{ W h o } Audrey Huntington { W h a t } Engagements can be hard to handle when you're keeping secrets. { W h e r e } Savannah, GA { W h e n } Summer 1930 { R a t i n g } PG
For Audrey Huntington, two things were apparent to her, even from a very young age. The first was, despite knowing she was loved and appreciated, her parents were disappointed that their eldest children were, indeed, girls. It wasn't until her youngest sibling was born that her parents got their wish of having a little boy to raise and carry on the family name. The second was that she grew up in a world where appearances were everything and she was her parents little doll, their showthing, and she had to hold a certain image of flawless and untouchable perfection. It was something she turned out to be rather good at doing. She was pretty, charming, and turning out to be every bit the precious piece of porcelain they always wanted, right down to her pretty pale skin that seemingly lacked any scarring or blemishes. There was a third thing, too, one that was important to most people she knew and almost seemed like a competition, sometimes - to be showy, to be grand, and to be and to have the very best. And she? She was currently engaged to the best their town had to offer.
She sat quietly as her mother fixed her hair, gently finishing setting the waves and curls they'd started preparing the night before and muttering a question about why couldn't her daughter makes things simpler by being like other girls and cutting her hair short. It was one of the things Audrey and her mother argued about, from time to time: Audrey's hair and her refusal to cut it short, much to her very fashion-oriented and minded mother's dismay. Instead, her oldest daughter was slowly, but surely, developing a mind of her own. When she was finished, her mother's hands settled on her shoulders as she dropped a kiss to the top of her head and she said something about the dress on the bed, how people would be here soon to hear the 'official' announcement, and made a vague hand gesture towards the bed before leaving the room. The door clicked shut behind her and it wasn't the first time Audrey's bedroom felt unbearably large and empty.
She stood and slipped the dressing robe off of her body, gently setting it across the back of a chair before making her way to the bed, her brow scrunched as she reached for the dress. The light of the window met the ring on her finger, casting a bright light on the wall and ceiling and she pulled her hand close to her chest, her heart clenching a little at the sudden reminder of how real this actually was and that, yes, this was happening. After a moment, she sat on the edge of her bed, clenching and unclenching her hands out of habit and her gaze flickered down and then back up, focusing on her reflection in the mirror. When her mother got a hold of her, she never felt or looked much like herself. It was always what her mother wanted her to be and she wasn't one to put up a fight. Especially not today. Not when her mother was absolutely alight with joy.
It wasn't that Jonathan was a bad person - quite the opposite, in fact, and she genuinely did love him. She could recall almost everything from the day his family moved nearby (how could she forget the first day she saw those emerald green eyes? Even if she was six years old) to the day Lana didn't come home and he helped look for her to the day he asked her to go steady. Pinning. He'd been the only boy she'd ever seen, really, and the only boy she wanted to see. Jon was handsome, intelligent, and thoughtful and kind and all of her friends had always said she was so lucky and how jealous they were and their perfect little relationship and how they were perfect for one another. Nothing could explain why she wasn't happy in the least, now. It was everything she'd ever wanted, all the things she had planned for, and her stomach absolutely churned at the thought of actually having it, now.
And it wasn't that she didn't love him. She did and she really was happy and excited about the upcoming events. For as long as she could remember, she'd wanted to be with him and have a family. So many times growing up she imagined their wedding and their eventual children. There'd be two, a boy and a girl, and they'd have her bright red hair and pale skin and Jonathan's emerald-green eyes and they'd grow up just down the road from their parents and families. When they were younger, she and Lana would discuss names for them, but Audrey had eventually decided that when the time came, she'd know exactly when they had one that fit.
Her stomach churned for different reasons. Nerves. Worry. Fear. She wondered if he'd still love her if he really knew everything about her. Countless nights were spent wondering the answer to that, what she should do - she couldn't keep hiding, but her heart couldn't take the answer 'no'. He always said how special and different she was and she had always wanted to tell him he really had no idea of the extent of it. She was a freak. Maybe normal-looking on the outside, but she had turned into something that definitely wasn't 'normal'. Not by any means.
If only she could make herself see how this would end.
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts and mind (too much, too deep, and too intense for needing to be happy tonight), Audrey stood and carefully adjusted her stockings before sliding into her dress with her back to the mirror. She'd typically have help for this sort of thing, but she hadn't wanted it and insisted to her mother she wanted everything to be a complete surprise (the older woman couldn't have been more thrilled). It took a few minutes, but she managed to get herself in order and spun around to look at her reflection. It was a surprise to see who was staring her back. Nothing about the current look was very 'her' and she was honestly thinking about looking through her closet for another dress. She gathered the bottom and scurried across the ro-
"Oh, darling!"
Her heart jumped as she whirled around to see her mother standing in the doorway, all smiles and tears as she cross to her eldest daughter. "Oh, my dear, sweet girl. You look stunning. That green with your hair -" A hand reached up to touch her hair. "Oh, you look like someone who belongs in films!"
Audrey smiled weakly as her mother's hands ran across her face and down her shoulders and arms, eyes scanning her up and down as she took in the full appearance. "I'm so proud of you," she muttered softly, which made Audrey's stomach twist and her heart clench. "Your father is too, you know. But you know how he is - can't come and say it himself, but oh, he's so happy for you. We always knew this would happen, but he was just so pleased when Jon asked his permission." The older woman looked at her, all smiles with tears in her eyes and gently cupped her face in both of her hands. "Our little girl is really growing up, isn't she?" A pause. "You need a necklace. It just doesn't look right without one."
As she spoke, she reached behind her own neck and unclasped the one she was wearing and motioned for her daughter to turn around. She did and her mother spoke and her hand raised to touch the jewelry at her neck. "This was your great-grandmother's, but I think you knew that already -" Audrey nodded as she spoke. "I always enjoyed wearing her jewelry when I was your age. It'll be yours someday, you know..." She trailed off and turned Audrey back around to face her. "You look like a dream," she said as she reached up to touch one of the girl's curls. "Your father and I couldn't have asked for more for you. You're going to be so happy," she added as she lifted her daughter's hand to look at the ring for, what Audrey was certain, the one thousandth time. "His family has impeccable taste."
Before Audrey could voice a response, her mother was backing out of the room. "Oh, your sister. I haven't even seen her yet! I won't have her ruining this, too. God knows, she'll make a scene, but she could at least look decent... and your brother! Oh, dear. I haven't heard from him today, either. At least we have less to worry about with him." Before she left, she gave her oldest child another smile. "You're going to make a stunning bride." And then she was gone.
Audrey leaned onto the chair, exhaling slowly as she closed her eyes. She could do this, she could handle this, and she'd be fine. They'd be fine. She worried and fretted too much, she knew that, and there was no reason for her to be so concerned. Jonathan was a brilliant, wonderful man and she'd never been given reason to doubt him. Her eyes opened slowly and she studied her reflection in the mirror. Maybe the person staring back at her wasn't a stranger at all and maybe she was just a new step forward and in the right direction. Her back straightened and she smoothed her dress out before glancing over at the bedside clock. Not a lot of time left and Jonathan had promised he'd be with her before they had to face their families and friends.
As if on cue, there was a knock on the door and she heard the familiar sound of his voice calling her name. She immediately smiled and hurried across the room before flinging the door open to be greeted by a pair of familiar green eyes. She leaned in to press a light kiss to his lips and when his hand gently brushed across her cheek, her previous worries seemed to disappear and she wondered how she could even begin to doubt him or their relationship.
Maybe, just maybe, she didn't have so much to worry about him, or this, and she'd get her fairytale ending.