffle the excitement in her voice, and I shake my head in amusement as I step into my skinny jeans, one leg at a time.
"Well, Edward will get over it. This is Nessie's first prom, after all. Anyway, the reason I'm calling; Nessie thinks the hair comb from your parents would make the perfect accessory."
Waiting with baited breath to hear if Mom approves, I quickly tug on my lace camisole. Once my cardigan is pulled on, I retrace my steps back out of the dressing room in time to hear Alice's excitement double.
"Wonderful! Thank you, Bella! We'll be home before you know it."
Thankfully, the attendant is already at the register ringing up our purchase, and she doesn't notice Alice's inhuman speed as my pixie-haired Aunt races to give me a hug.
"It's all set! Your prom is going to be perfect, Nessie. Let's go pay for this, and we can start back towards Forks. Everyone sounded excited!"
"Okay, Aunt Alice. Thank you for all of this. I'm really hoping Jake likes the dress," the words roll of my tongue in a whispered voice just as teeth connect with my lower lip in the signature nervous habit.
"Shush. If Jake can't see how beautiful you look, we'll have to get the pup's eyes checked."
A note of laughter bubbles over my coral brims at my family's choice nickname for my Jake. At first, it had bothered me. With time, I've learned that the respect between Jake and my family is solid and playful terms of endearment are a vital part of the relationship.
As Aunt Alice busies herself with paying for the dress, with one of Jasper's credit cards in true Alice fashion, my keen eyesight takes in the rest of the boutique. An entire corner is dedicated to bridal fashion, and I'm inundated with the amount of starch white tulle veils and mounds of fabric that I suspect to be the wedding gowns. Fondly, I recall the pictures of my parent's wedding. The simplicity of Mom's dress suddenly becomes even more appreciated. A heated blush crawls up my cheeks as I idly wonder what my wedding dress will look like one day. Way to rush the relationship, I chide myself internally.
"We're all set, Ness."
Aunt Alice's chipper voice breaks through my thoughts, and I'm reeled back to the present. Flashing the attendant a thankful smile, I turn to Aunt Alice and nod to signal my readiness to leave. In one hand, she holds the dress bag containing my prom attire. Her other reaches out for mine, and hand-in-hand, we glide out of the boutique towards the canary yellow Porsche 911 turbo.
Life is a series of first times followed in succession by rewrites and second chances. But as for my first prom, I know I won't need a second chance. My family will ensure that it's the most memorable night not only for me, but for my Jake.
Author's Note: This is my first fanfic, and I appreciate any and all reviews/critiques.
I'm hoping to do a series of one shots through the eyes of Renesmee, each focusing on a different person in her life.
All canon, but the time periods will vary per person.
Disclaimer: Obviously, these characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. I'm borrowing them solely for entertainment purposes.