"Prom!" Alice exclaimed, holding a piece of yellow fabric to Lettie's cheek.
Alice was more excited than usual, practically bouncing off the walls as countless swatches of fabric created a colorful fringe across her arm. Lettie was perched on the edge of the family sofa, head nodding to and fro to keep track of the speedy vampire, while Edward watched the two in amusement, book open in his hands despite not having turned the page since they arrived. They were supposed to be working on their final paper for their English class, a comparative analysis of Shakespeare's Macbeth and the 2001 comedy screen adaptation (ever since Esme showed Lettie Pride and Prejudice, she had become a voracious watcher of movies), but Alice came in almost as soon as the introductory paragraph was finished, whisking Lettie away with words faster than she could comprehend.
And now, here they were, knee-deep in fabric swatches and magazines, disrupting Esme as she painted (though 'disrupting' was too harsh a word when her mind was swimming with adoration). With Jasper out hunting, no doubt preparing for another night of surveillance, and Rosalie and Carlisle otherwise occupied by keeping up the facade of a happy family at the hospital, Emmett managed to join their motley crew, flickering through a magazine with little interest beyond picturing disgusting sweet images of Rosalie wearing each outfit.
"Prom…enade?" Alice's finger brushed her cheek as she pulled the fabric away, both women flinching at the contact. Edward froze, body shifting forward, but Alice was quick to move again, switching the yellow fabric out for a red one, easily putting another smile on her face as if nothing happened.
"No, silly! Prom. Prom!" Despite the emphasis, Lettie's confused face remained unchanged. Alice sighed dramatically. "It's usually the biggest event the typical high schooler will attend, and is quintessential to the high school experience."
"And what does one do at a…Prom?" The word rolled off her tongue as gracefully as a rock. Edward snickered to himself. Alice threw him a dirty look.
"Dancing, listening to the latest pop music, hang out with friends-"
"Spike the punch bowl!" Emmett called, sniggering to himself.
"Absolutely not," Esme countered, barely looking up from her brush stroke.
"It is a party, then?" Lettie shifted as Alice held up sparkling purple fabric this time, mindfully keeping her face several inches from Alice's hovering hand.
"A lame party," Emmett grumbled, throwing the magazine on the table. "But Rose loves it, so we're all going. Matching outfits and everything."
"Oh, yes, I do recall the practice of a coordinating color palette with your partner. It is a practice I am pleased to see continue to be upheld." Alice barely got to hold up another fabric, this time a rainbow tiger print, before Lettie furrowed her brow, shaking her head. Alice giggled, then switched it out for a soft floral. "Is this what I am assisting with at the moment? You would look lovely in all of these fabrics."
"Not for me, silly!" Alice shook her head, then held out another floral, this one pink. "We need to know what color looks best on you for Edward's tie. Since I can't make you a dress, I can at least make sure Edward has a matching tie, and a couple of sketches."
"You would-…for someone like-…?" Lettie's lip wobbled slightly, voice breaking with every new sentence. The room froze, each vampire suddenly keenly aware of the emotion.
"Of course!" Alice hesitated before reaching out, placing a hand delicately on top of Lettie's. "You mean a lot to Edward, so that means you're one of us now.."
"Oh, I…I-I thank you." Lettie hastily whipped at her face, whipping away any teary evidence, before forcing a smile, despite the wobbly emotion willing it down. "You are so kind."
"It's nothing, really." Despite her assurance, Edward could see the tugging on her lips, a sheen filling Alice's eyes as the scene before her pulled on her sympathy.
"Can you wear different clothes?" Emmett asked aloud, breaking the quiet moment. Edward didn't know if he wanted to hug him or strangle him, so he settled on punching him in the arm. Esme sighed quietly. "What? It's a valid question!"
"Oh! Yes, yes." Lettie giggled quietly, rubbing at her face once more before looking towards Emmett. "If it is sent to the spirit realm as an offering, I may interact with it for a short time."
"Offering?"
"Short time?" Edward asked at the same time.
"Yes, there are many different offerings, though I apologize for my limited knowledge, as I only know of three, as they are neither complicated nor specific."
"What do you mean by offerings? Like…we can give you things? Things you can interact with?" Lettie nodded along as Alice questioned her, face mimicking each other as they got progressively more excited. "So, you could actually wear a different dress to Prom?"
"Yes, if you make an offering to the spirit realm."
"Just to the realm? I don't need to make it just for you?" Alice gasped. "Why didn't you say so?!" Lettie shook her head sheepishly.
"There are several ways to do so…but I have no knowledge of them. There is only one way I have seen an offering succeed, and it was by chance that I was able to acquire it before another spirit could. Should we perform the offering, I shall assure there are no spirits with the strength to possess it before I."
"What did you mean by short time?" Edward cut in before Alice could take over, mind already whirling with countless designs.
"I have found that offerings disappear in the spirit realm at a far quicker rate based on their material. Food, such as meat, will disappear much quicker than bread, but jewelry, such as diamonds, may survive for a very long time. Sir Charles has a diamond offered by his Mother, and he assured it looks just as clear as the day she made the offering."
"So, you would be able to eat food? If we offered it to you, that is." Lettie nodded.
"If you offered it to the spirit realm, I would be able to, yes."
"Woah!" Emmett exclaimed, butt nearly hanging off the edge of the couch. "What does it taste like? Because when we eat things, it tastes like shi-"
"Dirt, mainly," Edward cut in, "though we've discovered that covering whatever we ingest in hot spices makes it bearable, and warms our skin." Edward's mind conjured the silly tradition of the family taking a shot of the hottest hot sauce they could find when they first discovered the effects, a happy accident with a nosy student and her Chicharrones de Harina, before they figured out it was only really necessary in the winter.
"Can't have more than broth or sauce unless we want to chuck it up again." Edward sighed. Trust Emmett to reveal the unneeded, and frankly disgusting, details of being a vampire. Though, from Lettie's confused face, he didn't have the slightest clue what he was talking about, and for that, he was thankful.
"And how would we make an offering?" Edward carried on before she could ask.
"With food or organic material, it is often only intention that is needed. Sir Charles has explained that a special bowl or plate may be used to create an offering without the need for words, though a simple 'I make an offering of food to the spirit realm' shall work just as well." In a flash, Emmett was up and out of his seat, the creaking of the fridge loud enough to make Lettie jump. Before she could turn, Emmett was back in front of her, a dirty carrot shoved under her nose.
"I offer this food to the spirit realm!" he exclaimed, hands shaking in excitement. Lettie waited, looking at the carrot for a moment, before reaching out. Esme let out a gasp as Lettie lifted the carrot as if it weighed nothing, cautiously bringing it to her lips. Her eyes widened as it snapped between her teeth. No one said a word until she swallowed. "Well?"
"It has been a very long time since I have eaten…it is delicious, thank you."
"Holy shi-"
"Emmett!"
"Esme, I think this moment calls for a swear! Whatever. We gotta get more! I'll be right back!"
"Oh-" But before Lettie could speak, Emmett was already gone, the rumbling of the garage door vibrating the wood beneath their feet. "He did not-"
"Emmett loves being a vampire," Edward supplied, coaxing her back into her seat, "but, he's always wanted to try the new human food they didn't have when he was alive. We've never had the self-control to have a human friend before, let alone one that would explain what something tastes like." Lettie nodded in understanding, moving to take another bite. As she did, like magic, the carrot slowly disappeared, as if it was never there at all, just before it could pass her lips. He bit back a laugh at Lettie's heartbroken face.
"What did it actually taste like?" Alice asked curiously. Lettie dusted off her hands before giving a sheepish smile.
"Like dirt."
Lettie, as she explained, was not the most knowledgeable about how offerings worked. She explained that her Father was never able to offer things while he was alive, but several times while she was in the attic, delinquents would create small bonfires on the property and burn food or other things, like their own clothes. These burned objects, once nothing but ash in the human realm, would float up with the smoke, fully intact, and drift until they disappeared or were snatched up by another spirit. She was once able to briefly wear a leather jacket, but it disappeared after several days, just like everything else.
"Wait, wait, wait!" Alice interrupted, hands fully extended, a look of despair crossing her face. Her legs practically gave out from under her as she flopped beside Edward. "In order for you to wear something, we have to…burn it?!" Edward flinched at her shrill tone.
"I am most happy to simply look at gowns," Lettie rushed to reassure. "I could never ask that of you!"
"It's almost like the longer things take to decay in our world, the longer it will last in yours." Edward mused, rubbing a sympathetic hand on Alice's back, though he didn't really understand what was so bad about burning some clothes for Lettie. Alice went through clothes faster than anyone he knew, often only wearing something once or twice before donating it. This way, at least, there wasn't another Prada jacket taking up space in a landfill somewhere.
"Ugh, you don't care at all, do you?" Alice sniffled, pushing his hand away. "Typical."
"It's just clothes, Alice." While he did expect the offended look from his sister, he was completely thrown when Lettie shot him a look of shock and disgust. "What?"
"Just-" Lettie's mouth moved but no sound came out, as if she couldn't fathom the words that would leave her lips. "Teddy!"
"What? Alice gets new clothes every day and gets rid of them just as quickly. We can afford to burn one."
"But there will only ever be one of Alice's creations."
"Vampire's have eidetic memor-"
"Edward, you just don't get it," Alice cut him off, exasperated. "I can recreate it, but it won't be it."
"But-"
"Edward, dear," Esme's stern tone brought his attention away from the squabble. "While it may not be important to you, it clearly is for our girls." She sent him a pointed look, then turned to smile at Lettie. "Why don't you have Alice take you clothes shopping, pick out a nice dress from the rack. While they aren't as lovely as Alice's dresses, they are some very beautiful ones out there."
"I guess store-bought is fine," Alice huffed, but there was no real malice behind it. Like a flipped switch, her whole face brightened. "You've never been shopping, have you?"
"In this existence, I have not."
"Oh! We're gonna have so much fun!"
Edward was smart enough to coax Alice to wait until Jasper was back from his hunt, knowing the blonde would be furious if half the family left without warning, especially with James' coven still unaccounted for. Alice refused to wait a moment, pulling Lettie over to the family computer, a clunky thing that took far too long to boot up, determined to show Lettie the newest in fashion. Emmett showed up not long after they started, a pout on his face with Jasper in tow.
"I felt his excitement half a mile away." Edward winced at the unpleasant mood he was in.
Ultimately, it was Esme who won Jasper over. Though originally completely against the idea, Esme played into his strategic side, stating that being locked up at home all day did nothing but reassure James of their inability to protect themselves. She volunteered Edward to go with them for protection, though Edward wasn't going to complain about being assigned guard duty, and Emmett would remain behind, going with her to the grocery store to get some supplies she forgot for Carlisle's upcoming potluck (an easily discernible lie, though both Edward and Jasper knew it was all for Emmett's benefit, and he was too excited to pick out human snacks to see it). She finally relented to go straight to the hospital after their grocery trip, so Jasper could go with Edward, Alice, and Lettie to Port Angeles, the farthest Jasper would relent.
"But we would have so many more options in Olympia!" Alice whined, pouting up at Jasper, big eyes usually enough to sway him in her direction. Edward couldn't help the swell of pride when Jasper shook his head.
"It's too far. If they attacked here, it would take too long to make it back to help. Port Angeles is already an hour away by car."
Though he was happy that Lettie was going to get a new dress, a possibility he didn't even know was possible until now, he also knew they were putting themselves in unneeded risk by separating from his family. Now, with the four of them, they were only equal in numbers should James choose to attack, and though he hoped Samuel was in the same state they were the last time they faced off, he knew it was too risky to let optimism take over. It was only Lettie's undeniable happiness that stopped him from saying anything to stop the trip.
Alice pushed Edward to the front seat as they piled into Esme's Mercedes, arms full of her magazines. She and Lettie whispered to each other the entire ride, excitedly pointing and complimenting the different pages.
Your happiness is suffocating, Jasper teased, throwing Edward a sly look. Edward just rolled his eyes.
"Eyes on the road," he snapped, despite both knowing there was no need, not with their reflexes.
Port Angeles was a small coastal town, the nearest hub for most of the small towns and suburbs dotted around western Washington. While Forks boasted one main thoroughfare, nearly unsafe by having pretty much all of the town's shops share a road with the highway, Port Angeles' winding roads held several shopping districts, though none more popular than the arts district, filled with several overpriced boutiques, cafes, and restaurants. Alice in particular liked this stretch of shops because they tried to compete with the upscale brands that overtake big cities, a slice of city life with half the amount of people. It was busier than usual that day, several familiar faces leisurely walking from shop to shop, also looking for their Prom outfits. Edward sighed heavily as he watched Lauren and her posse loudly pass their car, thanking Alice's forward thinking for tinting the windows.
"We won't find everything we looked at, but there will definitely be a ton of options. Come on!"
He had been shopping with Alice more than a few times in the nearly 50 years of friendship they shared, some excursions easier than others, but this trip was a beast of its own. One of her favorite uses of her ability was to peer into the future to avoid trying on every single item she picked up, cutting down their shopping time by a significant amount, but this time, Alice seemed to be more excited to peruse without getting that blank look, though she did shift through the racks faster than the other customers.
"What do you think about this one…-? Edward?" At the raised tone of her voice, Edward swiveled his head, Alice giving him a slightly panicked look. Beside her, a worker was giving her a strange look, the tail end of her thoughts questioning Alice's sanity for talking to herself.
"I was thinking something more like this," he added hastily, grabbing the nearest thing on the rack. He held back a wince as he raised a gaudy, sparkly top. There was a suffocating silence, none of the visible people knowing quite what to say before Lettie quickly whispered something. Alice paused, a flash of blankness crossing her face, then laughed forcefully, looking at the worker.
"Walks away from me to pick the ugliest thing in the store. Utterly useless!" To their relief, the worker laughed, easily carrying the conversation towards their latest line, something much more suited to Alice's sleek and trendy style. They ended up buying a casual dress to dissuade suspicion and hurried out.
"What happened?" Jasper questioned as soon as they exited, mind spinning with the high level of anxiety he felt from them.
"We didn't think this through all the way," Alice supplied quietly, keeping a neutral pace as they walked to the next store. She brightened as she caught Lettie's eye. "Don't worry! We just have to be a bit more…subtle about it."
Alice managed to slow her quick pace in the next few stores, pausing every once in a while to silently get Lettie's opinion. Edward made sure to stick closer to them this time in case Alice needed verbal confirmation. Alice would, on occasion, hold up the dress to get Lettie's approximate size, and the nearby customers would give her a strange look, mentally picturing Edward wearing the garment. He clenched his hands to keep away the embarrassment from pushing his feet out the door.
"Do you have this in a size medium?" Alice asked one of the clerks, a pretty pink dress almost dragging across the floor.
"I'm sorry, fresh out. But, I think an extra small would be much more your size anyway!"
"No, it's not for me, it's-...nevermind."
The streets were starting to clear as they exited another store, still without luck.
"It's okay!" Alice whispered, latching onto Jasper's arm as he joined them outside. "Sometimes it's just hard to see the potential in a dress on the rack. We'll find you the right one, I just know it!"
"Guaranteed?" Edward asked. Despite having a few visions here and there, Alice had her powers controlled better than usual that day, and he hadn't seen any future with Lettie wearing any of the dresses they'd seen so far.
"That's the funny thing. I can't actually see Lettie's future directly." Edward paused, jaw going slack. "But! I can see her adjacently, which means as soon as you," she poked Edward playfully, "see something you want to match with, I'll be able to confirm. Don't worry. Everything else is going to be fine." Edward couldn't tell who the reassurance was for more - him, or Jasper.
"I was wondering what was taking you guys so long, but it seems you're too busy playing happy human to hurry up." Edward whipped his head to find Rosalie stepping out of her cherry red convertible, too elegantly to be portraying the teenage human she was supposed to be. Alice squealed in delight, practically jumping Rosalie as she approached.
"Rose! What are you doing here?" A last-minute decision was the only thing that circumvented Alice's foresight, and Rosalie, more than any of their siblings, played into that heavily, another bid to get privacy with a family of unintentional privacy invaders.
"Ugh, you and everyone else here are too loud." Despite her sneer, Edward caught her tightening arms around her younger sister, eyes quickly scanning her to ensure everything was okay. "Esme said you left hours ago. What's the holdup?"
"We're finding nothing," Alice explained dramatically, twisting a lock of Rosalie's blonde hair between her fingers. "It's so hard, especially since we can't try anything on."
Rosalie looked between them, then down the street, countless boutiques and shops behind them evidence of her words.
"Nothing? Shocker," Rosalie said sarcastically. If it's not Edward or Jasper being dragged along to shopping trips, it's Rosalie, so she knew just as well as they did that there had been many options, many good options, to choose from, but none meeting Alice's high standards. "If you find something, you'll come home?" Alice nodded furiously. Rosalie clicked her tongue. "Fine. Jasper," she tossed her keys towards the other blonde, one of the only people she trusted with her car, "I'll stay. Go, head home." Protect Emmett.
Jasper sent her a curt nod, passing her the keys to Esme's car on his way out. Rosalie looked at Alice again, barely batting an eye as Alice flashed her big pleading eyes, and sighed. Finally, she turned to Lettie, mindful of the people nearby.
"We're about the same size. Come on, the best shops are just up ahead." Edward could barely stop his jaw from dropping.
With Rosalie's help, dress shopping was much more of a success. Alice and Rosalie kept Lettie with them in the dressing rooms, trying on dress after dress, some obviously not in Lettie's style, but with the way she couldn't stop smiling, Edward knew she loved every moment.
"Oh, , you are truly a vision," Lettie exclaimed as Rosalie stepped out, walking towards the full-length mirror. While this dress was obviously a Rosalie pick, tightly hugging her curves and a deep red, Lettie was looking at it like it was the most beautiful thing in the world.
"You're making me sound old. Just call me Rosalie, if you're going to be so proper about everything else." Lettie's smile wobbled at her snappish tone, but she nodded enthusiastically in response. Rosalie noticed immediately and sighed. "Thank you. My new life has changed a lot about my tastes, and red is now my go-to." She looked over her shoulder, giving Lettie a once over. "I used to wear a lot of blue."
"It is a very…nice color." Lettie smoothed down her skirt, baby blue fabric between her fingers.
"Very…safe," Rosalie settled on, an unspoken conversation passing between the two. When it was clear Lettie wasn't going to respond verbally, Rosalie turned back to the mirror, running her hands down her hips. "What do you think about this one?"
"It is very lovely, but I fear it will not look quite so lovely on me." Rosalie contemplated it for a moment, the mental image of Lettie in the dress surprising Edward for a moment, before nodding.
"No, you're probably right. But this is definitely headed in the right direction."
"Try this one next!" Alice exclaimed excitedly as she rushed in, more dresses in her arms.
By the time the sun was setting, his hands were full of shopping bags, a collection of casual and formal looks Edward had no clue how they could wear them all. Now that the streets had mostly cleared, groups either headed home to strict parents or enjoying their last bit of freedom at overpriced restaurants, Alice, Rosalie, and Lettie were walking ahead, chatting happily without fear of being overheard. Well, Alice and Lettie were chatting happily, quickly talking on either side of Rosalie about the ways Alice could style her newest top, while Rosalie interjected with snide remarks at every suggestion she didn't agree with. Draped over her arm was a gown bag, receipt dutifully taped to the front. Every few steps, she adjusted in her arms, mindful to keep the bottom from dragging on her floor, but she kept it where Lettie could keep one hand on it, Lettie's face lighting up every time she looked at it.
"Thank you," he whispered, low enough that Lettie wouldn't be able to hear. Rosalie's head tipped slightly at the sound, though her pace didn't falter, practically asking for confirmation he was talking to her. "Thank you, Rosalie."
Instead of an answer, her mind filled with the image of Lettie's face as they walked into the last boutique, eyes widening as she took on the dress on the mannequin, hand hovering over the fabric, too afraid to touch something so beautiful. If it was at all possible, he swore he felt his heart skip a beat.