On the drive to the salon Jem and Kate are so chatty I can barely get a word in edge wise. Ally had mind-linked me when I met them by the car to not say anything to Jem yet. She wants to wait until after my marking ceremony.
I agree with her of course. I can't imagine telling her now when she is so happy for me and Erik. My heart will break when she learns the truth. Jemma may become a Hybrid like me, but she might not, we just don't know.
She has been my best friend since she was born, I hate the idea of her hurting because our parents have lied to us. I know why they did it, I forgive and accept it, I can only pray to the Goddess that she takes it better than I did.
We arrive at the salon at 1 and Tina is eagerly awaiting us. She gives me a hug before ushering us inside.
I ask her to recreate my makeup from yesterday, but with green added in. I want it to match my dress. She is more than happy to adjust the look to incorporate the color.
"Absolutely! It will be classic but a little edgy, I love it!", her excitement makes me smile wide.
I also choose another color to paint my nails. I want something to match the dress better than the Havana Dreams. This time I gravitate to a darker shade. And I found the perfect one, Suzi - The First Lady of Nails. It's a long name, but I love it.
Kate requests that she have minimal makeup done and for her hair to be left down. She's plain Jane like me, but that doesn't mean she isn't gorgeous.
Kate has shoulder length chestnut hair, same as Kai. Her hazel eyes also match her brother's, but that's where the similarities stop. She has extremely long lashes and her full lips are constantly being stared at by the unmated males. Her curves are subtle and she has long legs that bring her to her 5' 10" status.
She never wears heels and is usually sporting a jeans and t-shirt look. For my birthday she kept her makeup very clean, only putting on blush, mascara and lip gloss. She wore a simple dark grey silk empire waist gown and flats.
Today is one of the most special days of my life and I want her to step out of her comfort zone a little. She is so lovely and I want her to see it, show it off a little.
"Kate, how about going a little bold tonight? For me?", I ask with my sweetest puppy dog eyes.
She screws up her eyebrows at me, "What did you have in mind exactly?"
I turn to Tina, "Hey T, what do you think would look amazing on Kate? We want a little edge to her and really bring out her hazel eyes."
She ponders for a minute and says, "Oh, you know what would be great? A nice graphic liner, with a subtle lip color. Would you like something like that?"
Kate looks petrified. I try to ease her anxiety by saying, "Just trust me girl, Tina is a miracle worker. She's the one who did my makeup yesterday. She knows what she's talking about."
Tina gives me a side hug as I praise her. Kate decides to trust us and lets Tina instruct Leanna, one of the other stylists, on her look. Kate's dress for tonight is blush, with that in mind Leanna gets to work.
Jem is already talking to her stylist, Chloe, on how she wants her makeup done. She wants to have a halo eye with gold glitter to match her dress. She has always been a girl who knows what she wants, I have to give it to her.
I would have to agree with Jemma, gold is definitely her color. She wears it nearly everyday. Her eyes are as green as Ally's; we used to talk all the time about how we both got our mom's eye color. It was kind of our thing.
She also got Ally's curly blonde locks. For years she wore it long to show them off, but recently she wanted a change. A drastic one at that, she got a pixie cut. It was a fearless choice and boy did it pay off.
Jemma has the most beautiful sharp features. I would kill for her cheekbones. When she cut all her hair I was so surprised, but in the best way.
It pronounces her commanding eyes even more, most people do a double take when she walks by. She's not as tall as Kate or me, coming in at 5' 5", but it makes her stand out more.
As I watch my best friends getting pampered for my ceremony, I can't help but feel a little guilty. I'm keeping a secret from them. I've never kept anything from them our entire lives.
They know everything about me and I know all about them too. The 3 of us are more like sisters. We have been fiercely protective of one another forever.
I once gave an overly touchy wolf a black eye when he tried to get Jemma to have sex with him. She was barely 16 and was not interested. He was a little too drunk and didn't want to take no for an answer.
He steered clear of us for a while after that. He later apologized, said he felt like a piece of shit for what happened. Jem forgave him, but I've always kept an eye on him since.
Kate and I would double team Kai when he would get a little too arrogant in training. One time he got the drop on Kate and I blocked him from taking her down. He tapped out quickly when I got him in a headlock. It was always us girls against the world.
We've had sleep overs, and movie nights. Shared deepest secrets and dreams. They are my family, and to keep the fact that I am a Hybrid from them...it breaks my heart.
My mom comes behind me and wraps an arm around my shoulder, "It's ok honey. You won't be keeping the secret that much longer."
"I know, it's just hard to act like everything is the same as it was 48 hours ago. Our lives have changed forever and they have no idea."
My mom's voice cracks a little as she says, "I'm so sorry Enya. I never meant for this..."
"Mom, stop.", I interrupt her. She doesn't need to apologize to me anymore.
"I understand why you and dad did what you did. I get it, I do. I just wish I could tell them right now."
"We have to go through tonight pretending like this dark cloud isn't looming over us. Over the pack. It's just not fair.", I finish and still feel a huge weight on my chest.
Mom turns me to face her, "No, tonight you will not think about that. I forbid it."
I chuckle at her orders, "I'm not sure I can do that mom."
"Yes, you can. Tonight is about you and Erik. I know you have loved him for years. And now you know, he loves you too. You are meant for him. And he is meant for you. Focus on that. Let the rest fall away. We'll deal with it another day. Ok?"
Nodding my head, I pull her in for a hug. She always knows how to make me feel better.
"Alright. Now, let's get you ready. I can't wait to see you in my dress!"
*****
Thankfully I didn't need as much pampering today, since I had been in here 24 hours ago. I spent a couple hours helping choose the colors for mom and Aunt Ally's manicures, as well as their makeup.
Tina started on me at 3:30, it's now 6 and the butterflies in my stomach are causing so much anxiety. She is nearly done and the ceremony is in an hour.
'It's almost time.', Athena purrs to me.
My hair was pinned up in a cute curly updo. The curls are still very prominent in this style and I can't get over how pretty it is.
There are a few strands that hang down and frame my face. They actually bring the entire look together.
My mom had brought some flowers to pin in my hair as well. Delicate little blossoms are scattered throughout and I've never felt so stunning. I felt beautiful yesterday, but today I feel regal.
Witches are connected to nature as much as werewolves are, so with me being a Hyrbid the connection is even more powerful. The flowers add the touch of nature I didn't even realize I needed.
But mom wasn't done surprising me.
She pulls out another hair pin and I gasp in awe. I can see the triple Moon hair pin that I wore yesterday, only it's different.
It's a single hair comb with the triple Moons. The chain isn't there anymore, but other than that, it's identical to mom's.
"I had this made for you. I wanted you to have something of your own to wear at your marking ceremony.", she sweetly tells me.
I nearly burst with tears, but I manage to pull myself together before I ruin Tina's marvelous work.
"Thank you so much momma.", I whisper to her as I hug her so tight she says she can barely breathe.
I chuckle and let her go. Then I hand Tina the pin and she places it in the curls at the base of my neck.
With the final finishing touch I feel complete. I have my werewolf heritage, as well as my wiccan heritage represented.
Now I'm ready.