Septifiria; The Becoming

Chapter 14

   "What about this, Renee?" Jade asked, pulling navy blue dress off the rack. Septi examined it and shrugged.

   "I guess I could try it," Septi said, seriously lacking in enthusiasm as she added it to the two dresses she already had.

   "Are you sure that you don't want straps?" Mes asked a forest green dress that seemed to have a u-back, and was held together with crossing straps. Septi made a face.

   "I'm sure," Septi said. "Please remember, this dance is taking place in mid-December. I will not freeze my back off because it looks nice."

   "Do you even know how to dance?" Mes asked, a suspicious look in eyes.

   "I- um- no," Septi stammered. Jade and Raram paused, watching Mes. Septi flinched slightly as Mes placed her hands on her hips, looking completely and totally annoyed.

   "Renee, you're going to a dance, but you don't know how to dance. Explain to me how that one works, why don't you?"

   "I wasn't planning on dancing," Septi said, backtracking quickly. "I was going to socialize."

   "Uh-huh," Mes said slowly. "When we get back home, I am going to teach you to dance." Septi sighed and groaned inwardly, feeling ashamed that this sixteen year old girl could intimidate her so much.

   "Jassy, is that really necessary?" she asked, returning to her search of the racks, attempting to at nonchalant.

   "Yes, it is," Mes said forcefully. "Renee, you just can't sit around at a dance because you can't dance."

   "Can," Septi said, meeting Mes's eye. "And will."

   "Not while I have breath in my body, you won't," Mes grumbled, offering the forest green dress to Septi. "Try it, at least. We can get you a little sweater or something to cover your back."

   "C'est impossible!" Septi said, taking the dress. "Just so long as it's not a granny cardigan or something along those lines."

   "No worries there," Mes sad. "In fact, I'm a little offended that you'd think that I would do that to you, or anyone else."

   "She would be, too," Raram muttered to Jade as she examined the dresses on her portion of the rack.

   "I'd believe it," jade said, looking sadly at a black dress. "Pity this is too small."

   "What size is it?" Raram asked, looking at the tag. "But isn't that Nee's size?"

   "I meant my size," Jade said, a slightly disappointed look on her face. "A dress like this would make me actually consider going to a dance."

   "D'you remember what people said when we told them that we weren't going to the prom?" Septi asked Jade, looking over Jade's shoulder at the dress.

   "Yeah," Jade smiled mischievously. "We must have been the only two students from that school to graduate without going to prom."

   "That was fun," Septi said, adding the black dress to her dresses to try on. "It was well worth missing the prom just to see the looks on people’s faces when we told them that we had other plans for that night."

   "So what did you two do?" Raram asked, looking extremely interested.

   "We went out to eat," Septi listed. "Then we went shopping. Tried on a bunch of stuff that we never would buy-"

   "Or be seen in public wearing," Jade cut in. "I think I still have the pictures."

   "Really?" Septi asked, counting everything she had to try on. "Dressing room time."