I paused at the door.
What would greet me in the mirror? Would I look beautiful? Would I sparkle? Could my hair be out of place? How did my makeup turn out?
I took a deep breath and stepped around the corner, into view of the tall mirror.
My breath caught in my throat. I looked... radiant.
Brown pixie cut spiked up elegantly, revealing the gemstone earrings that matched my necklace and bracelet. Eyeliner and gold eyeshadow a tribute to my younger sister and her years of makeup practice. Green eyes glowing. And, of course, the dress.
Gold was my favorite color— my power color. Not to mention it was one of my class colors. So, naturally, this dress caught my eye when I saw it online. It sparkled— a dazzling, shimmering entity with a presence of its own.
A smile pulled at the corners of my lips.
My mom and dad appeared in the doorway, beaming. Mom stepped up beside me and set a hand on my shoulder. "You ready to go?"
I grinned. "I've been ready for twelve years."
I could see it now... delicious food giving off a heavenly smell. The laughter and playful banter of my classmates around me. Music playing. Bright lights trained on the dance floor and glittering against my dress. My friends and I would dance all night. It was our last party together, after all. And beyond that... who knew?
"We better go," dad chimed in from the doorway. "It's getting late."
Mom nodded and stepped back. "Alright, I'll go get the other kids. I want to get a family picture first."
"Wait." I interrupted. "I gotta do one more thing."
I fixed my eyes on my reflection. I turned, and I spun. The gold dress shone, rustling around my legs in a bright poof.
When I faced the mirror again, everything looked different.
I was in sweat pants and a t-shirt. My hair was matted. My face had no makeup. My eyes were covered by glasses.
I could see my calendar in the reflection. I could see where the word PROM was spelled out in colorful letters. But it had been scribbled out and overshadowed by big, red letters...
CANCELLED.
