Retribution

I was standing on a pedestal with mirrors positioned all around me, but at that point they had been covered so I wouldn’t be able to see how I looked in my dress.

There were only two days until my wedding and although I was happy to be marrying Malachi, it wasn’t a joyous occasion.

My great grandmother was killed before my very eyes, by my father. Yeah, I was struggling to come to grips with that one. A girl who was supposed to be like a sister to me was nearly murdered by one of the Gods and I didn’t know how to feel. I needed Malachi to answer a few questions and I couldn’t let it wait until our wedding night.

All of that aside, Yana had done as I wished and had an Ivory one made, but she added her own twist to the design. It had a cobalt sash running around my waist, with blue and green sparkling jewels dotted within a delicate floral design on the bodice. It even had a cobalt blue ribbon to cinch the bodice up at the back.

It was a tribute to Malachi’s eyes, I hoped his eyes would sparkle like the jewels. But I couldn’t get rid of the guilt, I made him go back to the monster he had tried to overcome, why would he marry me out of choice.

And then we had the crux of the issues that had been plaguing my mind since I realised that I loved the guy. Would he choose to marry me if Hades gave us a choice and would he choose me if he had the chance to be with the kind of girl I used to be? Whatever and whoever that even was.

Once the dressmaker had finished stabbing me with her pins and the alterations had been made, I was finally allowed to see what I would be wearing on our wedding day.

First Yana insisted I covered my eyes with my hands, while something was placed in my hair and on top of my head.

I then heard a rustling, which I presumed to be caused by the fabric being stripped off the mirrors, before she excitedly told me to remove my hands and look.

I had no idea what I’d been expecting, just another bone crushing, figure showing dress like all the others, but they had nothing on the dress I was wearing.

The bodice flowed into a light layer of satin cascading over my hips and down to the floor. It was then topped with a shimmering lace that sparkled every time the light caught it.

The flowers were revealed to be forget-me-nots and open roses and the blue jewels matched Malachi’s eyes perfectly.

I also had a shimmering sheer veil that fell just below my chin, with diamonds and rubies running through my ebony hair.

I didn’t know what to say to this, was I supposed to thank Yana or act nonchalant.

“Well, do you like it? Oh please say you do, it was so fun to design and so much better than that garish black dress I had them make,” she said, clapping her hands with glee.

“I prefer this over all those dresses Hades insists I wear whenever in his company, you have outdone yourself Yana,” I replied, which awarded me with a bright smile and I almost forgot she wasn’t just a regular child.

She jumped up and down but stopped when she noticed a tiny red spot just above my hip on the dress. It had been barely visible and easily remedied, but Yana didn’t care about any of that.

She grabbed hold of the dressmaker, making her cringe as she tried to pull away.

“You made the bride bleed and ruined my beautiful creation, you evil hag. Now it’s your time to bleed,” she stated, as sparks began to jump across her body, making my hair stand on end just from being in the vicinity.

The woman was cowering as Yana released her grip and then slammed her hands down upon her head, sending electricity jolting through her. She kept making it happen as the lady’s nose, eyes and ears began to bleed. Her eyes were no longer visible, as they had rolled to far back and then she slumped to the floor.

She was still convulsing even after Yana let go, before she went too still. Her chest refused to move and apart from the odd arm jolt, caused by the electricity that was still flowing through her, she was well and truly dead.

“Oh no, I am so sorry Unya, I should have left her to you. I do get carried away sometimes, I hope you can forgive me,” she said, as she looked upon me with the most angelic look I had ever seen.

“Don’t mention it, I can’t have all the fun now can I,” I replied, wishing I could go and kill someone to distract me from all my issues and worries.

Yana snapped her fingers and a replacement for the other lady soon hurried over and got to work removing the minimal red spot and I was finally permitted to wear my top and jeans.

It was hard to appreciate the quarters I had been given, especially after all the lies Hades had fed me. The voices had well and truly gone and I could only hope it was permanent. I was lost in my own thoughts when a noise made me turn my head towards the door. Seeing the handle begin to slowly turn and then the door creaked open.

I strained my eyes to see who had come to pay me a visit, when I noticed the inky colour haloing their head. Why would a shade be paying me a visit, but disbelievingly so, that wasn’t the most shocking thing about that scenario.

“You were the one who tried to warn me about Troy. What are you doing here?”

She shuffled into the room, her eyes still displaying that empty void I noticed the first time I found her down here.

She held her arms behind her back, as she made her way over to me.

She didn’t utter a word, and I wasn’t even sure if she could speak.