A/N: Get Aqua's Barrie Girl ready on your phones, computers, iPads, whatever you listen to music on. It'll be so much better. You should know when, but just in case, I'm putting in a *, so look for that.
British Bird
Chapter Eighteen
Sang
Flashback – Thirteen years old
We stay in the pool well into the evening. We've dived, jumped, flipped, raced. Competed for who can hold their breath the longest, made bets, had other mini competitions, and played different water sport games. Anything you can think of, we did.
Victor and Gabriel produced a waterproof video camera and normal photo camera. I can't wait to see what photos and videos they got. I know I was told to 'strike a pose' a lot by Gabriel and 'show of to the camera' by Victor. Each time I just laughed, but did as I was requested.
Now I'm sitting in the backseat of Sean's car, wrapped in a towel, my hair wet over my shoulders. Gabriel told me not to bother dressing as I'll need to shower and change when I got back to the Taylor household. He also said he was going to do my hair. I'm giddy with excitement about the whole fashion show thing now.
Sean pulls his car into the gravel driveway and cuts the engine. He gets out of the driver's seat, Silas gets out of the passenger, and Kota and Victor get out of the seats on either side of me. I climb to the door and go to put my foot down when I remember that it's gravel all the way to the front door.
"Can I have my shoes?" I call. Sean laughs as he closes his door and comes to me.
"How about I carry you in?" He offers.
I shake my head. "No, I can walk. I just need my shoes."
His eyes narrow playfully, and I narrow mine back in a warning; don't do whatever you're planning to do, Sean Green. He grins and turns around, crouching down in front of me. He reaches for my legs, but I pull them up to my chest, out of reach. "No. Just get me my shoes."
He sighs, but with a tilt of my head I can see his cheeks up, which tells me he's grinning. "Just wrap those pretty legs around me, Pookie." My heart flutters at the name. It just jumps at what he said and how it sounded. He must click on to my thoughts, because he clears his throat. "Let me give you a piggy back ride."
I sigh and drop my legs. "But I can walk if you get me my shoes."
The gravel crunching under weight has me looking up, and seeing Kota waving my white dolly shoes in the air a few feet away. "You'll have to come and get them."
"Hey, no fair," I cry. "Give me my shoes!"
"Let the Doc give you a piggyback ride, Sang." I pout at Victor, who laughs before shaking his head. "He won't drop you."
I sigh. Again. Fine. If it's the only way I'm going to get into the house, I'm gonna have too. I slide forward and wrap my arms around his shoulders and neck, before sliding my legs around his middle. He pulls my legs tighter around him, and I lock them at my ankles. He keeps low as he moves forward, making sure he's clear of the car before stretching to his full height. "There, that isn't so bad, is it?"
"I haven't decided yet," I mumble. I tighten my arms around him.
Owen's car pulls in and everyone climbs out. The front door opens before we get there and Johnny shakes his head. "Why are you carrying her, Sean?"
"They wouldn't give me my shoes," I tell him before Sean can.
Sean laughs. "This pretty girl should be carried everywhere."
"Like a princess," Victor adds. I look at him and he grins, his eyes a bright burn as he winks at me.
Johnny laughs, opening the door wider. "Don't drop my girl, Sean. I may have to rip your head off if you do." As Sean moves past Johnny, my wide eyes stay on his face. It takes Johnny a second, but he does lift those eyes to me. They sparkle and shine with a contentment I feel. He gives me a blinding smile and I can't help but give him one back.
"What on earth are you doing?" Cara's voice has me moving my eyes from her husband to her. "Lost feeling in your legs, Sang?"
"Nope," I bellow, my voice light with laughter. "I'm a one of a kind princess."
"One of a kind, you are," hits my ears over the deep chuckles going on around me. I don't need to find the source of the words. I'm currently clinging to him like a monkey.
When he turns his head and looks at me, I can't help but plant a kiss on his cheek before unwrapping myself from him, and bouncing up the stairs with the deepest blush on my cheeks. I look back at Sean over my shoulder to find him grinning, his hand at his cheek where I had kissed him. He winks at me and I turn around. Time to shower.
xXx
"Okay, Trouble, open your eyes." My eyes fly open, and I gasp at what I see in the mirror.
After coming upstairs from kissing Sean on the cheek, I jumped straight into the shower. Gabriel had pounded up the stairs after me, and gave me strict instructions not to wash my hair—he would do it after—along with telling me that he will lay out the clothes he wants me to start off with on my bed.
I had washed, shaved—even though I didn't really need to—and then brushed my teeth, before dressing in a black skirt that is longer on one side then it is the other, a pink sleeveless blouse buttoned up to my neck and tucked into the skirt, and two inch heels on my feet. For my underwear he chose the pink set I picked out. They're my favourite and extremely comfy.
But now Gabriel has really transformed my hair, making me appear older than my almost fourteen years. My blonde hair hangs over my shoulders and down my back in gentle, smooth waves. Volume has been added to my root area, but not so much that it looks ridiculous on me. My face is clear of makeup, except the shiny, light pink lipgloss on my lips.
"Wow," I breathe, my fingers finding the ends of my hair that lays just over my breast.
A hand slaps at mine and I drop it to my side, instead fingering the chiffon material of the skirt. "You look better then wow. I have no fucking words to describe how fucking stunning you look though."
I find Gabriel's face through the mirror, so handsome with still a hint of baby face. "Thank you."
His blue eyes sparkle. "Don't thank me yet." He starts wrapping up the hairdryer he used before putting it back under the sink. "We've only just started."
A knock at the door sounds, and Gabriel flashes me a grin before opening it. Cara stands on the other side, pretty much wearing the same as me, but her skirt is one length and hits her knees. Her blouse is yellow and the heels on her feet are higher then mine, the colour matching her blouse. Her hair is straight, just hitting her shoulders and her lips are coated in a pink lipstick instead of lip gloss.
Her eyes find mine, and her hand flies to her chest once she's taken me in. "Sang, wow. You look stunning."
"You look beautiful yourself," I tell her.
Gabriel claps his hands. "You both look fabulous, thanks to Moi." He says in a fake French accent. "Now, I need you to go to the rooms at the bottom of the hall. Sang, you're in Luke's. Cara, you are in Uncles. Everything has all been laid out for you with labels and order. Now go be ready while we set up your cat walk."
"We're doing it up here?" I ask.
"Yes." Gabriel says. "The hall is wide enough for us to put chairs on either side, and long enough for a cat walk. We're using the sound system in North's room for music. I've fucking got this, don't worry."
"Alright." Cara shrugs and together we make our way to selected rooms.
I feel awkward being in Luke's room without him. I haven't been in here yet, and honestly after the incident in the trailer I hadn't planned in going into a boys room ever again.
The walls are painted blue, a bed is pushed into the corner, and above the dresser is a large tv on the wall. There's a lot of clutter and I wonder if boys ever put their belongings away. On the bed lays the clothes I need to change into once I've done my first cat walk. Each hanger has paper stabbed onto the top with a number on it.
I hear the boys talking and muttering outside, but just awkwardly stand there, wringing my hands together. Now I feel nervous. At least Cara is doing it with me.
A knock on the door makes me let out a squeak. "As soon as I play the music, count to twenty Mississippi and then come out. Got it?" Gabriel shouts.
"Yeah," I call.
I pull open the door and keep well back. Looking opposite me, I find Cara standing there giving me a thumbs up. I show her my shaking hand, indicating my nerves. "You'll be fine," she mouths to me. I nod my head. *
The music starts and I hadn't even counted to three Mississippi when the song registers in my head and I hear, "Hiya Barbie." My eyes widen and Cara's mouth drops open.
"Really, Gabriel?" Cara shouts while laughter, hoots, and hollers ring in my ears, Johnny's sounding the loudest.
"Yep, really," Johnny booms.
"This was your idea, wasn't it?"
"Hell yeah it was, Wifey."
"Don't 'Wifey' me," Cara grumbles.
"I'm a Barbie girl..." Cara starts walking towards the door and I nervously do the same, squeezing my eyes shut for a second.
We stop toe to toe in front of each other. More cheering sounds while Cara gives me a huge smile, reaching for my hand.
"C'mon Barbie, let's go party." Cara spins to face everyone and I do the same, quickly trying to keep in sync with her. On either side of the hallway are the boys plus Johnny and Uncle. They sit in chairs, flashlights in hand and spinning them around.
Just before the stairs is some sort of stand with the video camera from earlier. Victor holds a another camera in his hand taking photos. I shake my head with a smile before moving my eyes back to the boys.
They've stopped cheering and have their eyes focused on me. Victor and Kota are blushing, North's mouth is moving, but no words are coming out—none that I can hear anyway. Sean is grinning and so are Gabriel, Nathan, Luke, and Silas. Owen eyes are wide. Their gazes move up and down me over and over, and I shift on my feet, the heels becoming uncomfortable.
I shake my head, trying to rid their reactions from my mind so I can focus and hope I don't trip over. Cara starts walking and we walk side by side right up to the camera before the stairs.
She puts a hand on her hip and I quickly mirror her, my eyes wide and on her, watching every move. Now I'm wondering why I agreed to this.
Cara releases my hand and turns, her other hand finding my mine. And once again, we're walking down the hall. When we reach the bedroom doors, I expect us to go in and change, but when Cara releases my hand she says 'watch' before heading off once more.
She totally owns it. Johnny hoots and hollers, shouting in front of us all how good his wife looks. My face actually heats when he wiggles his eyebrows at her. Her response was a push to his chest as she strutted by.
She strikes a pose at the end, both hands on her hips, turning one way and then to the other.
When she's back at my side, I just stand there staring at her with wide eyes. "Go on," she encourages.
"Sang. Sang. Sang. Sang," starts getting boomed, and I look with wide eyes as everyone starts chanting my name.
Cara nudges me on my shoulder and somehow I find the confidence I know is there deep down and bring it to the surface. I breathe in deeply and then let my feet carry me, one in front of the other.
"Woohoo! Go, Cupcake!" I grin, shaking my head at Luke. The flashlights focus on me and I cringe away.
"Move those hips, Trouble."
I shake my head at Gabriel. No. I'm not even going to try as I'll just look ridiculous. I'm just copying Cara.
"Just like a princess," Victor says loud enough for me to hear when I come to a stop in front of the camera. I grin at him and finally a laugh escapes me.
My head goes back, my mouth opens, and I laugh like I never have before. My heart, it's soaring and the happiness I feel is off the charts. They've done this: the boys, Uncle, Johnny, and Cara. They've fixed me.
But then, maybe, I wasn't as broken as I thought I was.
And maybe, just maybe, I could live this high for the rest of my life. There would be no complaints here, that's for sure.
End of Flashback