Artemis Crane is torn. She has to choose her life in exactly one month from her seventeenth birthday. Her family is her main focus but they insist on her choosing for herself. But, she meets a strange boy the day before she chooses. Will he push her...
Today's the day. Choosing day. I have been a wreck all morning and haven't gotten any sleep. So, I look awful.
Looking in the mirror I attempt to rub the bags out of my eyes. I turn away from the mirror and sigh; it's no use.
Right now, I'm waiting for my mom to come back with a dress she said was 'amazing'. Apparently, she wore said dress to her choosing ceremony. I'm a bit skeptical about this dress, but I trust my mom.
My door to my room flings open and my mom comes in with a dress over her arm. She strikes a pose as she hold it up to show me.
"Tada!" She squeals with a huge smile on her face. I haven't seen her smile like that in quite awhile.
Looking at the dress my breath catches in my throat. It is white, simple dress. It's short and fluffy, with an a line skirt. Scattered around the dress, are simple blue flowers, resting on branches.
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I look up at me mom and see tears in her eyes, while feeling my own start to blur my vision.
"Do you like it?" She asks quietly.
"Mom," I let out a small sob and cover my mouth. "It's beautiful!" I've been crying a lot lately, huh?
I rush towards her and squeeze her in a big hug. It may be just a dress, but it belonged to my mother and it is the last gift she will ever be able to give me.
She laughs in my ear and hugs me tight. "I'm glad you love it." She whispers.
I pull away from her with a huge smile still plastered on my face. "I'm going to go try it on!"
I quickly take it from her and rush to the bathroom. I can her here laugh from my enthusiasm. I've never been this excited about a dress before.
We're all required to wear our best attire to the ceremony. It shows how we have grown into adulthood and matured throughout the years.
I slip on the dress and look in the mirror. Gasping, I run my hands down the smooth fabric. And might I say, I look good.
Holding it from the front so it won't fall down, I walk back into the room. Turning around so my back is to my mom, I ask her to tighten it up.
"Too tight!" I weeze as she pulls on the strings.
"I know, honey, it hurts." She chuckles. "My mother did the same thing to me. She even said to me: 'beauty doesn't come without pain.'"
"I can imagine her saying that." I say giving her a light chuckle in return.
"Yes." My mother simply replys. "Good thing that I'm not my mother." She whispers in my ear loosening the strings to the corset.
