The ivory white dress was finally making its debut after being hidden underneath June's bed for weeks. It was neatly kept within an old, almost tattered shoebox where its appearance would not raise any suspicion. She had waited patiently for this special moment, for this was the first time she would shine on stage as Juliet, every girl’s dream role.
June took off her monochromatic shirt and replaced it with the gorgeous dress. Her legs went first, surrounded by the pool of fabric before pulling it up to her torso. She could feel the light chiffon sleeves tickling her arms, but they were long enough to rest right on her wrists. Her fingers slowly made their way to her lower back, as she searched for the zipper to seal the dress together. It was a perfect fit.
“Wow.”
She could not stop admiring herself in the mirror. Even the ugly crack in the looking glass could not hide June’s newfound beauty. She was no longer Peaseblossom, but the elegant Fairy Queen Titania who ruled the fairy realm along with Oberon. Such an image that no one would ever suspect she had been a background actor for two years.
Her body twirled while the dress shimmered along with the lights. June was trying to reenact the ballet steps her sister April once performed during the Spring Showcase. She soon felt as if a pair of golden swan wings had emerged, feathers unraveling along her arm. If she flapped them, she might fly away from her house into the stars where she could shine together with the others.
Her anticipation bloomed like little cherry blossoms in spring. She could not wait to bask under the lights and cameras, with a thousand pairs of eyes admiring her from below. All June had to do on stage was to deliver the lines she had been practicing for months.
“Oh, I am fortune’s fool,” this would be the line that would make the audience fall for her in an instant, feeling pity for her fallen moment on stage. After the performance, a series of applause would come in when she appeared last during the actors’ roll call. All thanks to the ivory dress that transformed her life.
“What are you wearing?” The thunderous voice of her mother boomed from behind her. The harmonized O Fortuna rang in June’s ears as the woman slowly entered the room. June’s instincts told herself to shield the dress before anything bad happened to it.
"I-I am the lead," Her mother had always been looking for chances to rip away the gleaming parts of her. This time, June had enough. “I got the role of Juliet.”
“Nonsense, you didn’t get any role.”
“No, it’s supposed to be me!” The grip on the dress became tighter, enough for her nails to pierce through the fabric. The ivory dress was the only chance she had to become a star on the stage. She did not want to let April keep taking the spotlight away from her.
“And how dare you steal the costume from your sister,” her mother cried. “Hadn’t you realized that she had been desperately looking for it?”
“The dress is mine.”
“Foolish girl,” her mother slapped her across the cheek. “You almost made April lose her role because of this.”
The sting on her cheek reminded June of her multiple failed auditions and her lack of natural charm. Once again, her mother refused to give her a chance to prove herself on stage. It was always April, her little diva. It was always April, the Odette of the family. June was neither the white swan nor the black swan, she was just an extra of the cast.
“I-” The lump in her throat stopped June. A tragedy indeed, for a performer who could not even perform a rage aria.
“Take it off and give it to me,” her mother’s voice was firm as if she was the judge and executioner of her crime. “Now.”
In reluctance, June slowly stripped the dress from her body. She stood there in her underwear, handing over the folded garment with trembling arms. Her mother received it like a treasured prize and left the room while calling out for her other daughter. June sat on the floor, almost naked, with the dim light showering over her as the curtains fell.
Will be published on the 16th issue of Particle Literary Magazine