February 26th 2020

Chapter 57
Their Contract on Sisters

"Doggy Tix!" Haley Hunter squealed, squatting to hug Trix as the dog happily gave the twenty-month-old girl kisses. It made her laugh, which in turn made her sisters laugh as they looked on.

"No, Haley, it's Trix," Nellie insisted, crawling toward her little sister. "With a R. Trix," she repeated, a couple times more, while the smaller girl just looked back at her and laughed, like it was the funniest thing. Meanwhile, the dog was growing confused as to why her name kept being called, like she didn't know who to attend, surrounded with the Hunter girls and their big sister.

"Doggy Tix!" Haley pointed to the dog, determined on the name.

"Can't argue with that," Maya grinned, scooping up the girl into her arms.

"It's okay, because she's little," Gracie insisted, looking to her twin, still determined that their little sister should be able to say the dog's name correctly. "Did we say the wrong names before, too?" she inquired of Maya.

"Uh, well…" Maya hesitated, debating whether anyone's pride would be harmed in discovering that they, too, needed to practice their ability for speech. "You used to call me 'Ya,' which was adorable. MJ did it, too."

"She does it, too!" Nellie pointed to Haley.

"Yeah, wouldn't have it any other way," Maya promised, kissing the top of her little sister, perched in her lap.

There had been some brief debate, when it had been decided that they would hold the very first of these sister sleepovers since the 'signing' of the contract in the previous year, stating they would have at least one every year from here on out. They had included Haley in what way they could at the time, even if she was still too little to even know or understand what a sleepover was. In all likelihood, they saw themselves including her only once she was about four or five, certainly not when she was still a few months shy of two.

But then when Maya had come to pick up the twins earlier that day, Haley had been teetering after them wherever they went and, for whatever she could or couldn't comprehend, she definitely got the impression that her sisters were going somewhere and she wasn't going with them. So, she'd reacted in what way a small child like her could. She'd started to cry, to holler until she was red in the face, clinging to her dad when he'd picked her up to try and calm her.

Gracie had been the one to turn to Maya and ask why they couldn't just bring Haley along. It was a sister sleepover after all, and she was their sister. Maya didn't have a problem with this, and one look to her parents had found them consenting. The only one left here who had to pronounce herself was Nellie. She looked doubtful for a moment, and Maya could practically read the thought playing in her mind. Haley was 'the baby.' Did they want the baby there, at their super sleepover?

Because she could no more say no to her little sister than the others could, she'd finally agreed, and Haley had been passed into Maya's arms, which appeared to start the girl understanding that the situation had changed. She might be going somewhere, too. By the time they'd gotten her little bag packed, she was only sniffling, her blotchy face regaining its normal tone. And once the four of them had made it to the house she was back on track, running around and laughing as soon as she spotted the dogs. And now here they were.

Already it was the beginning of March, and their first year back in Austin was running away with them. Maya could practically hear Melinda Friar reminding her that 'time flies when you're having fun,' and she couldn't exactly contradict her if she did. The year had been a great one so far, teenage romance hiccups aside. It was still just on this side of peculiar to think of how they continued to delineate years on a fall to summer schedule, as they'd been made to do ever since they'd started going to school as kids. If things kept up as they were going, she doubted this would ever get to change.

She had a fairly good idea as to what was making the time feel as though it had taken an upswing since the start of the year. As far as the year that ran from January to December, this one had started with a decision. They were getting married this year, Lucas and her. Not just this year, this July. That meant they really needed to get the ball rolling as far as their plans went.

Their goal had been for them to essentially be ready by April. They didn't really believe it would be doable, and already they could just see themselves falling behind schedule, but that was fine. April had sort of been a soft target, to keep them focused and moving forward. They were definitely doing that.

The venue was locked, the menu was being seen to by the joint intervention of Rebecca and Chef Isabel, the cake by Ellie Beale at the Houston bakery where Sophie used to work, the invitations had gone out and were being responded to in clusters day by day, the entertainment… The entertainment was getting to feel like it would be half a wedding and half a music festival. TXNY and Weaver Kings aside, Maya had a lot of friends in both Austin and Houston's music scene. Between the shows they had done in clubs, and events, festivals… They had built up those relationships, and Maya had strengthened them with her words, penning a number of songs for most of them. As soon as they'd heard she was getting married, it all came easily that they would want to do something on the day.

The biggest bit of mystery – to the others at least – remained the wedding dress. No one, absolutely no one save for Maya and her two 'co-conspirators' had seen even a sketch of the thing, much less the physical thing they were working together to construct. This was getting to be something of a problem… for some people. They couldn't be blamed for wanting to see it, of course not. This close to the wedding, surely at least one person, from a mother of the bride or groom, or a maid of honor, or any one bridesmaid would have gotten to see it, no? They would have gone to a shop together, Maya would have tried on dresses, they would have seen it…

"Hey…" Maya had turned around to face Lucas, one night, shortly after they'd settled in to bed. "Can I tell you something?" she'd whispered. It wasn't really a question, and neither of them saw it as one.

"Yeah," Lucas had replied, smiling at this bit of secrecy.

"My dress is ready," she'd revealed. He would have been interested no matter what, but here he was unable to be anything but openly curious. He propped himself up on his elbow.

"Yeah?" he smiled.

"Yeah," she laughed. "Denise and Ilsa still look like they want to tweak it, and I get that feeling, I really do, but there's really nothing left to do. More alterations would just be kind of… overkill, or it might ruin things."

"Wouldn't want that," Lucas shook his head, and she did the same. "I wish I could see it… I know I will, eventually, I just mean…"

"I know," she nodded, smiling. Of course he'd want to see it. "Your patience will be rewarded."

"I know my mother will be thrilled to see it, too. I don't know if I should apologize ahead of time…" he mumbled, making Maya laugh.

"She might not be so thrilled," she confessed. "Not about the dress," she was quick to correct, after seeing the look of confusion on Lucas face. "I just… I think I might not show it to anyone before the wedding."

"Really?" he asked, unable to mask his surprise. "No one?"

"No," she shook her head. "That way it's just sort of… equal opportunity surprise," she told him. He looked at her for a beat, before finally pulling her closer, kissing her lightly… She guessed this meant the plan agreed with him.

So far, she had been keeping her choice, though she hadn't specifically explained that this was what she'd be doing. Whenever anyone would ask after the dress, she would try to keep the lying to a minimal, saying they couldn't see it yet. That much was true, wasn't it?

Even her sisters were aware that there was something special about this dress. They'd heard their mom and dad and a few others talk about it, to the point where they clearly had developed some version of it in their heads. That morning, the day of the sleepover, when the twins had asked if they could draw and she'd given them the materials for it, Nellie and Gracie had started to draw what looked to Maya like some kind of princess or fairy godmother. At six and a half, the two of them were becoming just a bit better at drawing. They might not have been on a level with their big sister, but they had a vivid imagination and they expressed it there on the paper.

"Who's that?" Maya asked, when they were both done and came to show her.

"That's you!" they'd both declared, so close to one another as to sound like a voice and an echo.

"Me?" Maya smiled, looking from one sheet to the other.

"When you get married," Gracie provided an explanation.

"Oh!" she understood now.

The doorbell rang, all of seconds later. The twins took off at once, followed by the dogs. Maya called after them to wait for her to be there before they could open the door. With Haley in her arms, Maya had moved from the kitchen to join her little sisters, making a very strong impression of the dogs whenever there were visitors, as shown by the pups at their feet. At least they didn't have to long to wait to be allowed to open the door. One look through the window had confirmed it was exactly who she'd assumed it would be, who they had been waiting on since they'd arrived here not two hours ago.

"It's okay, go ahead," Maya had told the twins, and the words were barely out of her mouth that the girls had hurried to do as told, like they were afraid she would change her mind.

The rush of giddiness that followed was kind of everything Maya could have asked for. She watched her sisters… all of her sisters… as they very nearly collided with one another.

There was just no way that any of this would have gotten to happen if she didn't get everyone together on this. The moment she'd tell the twins, their first question would be 'All of us?' and she would need to be ready to say yes. It hadn't even ended up being a question so much as a statement. All of us. So, when the matter of Haley's being here or not had happened earlier today, it had been on that same statement that she'd become part of the group. All of us means all, the little and those who won't believe they count.

"It was so much fun!" Eliza would tell the twins. "We got to go on the plane by ourselves," she revealed, indicating herself, and Cara, and Emma Lane. "Well, there was the lady from the plane who looked after us, but that was it."

"Woah…" Nellie and Gracie intoned as one.

"Welcome, ladies," Maya stepped up now, setting Haley down with a smile. "Welcome to Sleepster 2026!"

TO BE CONTINUED

See you tomorrow! - mooners