Okay, so I'm leaving for Europe tomorrow morning for two weeks, so I won't be able to update until after that. I'll try to update immediately when I get back, but I'm not sure. Hopefully this chapter is enough to hold you over (no cliffhanger :)
"Oh, Mel," I gasp as I enter her room. She's standing in front of her small mirror, fixing some dangling strands of hair. The rest of her hair is pinned up in an elaborate labyrinth of braids and curls. Her eyes are rimmed in thin, black liner and her lips are painted a vibrant red. Her cheeks are light pink, but I'm not sure whether that's from blush or from her nerves. "You look beautiful."
She's dressed in a short, white dress. Melanie said that the tradition is to have a long, white wedding dress, but that wasn't something we could just pick up on a raid. Instead, Sunny helped find this dress, which was more suited for a highschool dance, but still looked incredible.
It has a sweetheart neckline that scoops low in the center. The bodess clings to her skin and then flares out at her thighs in a gentle curve. The fabric is soft and smooth, rippling as she moves. Small bands of lace run horizontally along the bottom and top of the dress. The dress cuts off right above her knees, though the back of the dress is slightly longer. She is wearing sparkling, silver heels and her engagement ring shimmers on her finger. She looks stunning.
"Thanks, Wanda," she says shyly. Melanie is, by no means, a girly-girl. I've rarely ever seen her in a dress, let alone with makeup on and her hair done. But I can tell that she feels incredible today, dressing like the bride she is. Melanie tries to pass herself off as strong and tough, but I can see that sometimes she just wants to be a girl. "Do you think the shoes are too much? Lily says they're perfect, but I don't know . . ."
"They are perfect," I assure her. "You look amazing, Mel."
"So do you!" she laughs, gesturing at me. I'm dressed in a simple blue dress that Sunny also picked up on the last raid. She went about a week ago with Kyle, Heath and Jodi. Melanie and Jared had gone a few months back on the so-called "Wedding Raid" to get the majority of materials. But Sunny decided to go last week to pick up clothes for everybody (Melanie couldn't pick out her dress herself with Jared there) along with things such as fresh flowers and good food.
The dress she picked out for me is nothing like Mel's. It is more conservative and subdued, something that I'm very grateful for. I would never feel comfortable in a revealing dress. It has tiny sleeves and a scoop neckline, outlined in a strip of black. The dress crunches at the waist, where a small ribbon of beads wraps around like a belt, and then flows outwards. With it, I'm wearing plain black heels that Sunny also snatched for me. Ian says I look amazing in it, but I just feel awkward. Especially compared to Melanie, who's practically radiating beauty.
"Can you help me with this?" she asks, holding up a thin sheet of fabric called a veil. Sunny couldn't find a real one in any of the department stores, and going to a wedding dress store was too risky, so she simply picked up some fabric and hair pins. Trudy helped to sew it all together. I pin the veil into place and it floats over Melanie's face, blurring her features. "How does it look?" she asks. She shifts her weight awkwardly, nervously.
"Perfect. I think. It's supposed to cover your face, right?" I laugh. She nods, giggling.
"The groom is supposed to pull it up when I reach the podium, before the ceremony starts. Don't worry," she explains. She takes one final look at herself in the mirror and then whirls around to face me. "Do you think this is a bad idea? Like, a stupid one? I mean, getting married doesn't mean anything down here. It's not even legal."
"Melanie," I say, placing an arm on her shoulder. "This is a great idea. It doesn't matter about legality or anything. What matters is that you love each other. And by getting married - even if only symbolic - it binds you both completely to each other. It represents your eternal love."
Mel smiles at me and then looks away. "Did Ian tell you that?" she asks, narrowing her eyes.
"What? No!" I defend myself, lying. Of course Ian told me it. I'm still not completely sure about how this whole wedding thing works. But I'm not going to let Mel know that. She gives me a look, shaking her head. "Okay . . . he did," I admit. She just laughs, tossing her head back.
"Well, then, thank you, Ian!" she says. She sighs and takes a large, deep breath. "Should we go?"
"If you're ready." She closes her eyes and nods, then heads out the door.
Mel POV
It's incredible how much Jodi and Lily transformed the caves. There were candles running across the walls. The simple picnic tables have been covered in white tablecloths, with flower petals sprinkled on top of them, a large candle centered in the middle. They've been placed methodically so that they leave an aisle between them, which is outlined by strips of fabric left over from my veil. And standing at the end of the make-do aisle is a podium, made out of random miscellaneous crates stacked side-by-side. Jared's standing on top of it, dressed in a black suit, his eyes shimmering with excitement.
Walking through the doorway is probably the most horrifying moment of my life. Wanda, who I've decided to have walk me down the aisle, holds my arm steady in hers and guides me slowly through the room as my heart rate picks up. All eyes turn to me and everybody rises from their seats. They're all dressed in the nicest clothes we could find, and big, wondrous smiles are painted on their face. Jeb is looking at me proudly from the makeshift stage, along with Sharon and Maggie. Jodi, Sunny, Paige, Luciana, Trudy, Lily and all the other girls are all smiling and giving me looks of enthusiasm, supporting me. Kyle, Heath, Geoffrey, Doc, Fords and some others are all giving content smiles, but they don't seem as into it as the girls. Wedding were never a guys thing, were they?
Ian, who's standing up front, looks happy but sad at the same time. He's probably wishing it was Wanda walking down the aisle instead of me. He's holding Lena in his arms, who, despite the enormous event, is sleeping soundly, wearing a cute, pink dress.
Jamie's standing on the podium beside Jared, smiling proudly in his button down shirt. He looks so young and innocent, even though I know he's all grown up by now. He's giving me his biggest smile and I can practically see the urge to jump up and down growing inside of him. All he's ever wanted was for Jared and I to get married.
And then there's Jared, who's standing tall in the center, staring straight at me with the strangest expression on his face. A mix of wonder and curiosity, excitement and nervousness. Everything I love about him is right there in that expression, making me melt inside.
I'm too busy watching him to realize Wanda's left my side to stand next to Ian. And that I'm standing right in front of Jared, whose hand is outstretched, ready to help me up onto the crates. I take it gratefully and hop on up beside him, than face him. He gently lifts the veil over my head and sucks in a sharp breath, taking me in. My own breath quickens and I have trouble focusing as Jeb talks.
"Now, I'm no preist," he starts, giving us all a serious look. I fight back a laugh. Jared rolls his eyes, but he's smiling. "So we're just going to cut all the crap and skip straight to the good stuff, alright?"
We nod in agreement, Jared's hands squeezing mine. "Do you, Jared Howe, take Melanie Stryder to be your wife? Do you promise to care for her through thick and thin, through rich and poor, through health and sickness, through alien invasion and human rebellion?" The last part makes me laugh, though Jared keeps a straight face.
"I do," he whispers, looking straight into my eyes. A shiver rolls down my spine and I fight to stay focused. He slips a ring carefully onto my ring finger and then steps back.
"And do you, Melanie Stryder, take Jared Howe as your husband? Do you . . . well you know the rest," Jeb sighs. Preist is definitely last on his list of possible jobs.
I press my lips together and squeeze Jared's hand. "I do," I whisper, only so that he can hear. I place an identical wedding band on his finger and then look up at him. His lips creep up into a smile and before I know it we're kissing, despite the fact that Jeb hasn't said anything about, "You may now kiss the bride." Oops.
Neither of us care. I wrap my arms around him and hold him tightly, kissing him passionately with all my heart. He presses his chest against me then pulls away, probably realizing that we're in public. "I love you," he smiles, pressing his forehead to my nose.
"Eh, you're okay," I reply, shrugging nonchalantly. He grabs me by the waist and picks me up, laughing and teasing me. I fall into a fit of giggles - a rare thing for me - as he twirls me around then kisses me again. "I love you too," I finally say.
We look at each other one last time before stepping off of the crates and taking our seats beside Wanda, Ian, Kyle, Jodi, Sunny and Jamie. Trudy and Lily serve dinner to us, which is a surprisingly fancy meal of chicken, rice and vegetables. Not too bad for the caves. Jared's arm keeps tight around my waist as we eat, everybody talking over each other excitedly. Wanda grins at me from across the table, holding little Lena in her arms. "That was beautiful," she says of the ceremony.
"Really? I wouldn't describe Jeb's wording as beautiful . . ."
"No," she laughs, shaking her head, making her auburn curls fly around. "I mean, the concept of this. I know that you told me all about it, but seeing it was so nice. The vowing to care for each other, the rings . . . it was all so lovely," she sighs. Ian is watching her now, listening to her as she recounts her views on the wedding. I sense that he's anxious to repeat these events for himself, and I hope that he asks her. Wanda is obviously in love with this human concept - it would make her feel completely human - and I would love more than anything to see her that happy. "And I'm really happy for you. This is amazing!"
I laugh and smile. Jared squeezes my waist. "Yeah, it is," he says, looking down at me. I look up at him and see the glint in his eyes, the mischievous look he has. He's definitely ready for the honeymoon.
"Who's ready for cake?" Jeb calls across the room, interrupting the moment.
"I am!" Jamie calls, his mouth still full of chicken. "Mel, Jared, come cut it!"
Wanda POV
The wedding was so wonderful. Everything about it was a joy. The decorations, the ceremony, the dinner. Seeing Mel and Jared so happy, so in love, really made me appreciate what I have with Ian. We have that same bond, that same connection. And it's amazing.
"Look at her," Ian says later that night, as he's setting Lena of the Stars down in her crib. She makes a giggling, squeaky sound and I smile. I make my way over to the crib and stand beside him, looking down at her. "Is there anything else that could make this more perfect?"
I curl my arms around his waist and lean against his chest, feeling his steady heartbeat. The sound comforts me, assures me that he's here, that this is real. "No," I breathe into his chest. "I have all I need right here, with you." I cringe at the clichéness of that, but it's true. Everything I want I have. Mel and Jared, Jamie and Sunny, Kyle and Jodi. Lena and Ian. They're all right here for me, making me feel at home. I am home.
"So do I," he replies. He guides me over to the bed and lays me down beside him. He holds me against him, my back to his chest, and places gentle kisses near my neck. I close my eyes in pleasure. "We're going to have a great life, Wanda. I know we will."
Okay so how did you like the wedding? Was it too cheesy? Probably. Somebody requested that I did Mel's POV so I really wanted to fulfill that request with this scene. There's only one more chapter left- THE EPILOGUE! I'll post it when I get back!