Prey

Clarissa.

Clarissa inhaled deeply and stiffened in her chair. Something was wrong, but she couldn’t put her finger on what it was. This was supposed to be the happiest day of her life, yet anxiety was coming off her in waves. It felt as if her body was pacing the room. She laughed at that idea and looked down at her own legs. She couldn’t remember a time when she had been able to walk, in fact, she couldn’t remember anything from before she was ten.

“Clarissa?” The door opened slowly as her best friend, Eva, came in. Eva was everything she was not; tall and thin with tan skin and thick, wavy blonde hair.

Everyone loved her, and Clarissa often found herself jealous of her friend, not that she would ever admit that out loud. She turned her chair to face her head-on, bracing for the waterworks.

Eva had always been, for lack of a better word, passionate, but it was even worse now that she was pregnant with her first child. Clarissa almost felt sorry for her husband Liam. She could only imagine what he had to endure at home with Eva's emotions amplified this much. Eva was only four months into her pregnancy, so she was sure that Liam was starting to feel the stress of it all.

Sighing deeply, she met her friend's gaze. She had agreed to an arranged marriage to make everyone happy, but now that the day was here, she didn’t know what to think. No matter what happened, she resolved to keep her emotions in check and not to let anyone see her cry. Everyone had bent over backward to make this wedding happen.

She was wearing a simple white dress that went to the floor. There wasn’t much time to prepare, and they didn’t have access to a dress shop, and even if she could get out of the house, trying dresses on would take more energy than she possessed.

Clarissa managed to apply some lace from an old tablecloth to the sleeves and hem of the dress. She wasn’t one to wear makeup, but she did try today, after all, if there was an occasion for makeup, her wedding day seemed like it. She braided her jet-black hair in a crown around her head and arranged some small white flowers in it.

“Oh, you look so beautiful!” Eva said as she ran forward to pull her into a tight hug. “How are you feeling?”

“Honestly Ev, I’m not sure. I know I’m supposed to be happy, but I never thought I would be getting married, and now that it's really happening, it just doesn’t feel right. I don’t know how to explain it.”

Eva smiled at her warmly. “I’m sure it's just pre-wedding jitters, and as soon as you’re settled you will be fine! He is going to love you.”

Ah, thought Clarissa, the elusive He. In truth, she had no idea who she was marrying in a few hours. The wedding had been completely arranged by Eva’s mother. Clarissa allowed herself to become lost in her thoughts while Eva fussed over her dress and hair, making sure everything was perfect. She finally let her worries spill out, hoping Eva would understand.

“How could he? Does he even know about me? What if we get there, he finds out I’m a cripple, and he walks away? I don’t want to get married, but your mom says I have to get out of the state as soon as possible so I don’t get any worse.”

Her friend grabbed her hands and looked stern for once. “If he walks away, he is an idiot. Just because you can’t walk doesn’t mean you have nothing to offer, Clarissa. You are intelligent, funny, and beautiful inside and out. If he can't see that, he doesn’t deserve you.”