I hadn't worn a dress since prom night a few years back now, eyeing how nice the silk fabric looked as it clung gently to my skin as though it had been fitted just for me. The gown was to the knee with a sheer overlay in a soft green shade, almost mint coloured, while I paired it with a knitted cream sweater. The May Twenty-Fourth weekend celebration was semi-formal, so I figured that I had balanced my outfit enough to be formal while still being casual. Jannie had done my hair in a french braid while slipping in a few wildflowers where she saw fit, clapping at her masterpiece. Jannie looked more formal than she did casual, wearing a white halter dress that had red petals on it and a pair of shiny red high heels with lipstick to match. Her blonde hair was done in loose curls that hung softly around her shoulders, bouncing every time she turned her head slightly. Freddy sat on her bed and looked as though he had been transported to some other world, clearly in awe of how beautiful Jannie looked.
"Usually I'm terrible at doing hair – I've outdone myself this time!" Jannie said excitedly, leaning her elbow on Freddy's shoulder as she stared at me. "John is a lucky guy, isn't he, Freddy?"
Freddy snapped back into reality, nodding as he gently wove his arms around Jannie to pull her into his lap. "You two look amazing. I feel under dressed," Freddy commented, looking down to his button-up collared shirt.
"Tuck in your shirt and no one will say a peep," Jannie said, pecking his lips for a moment as she smoothed down one of the wild hairs on his head. He gently pushed her hand aside, trying to fix his own hair while Jannie plucked away at him.
I heard knocking at the door and before long there were footsteps coming up the stairs until there was a slight tap on the door. Both Jannie and I called out for them to come in, and soon John made an appearance as he opened the door. He glanced over to Jannie and Freddy first, nodding politely before focusing his attention on me. I blushed as his expression changed completely, his eyes widened and a huge smile erupted from his mouth as he motioned to me.
"Wow, just – wow," He said, stammering a little as he crossed the room towards me, gently leaning in to press his lips against mine before taking another look at me. "You look beautiful, Ellion."
I took in what John was wearing – he had a cream coloured button-up shirt with a slightly loose grey neck tie and grey trousers to match, his blonde hair was gently combed back so that there was only one ringlet that managed to free itself and sat on the side of his forehead. His face was clean shaven and he smelt as though he had just come through the woods, a fresh pine smell floating around him as I stole one more kiss from him. His big brown eyes seemed to glimmer under Jannie's light, making my heart patter excitedly as he took my hand in his and gently twirled me around to get a better look.
Jannie took Freddy by the hand and led him out of the room, announcing that they would be waiting for us in the car. As soon as they had left, John pulled me in close to him and avidly kissed me as though it had been months since we had seen each other. I liked the way it felt when he took command, but also how gentle he was with me as if at any moment I could break, not wanting to ruin the integrity of who I was. I wrapped my arms around his neck, getting lost in each and every kiss. Before long, he pulled away and sighed, taking another glance at me.
"I'm the luckiest guy in Harrow Hall," He said in a dream-like voice, tilting my chin up so that I wouldn't look away as my cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "And to think, I have the most beautiful girl who wants to show up to the party with me."
I chuckled, straightening his tie before placing my hands on his chest. "Then I think that makes me the luckiest girl in Harrow Hall."
~~~
We picked up Elaine on the way to the fairgrounds, forcing Jannie to sit in the back middle seat so that Elaine could have the proper belt restraint. It was barely four in the afternoon when we arrived but the festival was already crowded with people, there were lots of activities set up to keep everyone busy. The highlight of the May Two-Four festival was the pig roast and barbeque, followed by the Moonlight Dance that carried on all through the night – there was even a competition to see who could stay dancing the longest with the winners bringing home not only a trophy but a brand new mattress from the local furniture store. Near the end of the festivities there would be fireworks over Lake Newberry, something I had loved ever since I was a little girl. It was an unspoken rule that no matter how relaxed the occasion may seem, it was always to be treated as a semi-formal event – but it also gave the people of Harrow Hall a reason to dress up besides church on Sunday. Everything about the May Two-Four party was exciting, it was a family event but there were also beer vendors around. There was almost always something going on to keep people interested, and not only that, but keep them busy.
I could tell John was excited as soon as we exited my van, having never attended one of these parties before. It was open to anyone and everyone, even going so far as to bring in tourists because of how much fun it was, though the crowd was mostly made up of residents of town. I wanted to show John all of the fun activities so we didn't waste any time standing around. First we headed over to play a few games that were set up, afterwards we enjoyed some of Carol Anne McNaughton's tropical lemonade that she prepared every year. We stopped by to watch the Senior's Centre band play their fiddles, tambourines, guitars, and some wind instruments before heading over to join Jannie and Freddy in the two-legged race. John and I partnered up, quickly learning that our communication skills needed working on, laughing as we tumbled into last place. Jannie and Freddy were both so competitive that it didn't surprise me when they took in first place, hugging and kissing each other at the finish line. Elaine and Gordon took a ride on a paddle boat together into the middle of Lake Newberry, watching as the sun began to set.
Finally the time came for the pig to be taken off of the spit and served for everyone to eat, everyone trying to find a chair near the food. Our group took our food over near the gazebo so that Elaine and Gordon could listen to the cheery tunes of the Senior's Centre band while we all ate. The food was so filling that I wasn't able to take a second helping despite the fact that Mayor McNaughton proclaimed that there was enough food for people to have seconds, thirds, and even fourths if they wanted. We all enjoyed what we could eat, resting before the next activities of the evening began. All of the children were rounded up to join in games of croquet on the lawn, while the adults were encouraged to go to the Moonlight Dance that was being held in the agriculture centre at the back end of the fairgrounds.
The music was a mixture of country and old time swing jazz, causing a riot of dancing people to kick up dust on the dance floor. Elaine was excited to dance but found that her hip was a bit too frail, so she decided to watch from the sidelines with Gordon. Jannie and Freddy eased into dancing as if they had been practising together for years, while John and I kept Elaine company. I wanted to dance with John, I had done so many times before, but something felt different about tonight. Instead of being forced to dance with him, now we had the option to. For some reason I wanted John to ask for my hand to dance, feeling trapped in the haze of romance.
"If you two sit still any longer, I am going to kick you both off of this bench," Elaine scolded, patting John on the shoulder so that he would stand up. "I'm already envious as it is that I can't dance the night away, so please do me a favour and at least dance for my sake."
John finally turned and extended his hand towards me, gently lapsing mine in his as he led me out onto the dance floor as the music slowed. A soft guitar tune played throughout the hall, the lyrics were about a man falling deeply in love with a woman who he would do anything for. John held me in his arms as we danced from side to side, trying not to bump into the numerous people that surrounded us. The lights were low as we danced, staring deeply into each others eyes. I couldn't help but think of how he was going to die soon, feeling helpless as my heart began to break right in front of me. John noticed the look on my face and leaned down to kiss me.
"I don't know what goes on in your head," He placed his cheek against mine, softly whispering to me, "but I'm going to be by your side no matter what."
"What if you can't be?" I replied, trying to fight back the tears as I felt his heart beat against mine.
He pulled his face away from mine, staring at me as though there was no one else around us. "Maybe it's too soon to say this, but I don't want to be away from you, Ellion. There's something so magnetic about you, I felt it from the first time I laid eyes on you in Ice Queen and I feel it even more now. I don't want to scare you off, but I need you to know that what my heart feels for you is so real, it's like nothing I've ever experienced before. The best way that I can explain it is that it's like my heart was made for yours and yours for mine," John said, stopping our dance so that he could grasp my face in either of his hands. "I think I'm falling in love with you, Ellion."
My heart nearly skipped out of my chest, a smile breaking out on my face as I leaned in to kiss him. The music continued to play on while we kissed, finally pulling away from each other. I looked into his brown eyes and wanted so badly to see a different premonition for him, wishing I could will it to be true. "You really felt that way when you saw me at Ice Queen?" I teased, prodding him gently.
He laughed, nodding his head. "Yeah, I really did. If there's such a thing, I'd say it felt like I laid eyes on my soul-mate."
I nearly melted at the words, trying to keep myself together. We continued to dance until the song came to an end, finding our way back over to Elaine so that we could finally convince her to dance with Gordon at least once this evening. We watched as the two seemed to dance flawlessly, seeing that they both were progressing because of the dance class – and maybe even because of each other. The night went on with more dancing and laughter, until the time came for fireworks. Jannie and Freddy were determined to win the competition for the Moonlight Dance, so they decided to stay behind at the agricultural centre to compete. The rest of us went over to Lake Newberry, standing near the shores as the fireworks were set off into the dark sky.
I couldn't help but see the premonition of John's death again, standing at the very place where it was going to happen. I could see his blood muddying the blue water, I could hear the sounds of his desperate gasps, the life drifting from his eyes...and yet his hand was still in mine.