The Reality of Now

Seventeen

Four things went wrong on the day of the wedding. By eleven that night it had been given four different names: Invading Fowl, Limbs-A-Flailing, The Boy On Fire, and Nature's Extinguisher. Ask anyone, and they have a favourite event.

It all started when I found Jules sitting in a chair on the Amberley house porch, perfectly still and unmoving, looking out at a bright green oak tree in front of the house.

Kaitlyn, a few workers from the restaurant, and several other family members (both from Sapphire and Jack's side) I didn't know were bustling around the kitchen. Sapphire, Ruby, and Rose were getting ready upstairs, and Jack was in the basement with Cash, Isir, Dan, and his brother Matthew. It was important to the bride and groom that they didn't see each other before the wedding, and since it was taking place at a house, the best we could do was put them at opposite ends of it.

I was about to head up the stairs, but the sight of Jules caused me to stop. "Um, Jules?" I asked, stepping out the open front door.

"Hmm?" he murmured, not turning to face me. Dog was curled up, sleeping, at his feet.

I tried to see what he was staring at so intently, to figure out what was so captivating, but I just couldn't place it.

"What are you doing?"

He lifted his hand and pointed into the tree. "See that bird?"

I walked closer and sat in the chair next to him. Squinting at the tree, I finally saw a small, fat robin perched on a branch. It was rather cute, with an odd black splotch on its left wing, and was staring straight back at Jules. "What about it?" I murmured hesitantly.

"It's evil," Jules told me, causing me to burst out laughing. The robin fluttered and flew away. Jules followed it with his eyes and Dog growled.

"You were serious?" I asked, my laughter fading.

Finally Jules looked at me, his face stony, and nodded gravely. "Completely. That bird is trouble."

I knit my eyebrows. "Were you waiting until I fell in love with you to let me see how crazy you really are?"

The corners of Jules' mouth twitched in an amused smile. "And to think it happened so fast. Any longer and I wouldn't have been able to hold in the crazy."

I shook my head with laughter and rose to my feet, kissing Jules' forehead. "See you soon," I said. "Watch out for more evil birds."

"Sure thing."

I headed back inside and ascended the stairs. Sapphire, Ruby, and Rose were getting hair and makeup done. A few women from the salon downtown were hurrying around, constantly asking Sapphire her opinions.

"Ooh, ooh, ooh!" Sapphire chirped, reaching for a makeup pallet. She positioned it perfectly on a desk and snapped a picture of it with her phone. "Those colours are so cute."

"Saya, what took you so long?" Ruby questioned, noticing I had walked in. She hurried away from a collection of nail polishes she clearly had no interest in.

"Jules had some sort of conspiracy theory about a bird," I explained.

Rose cocked an eyebrow at me while combing through her hair. "A conspiracy theory about a bird?" she echoed in disbelief. I nodded.

Sapphire looked up. "Was it a robin?"

I blinked. "How did you know that?"

"Jules has this weird thing about birds, especially robins." Ruby rolled her eyes. "Ever since we were little he has truly believed they were out to get him."