“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 was sick with fear.
“Okay, 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 and then he’ll be taken away to his seat by the guards. Once he’s seated, the bride will begin her walk to the altar. You’ll be on the second floor and will have to walk down the grand staircase. Once you reach the bottom of the stairs, just follow the white carpet all the way up to the altar. Jack will be there waiting for you. Once you’re there, our spiritual leader will bless the bride and groom and then 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. When you’re done, you’ll be taken into the back room to register the marriage. That’s when I’ll meet you and change back into my wedding dress.”
It all sounded easy enough, 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 comfort from that knowledge and managed to calm down a little.
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 protected me as well. It seemed to take forever for her to do up the diamond buttons in the back and then put on the veil. She fixed it to my wig and pulled a layer of tulle down over my face.
“There!” she said.
She spun me around so I faced the full-length mirror. I looked like I had just walked off the pages of a bridal magazine.
“I don’t look anything like myself,” I said, relieved.
“No one will know it’s not me. I can’t even tell.”
Someone knocked on the door, and my heart lurched. It was time.
“Don’t be afraid. I love you for this,” Leisel said. She gave me one last hug and hurried into her bedroom to get out of sight.
I took a deep breath and walked to the door on shaking legs. Two guards stood there waiting for me, one of them with flowers in his hand. He held the flowers out to me, and I accepted them, trembling. Leisel had never mentioned the flowers. I didn’t know I would have to hold anything.
I stepped out into the hall. The large door I had come through with Jack just a few hours ago stood wide open now, and I could see the president and his men waiting by 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 the president disappeared into it. I was relieved to see him go.
We stepped into the elevator lobby and waited for the elevator to return. I felt like a criminal standing there with the guards. Couldn’t they tell I wasn’t Leisel? Hadn’t they noticed how much my bouquet was shaking? I was glad when the elevator doors opened, and I could move again. One guard went in first and I followed. The train on the dress was long and cumbersome, but the second guard picked it up and carried it into the elevator with him. He pressed the button for level two, and the doors closed.
I felt trapped in such a small space with guards on either side of me. I could hear my own laboured breathing and tried to steady it, but 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. Then the doors opened on a scene of pandemonium.
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 brighter light in the Dome without having lights 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.
The president came to stand beside me and 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 tried to remember that he knew about the plan and trust that he wouldn’t deliberately expose me. So mutely I stood next to him with the cameras pointed at us. He answered a few questions. Somewhere in the distance, I heard music begin to play, and his guards stepped forward to escort him to his seat. Some of the cameras followed the president, but most stayed focused on me.
Then it was time 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 there. As I came to stand at the top of the staircase, the music changed and the guests all stood. I began my descent, and a few people clapped. Others gasped. The cameras were everywhere. I expected someone to yell out that I was an imposter at any moment. And then I remembered why Leisel wanted me to take her place. An assassin might have me in his sights.
I reached the bottom of the stairs without falling, being shot, or getting recognized. The white carpet Leisel mentioned stretched all the way to the altar. Red flower petals were scattered on it—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, a few people softly called 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 go. A huge television screen behind the altar showed 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 that white fabric and tulle.
I looked for Jack just as Leisel told me to but could only find an official looking military officer standing by the altar. I wondered why he was there. Leisel hadn’t said anything about the military being present. Had I been discovered? My legs weakened at the thought. But then, all at once, I realized that the man in uniform was Jack Kenner. He looked so official that it scared me. My body began to recover from the shock of thinking I had been 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 with my back to the crowd.
The music stopped, and the room became utterly 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.
President Holt stood up. “I do.”