This is Prompt No. 72-Butterfly
Mitchie sat very still, staring at the wall while trying valiantly not to move. Her teeth clenched as she felt an unnecessarily sharp tug at her scalp. "Ow," she said quietly, succeeding in not moving her lips because her teeth were grinding against each other even as the syllable slipped through.
"Sorry," Caitlyn said, wincing as she said it. She patted Mitchie's head slightly to show her apology and continued in her duty.
"Are we almost done?" Mitchie asked, trying not to sound like she was whining. The last time she had asked in a whining tone, three minutes ago, Caitlyn had purposefully jerked the comb too hard and had told her to stop complaining.
"Well," Caitlyn said, trying not to roll her eyes, "we're three minutes closer to being done than the last time you asked.
"Was it really that short of a time ago?" Mitchie asked innocently, trying to twist her head around so that Caitlyn could see her batting eyelashes.
Caitlyn, however, would have none of that, and she pushed Mitchie's head back around to its original position. "Head forward," she ordered.
"Sorry," Mitchie muttered, turning back to the wall.
A moment passed, and Mitchie tried very hard no to move once more. She knew, deep down, way deep down, that Caitlyn was trying her hardest to be quick. Her hands were flying around Mitchie's head, trying to be as efficient as possible. "I'm hurrying, Mitchie," she promised, reaching for the comb as she spoke.
"How do I look?" Mitchie asked hesitantly, her voice shaking as she asked. "Someone refused to put me in front of a mirror."
Caitlyn smiled at the teasing and responded, "You look absolutely beautiful. Just a few more minutes, and then you'll be just wonderful. Shane will be so awed that he won't be able to think straight."
Mitchie laughed weakly. "Let's hope not," she said shakily. "I want him to be able to say 'I do.'"
Caitlyn laughed, her hands slipping slightly on the chunk of hair she held. She fought for control of the brown curls and rewound them for a good two minutes before she said softly, "I'm so happy for you. Are you excited?"
Mitchie's gaze flickered over the papered wall in front of her, as though trying to find the answer in the grooves of the paper. "I suppose," she said slowly.
Caitlyn raised an eyebrow. "You suppose?" she said hesitantly, not quite sure what to make of the hesitant answer.
"I mean, yes, I am," Mitchie amended, "I'm just nervous."
Caitlyn laughed slightly, but kept a firm hold on Mitchie's hair this time. "Isn't everyone?"
Mitchie's eyes widened and Caitlyn had to push her head back again because she tried to turn and look at Caitlyn. "Were you nervous?"
Caitlyn shook her head. "No," she said causally, and then added with a grin, "I was petrified."
"You?" Mitchie asked, her jaw falling open in astonishment. Brave, sassy Caitlyn had been petrified at a point in her life?
Caitlyn raised an eyebrow, but then realized that due to her strict rules about motion, Mitchie couldn't see the action. "Is that such a difficult thing to imagine?" she asked, her voice betraying just a slight hint of smugness.
"Well, yeah," Mitchie admitted. "I didn't think anything could ever petrify you."
Caitlyn sighed and her hands left Mitchie's hair. She came to stand in front of Mitchie so that she would be able to see Caitlyn's face. "Try parents," she told her friend.
Mitchie took a moment to think about this before she asked, "Your parents?"
Caitlyn nodded. "They never did like Nate. They used to make us sit out on the front of our plantation steps with them only three steps behind us, and let us talk that way. We never got a chance to find a quiet spot by ourselves."
Mitchie frowned. "Why would they do that?" She knew from courting stories that not even the strictest of parents would sit only yards away from their of-age child and their beau.
"Because they knew that Nate opposed slavery, and they refused to let him in the house." Caitlyn chuckled darkly. "I was lucky they didn't think about forbidding me to see him until we had already decided to run away and get married."
"You ran away?" Mitchie asked, sitting forward unconsciously. She'd never heard this story before.
Caitlyn nodded. "Ran all the way to Washington with him and found myself right down here for my wedding night." She smirked. "I can't say that it was all that bad."
Mitchie blushed, but smiled. "I'm glad it all worked out."
Caitlyn nodded. "At least with you and Shane, it's a little easier. You have the blessing of everyone here, and you have time before he has to leave. Nate was forced to leave me the day after our wedding."
Mitchie's jaw fell open once again. Yet another part of the story she had never heard was being unveiled for her. "How did you survive?" she asked in awe, unable to comprehend such a sacrifice at the moment.
"It wasn't easy," Caitlyn assured her. "At first, it was downright terrible, but then, I found the best method in the world for keeping Nate close to my heart. I would lie awake at night on his side of our little bed, and I would recall every memory I could about him, right up until the time he had to leave." She smiled, slightly bashful. "It helped me not to lose him."
Mitchie sat in silence for a moment, just gazing at her friend. Finally, she said, "Thank you for sharing that with me. I'll remember that always."
Caitlyn nodded and changed the subject abruptly before she became too emotional. "I think your hair is done and it's perfect. Are you still nervous?"
Almost immediately, the butterflies in Mitchie's stomach took up a chorus of flutters, each trying to outdo the others on how hard it could express its distress and anxiety. "Yes," she whispered.
Caitlyn patted her arm. "You never listen to anything I say, do you," she teased, "but honestly, you'll be just fine. Remember, Shane loves you."
Those three words, Shane loves you, seemed to force the butterflies to scatter. Almost immediately, Mitchie found a sense of calm and reassurance in those words that made everything appear in a different, more cheery light.
Now, only one butterfly fluttered around, but it was a butterfly of anticipation, waiting for its chance to spring from its cocoon.
A/N: Here you go everyone! Hope you're liking this! Please review and let me know what you think. Also, the Official Camp Rock Awards have come out with a new category: Best Overall Story. Some of you have told me that you think this is the best story you've read on FF. If it is, would you please nominate me for that category? I only want your vote if you truly mean it, though! Thanks so much for all your reviews. Keep them coming! :D
