August 12, part 2
I took the huge white dress of the rack and headed toward the dressing room.
I couldn't believe it! Alice had her own dressing room, in her closet! Before I knew it Alice would be opening a restaurant by her sweaters.
Once I closed the changing room door behind me I couldn't help but to just stare at the dress. I wasn't sure what happened since the last time I saw it, but for some unknown reason I was starring at it with new eyes. Instead of seeing the beautiful, lacy white gown I saw an outdated, frilly frock. I could have hit myself for thinking this. How dare I call this garment ugly? Alice probably searched for days for this. And you just know she had Rosalie and Esme check it out before she bought it. With all three of their fashion senses combined, this had to be the most gorgeous gown they even considered.
I didn't care what I thought. I would wear this dress tomorrow whether it was absolutely beautiful or completely hideous.
I started to unzip the plastic covering case hoping it would look a little better on me than on the hanger.
"You okay in there Bella?" Alice's concerned voice asked me.
"Fine," I called back even though I was having a fashion crisis.
I undressed and started to put on my gown.
"Um, Alice?" I called.
"Yes Bella?"
"Uh, can you button the back of the dress?"
"Sure," she said calmly and walked in. I kicked my clothes on the floor into a pile in the corner and turned my back to her. Before I could start my excuse of why I couldn't button the back myself, she was finished. I turned to look at myself in the mirror and at first glance I cringed.
I couldn't wear this to my own wedding. I hate shopping, but I wish I went with Alice to find a dress. I didn't look like myself in this. I looked like my grandmother. I winced as that awful dream reentered my mind. How could Alice pick something so old looking. I turned to look at Alice and she was reading my face.
"Let's go," she said in a rushed voice.
"Where?" I said in a voice matching hers.
"Get dressed and meet me in the garage. Don't stop to talk to Edward or anyone. Give me the dress as soon as you're out of it. Quickly."
I didn't ask any questions. I obeyed. Alice spun me around and undid the row of buttons along my back, then left me standing alone in the dressing room. I hopped out the dress and as fast as I could put it back in the plastic case. As I zipped the case closed I threw it over the door to her.
"Get dressed," Alice commanded me.
I picked my clothes off the floor dumbfounded. Where was she taking me? Why couldn't I talk to Edward? As my mind questioned Alice's actions, my body followed her commands. Subconsciously I was dressing myself. Why was she in such a rush? Now I was exiting the closet and entering her room. Where was the dress? I was barreling down the stairs and began running to garage. Why wouldn't she answer my question in the dressing room? I was now starring at three beautiful Cullens sitting in a red, Mercedes convertible.
"Get in the car," Alice commanded me. Automatically I opened the car door and sat next to Esme in the back seat.
As Rosalie floured the car out of the garage, the sound of the squealing tires awoke me from my trance like state.
"Where am I going Esme?" Rosalie asked.
"Go to Port Angeles." Esme's calm, soothing voice shocked me.
Rosalie was speeding down the driveway, and then made a sharp turn onto the road where she accelerated the engine. No one talked. If we were in such a hurry to get to Port Angeles why didn't we take Alice's Porsche? I don't know much about cars, but I'm sure it has a more powerful engine than Rosalie's Mercedes. Not to say that Rosalie's Mercedes doesn't have a powerful engine. As we sped through Forks, I started to ask questions.
"What's going on?" I asked hoping that one of them would answer me.
"Bella, I'm so sorry," Alice said to me.
"For what," I asked in disbelief. What on earth did Alice have to be sorry for?
"I should have seen you in that dress before I bought it. Bella, you looked like you were from the 1800s."
"Hey, that style was very nice back then," Esme retorted.
"Yeah, back then," Rosalie added.
"But don't worry Bella, Esme is handling the situation," Alice said reassuringly.
"Where to now Esme?" I didn't even notice that we had already entered Port Angeles.
"Go straight then make a right," Esme ordered.
As Esme directed Rosalie through a maze of streets, we passed numerous dress shops.
"Guys were passing all the shops. Aren't we going to at least look in them? You never know, I mean one of them could have the perfect dress in them," I cried out. No one even looked at me. We drove for about another ten minutes until Rosalie finally found a parking space. We all jumped out of the car, and Esme started walking down the road. Alice grabbed my arm and pulled me forward. We walked three blocks until Esme seemed to have found the shop she wanted. In the window stood a mannequin dressed in a very modern wedding gown. Next to it stood another mannequin dressed in grey, pin-stripe suit. I tried to picture myself in the wedding gown and Edward in the suit. Of course Edward looked stunning, but my dreams contorted my image. My skin sagged and age spots sprinkled my face. My hair, grey and silver, was pulled up into a small bun on top of my head.
I shook the image from my mind and ran into the shop hoping the sooner I get the dress the sooner I get married and the sooner Edward changes me. In the front of the store was a short, teenage girl behind a counter flipping through the pages of the latest issue of Cosmo Girl. I looked around for Esme, Alice, and Rosalie, but they were nowhere to be found. Unwillingly my eyes drifted toward the rack of wedding dresses. I couldn't help but to look at them. Which one did Esme pick out for me? I took the first one that caught my eye off the rack to look at it. This one was very similar to the one in the window. It was a halter dress with a very low back. Maybe Alice told Esme about the problem I had with the buttons. There would be no problem in this dress. I put it back on the rack and looked at the one in front of it. This dress was either made for an informal wedding or a wedding reception. It was very low-cut and would have only come down to my knees. When I tried to picture myself in this, I didn't see Gran. Instead I saw the short, teenage girl at the counter. I saw Charlie kicking her out of my house and all the neighbors dressed up whispering to each other. "Would you look at that, only eighteen years of age and getting married, I thought that Swan girl had class." They all just starred at the girl and shook their heads as she sat crying at the end of her drive-way. She's all alone; where is her fiancée? Where is her Jacob?
I quickly put the dress back on the rack and ran out of the store. I ran three blocks to the car only to find the three Cullen girls sitting patiently in their seats; waiting for me. I jumped in the back seat next to Esme and began to cry. Esme put her arm around my shoulder and I couldn't help but to curl up into a ball and cry into Esme's side. Rosalie drove at a normal pace while exiting Port Angeles.
We were somewhere on the highway and I was still curled up next to Esme. I wasn't crying. I might have been asleep for a while.
"Is the wedding still on?" I heard Rosalie ask Alice.
"From what I see she's still getting married. Oh, and Esme, she looks great in your dress."
They must have thought I was still asleep. Alice said the wedding was still on so I had nothing to worry about. Charlie already knew about the wedding. He wasn't completely thrilled when I told him, but he didn't kick me out of the house.
When finally got back to the house, (The Cullen house, but soon to be my house too) Alice and Rosalie ran in. I slowly unfolded myself and stretched out my arms and legs. My joints ached witch made me feel old, all the more reason to hurry up with the wedding. I saw Esme get a large shopping bag out of the trunk.
"Is that my dress?" I asked her.
"Yeah, all we have to do is put it together," she calmly said to me.
"Wait; put it together, what do you mean?"
"Come into the living room and you'll see."
I jumped out of the car and rubbed my throbbing knees, then ran into the living room.
"Edward either go hunting or go upstairs," Alice yelled at him.
"What? I can't watch Esme sew a dress?" Edward said in his velvet voice.
"Not this dress," Alice was fuming.
"Well, than can Bella see my outfit?" he said purposely trying to make Alice even angrier.
"She's already seen it!"
"I mean while I'm wearing it. Come on, you won't need her for a while and besides I haven't tried it on yet."
"It's up to her," Alice snapped.
They both looked me. My eyes flew directly into Edward's gaze.
"Sure," I said in a low voice. Before I could blink I was in Edward's arms. He kissed the top of my head and ran me up to Alice's room. Once there he gently placed me on her bed then sprinted into her closet. In less than a minute Edward stood before me as glorious as a Greek God. His tuxedo fit snuggly around his muscles and I filled with the greatest joy just being alone in his presence. His crooked smile appeared on his face as he played with one of his cuff links.
"How do I look?" he casually asked me.
"Do you always have to look like a runway model?" I asked jokingly.
"Do you always have to be so shockingly beautiful?" He slowly grabbed my hands then threw me into one of his gentle, loving embraces. I looked up to see what I thought would be his golden, topaz eyes, but what I saw were black, onyx, empty eyes craving my blood. I saw the hunger gnawing at his insides.
"When was the last time you went hunting?" I couldn't help asking.
"Not important. All that matters is that come tomorrow you'll be mine and we're going to be together forever."
"I already was yours and we were always going to be together forever," I reminded him.
"I know," he whispered in my ear, and then began kissing me. My heart fluttered endlessly. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting for tomorrow."
"Are you scared?" I asked him.
"Yes, but probably not for the same reason you are."
"I'm not scared," I said stubbornly.
"I may not be able to read your mind, but your face is like an open book. What a beautiful, well written, classy book."
"Am I that obvious?"
"Yes, but it's endearing." He took my hands, kissed my knuckles and then kissed my forehead. "I know why you don't want to get married, but why are you scared?"
"I have exactly everything I want." I whimpered