Deleted scenes from the lunar chronicles

Deleted Scene #5

So, I *do* have a deleted scene from Cress, but it happens to be my favorite of all the deleted scenes, so I'm saving it for my big finale post at the end of January. In the meantime, here's one from Winter!

This is actually a really special scene for me, one that was very hard for me to cut. In fact, it was so hard for me to get rid of that it became the inspiration for the "Something Old, Something New" story in Stars Above... because I just wanted to show this happening so bad!!

Enjoy!

From: Winter, 1st draft

Featuring: Almost Everyone

Helpful set-up: The timeline is wonky from the final version – this scene took place after Jacin's faked murder of Winter, but that originally happened before the crew arrived on Luna. Thorne is still blind. Iko is sadly nonexistent here because she originally wasn't supposed to come back after Book One. (GASP! I know.) Also, that thing that happened to Dr. Erland at the end of Book Three didn't happen. Oh, and Scarlet was never kidnapped, so both she and Wolf were on the Rampion for the entirety of Book Three.

* * *

"You look lovely," said Cress, swooning with her hands clasped over her heart.

Cinder withheld a snicker, watching as Scarlet squinted at her reflection in the mirror.

"I look the same as I always do," said Scarlet. "Except now I'm wearing a dress that's too small for me."

"That's not true." Cress bounded off of Cinder's bunk and went to tuck a red curl behind Scarlet's ear. "The dress makes you look like a net star. Plus you're glowing, just like a real bride."

Cinder thought that the dress was maybe a touch too small for Scarlet's envy-worthy curves, but it was the only dress aboard the ship—the light, floral daydress that Cress had worn aboard the satellite she'd called home for so many years—and Cress had insisted that the bride-to-be couldn't wear the same men's cargo pants and military-issue tank tops that the rest of them did.

The glowing part, she thought, maybe had an element of truth to it. Scarlet's eyes did seem to have a particular twinkle to them that maybe hadn't been there two days ago.

A knock startled Cinder into turning around. Thorne was standing with his fist still on the doorframe. "Holy aces, girls take a long time to get ready. Are we doing this or not?"

"You're one to talk," said Cinder, reaching out and ruffling Thorne's hair. He squirmed away and instantly set to fixing the misplaced pieces. "You primp longer than any of us."

"Yeah, well, I have a reputation," Thorne said with a smirk. He rubbed his chin, covered with nearly a week's worth of scruff. "Too bad shaving would probably result in bleeding to death right now."

"You look nice, Captain," said Cress, fiddling with her fingers.

Thorne preened. "Thank you, Cress." Sending a cocky grin in Cinder's direction, he started off down the hallway, singing, "Here comes the bride. I don't know what color she's wearing, so we'll call it white."

Crossing her arms, Cinder glanced back at Cress. "You know his head is only going to get bigger, right?"

Pink tinted the girl's cheeks. "He does look nice."

Sharing a smile with Scarlet, Cinder nudged her head toward the hallway. "Shall we?"

The lights were dimmed, casting a romantic glow down the hallway as they made their way toward the front of the ship. The cargo bay had been rearranged so that there was room by the loading ramp for Kai to stand with the bride and groom, and two crates for the rest of the crew to watch. Cress had programmed the screen on the wall to alternate pictures of roses and sunsets and quiet orchestral music alighted from every speaker on the ship.