FALLEN

12-Birthday

12

B I R T H D A Y

            I couldn't believe them.  They had actually gotten everything to fall into place, or at least as close as could be achieved.  As far as I knew, everyone in the orphanage was planning to come down for at least a little while.  Personally, I wondered how many planned to wear the formal attire Bree wanted.

            "Why?" I whined, surveying my appearance in the mirror as Cass zipped up the back of the dress they had forced me into.  It was a floor-length, light blue, off-the-shoulder dress of a silky fabric.  It hugged my body closely at the top and flared out starting at the waist.  Bree had pinned up my thick hair and dusted blue eyeshadow across my eyelids.  It wasn't a bad look, but I wasn't looking forward to what it meant.

            "Quit whining," Cass told me, rolling her eyes.  She wore a bright orange sleeveless dress, also floor-length.  Her long brown hair had been left down with streaks of orange dye brushed in.  A metallic orange eyeshadow accented her eyes, compliments of Bree.  Stitching on the top of the dress tapered towards the waist, creating an interesting shape.  I made a face at her in the mirror, then returned to frowning at myself.

            Bree and Faye walked into the room moments later, laughing at something.  I threw them an exasperated look over my shoulder.  Why had I been subjected to this?  It was certainly not my cup of tea.

            Bree wore a hot pink strapless dress with a tight-fitting bodice and layered, ankle-length skirt.  Like Cass's, it had the stitching on the sides of the front.  Her highlighted hair was pulled up into a simple ponytail with the bangs left loose.  Around her neck was a simple black choker with a plain faux-gold medallion.  She was smiling in response to my miserable expression.  Ah, some days...

            Faye's hair was pulled up into an elaborate bun with her bangs, dyed purple, left free.  Her dress was a soft lavendar spaghetti-strap that ended at her ankles.  The stitching on hers tapered into a point instead of ending at a seam.  A silver dog tag on a plain silver chain hung around her neck.  She looked excited, much to my disgust.

            Soon Sam walked out of the bathroom joining my and Cass's room with the one next door.  She wore a peridot green v-neck dress that fell to her ankles in silky folds.  Her high-heels were also pale green and made her about two inches taller.  Her soft dark blonde hair fell softly around her face, setting off her bright blue-grey eyes.  Around her neck was a thick black cord with a silver rose pendant.

            "Ok, well let's get going!" Bree exclaimed excitedly.  I groaned loudly, flopping dramatically onto the floor, my dress flowing out around me.  The others sighed and dragged me to my feet.  I stood unsteadily on my high-heeled silver sandals, hoping against hope that I wouldn't fall over.  Unsurprisingly, I promptly fell flat on my face.

            "You girls ready?" asked a voice.  Looking up from the floor, I saw Carson peering into the room, obviously trying not to laugh.  I stuck my tongue out at him.  Oliver pushed past him into the room and held out a hand, which I took.  On my feet again, I was still unsteady and stumbled forward into Oliver's arms.  He caught me and held on until I found my balance, oblivious to the stares of the others.

            "Ok, I think I've got the hang of this," I muttered breathlessly.  Oliver let go of me and I swayed again.

            "Screw this, we're putting you in flats," Faye said finally, watching me trip over my own feet again.  I nodded quickly and gratefully.  Bree ran off and returned a few minutes later with a pair of silver ballet flats in her hands.  I quickly put them on.  Whether I wanted to have this party or not, I'd rather suffer on my feet instead of on my face.