Episode 17

Cyan grabbed her purse off the dresser before closing the door to her room.

She knocked on Alastair's door. "Can I come in?"

"Sure."

Honey was laying by her human's feet. She wagged her tail at Cyan.

"Maggie and I are going dress shopping. I don't think you'd want to come even if you felt better. We should only be gone for a few hours. Call if you need anything." She picked up the visor on the desk. "Would you like to watch TV?"

He held out his good hand.

She gave him the visor and smiled. "See you later."

She shut the door most of the way behind her.

Maggie was waiting for Cyan in the living room. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah. I'm excited to see Ms. June again." Cyan furrowed her eyebrows. "Should we take a cab?"

Maggie shook her head. "It'd probably be better to not leave that kid alone for too long. I'm sure you'd worry about him after a while."

Maggie grabbed Cyan's wrist since she was the one with the address. She then rang the doorbell when they walked up to the front porch.

Ms. June smiled when she opened the door.

"It's good to see you again," Maggie said.

"Yeah." Cyan smiled. "It's nice to see you again, Ms. June."

"Cyan, you're both graduated now." The lady's cheeks reddened. "Call me Isa."

"Oh right." Maggie rubbed her neck. "I forgot to tell you that."

Isa had a black car waiting for them out front.

Cyan got in the back seat before Maggie or Isa could protest. They were the ones who set this up. They deserved to sit next to each other.

Maggie face palmed. "Cy, you have to ask for things sometimes, too."

"I'm fine, Maggie."

Isa opened Maggie's door before getting in the car.

The car began driving itself.

"Do either of you have any idea what kind of dress you want?" Isa asked.

"I honestly haven't thought about it," Cyan replied.

"I'd like a little bit of bling," Maggie replied. "Beyond that, I'll figure out when we get there."

Cyan sighed. "Please don't blow our budget."

Maggie laughed. "Hey, I'm supposed to be the uptight one."

Cyan narrowed her eyes at her friend.

"Still, you should both get something nice." Isa winked. "You never know. You might find your prince charming."

"What do you know?" Maggie's cheeks were like tomatoes. "You're not even married!"

Sweat beaded Cyan's brow. Boy did Maggie suck at tact.

"Do you already have a date?" Cyan asked.

"I do." Isa smiled. "I'll be going with my friend, Arthur."

"Have you gone with him before?" Maggie asked.

Isa nodded. "A few times."

The car stopped in front of a building with the outline of a dress on its awning.

The woman in the store opened the door for them. "Welcome in. Let me know if you need help looking for anything."

"Cy, why don't we look for your dress first?" Maggie said.

"I don't even know what I want." Cyan's cheeks reddened. "Your dresses might help me decide."

Isa rubbed Cyan's shoulders. "Why don't we look for my dress then?"

Cyan went to turn on her terminal when Maggie put her hand over the screen. "What's the point in being here if you're just going to do that?"

"Maggie's right." Isa smiled. "Let's have a little fun with these dresses."

"Do you have anything in mind?" Maggie asked.

"I would like something with a little bit of lace." Isa tapped her chin. "That's about it."

Maggie cracked a smile. "Are you sure you're not shopping for a wedding dress?"

"Magenta! I'm not even engaged!"

"His loss then, I suppose."

Maggie practically skipped toward the back of the store. Cyan wasn't looking forward to what Maggie would find. She would probably try to put Isa in some sort of wedding gown.

Cyan would look for a floral dress. Isa would often wear aprons with that kind of pattern. She was also a very cheerful person.

The woman who greeted them at the door just put up a group of yellow dresses, so Cyan went to look at them.

Two of the dresses were embroidered with diamonds. Cyan absolutely wouldn't show them to Isa. Maggie would be convinced of her marriage idea. Isa wouldn't want that.

A few others were just a simple yellow. Cyan thought they were too simple for Isa.

A dress caught Cyan's eye. It was a yellow dress embroidered with pink flowers made with lace.

It was perfect. Cyan could already see Isa wearing it.

When Cyan found them, Isa had found a few dresses. They were red and orange.

Maggie's hands were so full, she could barely carry all the dresses.

"Good grief, Magenta." Cyan would have put her hands on her hips if she wasn't holding the dress. "You really went overboard."

Isa stifled a laugh. "No kidding."

All of the dresses Maggie chose were white. They looked more suited to a wedding.

Isa slowly pushed the dresses to the side as she inspected them. She must have had similar thoughts to Cyan.

Maggie sighed as she picked up a dress from the bottom of the pile. "I had a feeling you'd say no. Try this one on at least."

"Alright. I'll try it."

Isa then went into a nearby changing room with the dress.

"Can I look for some dresses for you?" Maggie asked.

Why argue? Maggie would probably do that anyway.

Isa's cheeks reddened as she stepped onto the pedestal. "I don't think this is it."

The dress had lace flowers. It looked more like a wedding dress than one for the Ecerre Ball.

Cyan nodded.

Maggie sighed. "I wanted to try it at least."

Isa grabbed one of the red dresses before going back to the dressing room.

Maggie was examining a wall of nearby dresses. Who she was looking for the dress for was beyond Cyan.

Isa looked a bit more relaxed as she stepped onto the pedestal. "What do you think?"

The dress was a red ball gown with a silver trim. It looked a lot better on her than the one Maggie pulled for her. Isa had long white gloves in her hands, as well.

"Let's see the gloves," Maggie said. "How it'll look on you when it's all put together."

Isa put the gloves on before examining herself in the mirror again.

"I don't know." Maggie folded her arms. "The gloves would complement the dress better if they matched the trim."

Cyan nodded. "It does look nice otherwise."

Isa looked at the other dresses she had gotten and picked up an orange dress.

Maggie inspected the remaining dresses in Isa's pile. "These dresses are so plain."

Cyan rolled her eyes. "Not everyone wants to draw so much attention to themselves."

Isa came back with the dress in her arms.

"It can't look that bad!" Maggie said.

"It was too tight." Isa sighed. "I couldn't even zip the back up." She smiled at Cyan. "Can I see the dress you picked out for me?"

Cyan's cheeks reddened as she gave Isa the yellow dress. "I hope you like it."

Maggie gave Cyan a slap on the back. "Loosen up. Isa won't hate it. I'm sure she appreciates the time you took to find it for her."

Isa had a grin on her face as she got onto the pedestal. "This is a great dress. I'm not sure I would've noticed it if I came shopping by myself."

Maggie used her terminal to snap a picture of Isa. She then pinned a flower in Isa's hair.

"This is absolutely amazing." Isa was glowing. "This is the dress."

Cyan ran off. She didn't want to give Maggie the chance to insist Cyan take her turn.

What would be a good dress for Maggie? As long as it wasn't just a solid color dress, Maggie would probably be glad to try it on.

Cyan pulled a red dress with roses on the skirt. It looked like a good dress, so Cyan wanted her to try it on.

Isa had pulled a red dress with a white undershirt.

Maggie took Cyan's dress into the dressing room with her first.

Cyan's cheeks reddened. Maggie didn't have to do that.

"Cyan, you don't have to be embarrassed." Isa squeezed her shoulder. "Maggie just wants to be a good friend."

Maggie had changed into a pair of high heels. They clicked as she walked and got onto the pedestal. "This is a great dress, Cy. It's so spring. I don't know if I want it right now, though."

"You might think this is a little too plain, but I think it'd look nice on you," Isa said.

Maggie smiled. "We'll see."

Cyan would be surprised if Maggie liked it. Maybe if it had a few ruffles or rhinestones on it.

Maggie didn't give off the light she did in the previous dress. "I don't think this is it."

"Thank you for trying it, anyway," Isa said.

Maggie took the last dress into the dressing room.

"Isa, will you surprise me?" Cyan bit her lip. "I might just have to use whatever I have in my wardrobe."

"Of course." Isa smiled. "I was already thinking about that when we were combing through the dresses."

Maggie absolutely glowed as she stepped onto the pedestal.

The dress was her signature color: magenta. The ruffles on the dress weren't symmetrical. A belt cinched her waist.

Isa smiled. "Is that the dress?"

"This is the dress."

"Why don't we split up and look for more dresses?" Isa asked. "I'm sure we'll find Cyan something if we try."

How would they do that when Cyan didn't know what she wanted?

Cyan turned on her terminal.

Maggie rolled her eyes and groaned.

Isa rubbed her former student's shoulders. "Now, now, Maggie."

"I'm not going to make up my mind if I don't do this," Cyan said. "There's no way we'll get through all of their dresses before they close."

Cyan projected the dresses onto a nearby wall.

Maggie pointed to a pink ball gown. "What about that one?"

"Corsets are ancient! I like breathing!"

Isa pointed to a yellow strapless dress. "What about that one?"

Cyan shook her head. She didn't want to go overboard.

That was when a blue dress with a pink ribbon at the waist caught her eye. Cyan wouldn't mind trying that one on.

"At least try the actual dress on!" Maggie said.

Cyan sighed. "Maggie, I just want to go home. Let's pay for our dresses and go."

"Fine..."

The lady who greeted them at the door smiled when they approached the counter. "Were you able to find everything you were looking for?"

Isa smiled back. "We were. Thank you."

Each of them tapped their terminals to the payment terminal. Maggie and Isa got paper bags for their dresses while Cyan put hers in the wardrobe in her terminal.

They then exited the dress store.

Maggie looked at the teleporter's battery. "We're going to have to call a cab unless you don't mind walking home. It might be better for us to pick up something to eat on the way home."

"My café isn't far from here if you'd like to grab something," Isa said.

"You don't have to do that," Cyan said. "We'll work something out."

Cyan stepped away before opening her contacts. She had her parents' numbers, Maggie's, and Ame's, but she didn't have Collin's. Why hadn't she asked for it?

"What's wrong?" Maggie asked.

"I need to call Ame. Apparently, I don't have Collin's number."

Cyan tapped on Ame's name.

"Hey, Cyan. What's up?" Ame asked.

"Maggie and I went shopping for an hour or two to get ready for the ball in a few weeks. We just finished up. We were going to grab food on our way home, so I was going to call Collin to ask what he wants, but I don't have his number."

"Alright. Hang on."

Ring-ring!

"Ame?" Collin asked.

"Cyan and Maggie are bringing home some take out. Is there anything you want to eat?"

"Rice."

"Alright," Cyan said. "We'll be home soon, okay?"

The terminal hung up.

What should they pick up for Collin? Where would they find a rice dish?

Cyan then fell onto her butt.

Brilliant blue eyes struck Cyan as she lifted her head. The color itself was striking, but that wasn't what had her attention. They were full of kindness. They were full of laughter. They were unforgettable.

"Sorry about that." The boy, who had a deeper voice than Collin, offered his hand.

"No, it's fine." Cyan's cheeks reddened as she took his hand. "I wasn't paying attention."

He ran his fingers through his short, black hair. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Maggie grabbed Cyan's hand. "I'm sorry, but we need to go."

"It's fine." He waved his hand. "Sorry about knocking you over, miss."

"I really don't mind. I'm sorry, too."

Cyan then let Maggie drag her away.