CH37: Make it up as we go

I could only dream of owning HTTYD. But I will still have my OC and OOC.

Kendra looked like she…he? was having a panic attack. "Ok Hiccup I can explain this!" Saying that while trying to cover him/herself, alternating from male like cover to female like cover.

"Yeah, like I can explain this." I joked pointing over to the big black dragon next to me.

"Perhaps we can do that after you put on some clothe Ken."

"Uhh right." So he hurried to put his clothe that were hanging from a nearby branch back on.

"Lanie."

"Don't worry we will tell you what's going on."

"But she…he …. Whatever!"

"Hiccup it's not like you are the only one with a secret and a story."

"Uhh this is going to be a headache isn't it."

Ken.. ahh whatever. Kendra came back standing before Lanie fully dressed in the same women's clothe that I saw before.

"Lanie. Are you ok? You look really pale and sick."

"I will be ok. I just was not used to flying that's all. It was amazing."

"Must have been." Kendra then faced me. "You're probably wondering what the deal is, like I'm wondering why you two just came floating down on a dragon with what looks like a major fishing haul. So do you feel like trading stories? The real stories. Seems no one's been fully honest."

"That seems kinda obvious now. Toothless could you give the fire some help. I'm feeling extra cold from the fall in the river and the flight" Toothless relit the small dying firepit that was near.

We dried and warm ourselves off in the burning fire next to Kendra. We stayed around the fire for a bit either warming up or trying to find the words to start. Toothless broke the standstill by bringing everyone some of the fish we brought.

'Hey since we already brought this stuff might as well eat it.'

Well they got fish, I got delicious mystery healing beverage. Or would that be delirious? With what I just saw it's hard to tell anymore.

After eating some of the cooked fish it seemed Kendra had the first question. "That is a dragon right?" Pointing to Toothless next to him. He seemed calmer now. He seems really curious.

"Yeah he is. Toothless meet… I'm not too sure anymore."

"You can just keep calling me Kendra, I don't really like my real name. Too many bad memories."

"I'll take your word for it."

"Ken dear, do you mind if I start with your story?"

"Sure but can he …never mind." One glance of Toothless put down whatever concerns he, Hold on.

"Ok and you are…"

"I am male Hiccup."

"Checking."

"Yeah I get why you may need to double checking."

Ok he seems fine with Toothless and I get that he's crossdressing. Now we just need to know why.

"Well I'm sure you both have gathered that you both have a bit of a back story. I can start with Kendra was not born on Grissgom. He is an Outcast."

"What! Outcast like like the village Outcast? They have children?!"

"Uh yes they do. But it's usually a result of kidnaping and raping women from raids. Rarely do they have children for the right reasons."

Geez that's a pleasant thought.

"Kendra's mother was a woman who was kidnapped and held captive by one member of the Outcasts who used her simply to have a child. Moran said his name was Savage."

"Lanie"

"Yes?"

"Do you mind."

"Sorry was I already wrong?"

"No but I'd rather tell him myself if you don't mind."

"Oh right I apologize."

"You do have to apologize. Just I should be the one to tell him. First off, I already told you but while I do have a proper given birth name I will always prefer to be called Kendra. It's what everyone I care about knows me as so it how I'd like to always be known. I said I had a proper name but it was the name he gave me so I will never accept it." I nod showing I understand.

I do understand, quiet well really. I know that I would rather be known as Hiccup by my loved ones rather than anything else just for whatever reason. Names are after all for your friends and family to know you as, not for you to do whatever with it. You sure can't have a name that's only a curse to everyone. It has to mean something special to someone close to you.

"Anyhow all I can say is that I was rejected by my father Savage because I was born a hiccup child, I was a very small and frail child." Hearing that all I could do is stare in disbelief. I look at Lanie and she nods at the statement.

I take a better look at him. Now that I think about it he is about my height and he looked pretty thin too when I just saw naked. He's supposed to be as old as Chapskin and the other teens I met so he's should be 18 or so.

He's a hiccup even now.

"He was going to kill both my mother and I for the embarrassment of having had a hiccup child but we managed to escape during a prisoner riot. Several prisoners including my mother and I managed to escape on a boat but became lost at sea for some time."

"Most of the crew we're already at deaths door so by the time they drifted to an island on Moran and Kendra were alive but only just." Lanie finished.

"They landed here." I assert.

"No they did not, they landed on another island."

"I spent the first ten years of my life there."

"What happened?"

"You should know already Hiccup." Kendra alleged.

"It happened to you after all." Lanie clarified.

"Misfit."

He nodded saying I was right. "Bullied and rejected."

"Is there any other kinda hiccup Viking?" I ask as a joke.

"Apparently not." He said looking at me thinking it similar for both of us.

I've never heard of other hiccups like children from other villages but I always assumed that I couldn't be that only one who was born below average Viking standards.

"I got kicked around real bad back then on the island which I can't even remember the name too. Broken bones, tied up and pranked, beat up on regular basis."

"Sounds familiar."

"Right. Eventually my mom had had enough. No one else was doing anything about it so she did. One day the two of us just left that island. We drifted quiet far and eventually came here to Grissgom."

"We took them with us where she told us her story. Stickstone decided to allow them to stay if they chose to, which they did."

So they ran away and came here. Sounds more like they stumbled here and luckily found themselves a perfect place to stay. But

"That doesn't explain the cross dressing." I ask pointing at his attire.

He hesitated before answering that. "It was my mom's idea."

"Sounds more like her joke."

"It wasn't! It really did help me." He sounded really depressed saying this.

"You see Hiccup Moran did not want a repeat of what happened before to him because he was small. So instead of introducing him as a very bulliable kid like you or Chapskin was, she chose to hide his identity as a girl. He may have been small for a boy"

"But the perfect size for a girl. I get it." Fair game to pick on the boy that stood out for being weak and small but if it was a weak and small girl then it's easy to overlook. Nothing wrong with it after all. It's when the guy is weak that people seem to have problems with. Everyone loves a cute little girl.

I'm assuming the cute part.

"So you just stayed disguised all this time?" I ask him. "It's been a few years and you have friends here so I really don't see why keep up the ruse?" If Lanie was right then it wouldn't matter what he kept from them they would still care for him regardless of gender.

"Don't you see Kendra it really might be time to tell everyone, at least tell Red and your family. If one person can accept it then there is no reason the others would not either."

Kendra and I look at each other. "I'm sorry Lanie but that's"

"Not the same. I can accept it because well I'm just the same. I get having to do whatever to avoid that pain."

"And others might not."

"You two are worry warts."

"And I just noticed you're overly optimistic Lanie."

"Is that bad? Better than being the drink half empty like you two are. You two always seem to look at things as so negatively."

Looking at her then at each other. She is right, we keep looking at the truth as something that will make things go real bad once known. But it's not like we are completely unjustified to think that way.

"So Kendra you just never got around to telling anyone who you really are."

"No but…."

"What? You got another reason?" Hmmm wait it got to be because of his mom. Lanie mentioned she was gone and the fact that she was supposedly adopted by Cal and her family, guess something came up that prevented him from doing so.

I can actually figure that it has to do with the fact that now he would have to expose himself with people who really trust and care for him. If he told them anything it could ruin their relationship and their love for him.

You know I'm really wondering how they never noticed before. It should have been obvious if he lived with them for any amount of time.

"I do have another reason, one I think you know; The Archipelago Hiccup Ripper."

"I think we might have jumped stories. What are we talking about now?"

The two of them looked at each other and then back at me. "The serial killer that was around few years back?"

"Hiccup I can't believe that you of all people don't know what we're talking about."

"And yet unsurprisingly I don't know."

"Unsurprisingly?" They both exclaim.

"Unsurprisingly." I confirm to them.

"Alright? Well you do have the right to know since it is your name."

"It happened seven or six years ago."

"It was sometime after my mom passed away from illness. After that happened Cal adopted me into her family. Technically I would have been alright on my own but she insisted I come live with them, she and my mom were good friends so she really wanted to take care of me in her place. Well at that point I kept my identity a secret from nearly everyone the only person who knows is Lanie."

"I seriously don't get how no one else found out for, how long?"

Kendra's been here for nine years." Lanie answered.

"It helped that they just took my word for it. Well I live with her family for two years and it was then as I turned 13 that I figured it was a good time to tell them but then those rumors started going around. The rumors of the Hiccup Ripper. "

"Actually that's something we don't fully know the story to. All we really knew was that what we heard from Cal on her away work."

At this point Hiccup welcomes a bad feelings and ill premonitions.

"The word was that someone was going around the tribes killing all the male hiccup children."

"She told me that she saw one of those murders herself on one of her trips. Young kid was torn up like wild game and some sort of medal was left on the corpse."

"Medal?" I ask him

"The killer always left a golden medallion with the symbol of an eye being pierced by a cross shaped spear." Kendra detailed the item.

Sounds familiar. Dream like familiar.

"We figured that Chapskin would be targeted but instead he was spared. We think it's because despite being weak he was tall for his age, and I was most likely mistaken for a girl."

So the target was always a small and weak looking boy. Probably all had red hair too.

"Ever since then I stayed hidden as a girl because I was really worried about bringing that kinda danger here. In the end I never got around to telling anyone else my little secret, not even Red or my family."

"So you stayed hidden as Kendra since then. That reminds me, but you don't live with them right now do you? Why? Is it to keep your secret?"

"Yeah. After awhile I figured that this would just be who I would be. Telling them I was a guy now would mean nothing now. It was after dragon training that I left. Physical changes you know."

"No. I don't."

"Well.. you know guys get uh taller, more muscle, hairier. Girls grow…. Their chest their hips their…. Your joking with me aren't you?"

"I think I get it."

"Well that's my story."

"Well Hiccup will you tell him yours?"

"Sure but I got a question before that." I stand up and lean heavy on my crutch. I start looking around and confirm my thoughts. "Where'd Toothless go?"

No sooner did I say that that he came walking back to us from wherever he was at.

'Hiccup I found a little human. Do we keep it or let it go?'

And he was carrying someone in his mouth.

"Meradith!"

"Hey Kendra."

"Uhh who's that?"

"Hiccup that's my little sister."

Toothless had been hearing Hiccup talk with the other humans but he didn't pay attention to their conversation; he didn't have anything to do about it. It was Hiccups fight to persuade other human onto our side.

I need to keep a look out. Even though we got away from groun…, actually she seemed to prefer Whispering Death. We may have gotten away but that doesn't mean she won't come back. In fact I guarantee we'll see her again soon.

As if hearing my thoughts I notice movement in the tree line. That movement also makes me aware that I can't smell past this area. My nose is filled with nothing but the smell of the fish we brought.

But I still noticed that someone was here watching us.

Looking over at Hiccup he was engrossed with his talk with the new human. I won't bother him with this this time. Before I couldn't fight because if I lost it would have stranded Hiccup back on that bitter plant land, but now that he would be alright regardless of what happens.

I don't have to hold back.

I quietly slip away making sure the others don't notice me and rush to the tree line that I heard the presence.

I caught something under my paw. It wasn't Whispering Death but instead I found a small human.

She looked too shocked to do or think anything. Like she could see what was happening but her body wouldn't do anything about it.

I pick her up and bring her to the other who looked like they were caught.

We were caught, by a little spy.

"Meradith what are you doing here?" Kendra asked the red headed little girl hanging from Toothless's mouth.

"Toothless you can put her down." I tell him. He gave me a questioning look.

'What if she runs?' That's what I gathered from his look.

I step closer to him and point to put her down. "I'm sure that won't happen." But then again that's what Astrid did and that's why we're here now. "But just in-case keep your eye on things. Let's try to avoid repeats as much as possible."

He still gave me an uncertain look. 'I don't know. You sure to trust these new guys?'

"It's okay its fine." I leaned in to whisper in his ear. "But worst comes to worst do what you think is best. For now look unthreatening."

He finally relents and puts the girl down. Once on the ground she runs next to Kendra.

"Meradith how long have you been here? What are you even doing here in the first place?"

"Well uhhhhh."

"Kendra I think she may have been looking for you." I finish here statement. We look at her and she nods.

"I'm sorry I just thought well since you actually came to dinner with us last night and said you'd stay for a while but then Red and you argued so I wanted to ask if…."

I leave the two of them to talk. Seemed like a private family thing that I shouldn't get involved in yet. Me and Toothless sit back down with Lanie who was watching the scene with the two step siblings.

"What do you think?" I ask her.

"About?"

"Am I fine to trust them? Or should I be making my exit?"

"Are you alright taking my optimistic advice on the matter?"

"Don't tell me you're mad about that."

"It was a bit rude to say. You seem to think of me as someone who will blindly follow and support anyone. I apologize if my help seem too bias but that is my opinion based on my life experience. I know many of the people of Grissgom very well and but that does not mean I am thoughtless in who I put faith in."

"Just seems that you think my best chances are to just stay here. To believe in a bunch of people that honestly I don't think I can trust. Just feels like I'm being thrown way out of my comfort zone. I'm sure there are individuals I can trust, Kendra I'm sure is someone who I can confide in like you said and maybe there are others. But does that sum up your whole village? Will the collective of your people be as patient as him and you are. My worry is that they won't."

"I'm sure that if you tell the village about Toothless it will not be all smooth. Like I mentioned I know many of the people here, so I can already foresee who among the villagers will give you trouble and grief and may even want to attack you about this."

"Sounds like you have a however to what you just said."

"I do. However I can be sure that the majority of the village can be at the least open to learning your ideas."

I'm still not sure. I will say this, her optimism on the opinion that I can confide in Grissgom and that it would be best to ask them for help is for lack of a better word stubborn.

Makes me wonder.

"You've known for how long!" Kendra was yelling at his sister. Looking over it Meradith looks like she just let some bad news out or something.

"I'm sorry but I've known for a while and well mom said"

"Wait don't tell me mom knows."

"No no. I asked her like it was about someone else with a secret. She told me that if someone has a huge secret that they can't tell even their family then you should only wait and softly encourage them to tell you themselves."

"That does not sound like something she would say." I heard Lanie say next to me.

"That doesn't sound like her unless… dad was in the room wasn't he?"

"Yeah he was."

"I don't get it." I say aloud.

"Cal is very… free about her child rearing, she more or less lets them do whatever they want so long as it has an interesting result or story. Her husband on the other hand is strict and prefers to stay out of the business of other people, he is very against Cal's policy of nosiness." Lanie answered me.

"They sound perfect for each other. They keep a check on each other that way."

"They have been like that all their lives. I think that's why they match each other as well as they do."

The two of them walk our way and sit next to the fire so now it was the four of us and Toothless who laid behind me.

"What happened?" I asked them.

"Seems my sister has known that I was a guy for some time now."

"Really?" Lanie exclaimed.

"Yeah I'm not surprised. Red too?"

"Uh uh. Just me, I never told anyone." Meradith answered me looking suspicious.

"So you followed him here into the forest to talk in private?" Lanie asked her.

"I just wanted to talk to him because He and Red got into a fight last night and I hoped he wasn't too mad because of it."

"You had a fight Kendra? What happened?" Lanie exclaimed astonished.

He let out a deep sigh. "She really just wants me to move back in with them and I said no. She got mad then I got mad and we ended up yelling at each other for a long time. I left still angry."

"Regretting it?" I asked.

"This was the first time we ever had that bad of an argument."

"I cannot even think of another time you two ever fought before."

"We've fought just never that harshly."

"Uhh?"

We all look and see that Meradith was shifting uncomfortably and looking dubiously at Toothless. I got to admit that's more the reaction I expect from people, suspicion.

"He's staring." She continued. I look and see that Toothless is leering at her pretty intensely.

"Stop it." He whine at my instruction but did look away.

"Sorry bout that. I think he's being more paranoid about this then I am."

"I would imagine."

"What is all this?"

"I don't know yet Mer, they were just about to tell me when we found you. So Hiccup, You know who I am I think it's only fair to know the real Hiccup that came here."

"Sure." I was going to tell him anyways.

So how do I? Hard points of the story I suppose.

"Well for starters this is Toothless, the nightfury. The dragon nightfury."

….. "Hiccup"

"I know I know. I just had to try."

"Hiccup try something else. Just tell them what you told me."

"I caught a nightfury, released it, tamed and trained him, what else? Oh I used what I learned from Toothless to become the champion in my dragon training group. After that, like right after that I got busted by some people I knew. They listen to my story and then one of them broke away, told the village and my father, they captured me he tortured me, all in the name of the right thing against dragons. I managed to escape with some help, but it came at a great cost. It's been about two weeks since then."

"So you got here"

"On Toothless yeah."

"Lanie how long did you know about the dragon?"

"Since Shazz and Chapskin first brought him to my house."

"And you haven't told anyone?"

"No, I did not imagine that being the best course of action. Too much danger for everyone if I did without knowing everything from Hiccup first."

"So….. good dragon?"

"He's my friend. If you can trust me than you can trust him. That's all I can say."

"I don't know. It's a dragon. It's" Meradith tried to reason against me but I cut her off before she could wedge any mistrust.

"He's a dragon but he is not your enemy. Neither of us are."

"You do know how hard it is to just point face accept that Hiccup. Trusting you is one thing, but him? I'm sorry but I don't see that happening. The only reason we haven't escaped is because I'm sure none of us could out run or challenge that beast if we wanted to."

"Then why do you trust me and not him?"

"Well because well your human, you're a Viking, you're "

"Not from your village. I'm just a stranger you met yesterday. What make you think I'm not your enemy?"

"It's different and you know it. He's dangerous."

"And I'm sure I told you're friends that I can be too."

Meradith looked like she didn't know what to do at all. If she went back to the village she would inform the other that Toothless is here and that Lanie has been safeguarding us by lying to them. Kendra on the other hand seemed like he would work with us if I can convince him. He's hesitant of Toothless but seems to have some trust in me and Lanie. If I'm right they're working on three ideas; first they trust Lanie and what she does, two that Kendra's empathy for me because I'm a hiccup lets him be open and trusting to what I say, third thing is that they like most others believe being human makes you an ally against everything else that's not.

That last ones that thing really working against me. If I can get them to drop that idea then I should be fine.

This is only my hope but if I can get Kendra to help then he can convince his sister to at least be secretive about Toothless' presence here.

"Kendra I'm sure that you think that this is bad. But if you really can accept me then you can trust him. He's not a mindless destroying animal. He's my best friend, my brother, and he's deserves the same treatment that you would offer me. He may look different but there's very little different about him, me, and you guys."

"I see plenty different. It's not really that hard to accept you. But he's a dragon, and a lot of good people have died because of him."

"Because of him personally or because of his kind?"

"Dragons are the enemy. Are you saying that's wrong? Do you really expect us to say welcome like it was nothing?"

"I expect you to be fair. That's all. To both me and Toothless. Met us greet us and then say whether we are you enemy. But if you think he really is your enemy then I'll tell you that that means so am I."

"So, you're not here to cause trouble. You and him, you're good right. Then confirm what you plan to do here in Grissgom?" Kendra asked.

"We don't want any trouble that's all. If we can we even want to help you and everyone else. I know we can help, both of us can help. Just be fair and let us show you that we at least aren't enemies. As far as actual plans go, I'll stay out of trouble and leave when I can, that's all I got for now."

"So you come and go in peace?"

"We're very peaceful."

He takes a moment. I know he will not go against us. I know it. Question is what will he tell his sister to get her cooperation?

"Well I can't say this is the smartest thing anyone's done."

"Most people would say it's just stupid."

"And it is. But I do trust you and Lanie. The fact that we're still here proves plenty that you're at least not extremely hostile. Looking at your dragon now" We all look at Toothless resting behind me. To them he probably looked too pathetically lazy to do anything. But me resting on him and knowing him as well as I do, I can feel he was tense. Protectively and ready to run tense.

"You been behaving so far don't see why you'd change that now. Well what do you say Meradith?"

"…" She showed some hesitation. A lot of it really, but the way she looked at Kendra, it was admiration and reliance. She may not know me but she will listen to him. She knows him better than anyone else in Grissgom, she knows his secrets and his concerns, and she knows he's a good person, the same one she grew up with. "If you think I shouldn't tell anyone I won't."

"You sure Mer?"

"I'm sure. I think it's the right thing to do too."

"Ok."

We all seemed to come to agreement to keep things between us five for now, both Kendra's and my secret.

"With that major point out of the way can I now ask about the sharks?" Kendra asked us.

"Just something we picked up. Lanie also got some healer things too."

"Lanie?"

"We flew to Healer's Island and acquired Greenman's Petals of the Vanir. On the return flight we managed to find the sharks. I'm sure you know by now that Shazz insist on it for the wedding."

Vanir. A group of gods and goddesses that are supposed to bring health, youth, fertility, luck and wealth with their magics.

The most well know of the Vanir that come to my mind at least is there goddess leader Frayja, Queen of the Valkyries.

Greenman….

Fertility….

Shazz

"Lanie we gotta talk later."

"Mmm?"

"In the meantime what do you guys say we get the fish back."

We got everything ready to transport.

Rather than risk flying back, we prepare a dragging cart made of thick braches to take one of the sharks and Toothless was carrying the other. I told him when we get closer to the village that he should take it back to Lanie's house himself.

Kendra and I worked on hauling the makeshift cart while Lanie and Meradith carried the basket of smaller fish.

"Nice acting back there." I tell Kendra as we walk apart from the girls.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Meradith. She would have just gone and told the village if you hadn't 'argued' and 'chosen' to help me. But seeing you, her older more trusted sibling confront, debate, and compromise with me, well then she has no reason to worry and will have faith that both you and Lanie have the situation under your control."

"Is that what I did?"

"Yep, thanks a bunch. If not I would have gone to plan… anywhere but here."

"Ha! When you figure it out?"

"You were pretty unobjective, curious even when you were here with us telling your story without her here. Once you knew she was here and that she could tell others about Toothless you changed and became confrontational. You questioned and reasoned but not against me but with me against her. You indirectly got her to join our side and hold our secret's by making your argument with me seem as real as you could despite already having made up your mind. You went out of you way to help Toothless and me."

"It wasn't just you or Toothless, Lanie's involved as well and me too."

"So it was to protect your master huh?"

"No it was for everybody. I was just being like you said fair and gave you the chance to prove yourselves in-front of my sister. For the most part I figured if Toothless hasn't done anything now then it's unlikely he'll do anything later without a reason. As for you, you're too injured to do anything. Together I presumed you two won't do anything."

"Got it, and thanks again. And I'm sorry."

"What's with the apology?"

"Having you trick you sister like that."

"I'm sure she would have agreed with us even without all the subterfuge. This only streamed line hours of deliberation into less than an hour while still reaching the same conclusion."

"Right. Either way thanks."

"I actually should be say thanks to both of you."

"How so?"

"I haven't really trusted anyone with my secret, and neither did Mer without my knowing. It was hard for me to keep it undisclosed but it must have been just eating her up to know the truth as to why I've been distancing myself from Red and the others. It must have been everything she could to just stay quiet about it. I'm not sure but now that I know she knows and that I can talk to her about it, that we can closer again, it's a good feeling. What about you?"

"I'm happy I can trust all of you but I'm more relived that Toothless will be alright."

"You really care a lot for your dragon."

"The same way you care for your family, your sister, I care for Toothless. He's my precious family, my irreplaceable brother. No matter what we do or what happens I know it'll be alright so long as we're together."

"That's a deep bond. Seems your happy as long as he's with you."

"I am happy being with him. But I still worry about many things. Like you guys getting hurt because of me, the trouble I'm sure is after me, the way people seemed to play with my life, and the secrets I was never told. I'm good, but sometimes I don't know. Maybe I'm going about all this the wrong way."

"Well don't make my mistake and wait too long to act. Also know that you not doing anything by yourselves. Lanie, Meradith, I, and the people of Grissgom you can count on us. This is a good place for guys like us."

"What's that mean?"

"I think Grissgom is like a sanctuary for the misfit, it's peaceful. It the place anyone can call home. Maybe even you two one day."

Like Lanie, he seems keen on finding a place for me here. It's nice.

It's very nice. It's warm in my heart to think strangers would open their arms to not only me but for Toothless as well.

I don't know. Maybe I'm also leaning just a centimeter in that direction.

I'm worried now. I stay here any long I might say yes to us staying. If I say it before the wedding I might even start to really believe and hope for it too. Hope for a peaceful life among Vikings.

But… is that really possible?

The five of us are now near the village. Is sounded busy and crowded. Sounds like any village on any day.

Before we reach the tree line Toothless who was walking behind us bounds to Lanie's house like a shadow in the woods. He disappears.

We walk into the village where everyone stares.

The healer and a 11 year old girl carrying a large basket of fish while two guys, one dressed as a girl and the other looking like he was made of bandages dragging a shark. Plenty of reason to stare, just pick one.

"Mom where were you?" Shazz runs up to us, sharply glaring at me and looking over Lanie.

"We were just out in the forest. Anyways Hiccup show her your gift!" She exclaims very happily.

Kendra and I drag the shark closer before moving aside to show our haul. I see several people come see what was happening including the teens from yesterday. Off to the side everyone can see the 21 foot shark we brought for the wedding. "Happy wedding. Or however you say it."

"Congratulation!" Everyone present corrects me.

'Ok now she shouldn't have any complaints.'

'This is perfect!'

'Last piece of the meal is here!'

We all watch in anticipation over Shazz's verdict. She walks around the soon to be food observing it for imperfections. She won't find any, Lanie and I made sure of it. Finally moment of truth and resolution. "It's"

'Perfect' 'Unbelievable' 'Ideal' 'Great' Everyone starts finishing her sentence.

"not big enough." That's what she said.

I'm starting to think nothing anyone does will be perfect for her dream wedding.