The Survivors Book III: Winter (43 page)

When they finished, the twins vanished for a second and then returned holding a set of very fancy lingerie.

"What is that?" I demanded, confused and a little horrified.  "Guys, you don't expect me to wear that, surely.  It's… it's…"

"
It's pretty," Melody supplied.  "And yes, you are going to wear it.  Put it on, or we'll put it on for you."

"
Okay, fine, geez.  Give it here," I grumbled.  The twins grinned in perfect unison, and handed the frilly garments over to me.  Careful not to drop the towel and flash anyone more than necessary, I pulled on the knickers and fastened the bra over my chest.  "Wow, this is… almost a perfect fit.  Where did you guys find this?"

"
There's a whole storage room full of them off the garage," Jasmine replied.  "I don't know why, but they're all pretty like that.  Nothing plain or practical at all."

"
Whoever owned this place was probably buying it in bulk, to supply the ladies living in town," I said, staring down at myself to consider the fit of the garments.  They were pretty, and very, very feminine – something I was not used to being.  "I feel a bit silly, guys.  Are you sure about this?"

"
It doesn't look silly," Lily said, shaking her head.  She came over to me holding the dress.  I stepped into it, and then three sets of hands helped me to pull it up and zipped it at the small of my back.  Once it was on, Lily reached into her pocket and pulled out the tiny, antique locket that Netty had given me.  "We took your clothing and your ring back to the motel, but I thought you might like to wear this."

"
Oh!  Yes, thank you," I said, reaching out to take the locket from her outstretched hand.  I fastened it around my neck, and then straightened up and looked at the girls.  "Well?  How do I look?"

The three of them stood back and stared at me
consideringly, their expressions ranging from pleased to uncertain.

"
Should we do something about the scars?" Jasmine asked suddenly.  "We could try to hide them."

"
No."  Melody shook her head firmly.  "The scars are part of who she is, and she looks lovely despite them.  He's marrying all of her, not just the parts that are still in mint condition.  If he doesn't realise that, then he doesn't deserve her."

I felt myself flush at the compliment, and gave her a smile.
 "That was well-put.  Yeah, Michael's marrying all of me, and he's already seen the scars.  He doesn't care.  Hell, we've both taken scars defending one another in the past, and we'd do it again in a heartbeat.  That's why we're getting married."

"
See?"  Melody looked at the twins, and gave them a stern frown.  "Real life isn't like those stupid romance novels you two insist on reading.  Nobody's perfect, but the whole point of love is that the feeling is perfect, even if the people are not."

Jasmine blew a raspberry at her, and all of us laughed.
 By the time the levity cleared, Skye was back.  The twins vanished to make use of the shower, leaving the two of us alone with Melody.

I glanced between them, then looked at the door.
 "Someone is on watch, right?"

"
Yeah, Solomon is," Skye replied.  She came over to study me, and nodded her approval.  "This looks good.  I think we should keep it simple.  Right, Mel?"

"
Right," she agreed.  "This is our world now, and we can do whatever we like.  I think she looks beautiful just like this.  Nothing fancy, nothing over the top.  Just beauty the way nature intended it."

"
Good grief, when did you two become philosophers?"  I asked, amused.  "You're starting to sound like me."

"
I'll take that as a compliment," Skye said with a grin.  "Okay, what are we wearing, Mel?"

"
Well, we want her to stand out, so we should wear dark colours," she replied decisively.  "Blue, or as close to blue as we can find, so that our dresses compliment hers."

"
Sounds good to me."  Skye glanced at me, and made a shooing gesture.  "You go sit down, we've got this covered."

"
Yes, ma'am," I agreed dryly.  I found a seat on a nearby couch, and settled in for an hour of doing nothing while the other girls played dress-up.  It was something that I hadn't seen in so long that for once in my life I didn't mind the inactivity at all.

***

The gap in the weather held off for most of the day, though the stench of sulphur permeated everything.  By the time my little wedding party was ready, the sun was starting to set and cast the world around us in long, elegant shadows.

I held my skirt up to keep it out of the dirty streets as we walked back, for fear of damaging the satin.
 It had survived the years unscathed because the girls had found it hanging in a dress bag; now it was mine and I felt both confused and beautiful while I was wearing it.  The girls had dried my hair thoroughly and brushed it until it shone like silk.  They'd found a few pretty hair pins to sweep it back behind my ears, but other than that it was all natural.

I was so focused on watching where my feet were going that I didn't notice the figures lurking in the shadows until we were almost on top of them.
 Suddenly, someone stepped out into our line-of-sight, and the girls shouted in alarm.  I jerked my head up and stared at the person, wide-eyed in shock.  She stared back, her eyes narrowed, the hands holding her rifle steady and confident.

The two of us just stared at one another for the longest time.
 She was straight-backed and proud, dressed in the uniform of the army.  Chevrons adorned her breast, but I didn't know the ranks well enough to understand them.  She was substantially older than me, but there was something in her eyes that I understood on an instinctive level.  A longing, a desire to protect, and a wariness of the unexpected.

Suddenly, I realised that she was waiting for me to explain our presence in her territory.
 Her stance was cautious but not threatening, and her expression was one of careful neutrality.  It was like looking in a mirror at the person that I had become since I met Michael and found my sister again.  My shock vanished, and I found the words I needed right on the tip of my tongue.

"
Sorry, we weren't expecting anyone in this area," I admitted, raising my hands slowly to show that I was unarmed.  That meant dropping my skirt in the process, but the stretch of pavement I was standing on at the time seemed clean enough.  "We've just stopped for the night to celebrate my wedding, and we'll move on in the morning.  My name is Sandrine McDermott, and these are members of my group."  I quickly introduced Skye and the others, then looked back at the soldier.  "I apologise for the intrusion.  We had no idea this land was claimed, Lieutenant…?"

A smile cracked the woman's neutral visage.
 "Sergeant, actually.  Sergeant Erica Bryce, Royal New Zealand Army."  She lowered her rifle, and looked me up and down with some interest.  "I heard your broadcast.  We've been watching the roads for days for your group, but you took so long to get here that we were starting to think you'd been wiped out.  Good to see that you weren't."

"
The road has been much wilder than we expected," I replied, lowering my hands.  "The weather hasn't exactly been very accommodating, either."

The Sergeant barked a sharp laugh, and nodded her agreement.
 "That it hasn't.  You seem like a smart leader, so I presume there must have been good reason to move your people at this time of year.  You said something about a mutation of the virus."

"
Yeah.  We had no choice," I replied with a shrug.  "The mutants attacked us in our old home territory up near Hamilton.  We lost so many people that it was worth risking the weather to head south."  I paused, and shot her a long, thoughtful look.  "We're heading for Avalon, in Lower Hutt.  We're going to build a new city.  You and your men are welcome to come, so long as we can trust you to obey the laws."

"
Perhaps," she answered noncommittally.  "We're quite comfortable here for now, but we'll think it over.  I would be willing to consider letting you use our radio tower to update your broadcast, if you like."

"
Oh?"  I stood up a little straighter, surprised and pleased by the generosity.  "You have the equipment up and running?"

"
Of course."  She shrugged and smiled wryly.  "We just don't have anything to say most of the time.  Sometimes, it's safer to just stay here and protect our own resources."

"
I understand."  I smiled back at her, and pointed towards the motor inn where my companions waited.  "Why don't you and your men come to my wedding?  My groupmates kind of took over when I told them I wanted to formalize my engagement, but I'm sure there will be food – and there will definitely be good company.  We can talk a bit more, and get to know one another."

Sergeant Bryce paused then, and for the first time I saw a look of some uncertainty on her face.
 After a few long moments, she shrugged.  "We'll… we'll think about it.  Maybe.  We know where you are, so if we decide to come we'll let you know."

"
It's fine.  I completely understand."  I made a broad, welcoming gesture, and then I saluted her.  "You're welcome if you want to, but if not then that's your choice.  I know how it feels to suddenly be confronted with a large amount of people.  Take all the time you need, Sergeant."

She returned the salute and nodded.
 "Well, we'll let you go.  I'll definitely be in touch regarding the radio, whether we come or not."  She paused, then gave me a shy smile.  "Congratulations on your nuptials."

"
Thank you," I said with a grin.  Then, suddenly, the reality of it hit me in the face like a sack full of doorknobs.  "Oh my God, I'm getting married."

Behind me, Skylar and the others laughed.
 "You wanted this, sis.  Too late to back out now."

"
Are you sure?" I asked, feeling a wave of terror unlike anything I'd ever felt before.  "I mean, Michael would forgive me if I ran like a coward, right?"

"
No, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't."  Skye grabbed me by the shoulders, and started pushing me off towards the motor inn.  "Besides, you wanted this.  You made the call.  This is all you, sis.  Now, own it!"

"
Yeah… yeah, you're right."  I took a deep breath to steady myself, then gave them all a sheepish look.  "So that's what they mean by cold feet."

Everyone laughed at that, even the Sergeant and her soldiers.
 They let us leave without complaint, and made no attempt to follow us as we returned home.  There, I found the entire group waiting for us.  One of the look-outs shouted and pointed, and then a cheer went up from the entire group.

Skye stopped pushing me, and took my hand instead.
 She guided me in through the front gate, past my cheering friends, and into the courtyard of the inn.  I skidded to a halt, shocked by the transformation.  The courtyard had been decorated with ribbons, streamers, and more flowers than I'd seen in one place for a very long time.  An assortment of folding chairs had been arranged in two groups, with a short aisle down the middle.  At the far end, Anahera stood resplendent in a long, black gown, and in front of her was my fiancé.

Michael glanced at me, and I saw his eyes widen – whether it was shock or delight, I couldn't tell.
 He was freshly-scrubbed, and dressed in his full police uniform, right down to the hat.  He looked so handsome that I could hardly believe my eyes.

"
Come on, big sis," Skye whispered in my ear.  "It's your time to shine."

She led me forward by the hand, and suddenly I found myself excited all over again.
 Butterflies danced in my stomach and left me feeling light-headed and a little ill, but it was all in a good way.

Getting married.
 I was getting married.  To Michael.

Suddenly, tears blurred my vision, and I was fighting the urge to cry.
 Thankfully, Skylar understood my moment of weakness, and she was there to keep me steady.  She squeezed my hand and guided me down the aisle to stand opposite my beloved, and then she and my other bridesmaids went off to find their seats in the front row.

I could feel the presence of all my friends gathering, and hear the sound of chairs scraping on concrete as they settled down to watch.
 There were whispers and chuckles, but they were all friendly and kind – and throughout it all, I only had eyes for Michael, and he for me.

"
You look beautiful," he said softly.  I felt him reach out to take my hands, and the touch sent a thrill right through me.

"
T-thank you," I stumbled, my wits half-gone.  I tried to say a few things, but none of them quite came out right.  It didn't matter, though.  Michael understood.  He always understood.  He just smiled at me, and squeezed my hands reassuringly.

"
Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the union of our friends, Sandy and Michael." Anahera's voice rose as crisp and clear as a cool breeze on a hot summer's afternoon.  A hush went over the crowd.  We all looked at her.  She looked back, smiled, and then continued.  "Marriage has been so many things over the centuries of human evolution, but now it falls to us to set its definition.  These two before us have become instrumental in guiding us to the new destiny for all humankind, so it seems fitting that their wedding be the one that sets the standard for our new culture.