VULNERABILITY

Dresses

I zoomed in on the amber eyes in all of my pictures. I click right. Amber eyes peeking out from behind a tree. I click right again. Amber eyes in the bush. How is this even possible. I don't believe in the supernatural. Maybe it was a trick of the light? Dust? I jump out of my skin when I hear mom yell for me.

"Honey! Come downstairs we need you!" My mother shouts from downstairs. 

We?

I shut my laptop and make my way down the stairs. I see my mother and some other woman I have never seen before. Perhaps even weirder, there is a bunch of wedding dresses on a rack standing behind them. 

What the fuck. 

"Oh sweetie, we need a favor of you." She smiles. "This is Charlotte. She's the past mayor's wife." 

"Okay . . . nice to meet you . . . " I say and watch as my mother snags this huge dress off the rack. She shoves it into my unwilling hands. 

Charlotte remains sitting in one of our living room chairs with a wine glass in her hands. 

"My daughter is in Haiti building homes for families. She gets back a day before the wedding. She doesn't have a dress picked out and you guys are about the same size." This strange woman I have never seen says. 

"So we want you to try on some dresses. We'll take pictures of you in the dresses and send them to her." My mother finishes for Charlotte with a big smile. 

"Oh. .. I don't know..." I can't think of what to say in a situation like this. This is so weird, but it makes sense I guess. I look at their faces. They look very hopeful. 

That's how I find myself in our bathroom struggling with the huge dress.

I couldn't say no, but now I wish I did. This dress is too big and challenging. It takes up almost the entire space of the bathroom. It takes a lot of maneuvering to get the heavy layers of white onto my body. My mom helps me tie it. Then I walk out into the living room. 

"Honey, you look so beautiful." My mom sniffs. Even the other woman looks like she's about to cry. I don't know what to do but smile and wait for the flash of the camera to go off. 

We try on four more dresses until I put one on that I actually like. It's has a vintage look to it. Perhaps more importantly, it's comfortable and not as big as the other ones I put on. I love the lace and the sleeves. Oh my gosh, I just love everything about this dress. It's every little girls dream to pick out their wedding dress. I can't wait until it's my turn to pick out my own. 

I wish this dress was mine.

I don't want to leave the bathroom. I want to keep twirling in the mirror and keep looking at myself.

When I come out, the two women gasp.

"This is the one." The strange woman says with a big smile and tears streaming down her face. 

My mom takes a picture. 

At the same time the flash goes off I heard a loud thud from upstairs. 

"Shit!" It's Matt. And he doesn't sound happy. Soon after I hear the thudding of his footsteps on the stairs. 

When Matt comes into view, I see my laptop in his hand. Broken. In half. Down the middle.

"Oh. my. god." 

"Poppy. . . I'm so sorr-" 

I shake my head. This can't be happening. My laptop had the wolf pictures on it. Not just the creepy pictures but the happy pictures of Daniel and I. 

I run into the bathroom and lock the door. It seems silly to be crying over a laptop but that laptop has pictures on there that I can't get back. Including the wolf ones. I bought that laptop with my own money. I felt so independent buying it. Now it's shattered. 

It seemed all too soon before someone was knocking on the door. 

"Honey, you have a visitor. Please come out." It's mom who calls to me from the other side of the white bathroom door. 

I don't want to leave the bathroom. I look in the mirror and see that my eyes are puffy. Just great. And I still have this stupid wedding dress on. Thank god I am leaving tomorrow. There is only so much I can take. 

I take a deep breath and compose myself. 

"You can do this, Poppy." 

When I finally leave my safe haven, aka the bathroom, I walk to the front door and see Daniel standing there with a grim look on his face. 

"Daniel." It's the only thing I can say. His name is but a whisper on my lips. I'm shocked. What the fuck is going on.

"I told you. Strike three. You're coming home with me. We have a lot to talk about." 

I open my mouth to respond but somebody else answers for me. I feel their presence behind me. I see their shadow. 

"She's not going anywhere." 

Daniels' eyes get big. Like, skyscraper big. Daniel is a pretty tall guy. He's built. Not as built as whoever is behind me. Then Daniel rights his composure and he's back to glaring at the man behind me. To see Daniel show even an inch of fear makes me scared. 

"You should leave, boy." It's my brother who answers from behind me. 

"I'm not leaving until Poppy comes with me, le chien." Daniel spits the words out like hot balls of fire. I'm taken back by how furious he is. I've never seen this side of my loving boyfriend. 

"Everyone just calm down," I say in hopes to de-escalate the situation. 

"Quiet." It's a command. I feel my mouth automatically seal shut. This does not go over well with Daniel. 

"Don' tell her what to fucking do," Daniel fires back at Mr. Tall and Mysterious. 

"She's mine. You best walk out of here while you still can." 

"I'm not scared of your kind. Poppy and I are leaving."

It's when Daniel makes a move to grab my arm when all hell breaks out. It all happens so fast. In mere seconds there are snarls filling the house. 

"Don't fucking touch her," is snarled in an inhuman voice. I feel currents of electricity race up my back as I am pulled into someone's chest. 

Just like in the movies, the door busts open and officers wearing black grab Daniel. He's yelling and fighting them. The cops struggle to get cuffs on him. The three officers and Daniel are tussling on the hardwood floor. Daniel lands a punch on one of the faces of the officers. 

"Wait! Stop it!" I try to move towards the officers manhandling Daniel but large hands grab me around the waist. "Let go of me!" 

I watch helplessly as a police officer shoves a syringe into Daniels' neck. In seconds he goes limp but he looks at me one last time before his eyelids shut for good. 

"Daniel!" 

I am held back the entire time they remove Daniel from the house. I don't realize I'm crying until someone wipes the wetness from my cheeks. It's only when the sirens take off down the road that I am released. 

I whip around and see Charlotte, my parents, Matt, Julia, and the man who was in my backyard that day Julia was trying to tell me something. 

"Honey. It had to be done." 

By now I'm livid. Confused. Scared. Everything is starting to piece together. Slowly. 

My vision goes black. 

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Had to update early SORRY:) 

I WILL UPDATE FRIDAY STILL. ENJOY. VOTE PLEASE. 

unedited.