Sunset Rising

by S. M. McEachern

  I noticed the magazines were gone. I felt ashamed at being caught with his personal books. He had pointedly asked me if he could trust me and I had said yes.

  “I thought you and Leisel were both coming back last night. I thought we would all get the chance to talk again,” I began in a feeble attempt to find a way out of this wedding.

  “Leisel decided to go straight back to her apartment last night. I think she was angry with me for trying to talk her out of this little farce,” he informed me.

  “And did you? Talk her out of it, I mean,” I asked hopefully, even though the answer to that question was obvious. Now that the wedding day was here, I wasn’t so sure about this plan. It wasn’t well thought out. Too many things could go wrong.

  “No. But she promised me that she told her father. We should be safe,” he said.

  “Did you ask the President? You know, just to make sure she really did tell him?” I asked, hoping I wasn’t talking out of line.

  “If Leisel said she talked to her father, then I believe her,” he said in a voice that brooked no argument. “Now we really are running out of time.”

  “I have nothing to wear,” I pointed out. I was still in his bathrobe.

  “That will have to do,” he said, barely looking at me. “You’re ready then?”

  “I guess so,” I said unhappily. I wasn’t feeling very enthusiastic. The realization of what I was about to do was hitting me. My hands were starting to shake.

  “Just give me a minute,” he said, picking up his computer tablet. He tapped away on the screen. “Okay, that gives us 10 minutes. Let’s go.”

  Jack opened the door and tentatively checked up and down the halls before he opened the door wide enough for me to exit. Putting his finger to his lips he gave me the “ssshhh” sign and we quietly walked down the hall and into the elevator. Leisel lived on the tenth floor, the highest floor in the Dome. The ride was short and within seconds we were exiting onto the tenth level.

  The layout of this floor was a little different than the eighth floor where Jack lived. Instead of hallways feeding off the elevator lobby, there were four large ornate doors. Above the doors were four family names: Holt, West, Powell and Forbes, the four most powerful families in the Dome. No one should be on this floor without a formal invitation. In fact, I wondered why there weren’t any guards.

  Jack led me to the door with Holt over the entrance. He waved his hand over the scanner and the door clicked open. He opened it hesitantly and made sure the hall was clear, and then waved me through. I was so scared of being caught, my stomach was in a tight knot.

  We quietly made our way down the hall, hurrying as much as we could without making noise. Then we heard it – the sound of a door opening. We stopped dead in our tracks. There was nowhere to hide. A figure stepped out into the hall and I held my breath for a second. Then I saw it was Leisel. She motioned for us to hurry up and we rushed inside her apartment.

  “I’m so relieved you’re here, Sunny! I kept torturing myself with thoughts that you went back home - that you decided not to do this and I’d have to make that walk myself. Thank you so much,” Leisel said happily.

  “I better go. The guards will be back soon,” Jack announced.

  “I’ll see you soon, my love,” Leisel said, wrapping her arms around him. “Everything will turn out just fine. I can’t wait for us to be married.”

  She gave him a long, passionate kiss and I busied myself staring at the wall.

  “I’m still worried,” Jack said when the kiss was done, “but I trust you Leisel.” He gave her one more kiss and then slipped out the door.

  “Well, I see you’re still wearing that bathrobe,” Leisel laughed when she took in my appearance. “Let’s get you into the shower. We have a lot of work to do to get you ready for the wedding of the century.”

  Chapter Eight

  Leisel’s apartment was luxurious and I had never felt more out of place. She led me through to her bathroom and gave me a warm, plush towel. When she left me alone, I disrobed and stepped into the shower. The set water temperature felt hot, but its warmth helped to relax my tense muscles. I scrubbed myself from head to toe then reluctantly turned the water off.

  Leisel had laid out a clean bathrobe for me and I put it on. Its silky softness felt light against my skin after wearing Jack’s rough terry-towel robe.

  “You look much better,” Leisel sighed when I emerged from the bathroom. “How are you feeling?”

  “Scared to death,” I admitted. “But I know I’m doing the right thing helping you, so I’ll get over it.”

  “You’re so brave, Sunny. What you’re doing for me is huge. I’ll never forget it,” she declared and walked over to me and took both my hands in hers. “Now, let’s get to work! I’ve told everyone I’d rather get ready alone, so no one is going to disturb us. And I’ve already ordered up food. We only have a few hours.”

  The morning passed by more quickly than I would have liked. Leisel started by combing my wet hair into a tight bun at the base of my neck and then fitted a wig – an exact replica of her own hair – over my head. She tweezed my eyebrows to make them look more like her own. Then she applied make-up on my face exactly the way she wore it. When finished, she turned me around to look in the mirror. I was amazed at what she had achieved. My face was thinner than hers was and my eyes had large, black pupils so common among people from the Pit, but otherwise we looked the same from a distance.

  “With a veil over your face, no one will know it’s not me.” Leisel looked pleased with herself. “Only an hour left before my entourage picks me up to escort me down to the wedding. Get a bite to eat and then I’ll dress you.”

  “I couldn’t eat a thing,” I assured her. I was nauseous with fear.

  “Ok - then let’s do a rundown. My entourage will come and get you, which will consist of my father flanked by his guards and another set of guards for me. You won’t have to talk to my father, so don’t worry. You’ll follow him – and never get ahead of him. The President is always first. He’ll take the elevator with his guards and you’ll wait for the next. The elevator will come back for you. The only time you’ll be in my father’s company is in the downstairs elevator lobby. That’s where the first set of cameras will be. My father and I are supposed to pose for the cameras at that point. Then my father will be taken away to his seat by the guards. Once seated, the bride will begin her walk to the Altar. You’ll be on the second floor and have to walk down the grand staircase. At the bottom, just follow the white carpet up to the Altar. Jack will be there waiting for you. Once you’re there, our Spiritual Leader will bless the bride and groom then will ask you to commit to each other. The answer is yes…” Leisel smiled at me, “but say it low. The Leader won’t be suspicious of a nervous bride. Then you’re done, you’ll be taken into the back room to scan in to the Registry. That’s when I’ll meet you and change back into my wedding dress.”

  It all sounded like clockwork, but I still wasn’t feeling very confident. Anything could go wrong. My only safety net was that the President was in on the plan. Still, if someone noticed I wasn’t Leisel, what then? Would the President come to the aid of an urchin in front of the entire Dome? Somehow I doubted it. I had to keep myself focused on why I was doing this. To save Summer from being punished for stealing food - to give everyone in the Pit hope for a better future. I tried to take some confidence from this knowledge and managed to lower my heart rate incrementally.

  Leisel chatted away happily to me as she fitted the bulletproof vest to my skinny frame. It was flexible enough to show my small bosom, but she decided to make me bigger by stuffing socks down my front. She pushed the mounds this way and that until she was satisfied. Then she eased the dress over my head. The pins were still there, but she was careful not to stick me and the vest gave me added protection. It seemed to take forever for her to do up the diamond buttons in the back. Then it was time for the veil. She fixed it to my wig and pulled a layer of tulle down over my face
.

  “There!” she exclaimed excitedly.

  She spun me around to look in the full-length mirror. I looked like a bride who just walked off the pages of a magazine.

  “I don’t look anything like myself,” I said with some relief.

  “No one will know it’s not me. I can’t even tell,” she laughed.

  My heart lurched when I heard a knock on the door. It was time.

  “Don’t be afraid. I love you for this,” Leisel said.

  She gave me one last hug and exited into her bedroom to get out of sight.

  I took a deep breath and answered the door. Two guards were waiting for me and one of them had flowers in his hand. He held the flowers out to me and I took them. Leisel never mentioned the flowers. I didn’t know I was supposed to hold anything. I hoped my hands weren’t shaking too much.

  I stepped out into the hall. The large door I came through with Jack just a few hours ago stood wide open now and I could see the President and his men waiting for the elevator. I began my walk, the walk that would eventually take me all the way to the Altar. One of my guards was ahead of me, one behind. Before I could reach the end of the hall, I heard the elevator doors open and saw the President disappear into it. I was relieved to see him go.

  We stepped into the elevator lobby and waited a minute for the elevator to deposit the President. Then the guard pressed the button for it to come back and retrieve us. I felt like such a criminal standing there with them. Couldn’t they tell I wasn’t Leisel? Have they noticed how much my bouquet is shaking? I was glad when the elevator doors opened and I had to start moving again. One guard went in first and then me. The train on the dress was long and cumbersome, but the last guard very nicely picked it up and brought it into the elevator with him. He pressed the button for level two and the doors closed.

  I felt trapped in the small box with a guard on either side of me. I could hear my own laboured breathing and tried to steady it, which only made it worse. Now I was afraid of hyperventilating. The sensation of the elevator descending wasn’t helping my stomach either. I kept my eyes fixed on the seam of the doors and tried to will my body to relax. It didn’t work. The doors opened and pandemonium ensued.

  Bright lights were pointed directly in my face and I felt my eyes rolling into the back of my head. My eyes were sensitive enough to the light up here in the Dome without having them aimed directly at me. People were shouting questions at me. A few members of the media were clapping at my arrival. Everyone wanted to know about my dress. Then the President came to stand beside me and he placed his hand on the small of my back. It took every bit of my will power not to jump or scream at his touch. I had to remember he knew about the plan and trust he wouldn’t deliberately expose me. So I mutely stood next to him with the cameras pointed at us. He answered a few questions. Somewhere in the distance, I heard music beginning to play and his guards stepped forward to escort him to his seat. Some of the cameras followed the President, but more stay focused on me.

  Then it was my turn to make my way to the Altar. My guards escorted me from the safety of the elevator lobby to the top of the grand staircase, but left my side before I came into view of the public. I was on my own from here. As I came to stand at the top of the staircase, the music changed and the guests all stood. I began my descent down the stairs and a few people clapped. There were gasps throughout the crowd as they saw the dress for the first time. The cameras were everywhere. I feared that someone was about to yell out that I was an imposter. And then I remembered the reason why Leisel wanted me to take her place. An assassin could have a gun pointed at me right now.

  I reached the bottom of the stairs without falling, being shot or recognized. The white carpet Leisel mentioned was there stretching all the way to the Altar. There were red flower petals scattered on it and I didn’t remember Leisel mentioning these. Was I supposed to avoid stepping on them? I hoped not. I had enough on my mind.

  As I walked down the aisle, I heard a few people softly calling Leisel’s name, but I refused to make eye contact with them. Instead, I turned my gaze toward the Altar to see how far I had left to walk. The first thing I noticed was a huge television screen behind the Altar with live coverage of the bride walking down the aisle. I was so shocked to see myself on television that I almost stumbled, but I also realized with some relief that it was impossible to tell it wasn’t Leisel under all this white fabric and tulle.

  I looked for Jack just as Leisel told me too, but could only find an official looking military officer standing by the Altar. I wondered why he was there. Leisel didn’t say anything about the military being present. Have I been discovered? My legs began to weaken at the thought. But then I recognized the man standing at the Altar in uniform was indeed Jack Kenner. He looked so official it scared me. My body began to recover from the shock of thinking I was caught. I stayed focused on closing the distance between the Altar and me. It seemed to take an eternity, but then I was finally standing beside Jack Kenner with my back to the crowd.

  The music stopped and the room became quiet. My breathing was still laboured and I was sure everyone could hear me.

  “Who here gives permission for this young couple to be joined?” the Spiritual Leader asked the congregation.

  “I do,” the President said, standing up.

  “We do,” another couple said. I assumed they were Jack’s parents.

  With permission granted, the Spiritual Leader began his blessing. I wished I could focus on what he was saying. I wished I had the presence of mind to understand every word. But I couldn’t. I was too busy trying to stop my hands from shaking. My legs were beginning to feel weak too.

  “Leisel, my darling,” Jack gently prompted me. Someone was standing beside me with her hand out. “The flowers,” he whispered.

  I handed the flowers to the woman. I was afraid of dropping them anyway. Jack picked up my left hand. The Spiritual Leader was saying something again. I knew I should be listening. Everything was quiet again. I could hear someone clear his throat in the back of the room somewhere. Jack gave me an almost imperceptible nod of his head. I remembered now. Leisel told me to say yes.

  “Yes,” I said breathlessly.

  There was a sigh from the crowd. I must have done it right. The Leader droned on again.

  “Yes,” I heard Jack say in a loud and clear voice and then more sighs from the crowd.

  The Spiritual Leader walked away to stand behind the Altar. He began another blessing, picking up a small shiny object and holding it up in the air. He placed the object on an open book and made the sign of a cross above it. Then he picked up the book and returned to us and handed the object to Jack. It was a ring with a large diamond in the centre. Leisel didn’t mention a ring.

  Jack took the ring from the Leader and, still holding my hand in his, placed the ring just on the tip of my finger. I could tell it was going to be too big. I was angry that Leisel didn’t mention the ring. The Leader began to read from a book and Jack repeated everything he said word for word. Now I’m wondering if there was a ring for Jack too and I was going to have to repeat everything the Leader said. I would be caught for sure. Jack slipped the ring onto my finger and as I thought, it was far too big. I curled my finger under it to hold it in place.

  Jack continued to hold my hand and now the Leader was wrapping some kind of holy cloth around our joined hands. I tried to steady my hands and kept my eyes downcast. The Leader was so close to us that I was sure he must be able to see I wasn’t Leisel. Then it was done. The cloth was taken away. The crowd was clapping for us. Jack held his elbow out toward me. This time I understood to take it, so I wrapped my hand around his arm and we began the walk to the Registry room. I was almost home!

  The cameras followed our slow progression to the Registry and I expected them to stop when we walked through the door, but they kept coming in. Someone had made a mistake. I was sure they would be asked to leave. I glanced at Jack and he looked confused too, but he remained calm. He just kept
walking toward the table where an ordinary scanner had been set up and decorated with flowers.

  I almost fainted when I saw the President and his guards come in behind us; and then Jack’s parents, followed by the Spiritual Leader. How could I switch with Leisel while all these people were here? Did she forget to tell them this was supposed to be a private moment? Jack’s arm tightened under my grip. I looked at him and I saw sweat forming on his upper lip. He raked his free hand through his hair. I noticed he always did that when he was frustrated.

  “Ladies first,” the Leader said beside me, holding out his hand for mine.

  I knew the minute my hand was passed over the scanner the machine was going to turn red and sound an alarm. I was not Leisel. My mind was screaming with panic now and I looked desperately around the room hoping to see Leisel’s face, but I didn’t see any sign of her.

  “Miss Holt… er, excuse me, Mrs. Kenner,” the Leader corrected his mistake with a smile. A few people chuckled. “Your hand please.”

  This time he didn’t wait for me to give my hand to him. He picked it up and waved it in front of the scanner. It beeped and the green light lit up. It took a few moments for the realization to penetrate my numbed brain that a green light came on.

  “Mr. Kenner,” the Leader was asking for his hand.

  All the color had drained out of Jack’s face. His jaw was tightly clenched, but he gave the Leader his hand. The scanner beeped and the green light went on. The small group in the room was elated. Everyone clapped and then each one began to make their way toward us to give their congratulations.

  “You haven’t kissed the bride yet,” Jack’s mother pointed out.

  Jack looked down at me, his eyes wide with fear. They wanted him to remove my veil and kiss me. I wanted the floor to open up and suck me back down into the Pit. And somewhere in the distance, I could hear voices being raised in alarm. Something was happening.

  Before I could make sense of anything going on around me, Leisel burst into the room - very dishevelled Leisel with torn clothes and a few bruises. Tears were streaming down her face.