Exhausted from her travels, Tessa had gone to bed early and slept late. She hadn't slept on the plane, so by the time she had gone to bed the previous night she had been awake for nearly thirty hours. Now, she was fretting over what to wear to party in Hyde park. It was obvious her usual jeans and top -even if it was a cute one- wouldn't cut it. She hadn't thought to bring one of her three dresses or even a skirt. Frustrated, Tessa shut the drawer on the dresser a bit too loudly, causing Rosamund to come in from across the hall.
"Are you all right, Tessa?" she asked, her head tilted to one side as she finished putting in an earring.
Tessa whirled around to face her, only barely able to keep her jaw from dropping. Rosamund was dressed in a simple but lovely white lace dress that came down to her knees and had a pale blue ribbon tied just below the bust. On her feet she wore white sandals with blue flowers that matched the ribbon. Her hair was put up in a loose messy bun at the nape of her neck.
"I have nothing to wear," Tessa informed her, trying not to sound too upset. "You had better go without me. I will look completely ridiculous." Especially next to you, she added in her head.
"Nonsense!" Rosamund said, brushing the comment away with her hand. "You can borrow some of my things. We look to be about the same size."
"Only if you're sure," Tessa said, hesitantly following Rosamund into her bedroom.
"Oh of course!" Rosamund assured her enthusiastically, leading Tessa into her closet. The closet was a walk in, the same size as Tessa's, but it felt much smaller because every available space was covered with some sort of clothing or accessory. There was an entire rack for jackets, several hooks loaded with scarves, and shoes -more precisely boots- everywhere.
Tessa was still looking around when Rosamund approached with something blue thrown over her arms. "Here, try this on," she told Tessa and handed it to her.
Rosamund stepped out while Tessa changed. It was a dress made from denim-like material, but much lighter. The sleeves could have been longer, but they were rolled up to about halfway between her shoulder and her elbow. There were a few buttons on the top which were left undone to form a 'V' as well as a collar similar to one on a man's dress shirt. Tessa was amazed at how comfortable it was. Her dresses back home were itchy and tight in all the wrong places, but this one was as comfortable as a nightgown.
Rosamund came back in, grinning when she saw Tessa. "That color is perfect for you. It makes you'r eyes look more blue."
"Thank you," Tessa smiled as she looked in the floor length mirror that occupied a small section of the wall. Rosamund was right, the color did make her grey eyes appear more blue and contrasted nicely with her hair.
"It just needs this," Rosamund said as she riffled through a drawer and pulled out a woven leather belt that matched the color of Tessa's hair. Tessa took it and fastened it around her waist. It was thick enough that it didn't get lost and made it's own statement, but it didn't completely take over the attention.
Rosamund stepped back to critique her work, her light brows knitting together in thought. "It needs shoes, of course, but something else, too. I just can't quite figure out what..." she trailed off as she began digging through piles of boots.
Tessa thought it looked fine. It was more than anything she would have put together on her own.
"Here," Rosamund said, holding out a pair of dark brown boots. They were the kind with thick soles and laces all the way to the top, which was a little lower than mid-calf on Tessa. "Oh I know! A hat!" Rosamund exclaimed and ran over to a coat tree designated for hats.
"A hat?"
"Absolutely," Rosamund nodded, carrying over a rather large floppy hat. It was straw-colored with a dark brown ribbon above where the brim started. Tessa took it skeptically. She never wore hats aside from an occasional stocking cap in the winter. She just didn't think they looked very good on her. "Come on, put it on," Rosamund encouraged her, smiling the whole time. Tessa did as she was told and put it on. "That does it!" Rosamund nodded, sounding excited. "You look so sassy now."
Tessa had to admit she was right. The dress, belt, and hat would have been sweet by themselves, but the nearly black boots added an edgy sort of feel to it. She grinned back at Rosamund through the mirror, unable to help herself from getting a little excited now.
"Let's get going," Rosamund said, leading Tessa toward the stairs. "The party started about 45 minutes ago, so it should be in full swing by the time we get there."
Tessa nodded in agreement and followed Rosamund down the many flights of stairs to the main level of the house. Rosamund paused to look out a window. "Hmmm we'd better take jackets. It's sunny now, but that can change in a heartbeat," she explained as she picked through the many coats in the hall closet to find one that matched each of their outfits. "Oh! And never leave the house without an umbrella. Ever."
"Nate mentioned that to me too," Tessa said with a grin. "He almost never had one and ended up getting wet very often."
"At least he didn't have to worry about his hair," Rosamund teased as she pulled two umbrellas from the basket by the door.
"Very true," Tessa agreed.
"I believe we are finally ready," Rosamund said with a short nod. "We'll walk because it is so close."
And with that the two girls headed down the street toward Hyde park. It was, as Rosamund had promised, a short walk to the park. They could hear the party before they saw it. There was music playing from large speakers, but there was also laughter and chatter. As people began coming into sight, Tessa began to get nervous again. It was only her second day in England and she didn't want to come off as a stereotypical stupid American. Rosamund seemed to sense her nervousness because she said, "don't worry, no one will bite. It's all going to be nice people for the most part."
That made Tessa smile some, and then she put on a relaxed face and followed Rosamund into the party. In addition to music, there was some food and also games off to the side away from the main group. People were waving and smiling at Rosamund and though some people glanced at Tessa, they were primarily curious and interested rather than hostile.
"There you are, Rose!" came a voice from in front of them. Tessa looked at the boy who had spoken. He was fairly tall with sandy blonde hair. "We were beginning to think you weren't coming."
"Hello, Gideon," Rosamund greeted him with a smile. "We just wanted to let things get going before we showed up."
"Oh is this the girl from America?" he asked, glancing at Tessa and smiling pleasantly at her.
"Yes," Rosamund nodded. "This is Tessa. Tessa. the is Gideon Lightwood He is a year older than me." She turned to address Gideon. "Are you here with Gabriel?"
"Yes," Gideon replied. "Though I seem to have lost him at the moment. Ah well. He'll turn up eventually," he said with a light chuckle. "He's probably off somewhere being a prat."
"Who's being a prat?" Another boy asked, joining their group. "I hope you're not talking about Will. True as it may be, I don't think he likes people talking behind his back."
"Actually I think he rather likes the idea. As long as people are talking about him, it doesn't matter," Gideon pointed out, earning a muffled laugh from Rosamund.
The boy caught sight of Tessa and then said to her, "I do not believe we've been introduced."
"I don't think so either," Tessa said with a smile. "I'm Tessa."
"James Carstairs, but most everyone calls me Jem," he replied with another smile. Tessa didn't know exactly what to make of Jem's appearance. He was tall and lanky, as most teenage boys were, but it was his hair and eyes that puzzled her. They were both the same shade of silver. She wasn't going to ask, of course, but she assumed he dyed it or something. She could not, however explain the eyes.
"Pleased to meet you," Tessa said, returning the smile.
"So you're from America then. Rose told us you'd be coming. I'm glad you were feeling up to coming today. Jet lag can be nasty.
"Yeah, I was pretty much unconscious last night," she told him. "Rosamund spent almost ten minutes just trying to get me out of bed this morning."
"Ah, well Rose is too nice. All it would have taken was a little water," he teased, nudging her lightly with his elbow.
"You would have done the same thing as I did, Jem," Rosamund said rolling her eyes.
Jem laughed quietly and smiled in agreement. "Yes, I suppose I would have."
"Have you any idea where Will is, Jem? I want to introduce Tessa to him," Rosamund asked.
"I last saw him over by the drinks, I think," Jem told her.
"All right. Perhaps we'll go over there. Come on, Tessa."
Tessa prepared to follow, but another voice brought the girls to a stop. "Leaving just as I arrive? That's not very polite now is it?" Tessa turned to find a very handsome black-haired boy standing beside her. He was a little taller than Jem and not quite as lanky. But that only caught her attention for a moment. Her eyes were immediately drawn to his intense blue ones. The color reminded her of the water off of one of the Greek islands she had visited. They were brighter blue toward the outside of the iris and faded to a slightly darker blue toward the center, just as the water faded from light to dark the farther it was from the shore.
"Will!" Rosamund exclaimed, turning and smiling at him. "We were just going to try to find you."
"Oh dear, I'm already being followed by so many adoring fans. Well I suppose you could wait your turn. I might get to you by sometime next week. Though I can't- Hey!" Will was cut off as Jem discreetly elbowed him in the ribs.
"I'm sure your 'adoring fans' can wait a moment," Jem said, giving Will a meaningful look. Whether or not he noticed was debatable.
Rosamund took the opportunity to introduce Tessa.
"Oh so you're the American? Hmmm, I assumed you'd be more... I don't know... exciting," Will said with a shrug earning him another elbow from Jem and a head shake from Gideon.
Tessa was about to respond but a sharp "Herondale!" came from behind Will, catching his attention and making him turn from Tessa.
"Gabriel, I already told you that you need to wait your turn. None of the other ladies will appreciate you cutting in front of them," Will told the boy, Gabriel, who had called his name. Gabriel did not look amused. In fact, he looked quite angry.
"You made Alice leave crying. Are you just going to stand here and act like nothing happened?" Gabriel demanded, crossing his arms.
Feigning a shocked expression Will said, "Dear me another one. Well I can't bestow my love on all of them."
Tessa only barely managed to keep her jaw from dropping. He was ridiculous! How could he think so highly of himself when he very clearly upset many people with his behavior? And what made him think he had the right to behave as he did? He hadn't spoken an entire sentence sentence before he had insulted her, so Tessa couldn't even imagine what he must have said to the other girl.
"What do you mean 'another one,' William?" Jem asked, sounding tired.
"Oh don't worry, no one else has been crying," Will brushed the comment off with a flick of his hand. "There are just so many people requesting my attention that I can't possibly make everyone happy."
"You could try by making at least one person happy," Tessa suggested. "Though that may be a bit of a struggle for you."
"My your accent is strange," Will mused purely, Tessa assumed, to irritate her. "But I have already made someone happy! I'm sure by simply talking to you I made your day so much better and happier."
"You assume too much," Tessa said, fighting a smile as a flash of irritation ruined the nonchalant, contempt expression on his face. With a pleasant smile, said good bye and waltzed away from a very surprised William Herondale.
Anyone else want Tessa or Rose's outfit? :P
I'm not going to post any more without at least, say, two reviews? So if you want more, tell me!