She's My Beta and My Mate

Chapter 10: The Dress

Zariah

“None of these dresses look right," I say as I slide another one along the wrack. It screeches in protest as if to tell me it is a perfectly fine dress, but I disagree. It is ugly, hideous, and if I put it on, I will look like a poofy princess or a balloon.

Alice rolls her eyes at me. “There are some perfectly fine dresses here, Zariah," she tells me, pulling out a short red number that is form-fitting and sexy. “You just don't want to see them."

“I don't see them," I tell her. “Because they don't exist."

“What's wrong with this one?" Alice asks me, holding up the red one.

“We are going to a Moon Goddess Ball, Alice. Not a Street Walker's Ball."

She sighs at me, clearly exasperated. “It doesn't look like a hooker's dress, Zariah. Why don't you go try it on?"

“I don't want to try it on," I tell her. At the moment, I don't want to try anything on. I don't even want to go.

I know I am ruining her day, and I do feel bad about it. We've been talking about this for weeks. H*ll, we've been talking about it for years. We always thought we'd have our first Moon Goddess Ball when we turned twenty-one, and we're a little late for that, but now that we are finally getting ready for it, a few years later than expected, the least I can do is stop being a brat.

“What about this one?" She holds up a purple dress that comes down to about mid-thigh and flares out.

It's not awful. I don't really like it, but it's not the worst.

“I'll try it on," I tell her, and she smiles like I just told her she's won the lottery.

I go into the changing room and take off my clothes, sliding the purple dress on over my head and getting the zipper up most of the way on my own before I go out and ask Alice to pull it the rest of the way up.

“What do you think?" she asks with a hopeful expression.

I think I look like a little girl—a tall little girl. “I don't think so," I tell her.

“Why not?" she asks. “This color looks good on you."

I raise my eyebrows at her. Redheads don't typically look good in purple, and I think this dress is no exception. The bodice is sparkly, and the straps aren't quite staying up. The skirt is frilly, and it's really not my thing.

“Maybe I should try on a black dress," I tell her. “Since I have a feeling I'll be going to my funeral."

Alice smacks me in the arm. “Stop it. I think it looks good."

“You just want me to pick a dress because you're tired of hearing me complain!"

She shrugs, but she doesn't argue because she knows I am right.

“Unzip me," I tell her, and I go back into the changing room to get out of the purple nightmare.

When I come back out, she has three dresses she wants to try on, so I wait around while she does that. I flip through the dresses, but none of them catch my attention.

Alice looks beautiful in all of the dresses she tries on, though. She really likes a long blue one, and she decides to go with that one.

“What about you?" she says.

I hold my arms up and make my shoulders touch my ears. “I have no idea." I am beginning to wonder if my mother has anything in her closet that might've come back into style. That's how much I hate all of the dresses in this shop.

“Well, there's got to be something," Alice says. She turns back around to look through the racks again, but I am ready to go home.

I turn to look out the front of the shop—and that's when I see her.

A little old woman with a hunched back and long, scraggly gray hair is standing outside. She's across the street in the alleyway between the stores, and she's beckoning.

Who she's beckoning, at first, I'm not sure, but her arm is motioning for someone to come here, and since she seems to be looking right at me, I can't help but wonder....

“Is she talking to me?"

“Who?" Alice asks.

“That lady," I say. “Over there."

“What lady?" Alice turns around and looks out the window, but my feet are already moving toward the door. “Zariah, where are you going?" she asks me.

“I'm going to go see what she wants," I tell my best friend.

“Who?" Alice asks, and I can't believe she actually doesn't see the woman. She's standing there in the alleyway, as plain as day. It's not like she's in the shadows or anything. “Zariah? I have to pay for my dress!" she tells me.

“Go ahead," I say. “I'll catch up with you later."

I walk out the door, my eyes still on the older woman. Her eyes are still on me, too. As I cross the street, her smile widens. “Were you… looking at me?" I ask her.

“Oh, yes, Beta Zariah," she says, and I notice she is missing some teeth and has a large wart on the end of her bulbous nose. She smells a lot like garlic, and her gown seems to be fashioned from many scraps of material all sewn together. “I've been waiting for you for many years."

“You have?" I am surprised to hear this. I've never seen the woman before in my life.

“I have," she says. Her eyes are an amber color, but one of them is a bit cloudy, and I wonder if she can see out of that one. She takes hold of my arm and tugs me into the alley.

“Come this way," she says.

I should probably be leery of her since she's a stranger, but I am an accomplished fighter, so I think I can take this old woman.

Unless she is magical. I've never met a magical creature before—other than a shifter, of course—and I don't think they exist. But one never knows.

At the back of the alley, some blankets are hung between the buildings, concealing the exit. We walk between the blankets, and she stops. I can't see where we came from, and I can't see out the other side.

But I don't need to. A garment bag is hanging on a large dumpster.

This is all very strange.

“What's going on?" I ask her.

“Do you trust in the Moon Goddess?" she asks me.

“Yes, of course," I tell her.

“Do you believe she has agents on this earth who come to help those who have faith in her?"

I nod. I have always believed in the Moon Goddess and had faith in her—well, except for maybe up until about an hour ago. But everyone has moments of wavering faith.

She must not have held it against me. The little old woman hobbles over to the bag and pulls the zipper down.

There, hanging inside is the most beautiful gown I've ever seen! It is a sparkling silver with long sleeves, full-length, with a train that will likely drag the ground behind me. It has shoes and accessories to match.

It's so unbelievably breathtaking. It looks like it has been spun from the moon itself!

Covering my mouth with both hands, I say, “I can't believe this! It's gorgeous!"

“It's yours," she says. “The Moon Goddess presents this gown to you, Beta Zariah. You must continue to trust in her, no matter how bleak the situation may become. Will you do so?"

“Yes, of course," I say, fighting tears. “But surely, I must pay you something."

The woman shakes her head. “The Moon Goddess accepts nothing as p*****t except your faith and loyalty. Now, take the dress and go, my dear." She pulled the zipper up, took the dress down, and offered it to me.

“Thank you," I tell her, hugging her tightly.

The woman laughs and pats me on the shoulder as she hugs me back. “You are welcome, child."

I hastily make my way beneath the blanket, excited to tell Alice, but then I realize I forgot to ask her name. I rush back, but the woman is gone. Quickly, I look behind the other blanket. There's nothing there but a brick wall.