Bride of Alvar (Redemption Saga, Book 1)

Chapter 6

My Mom is wearing a beige gown embroidered with red flowers, her shoulders are bare and skin glow a bronze tan. Her hair is pinned up in elaborate curls.

Quite the contrast to her appearance on Earth.

"Mom!" I exclaim, "I'm so glad to see you!" I rush into her arms and hug her like I'm a child again.

Finally someone familiar.

"Lucy," Mom says, returning my embrace. "Leeza told me you already ate, so let's get you in your wedding gown."

Leeza lays out my gown, the one I tried on in Chicago. "Alvar got this for you. He said he wanted something from Earth to help you feel as if something were familiar tonight."

"Everyone in the city is attending," Mom says. "Isn't that great?"

"Everyone in the city?" I squeak.

"Let's get you ready, Princess! We've got a lot of work to do," Leeza interrupts, as if sensing my mother is making me uncomfortable and I'm in need of diversion. "So little time!"

Another sylph woman with blue feathers enters the room. She and Leeza brush my hair, and fuss with my eyebrows and make-up.

The blue-feathered sylph says something in a thickly accented voice that I don't understand.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand you," I tell her.

The blue sylph looks to Leeza.

"You must undress," Leeza says, translating for her. "We must give you a bath with arlite."

"Undress?" I furrow my brow.

Crap. I'm a really modest girl, even when around other people of the same gender.

"It's okay, Lucy," Mom assures. "I'm over here." As if she's taking me to a doctor appointment and I'm five.

I don't want to get naked in front of all these people.

"I think I'll take my bath alone," I say.

"You're so lovely," Mom praises embarrassing me further as she always has. "You have nothing to be ashamed of, sweetie."

I wish she wouldn't have said that. It only makes my cheeks burn all the more.

"Come back in like five minutes?" I say hopefully.

"Very well," Leeza says, bowing her head at me politely. She, blue, and Mom leave the room. Modesty must not be a big deal here in Underland.

I remove my nightdress and my trusty rubber band. Setting it on ledge of the tub.

I get a glance in the mirror after my bath and realize whatever they put in my bath makes my skin glow like the arlite gems I see everywhere here.

Great, I'm radioactive now. That's got to be healthy, I think sarcastically.

After I'm dressed up in my gown, and they've delicately braided and adorned my hair with pearls and glittering white crystals, I quite literally am a glowing bride.

"You like what see?" The blue sylph asks in her thickly accented, broken English.

Why do people speak English here?