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I sat and watched as she pulled her shirt over her head and reached for the dress.

She slipped it on slowly. Careful.

It caught for a second at her side.

Panic flickered.

“You got this.” I said quietly.

She pulled it down.

And just like that⁠—

It fit.

Perfectly.

“See.” I smiled. “You look incredible.”

She smiled. And for a second—I almost felt it too.

Then it slipped.

Like it didn’t belong to me.

3

NYSSA

It was quiet.

Too quiet.

The screams had subsided.

The threats had died.

And for the first time all morning I had nothing left to do. No one to save. No crisis to ease. No one standing on the edge of a breakdown, one tremor away from the fall.

I breathed. Quiet. Shallow. Not quite believing it at first, until soft laughter came.

“The cars are here.” Someone called. “They’ve come.”

I glanced around at the dresses and the gowns, at the soft dried curls and the intricately pinned flowers arranged in a soft, messy buns. They were ready. They were finally ready.

“You’re not dressed.”

I turned to Mel. “What?”

“We’re all ready and you’re not dressed.”

I glanced down at the t-shirt and sweatpants I still wore. “It’s okay, won’t take me long.”

“Then you’d better hurry.” Vivienne called as the row of cars stopped outside and the drivers climbed out. “We’re almost ready to leave.”

I made my way back to my room and shut the door behind me. Silence closed in again. I stood there a second longer than I needed to. The turned. The dress waited for me, draped over the chair. Lavender. Simple. Quiet. Not like the others. I stepped out of my clothes and pulled it on. The fabric slid over my body, catching briefly at my hip before settling. Long enough to cover what I needed it to. Short enough not to trip me.

The mirror caught me before I could avoid it.