A Twist of Fate (24 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

30 minutes earlier.

THE DRESSING ROOM WAS cool, but
Abigail still couldn't catch her breath.  She gasped for air as she anxiously
prepared for her big day.  Aubrey and Aliah had agreed to check on the flowers
and give her a minute to herself.

Her mother and Vera were questioning the wedding planner
about the reception hall, while she slipped into the long, silky gown and stood
before the free-standing mirror, tilting it up to take a look at herself.  The
dress was perfect.  Vera had secretly ordered it months earlier, having it handmade
and flown in from overseas, after having seen the scrapbooking she had done as
a child.

That had to be the most amazing gift that anyone had ever
given her.  To say that Abigail was surprised would have been a nonsensical understatement.

Everything had turned out so beautiful and sophisticated,
just like she had always imagined.  This was the day she had waited her entire
life for and everything was exceeding her expectations.  Then there was a light
knock at the door.

Her stomach twitched, just slightly, as she bunched her gown
into her hand to avoid tripping over the length of the phenomenal train.  She
paced to the door and opened it a crack to see who it was.  Edwin stood there,
staring at the floor, clearly panicked.

"You realize if you're mother sees you with me she's
going to have a fit," Abigail said, without letting him in the door.

"Abs, seriously?  This is ridiculous.  I need to talk
to you."

She huffed for a second, knowing that she was being
childish, then gave in to his adorable pleas.  "Can you do me up
first?"  She opened the door and Edwin quickly slipped inside the room,
closing the door behind him.

Abigail turned away and Edwin’s eyes skimmed over her soft,
bare skin.  He swallowed a gulp of air and slowly zipped the dress all the way
up.  He brushed aside the soft veil of fabric sprouting from her hair and
kissed her neck.  "You look amazing," he whispered.

Tears pooled in her eyes.  Happy tears.  "Thank
you."

"Come."  Edwin clasped her free hand and pulled
her to an elaborate, antiquated chair.

She took a seat, as Edwin pulled up another chair for
himself, careful not to disrupt her gown.  He leaned forward and took both of
her hands in his.

“How’re we doing?” he asked, gulping back another breath.

“Honestly?" she said, letting her nerves start to show. 
"I'm terrified.”

Edwin delivered a teasing smile.  "And here I thought
you might be a little more encouraging."

Abigail cupped Edwin’s cheek and tilted her head to express
her love.  "Eddie, I can’t imagine my life without you in it."

Even with his beautiful bride-to-be near tears, he couldn’t
help but tease her.  "You realize once you say I do, there's no turning
back."

"I do," she answered.

A genuine smile kicked up on Edwin's mouth, as he leaned
forward to give his beautiful bride a kiss.  With a tender press of his lips,
Edwin massaged away her tension, and charmed her back under his spell.

"I love you," he said, then brushed a kiss on her
chin.

Abigail hooked her arms around his neck and stole another
kiss.  "I love you so much."

Edwin brushed his lips against hers one last time, before
pulling her to her bare feet.  "Before I go, I just wanted to give you
this.”  He pulled out a beautiful, white gold locket from inside his jacket and
dangled it out to her.  “I know it might not go with your gown and I understand
if you don’t want to wear it today, but I wanted you to remember that this is
the day I gave you the other piece of my heart.”

He dropped the locket into Abigail’s hand and handed her a
small scrap of paper folded into a small square.  “Read this after I go,” he
said, smiling.  “I'd better get back out there anyway, before they come looking
for me."

Abigail nodded, doing her best to keep it together, then
pressed a firm kiss to Edwin’s lips.  "I love you," she whispered,
unable to quit saying it.  She was so happy.

Her hand brushed off of his silky chest as Edwin hurried for
the door.  "I'll see you at the altar," he said, waggling his
eyebrows and taking off before he could catch her resulting smile.

Abigail smoothed her fingers over the dainty heart-shaped
pendant, feeling an engraving on the back.  Holding it between her finger and
thumb, she squinted to read the inscription.  “
Just Friends
Forever.”

She pressed her lips together, to hold back the tears,
certain that she was going to drop some when she opened it up.  Taking her
time, she opened one half of the pendant.  Inside, she found her favourite
engagement photo.  When she slowly opened the other side, she was shocked to
find that it was empty.

After carefully unfolding the little note, Abigail broke out
in a tearful laugh.

“This piece of my heart may appear empty,

But you know that’s not a fact,

After our vows our said, I’m taking you to my bed,

And our baby will fill that gap.”

It was a sad attempt at a rhyme, but it had Abigail
clutching at her heart.  She closed the trinket and wrapped the dainty chain
around her wrist a couple of times, holding Edwin’s heart in the palm of her
hand.

Abigail disappeared into the private bathroom and dusted a
fresh powder over her face.  She was surprised how flawless her skin looked,
considering how poorly she had slept last night.  The nightmares she had
endured had been enough to put her in a mental hospital.  Tears started to well
in her eyes as she remembered the threats, but she refused to mess up her face
again.

As she reached for the door handle to bolt from the small,
windowless room, darkness splashed over her.  The air grew thin and cool, and a
chill skipped up her spine.  Abby tore her eyes from the blackened door and
straightened herself to face the large wall of mirror, knowing exactly what was
happening.  Jenny was going to make good on her threats.

Red glowing eyes stared back at her in the reflection. 
Abigail slid her hand up the wall, without blinking, her fingers inching toward
the light switch.  She managed to get the lights to flicker back on, but she
never took her eyes from her sister.  Jenny sat cross-legged on the bathroom
counter and her eyes flickered a magnificent shade of purple.

"But...but…" Abigail stuttered.

"But...but," Jenny repeated, mocking her.

"I thought you could only come out at night."

"I prefer the shadows,” Jenny said, with an evil grin
set on her face.  “And it adds to the mystery, wouldn’t you agree?"

"What do you want?" Abigail snapped, the words
bursting from her lips.

"Ooh, feisty.  You know exactly why I'm here." 
Jenny gave Abby a pointed glare, her violet eyes seeing right through her. 
"I warned you."

Abigail nodded her head, trying to convince herself of a
blatant lie.  "I've been distracted from reality lately.  That's why I'm
dreaming you up right now," she told herself.

"Oh, trust me.  This is no dream.  I think it’s time
for you to cash out while you still can.  There's the door."  Jenny
pointed toward the closed door.  "Start walking and don't look back.  Vera
can take it from here.  She doesn't want you to marry Edwin anyway."

Though Abigail knew that Vera never really approved of her,
it hurt to hear Jenny say it out loud.  "How do you get off making my life
a living hell?  What did I ever do to you?"

"You.  You.  You,” Jenny chanted.  “It’s always about
you.  Do you think my life is so peachy?  I'm dead, Abigail.  You lived.  You
think life isn’t fair?  Try death on for size."

"No," Abigail shouted, more angry than sad.

Jenny’s legs were draped over the vanity, and she kicked
them up and down, like a carefree child.  "Cameron still grapples with
himself over Pheobe’s loss of her mother, you know.  He still blames himself
for Tessa’s death.  I can just imagine what kind of effect it's going to have
on him to know that he could have saved you.  Then there's Edwin."

"You would never."  With teeth clenched, Abigail
had officially lost her cool.

"Oh, I would and I will.  It's too bad that your luck
will cause yet another tragic accident.  And on your wedding day.  What a
shame."

"Stop it!" Abigail screamed, unable to take much
more.

"I know what you're feeling about Cameron right now. 
It's okay, Abby.”  Jenny crossed her leg and rested her hands on her knee. 
"It's hard to pretend not to love someone, when every time you look at him
all you see is everything you ever wanted."

If what Jenny said was true, Abigail was sure to die a
mysterious death and join her in eternal misery by week-end.  But Jenny was
wrong.  And Abigail had already reached her daily limit for craziness. 
"That's enough!" she shouted.

"You marry Edwin and you're signing his death
certificate," Jenny stated, then disappeared on a black flame sparking
from the vanity light.

Aubrey forced the door open and rushed inside the bathroom
to hold Abigail in her arms.  "What's going on?" she asked, rocking
Abigail into submission.

"I don't know," Abigail whispered, relieved that
Aubrey had come alone.

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to,"
Aubrey insisted, surprised that Abigail was having second thoughts.

“It’s not that… it’s Jenny.”  Abigail took a tissue from
Aubrey’s hand and dabbed it under her eyes to prevent her mascara from running.

“Jenny?”

“She’s coming to me again, Aubrey.  I know how ridiculous it
sounds, but she is.  And now she says she’s going to kill Edwin if I marry
him.”

“And you really think she’s capable of it?” Aubrey said, not
doubting her for one second.

“I wish I could say I’m not willing to risk it, but marrying
Edwin is the one thing I’m not willing to leave up to fate.”

***

"IT'S TIME," VERA chimed,
floating into the room.

Abigail's best girls, with help from her mother, had put her
back together, and not a minute too soon.  Vera thrust the bouquet of flowers
into Abigail's hand and urged the bridesmaids to get a move on, pushing Abigail
along after them.

Abigail's father met up with her in the hall and reached for
her arm to help her along.  "Hi, Dad," she said, softly, still
clutching Edwin’s heart in her palm.

He smiled at her, his eyes lighting up.  “You look
beautiful, honey.”

Abigail started to get choked up, when the music flooded the
church.  “Thanks, Dad.”  She had been waiting for this day for what seemed like
an eternity.  No one – not even Jenny – would stop her now.

The wedding planner handed out the bundles of soft ivory
flowers to the bridesmaids.  After adjusting the dark ribbon on them, she insisted
that Aliah go.  On cue, moments later, Aubrey gracefully stepped onto the aisle. 
She instantly discovered the uninvited guest.  She smiled and nodded at
Cameron, despite the terrifying squeeze in her stomach when she saw him sitting
there.

Hiding from the rising crowd, Abigail anxiously squeezed her
father's hand.  The wedding planner was calling for her, but her feet wouldn't
move.  Tears glistened in her eyes.  This was the happiest moment of her life.

"Are you ready for this?" her father asked, with a
whisper.

The wedding planner stomped her heel to grab their attention
and shot daggers from her eyes.

"I've been ready for this since the day I was
born," she said, showering her father with a soft smile.  Though her voice
was smooth and she looked entirely put together, her knees were knocking under
her silky dress of feathers.

Her father kissed her on the cheek and pulled the wispy veil
over her face, before towing her to the main stage.  The organ sounded, deep
from the choir's canopy, and Abby appeared in the archway at the foot of the
aisle.  She clutched her bouquet of warm-hued roses and prepared to take her first
step.

Abigail clutched onto her father's arm and he led her
proudly down the length of the aisle.  Her spectacular train spread out behind
her and whispered across the floor, making a glorious trail of silk and lace
and feathers.  The thin transparent material covering her face only amplified
her sense of serenity, as she fixed her eyes on her handsome target.

Everyone stared as Abigail breezed toward her groom.  Then
her father lifted the veil, kissed each of her cheeks and whispered in her
ear.  "Jenny is here today, watching over you,” he insisted, as if that
were a good relief to hear.

Abigail heard a soft cackle coming from the canopy and she
knew that Jenny was surely listening. 
If he only knew.
  She drew out
her best poker face, handed her flowers
to
Aubrey and
turned whole-heartedly to her groom.

"You look absolutely radiant," Edwin whispered.

Abigail blushed and glanced at the floor as she accepted
both of his big, warm hands.  A sense of comfort and familiarity washed over
her, but a tedious ache lurked in her side.  Abigail's mother dabbed the tears
from her eyes as the priest proceeded with the prayers.

As the ceremony advanced closer to the exchange of vows,
Abigail's hands grew warm.  She wondered how long she had before Jenny
unleashed her wrath on the wedding party.  Edwin too was perspiring heavily,
though the room was cool and breezy.  A pew near the back of the room continued
to creak and groan and Edwin knew it was only a matter of time before shit hit
the fan.

Cameron shifted uncontrollably in his seat.  Ashley glared
at him and pressed her hand firmly on his leg to steal his attention.

"Don't wreck this for her," she warned, scowling
at him.

At that very moment, the priest announced the unnerving
words that every young couple dreaded after watching one too many chick
flicks.  "If anyone has an objection as to why these two shalt not be
joined in this holy union, then speak now or forever hold your peace.”