I was so so so excited!!! We were finally, finally, FINALLY planning our Winnowing Galas! the carriage ride there wasn't that bad as I thought it would be. Marella, Linh, Sophie and I all got a larger carriage while Mom agreed to take the smaller one.
We talked about loads of stuff, like dresses, and designs for the Galas and where we would have them.
"I guess I'll do it at Haven field," Sophie said shrugging. "Grady and Edaline have a room already for it."
"I can do it at my place," Marella said. "We'll just change the dining room to a ballroom. Boom. Gala ready!"
"What about me?" Linh asked. "Where me and Tam live isn't big enough for a Gala..."
"You can have it at Everglen after mine!" I said excitedly.
"Thanks!" Linh said happily.
We finally arrived at the most esteemed shops for woman's dresses. The men's shops were on the other side of Atlantis. I wondered how it was going for them over there.
We arrived at the first shop, a towering five story building with glowing lanterns. It looked beautiful on the outside.
Mom stepped out of the carriage behind us and sighed as she looked at the building. Then, she excitedly squeezed my shoulder.
"Biana, this is where I got my Gala dress," Mom said. "I hope that you girls can find one you like in here too!"
As we stepped in, I immediately could tell why Mom had picked here first.
There were more dresses then the eye could see, and I had to admit, even I wouldn't have been able to come up with all of these. The fabric was smooth and silky, and the dresses varied from every size, every shape, and every color imaginable!
Linh gasped as she entered, and then almost looked like she was about to cry.
"What's wrong?" Marella asked.
"They're-they're-they're so beautiful," Linh gasped sadly, as she reached out to touch a short midnight blue dress with a cute yellow sash and a pale yellow trim. I would never be able to pull it off, but Linh definitely could. "And I can't wear them."
"Why?!" Sophie, Marella and I cried out in sync.
"I-I-I don't have any money," Linh said sadly, tracing the sash of another dress, (Silver with a metallic gold shine.)
"That's the problem?!" I asked incredulously, for a second forgetting we were in a public building. "Mom will pay for all our dresses!"
"Of course I will girls!" Mom said.
Sophie and Linh immediately began to protest.
"I can dig out an old dress to wear!" Linh said, waving her hands to shoo away Mom's money.
"I can pay! I'll pay for my own!" Sophie said.
"No, no!" Della said. "I insist. You girls have fun. Remember, this is the first shop of many! I'm going to get some new shoes. Have fun! I'll be on the fourth floor!"
Mom ran off excitedly towards the fourth floor (Mom loved shopping almost as much as me) and Sophie looked around the large shop. "This is only the first shops first floor?" She asked, sounding almost afraid.
"This shop had 5 floors Soph," Marella said, elbowing Sophie and laughing.
I clapped my hands in excitement. "This is always the best part!!" I squealed. Shopping was always so fun! "Let's goo!!!"
We toured around the first floor, which was formal dresses. I could see a lot of other girls here as well, probably either buying dresses for their Winnowing Galas, or gowns for somebody else. One reason I loved shopping so much was when I saw that look of delight on a girls face whenever they found the perfect dress.
While touring, we bumped into Maruca, who had that look of joy on her face right now.
"Hi!" Linh said excitedly, pleased to find somebody else she knew.
I hugged Maruca. In the second year of Foxfire, we had a huge fight over her spilling my secrets to Sophie, but we had long since made up.
"Bi, look. At. This. Dress," Maruca said excitedly, holding up a turquoise dress that hit her knees with a warm red sash that complemented her dark skin tone.
"It. Looks. So. CUTEEEE!" I squealed and shoved her toward the dressing room. "Try it on girl! You are gonna look fabulous!!"
Maruca smiled and she walked off holding the dress of her dreams. I smiled happily, then turned around to see Sophie and Marella debating over a dress.
"You would look really good in this one Soph!" Marella said, pointing energetically at a long red dress with a skirt that draped on the ground and flowed out behind it's mannequin in a wedding-like fashion. It was strapless, and was really gorgeous.
"No thanks, to extravagant," Sophie said, shaking her head.
"Biana, Linh! Don't you agree?" Marella asked when she spotted us, gesturing towards the dress, than Sophie. "Imagine how much Fitz would freak out!!"
Sophie blushed when Marella mentioned my brother and gave the dress a double take, this time looking a bit uncertain, not straight up no. "You think?"
No. I thought. Fitz wouldn't freak out, Keefe would. Sophie, you are going after the wrong dude. Fitz likes Linh, not you, but can't you tell that there's a way better guy who cars about you just as much. No, more than Fitz does? You should stop pinning after Fitz, and start looking at Keefe! Of course, I didn't say this out loud.
"Hmmm," I said. "I don't think it's right for Sophie. I mean, Sophie's not really into super showy dresses, right Soph?"
"Yeah...." Sophie said. "Yeah, I'm not. Sorry Marella, hard pass."
Marella shrugged and pinned the dress back up onto it's display mannequin.
After some severe searching, two head bruises, one scream, three hair pullings, twelve shoving girls, four ripped dresses, and five shredded sashes, we had finally managed to wrestle (Marella), scream at (me unfortunately), ask politely (Sophie) and wait our turn (Linh) to pick out two beautiful dresses each, one for our Gala, and one for supporting our friends Galas.
The one I had picked out for my Gala made my heart happy inside. It was absolutely gorgeous! The dress was a pale pink and lilac with gorgeous flowers on the skirt and the same flower made up the sleeves. In between the low neckline was covered with netting, (hey, I was a fashionista, but I was't inappropriate!)
(Here's Biana's dress! What do you guys think?)
I liked it a lot! I thought it was really elegant and pretty. My friends thought so too.
"It's soooo cute!" Marella said, touching the skirt of the dress. "The fabric is so pretty! I like it a lot! It's not my color though."
Linh laughed when she saw me in it. "Twirl girl!!" she said and laughing, I twirled for her. She grinned. "Tam's gonna F-REAK!!!!"
"Yeah!" Sophie said, smiling. "His jaws gonna drop and his eyes are gonna pop outta his head. I mean, regular you is pretty enough, but ball gown Biana is just...wow."
"My brother's lucky," Linh said. Sophie and Marella nodded along, but privately, I thought that I was the lucky one to be able to be with Tam.
"Casual one! Do the casual one!!!!!" my friends chanted.
"Ok, ok!" I said, but started to smile. Their energy was roping me into it as well. "It's not gonna be as magnificent as the first though."
"It better not be!" Marella said. "Or else, your gonna upstage me at my Winnowing Gala, and nobody's gonna pay no attention cause they'll all be staring at you!"
"Same here!" Sophie said.
"No way!" I said to Sophie. "The way boys look at you, it's like your the only girl in the entire universe or something!"
"Yeah!" Marella said. "Like Fitz!!!" she teased.
Linh smiled sweetly, but for the first time it sorta looked like a grimace. I decided I should better move the conversation along before anything bad happened. Honestly though, my brother didn't deserve Linh or Sophie. Just saying.
The casual dress was also pretty, but a lot more toned down then my first dress. It was a lot shorter for one, and only went down to mid thigh (I would need some white tights to match with it.)
(Biana's Casual Dress. What do you think?)
"You still look like a queen!" Sophie said clapping. "Just, fabulous!"
I smiled. "Thanks Soph!" I said.
Then, going back into the changing room, I took off the two beautiful dresses and stored them on a hanger with my name on it so nobody would accidentally steal them. Pulling on my now boring seeming pale blue tunic with embroidered white and black flowers and black tights and gray cape, I stepped out of the changing room.
Marella started to clap, before Sophie silenced her.
"Oh, this isn't another outfit?" Marella asked.
"Nope," Sophie said, trying to hold back the laughter.
For the first time ever, Marella seemed embarrassed. "You still look amazing Bi," she said. "Tam's lucky to have you."
"My brother doesn't deserve you!" Linh said.
I smiled. "More like I don't deserve him. Linh give your brother more credit! And speaking o brothers, and crushes and that sort of stuff, I say you try on your dresses next Linh!"
Linh smiled shyly. "You sure?" Everyone nodded.
"I won't look as good as you though, so don't expect anything!" Linh said, opening the white changing room door with Linh printed on it and stepping inside.
I held my breath and waited for the reveal.