And this certainly wasn’t. This dress far surpassed anything she could have imagined. This was not a dress meant for a girl – this was a dress meant for a woman. More than a woman – a dress meant for a princess. Caitlin looked down, following the train, and saw that the fabric was studded with diamonds, and that, as they moved it, the dress glittered and sparkled in a thousand ways.
Caitlin was truly speechless. Overwhelmed with gratitude, she felt her eyes well up.
She turned and hugged Polly, then the others.
“It’s beautiful,” she said. “It’s the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.”
“Try it on!” Scarlet urged, and they all cheered.
Caitlin’s tears turned into a happy laugh, as the girls helped her slip out of her robe, and held up the dress for her to step into. As she did, the girls pulled it up over her, then tied up the back with string, crisscrossing again and again. She felt increasingly tighter around her rib cage. She was shocked to realize that it fit her perfectly – as if it had been meant just for her.
Caitlin actually felt like a different person in it; she had never felt so regal in her life. She twirled and felt the material lifting into the air, swirling around her, then settling slowly back to the floor. It felt magnificent.
Caitlin could tell by the girls’ stunned expressions that they were surprised by how well it fit, too.
“Amazing,” Polly whispered.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Taylor said. “It fits you like a glove. Incredible.”
Caitlin walked over to the large mirror and stood before it, instinctively wanting to check herself.
But she saw no reflection, and remembered, too late, that it was useless. Still, she stared into the empty mirror, going through the motions she might have as a human.
“Where did it come from?” Caitlin asked.
“Aiden,” Polly answered.
Caitlin turned and looked at her in surprise. She never would have expected that.
“He said he has been saving it for you for centuries. That it was always meant for you.”
Caitlin was struck by that. Centuries? How long had he known that she would be getting married? Had he known from the very beginning, from the very first time she’d ever met him? She couldn’t help but wonder how much he knew – and how much he knew of her future yet to come. Did he see children for her?
“Can I wear a dress like that too, Mommy?” Scarlet asked.
Caitlin smiled down at her.
“Of course you can, love. I’m sure we can have somebody make you something, right?”
The others nodded.
“How do I throw the flowers?” Scarlet persisted. “I want to practice.”
The girls laughed.
“Speaking of flowers,” Taylor said. “You have to choose. Which type of flowers would you like for the ceremony? And which type for the reception?”
One of the girls stepped forward and showed Caitlin several varieties of flowers: long-stem roses, all in different colors, hydrangeas, tulips… In Caitlin’s eyes, they were all beautiful. She felt overwhelmed by the choice.
“Um…” Caitlin began.
“And what about the invitations?” chimed in Barbara. “Do you like this parchment, or this one?” she asked, holding up several varieties of thick, heavy parchment.
“And what sort of ink?” another girl asked. “Of course, we will seal the invitations with wax, right? Which color wax would you like?”
Caitlin’s mind spun at all these details. She had never considered any of this before.
“And what color dresses would you like your bridesmaids to wear?” another girl asked.
“In the traditional vampire wedding,” Polly explained, “the bride wears black, and her bridesmaids wear white. But would you like a pure white, or an off-white? Or some other color altogether?”
“And what about your groom?” asked another girl. “And his groomsmen? In most vampire weddings, they wear black velvet robes, with high collars, and a white satin shirt, with studs and cuffs. But do you want a different color scheme? And do you want him dressed differently than the others?”
“How do you want your hair?” asked another girl. “Up, or down? And what about makeup?”
“Who is Caleb’s best man?” asked another.
“What sort of drinks do you want served during cocktail hour?” asked another. “We have blood-infused cocktails, and straight cocktails, and three different types of blood varieties.”
“What food do you want to complement it?” asked another.
“Where you want to place the candles in the ceremony?” asked another. “And what sort of alter do you envision?”
“Have you chosen your wedding band for Caleb?” asked Polly.
Caitlin finally broke into laughter, holding up a hand.
“Enough. Please. I love you all. And I thank you so much. I don’t know even where to begin. I’ve never considered any of this. I guess anything is fine. I don’t care about the color, or the flowers, or any of these details. I just want to be married to Caleb. That’s all that matters to me.”
“Well, that’s what we’re here for,” Polly said. “We’ll take care of all of this for you. Is that okay?”
Caitlin nodded. “Please do. Whatever you choose, it’s totally fine with me.”
An excited whisper broke out among the room, as the girls started immediately debating and planning what to choose on her behalf.
“OK then,” Polly said, “we’ll decide on all this later. For now, let’s get you out of that dress, and get our pre-wedding day rituals rolling!”
As the girls helped her get out of the dress and back into her other clothes, Caitlin looked over at Polly, puzzled.
“What rituals?” Caitlin asked.
“Why, the pre-wedding wish,” Polly said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Caitlin was still puzzled.
“Before a vampire wedding,” Taylor explained, “the bride is taken to a magical place, to make a wish. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime event. There is a place not too far from here, where they say that whatever you wish for comes true. It’s our next stop.”
Caitlin knew what she would wish for – but it had already come true. To be with Caleb.
But she didn’t want to disappoint his girls; if this was what was entailed in a traditional vampire wedding, she would go through with it. Besides, she wouldn’t mind seeing more of the island, and getting some fresh air.
Besides, she barely had a choice. In no time at all, Caitlin found herself being dressed by all the girls in brand-new fineries, and whisked, helplessly, out the door.
Caleb looked out the castle window from his bedroom, watching with a smile as Caitlin was led out the castle front door, accompanied by all her bridesmaids. He could see the joy in her face, and could see how excited Scarlet was as she clung to Caitlin’s side. It was a magnificent Fall day, and Caleb decided he’d go up to the roof and watch them leave, taking in the beautiful green hills, and the changing leaves. He hurried out his bedroom, down the corridor, and up a stone, twisting stairwell, leading up to the roof.
Caleb strutted across the ramparts until he reached the edge, and looked down and saw Caitlin and the others crossing the drawbridge over the moat.
“Caitlin!” he called out, cupping his hands against the wind.
Far down below, Caitlin turned and looked up, as did the girls surrounding her.
Caleb grinned wide and waved.
“I love you!” he mouthed silently.
She grinned back and waved, silently mouthing the words back. Then she was ushered away by her group of girls.
Caleb stood there, grinning, watching them all go. He couldn’t be happier for her, and he was excited for their upcoming wedding. He knew this was her big girls’ day, and that they’d all be busy preparing for the wedding, going through all the vampire rituals. He marveled at how few preparations the men had to go through, but figured that was the way of things. And frankly, he was relieved not to have to worry about so many details.