Lawless

Chapter Eleven

"Dove!" A voice shouts, seconds before the sound of my bedroom door hitting the wall echoes throughout the house. I sit up abruptly, eyes still shut.

"What" I panic. Had something happened? Did someone get caught going over the fence? Had they seen me sneak in the house?

"Get up, it's 9 oclock!" I wince realising I slept in. Ma rips the blankets off me before ushering me out of bed. I walk into the bathroom and do my business then proceed to brush my teeth.

Looking out into my room, Ma messily makes my bed. She seems flustered and rushed.

"What's wrong, Ma?" I question, tooth paste spills out the side of my mouth.

"The booking is in half an hour" she rushes. I go back into the bathroom and spit out my toothpaste.

"What booking?" I ask. Ma comes into the bathroom and starts the task of brushing my hair. She never brushes my hair so whatever this booking is for, it must be important.

I shrug her off and take the hairbrush once she becomes too rough.

"The wedding dress fitting" Ma shuffles out of the bathroom and out of my room after dropping the bomb. It takes me a moment to process what she'd just said.

The next 15 minutes consists of me walking around my room seemingly doing nothing but wasting time. I put no effort into how I look, hoping it takes away from the appeal of the dress so I can walk out empty handed.

"Dove, lets go!" I give myself one last moment in the bathroom before rolling my eyes and taking a deep breath.

Penelope meets Ma and I at Happily Ever After the only bridal store in all of Class. Sir Walter had the entire shop cleared out for us, only the owner is to view the dress I am to choose.

The only dress I like is a light blue, tight around the top and flowy at the bottom. Ma said no to the dress immediately, it isn't the traditional white. Penelope didn't have much of an input; I could tell Ma intimidated her so she ended up agreeing with everything Ma said.

I tried on half the stores supplies waiting for the yes or no from Ma. I got to one of the last ones. It's an ivory white gown that has a ten foot train behind me and puffs out like a princess dress all around me. The top has long silk sleeves. I hate it.

"That's the one!"Ma gives a clap, Penelope following along. I look into the mirror at Ma to see her longing gaze firmly on the dress. She, herself had been arranged to Dad, it is the norm in Class. In a sense she is living her dream wedding through me.

My eyes fill with tears as I look at myself in the mirror, my eyes find Ma's as her own fill with tears. Only hers are out of happiness. The store owner hands us tissues with a wide smile, knowing she is about to make a lot of money.

"Is this the one?" she asks me, happiness radiating off of her. I look at Ma once more to see her nodding encouragingly at me

"Uh y-yeah, I think so" I say softly. I'm helped out of the dress before it's put into a protective cover to prevent wrinkles.

The total comes to five thousand four hundred dollars. The price doesnt worry Ma; Sir Walter is covering the cost of the whole wedding. I can't stop my brain from thinking about what that amount of money could do for someone in Lawless. It could cover a couple months rent, fill a kitchen with food. It could even buy Sage a proper bed.

"Bye Dove, you looked gorgeous" Penelope says into my ear as she bids goodbye before setting off down the street, in the direction of her house.

Ma and I set off on our walk home. A wide smile takes over Ma's face for most of the walk. Everyone we pass, Ma waves hello to, surprising almost everybody as she normally keeps to herself.

"Jace has his late mothers ring for you" Ma announces as we round the corner onto our street. The idea of having someone elses ring on my finger repulses me. That's not my ring, that's Mrs Hunts ring.

I hang the wedding dress on the back of my bedroom door to prevent any damage getting to it, even though I try and mentally set it on fire. I was meant to do chores with Ma today but it seems she had already done them all when I had overslept this morning.

I walk over to my bookshelf and skim through the possible options. One grabs my attention; I pick it up and open it to the page I know the purple flower hides.

It's wilted and the purple had faded to a dull mix of brown and purple. I hold it up to my nose and attempt to pull a smell from it without success. I look at it one last time before safely putting it back in the book and back onto the bookshelf.

*

"You're so lucky, Dove" I raise an eyebrow in question while pulling a face.

"Why?" I respond. I look out through the bathroom while I'm plucking my eyebrows. Penelope lies on my bed, looking up at the ceiling.

"You're marrying Jace Hunt, you'll be Class' princess" she says in awe. I don't respond, unable to form an answer. "While I'll just be a house bitch for dad for the rest of my life" Penelope sighs.

"Oh, don't be silly. You'll find someone" I reassure her. She says nothing for a while, the silence comfortable.

"Dad is talking to Mr Cross about arranging me with Jacob" she confesses. It's silent for a second before she starts gagging.

"Oh, c'mon, he's not that bad" I chuckle, knowing full well that's not the case.

"Seriously, Dove?" Penelope spins around onto her stomach to face me. "I caught him staring at me while picking his nose once".

I turn away from her so she can't see the laughter I'm holding back.

Penelope leaves once the clock strikes twelve. I walk her to the front door and then watch as she walks down the couple of houses to her house. The air is chilly, my clothes doing nothing to keep the chill off of my skin.

I hear the sound of Penelope's front door as she enters the house. I look around the street and take notice of the silence, nobodies around. No gunshots and no alarms, at least for now.

I take a second to scan the fence, no guards are present for as far as my eyes can see. That's strange.

I stare into the bushes, looking for movement, silently hoping to see someone.

"Dove, get to bed" I jump as Max's voice echos from behind me. He stands in the hallway waiting for me to close the door.

I look once more while closing the door and for a second see the slight movement of a bush. My heart skips in my chest before the door is closed.

"Night" I say quietly to Max as I pass him on my way up the stairs. I receive no answer.

I get to my room and close the door before rushing over to my window. I look out over the fence for the next ten minutes but see no sign of anyone. It was probably just the wind or an animal.