Chapter 103

Ruby

Atwood says I was sleepwalking last night.

I think it was something else.

All I remember is waking up in his arms on the forest floor, but my body feels… strange. Like there’s a bit of me missing inside.

After I woke up in Atwood’s arms last night, he insisted that we return to the castle in case I start sleepwalking again. I obliged and let him carry me back. He took me straight to my room and didn’t leave my side for the rest of the night, which would normally make me happy, but it only solidified my suspicions that something else happened in the woods.

I can’t explain it, nor can I understand it, and I don’t want to try right now. The wedding is today and I just want to focus on that, focus on joy. Perhaps it is just my nerves and it will dissipate after the wedding. Regardless, I’ll take Nancy’s advice and see a therapist. Maybe that will help.

Polly comes and wakes me up in the morning. I’m surprised to see that Atwood is already gone, no doubt preparing for the wedding and not wanting to see the bride before the wedding, but I assumed that he would have broken that tradition since he was clearly so worried about me last night.

I still feel groggy after the strange events of last night, so when Polly says she’s drawing me a bath, it’s a much welcome luxury.

When I enter the bathroom, the air is steamy and smells of the fragrant soaps and perfumes that Polly laid out for me. There’s a fresh, clean towel waiting for me, and when I disrobe and step into the bath, the water is hot and inviting.

I sink down into the bath until the water comes up to my chin, closing my eyes for a few minutes.

And yet, it seems that I won’t be able to relax because I can still feel the shadow’s eyes on me. I look around warily, but can’t see anything through the steam.

The sound of the door opening startles me, but it’s just Polly.

“Would you like me to wash your hair?” she says, her soft voice echoing through the room. I agree to her offer, more so because having company helps me feel more safe, and lean back while she shampoos my hair.

“Time to rinse,” she says when she’s finished shampooing. Taking a deep breath, I slide down so far that I’m completely submerged under the water. All I can hear is the sound of my own heartbeat as she runs her fingers through my hair, swishing it this way and that to rinse out the soap.

For a moment, I consider not coming up out of the water.

Maybe the Bear hostage was right. Maybe I don’t want to be Princess. Maybe this is all too much. Too much pressure, too much trauma, too soon. Maybe I can just stay underwater until my chest aches, and then I’ll breathe in the water until my lungs are full of it. I can just go to sleep. No more visions, no more strange dreams, no more being watched by invisible forces.

But I don’t stay under.

I sit back up, gasping for air. Polly doesn’t say anything; simply starts running fragrant conditioner through my hair until it’s all smooth.

When I’ve finished bathing, I step out of the tub and wrap myself in my towel. Polly combs and blow dries my hair while I stare into the mirror. The steam eventually dissipates so that I can see clearly now; just as I thought, no strange shadows watching me.

Once we’re finished in the bathroom, I only have a few minutes to myself before the woman who will do my hair and makeup comes in. She has me sit in front of the vanity while she curls my hair and pulls it back into a lovely half bun with small pieces coming down in the front. The makeup is simple, but when she’s all finished, I feel beautiful and have almost forgotten the strange occurrences over the past couple of days.

Next, the seamstress comes with my dress. Nancy follows behind her -- she must have come early to get ready -- wearing a lovely blush pink dress that reaches the floor. Tamara walks along with her, holding her hand; she’s wearing an adorable pink dress with little bows and a flower circlet on her head.

“Wow, Ruby!” Nancy says as she runs up to me. “Your hair looks so beautiful like that. And it’s gotten so long now!”

My friend’s kind words make me smile, and as the seamstress pulls out my dress, the butterflies start to flutter in my stomach. In just a few hours, I’ll be married to Atwood. I never would have imagined this in my wildest dreams.

The seamstress holds up my dress with a grin. I disrobe and hold my arms up like before for her to put it over my head with Nancy’s help, and once it’s on, she hops down from her chair and laces up the back. She doesn’t let me look into the mirror until it’s all done.

The dress looks even more beautiful now that it’s been altered to fit my body. Tears of happiness start to well up in my eyes. Nancy runs over with a handkerchief and dabs my eyes before I ruin my makeup, although I can see tears in her own eyes as well.

“Here,” she says, reaching into her purse and pulling out a small velvet bag. “A gift. Something new, for your wedding day.”

I open the bag and pull out a beautiful pearl bracelet.

“Thank you, Nancy,” I say with a smile. She dabs away her own tears with her handkerchief and helps me put the bracelet on, then walks over to my vanity and returns with my brooch.

“Something old,” I say quietly. Nancy nods and pins the brooch on my dress. It looks lovely against the subtle pink color of the dress and the delicate beading.

“And something borrowed,” Polly suddenly chimes in. She walks up to me with a narrow, flat white box with a ribbon on it and holds it out to me. “It’s a gift from the groom.”

I open the box and gasp at what’s inside. It’s the ornate silver hand mirror from Vivian’s room. The silver has been cleaned and polished, and there’s a handwritten note sitting on top.

“Vivian would want you to have it. -Atwood”

“Go on!” Nancy says excitedly. “Try out the mirror.”

With a smile, I pull out the mirror and lift it to look at my reflection. The glass is so clean and clear that it almost feels as though I’m looking at another version of myself standing right in front of me. I tilt the mirror a bit to get a new angle, but then I jump and nearly drop it when I see it.

It’s standing right behind me.

The shadow figure.

With a yelp, I spin around to see that nothing is there. My heart races and my palms sweat as I scan the room for the intruder, but there’s no one here who wasn’t here before.

“Miss Ruby?” Polly says, stepping up to me and placing her hand on my arm, snapping me back to reality. “Are you alright?”

I swallow the knot in my throat and nod vehemently. “Yes,” I reply, trying to hide the fact that my hands are shaking as I quickly put the mirror back in the box and put the lid on. “Just nervous, that’s all. A trick of the light.”

Nancy squeezes my shoulder and gives me a concerned look. I muster up a smile in return, but nod subtly to confirm her suspicions. She knows about my visions of the shadow figure; it feels good to have a friend so close to me right now.

“One last thing,” the seamstress chimes in cheerfully. She reaches into her bag and pulls out my veil. It’s simple, the same color as my dress, with a delicate lace trim at the bottom. Attached to it is a beautiful silver circlet with a soft blue gem that hangs down to the middle of my forehead when the circlet is placed on my head. “Something blue.”

Something old.

Something new.

Something borrowed.

Something blue.

And something black.