Chapter 2: The Dress
Lillian stared at the beautiful blue dress that hung beside her window. Under the moonlight, it seemed to glow a soft illuminating shimmer. It definitely was the fanciest thing in her apartment, with all the clutter around her.
She didn't care to have many things, just the necessities. Even her wardrobe remained minimal, only with clothes she knew would look good on her, very specific colours and type.
It was a fairly small apartment with a bed in the corner, beside the big window where she could watch the city. It was a favourite past time of hers on nights she couldn't sleep, she watched as the world passed by.
"It's so ironic really." She would say every time.
But now, the dress consumed her every thought. Excitement bubbled in her but she could not understand why.
She sat up from her bed, her untamable curly hair sprawled all around her. Getting up from bed, she walked to her working station on the far left of the room.
There were boards for guests to be invited, strips of colourful fabric lined against each other on the table. Magazines and catalogues lay in piles around the table, business cards hung from another board.
"I really should get a card book," Lillian said, staring at the mess. "This isn't even one-third of the work yet." An excited smile spread across her face, "Oh well~ I'm just getting started anyway."
She turned back to the dress, still hanging on the window. An idea struck her.
"I should make the mask now!"
From her worktable, she opened a drawer and took out a sparkling blue fabric; from another drawer, she took out black lace and some needles and thread with scissors and measuring tape.
Carrying them to her bed, she carefully laid them out. She took the dress from the window stilt and laid that on the floor.
As beautiful as the dress was, she wanted to modify it.
"There's just too much blue."
She hemmed and hawed away on the dress and the mask the entire night. At the break of sunlight, was finally finished. The blue dress now had lace trimmings all around the waist, the neckline and the bottom of the dress, the lace cascaded down the waist and met the lace from the bottom right at the centre of the gown. Becoming thinner as it went.
The mask had the black lace cover the entirety of the side of her face.
Anxious to see how it would look, she put the mask on and carefully slipped into the dress.
Taking in a deep breath, Lillian looked into the mirror, her mouth fell open. She could hardly recognise the person in the mirror, except for her ridiculous curls. Still, they framed her face exceptionally well at the moment.
"Wow." She twirled. "I look better when my face can't be seen."
She gave out a hollow laugh not expecting laughter to follow. She felt her head swim, all around her voices continue to grow. Though she couldn't make them out.
Her legs gave way and she collapsed onto the floor. Everything feeling disoriented. With that, she blacked out.
"-ey."
"Hey!"
Lillian jolted up from the floor, almost falling again because she stood up too fast. Looking around her, Lillian could hardly believe it.
She was in the garden, not just any garden, a garden with green flowers and colourful leaves. She was still in her dress and mask, confused as to what was happening.
"Hello?" She called out. No response.
"Where am I? Wait a minute." She spun around. "Am I? Dreaming?"
She pinched herself.
"Ouch! Ok, not dreaming. Then, where am I ?"
"You're in the Kingdom of Vetil."
A very familiar voice came from behind her.
Whipping her head back, Lillian stared at the two women that stood there.
"The shopkeepers?"
"Hello, Lillian." The smaller woman greeted. She is wearing a purple gown that really complimented her purple eyes.
Wait, purple?
Rose nodded at her. She is wearing a uniform, her hand rested on the sword at her waist making Lillian take a step back.
"Don't worry, Lillian." The woman quickly said, sensing her fear. "Rose isn't going to hurt you. Neither am I. We're here to help."
"Yeah, what Jasmine said."
Oh. Jasmine. So that's her name. Thank goodness I don't have to ask. It would be so awkward if I had to.
Clearing her throat, Lillian answered, "Really? Then explain."
"You're not on the earth you know anymore. This is another 'dimension' of earth, to put it simply."
" . . . Sooooo . . . you mean to say that I've been transported to another world?"
"Yes. I know it's scary and you must be so confused bu-"
"No this is awesome."
"E-excuse me?"
"This is great. So, like who am I here? Am I like, the main character or the side character? Oh! Maybe I'm the villain." Lillian could hardly contain the excitement in her voice.
"What? Have you, by any chance, gone to other worlds before?" Rose asked.
"Na. I've never left my house. But I read a lot. So? Who am I here?"
"Lillian, you know it's not like those that you read about right?"
"But this is another world, right?"
"Yes. The World known as Erutan."
"And I'm here for some reason, right?"
" . . . Yes."
"Then?"
Rose let out a sigh of frustration as Jasmine giggled.
"Did I say something wrong?"
"No, no," Jasmine reassured her. "It seems you got the basics, at least."
"Kind of." Rose mouthed under her breath.
Ignoring her, Jasmine continued. "Would you like me to fill in the rest?"
"Yes!" Lillian covered her mouth, excitement getting the best of her.
Jasmine held out a gloved hand. "Come."
The three of them walked around the garden, it looked so strange. The plants had more colour on their leaves than the flowers.
"How are they doing photosynthesis, like that?"
"Oh, the plants here don't need the sunlight for food."
"Then how?"
"Magic. There is magic all around us. They take it in and grow. People absorb magic on the daily like we do sunlight."
"Wow."
"Yes. But the plants aren't as pretty as the ones from your world."
"I'll bet." Lillian scoffed. "They're still pretty, somehow." A thought came to Lillian. "Hey, Jasmine. Do I have . . . magic?"
"Of course, Lillian. You have one of the most powerful ones."
Lillian had to place her hands over her mouth to prevent Jasmine or Rose from seeing the awful grin she had on her face.
"So this is the Kingdom of Vetil. There are several other Kingdoms that surround this Kingdom but it is the most powerful. The King refuses to do trade with any other Kingdoms because of the enormous amount of magic here. The people are very self-sufficient as well because of that. But, if they do not form an alliance as soon as possible, the Kingdom is doomed to fall. With the recent death of the King, the people are having a hard time trusting his son as he does not have any magic capabilities in him. Others can at least absorb the magic in the air. For the new King, he can't even do that."
Lillian could not contain the smile from spreading on her face. "So I need to help the King awaken his magic abilities or something?"
"No."
Her face fell. "What do you mean? You said I was one of the most powerful ones here."
"That you are. You," she turned abruptly to her "have the ability to grant wishes."
"Huh?"
"It's an extremely powerful form of magic." Rose continued, looking straight ahead.
". . . Ok. So should I be asking the King to make a wish?"
"No."
"Then?"
They stopped in front of a tree, "You have a tree like this one."
"The source of my powers?"
"Yes, if the tree is gone, you'll lose all the magic you have."
" . . . I don't understand the point."
"People make wishes here. And you can choose whose wish to grant. Isn't that great?" Jasmine smiled brightly at her.
"No! That's all I'm supposed to do?"
"Yeah. Well, you got this job because of the dress you chose."
"Dress?" Lillian looked down at her dress. "What do you mean?"
Rose and Jasmine looked at each other and turned to her.
"It's the Fairy Godmother dress," Rose replied.
"The WHAT?"
"Fairy Godmother dress. It's been lying around for years, no one ever came for that dress, except you."
"C-Can't I exchange it?"
Jasmine shook her head. "The dress chooses the person. Not the person, the dress."
"But . . . but, that means, I'm not going to get to romance anyone?"
Rose bit her lips to keep from laughing while Jasmine offered a comforting smile.
"That's . . . not really the job of the Fairy Godmother."
"Then what's the f****** point then ?"
Rose had to crouch down from laughing too much. Jasmin and Lillian paid her no mind.
"I'm sorry, Lillian. But the dress chooses, not us." Jasmine apologised.
"Damn. The author really hates me."
"What was that?"
"No, it's nothing. It's ok, Jasmine, you didn't have anything to do with it. So, can I change out of this dress, to a more comfortable one?"
"Oh, you can't."
"What do you mean?" Lillian was getting exasperated now.
"You'll go back to your world once you take it off."
This stupid author! What type of stupid story plot is this?!? You're just coming up with it as you go, aren't you?!?
(Author: :p eheh)
"So, what happens when I go back?"
"You have to wear the dress again to come back."
"So I can never change out of this? Great."
No wonder. This is a stupid story. My life is a stupid story.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone