Black Pearl

Chapter 29

If I was restless before my meeting with Leo, I was giddy afterward. Somehow, I managed to sneak back into bed without waking either of my sisters, but I spent a good portion of my night staring at my ceiling. A normal girl might have still been concerned for her future. But all I could think about was his mouth on mine. 

The morning came too soon and my sisters were up and squealing before the sun had even risen. As soon as Maisy poked her head in, allowing my excitable sisters to lay eyes on my white dress, they shrieked like alarm bells. I thought that this was nothing new. I was the girl who could sleep through a thunderstorm. But my body refused to go back to sleep, especially after Amaya dragged me out of the bed.

"What are we going to do with your hair?" Oceana gasped.

"I heard that they have cosmetics! Can we use them?" Amaya chimed.

"Look at this dress!"

"Do you think we are going to have dresses like this?"

"Oceana! The bride is to be the center of attention."

I could only glance at Maisy, praying that she would somehow know the trick to taming these women, but she only looked as horrified as I felt.

"You should have slept with something in your hair so you could have had beautiful curls like all the fine ladies," Oceana sighed. "Oh, maybe we could find a hat for you! I haven't had a hat in ages, but I saw so many women in town wearing them."

All I could think was that Leo liked my hair as it was. And it was relentlessly pin straight. But Amaya and Oceana would not have it and before I could protest to anything or even have a pinch of input, I was dragged into a chair and hands were pulling at my hair. Part of me wanted to remind them that this was my day. I was the bride. I was going to have all eyes on me. I should have at least had a say in what my hair looked like. 

But this wedding was as much for my sisters as it was for Leo's people. They wanted to see the prince that would finally become king. Oceana and Amaya would return to the island with stories of splendor. I could picture the other girls laying on their beds, chins propped on their palms as they listened to their stories late at night. They would tell everyone that they had been here with me, they had styled my hair and held my hand as I stepped into my dress.

So I said nothing as Oceana braided my hair. I didn't even open my mouth to correct her when she grabbed a thin gold necklace and laced it into the braid.

It was when I was studying the surprisingly gorgeous style which spilled down my back that my mother entered.

"What do you think?" Oceana asked, gesturing to her masterpiece.

My mother nodded her head in approval. "The gold looks amazing in her hair, I would have never thought of that." Gentle fingers touched the braid. "It's so loose, it looks like the wind blew it in all of the right places and there it stayed. You have done wonderfully, Oceana. But now it is my turn."

"What is that?" I wondered, peering at the small glass container in her hand.

"Kohl."

"It's black," I blurted, instantly thinking about all of the pale skin and blue eyes I would be in front of. I already had to be shoved into a white dress that brought attention to my warm brown skin, the last thing I wanted was to give the guests a reason to stare at my face too. Surely they would whisper that I was some kind of exotic oddity.

"If it was good enough for my mother and grandmother, it will be good enough for you. I saved it, for all these years, just for you. Just so you can carry your heritage."

I couldn't argue with that. I just shut my eyes and allowed her to paint my eyes with dark lines of black. When she finished, my brown eyes seemed to glow in contrast. I have to admit that with the gold shimmering in my hair and the black cosmetics, I almost looked like some kind of empress. It felt like I could snap my fingers and bring the world to its knees.