Black Sky , Silver moon

A special dress for A special Occasion

" Maxi! If you're not down here in two minutes I'm feeding your breakfast to the dog!" A man's voice rang out from down the steps.

"uhhhh, I'm coming", Max groaned, today was the first day she'd gotten to sleep in since she didn't have track but she still needed to get up and get ready ready school.

"Two minutes Max , I'm serious !"

Max rolled out of bed eyes still half closed. Suddenly she was knocked back down on the mattress and being smothered with kisses and giggles. "Maxi , happy birthday!!" a small voice sang out , as a tail slapped her face. Max opened her eyes to find her little sister and dog straddling her. Max laughed as she tightly squeezed them both.

"Thank you sunflower. Thank you Rex." Her sister's real name was Rose, but Max always made a joke of calling her by the names of different flowers only using her actual name when she was cross. " Now will you two let me up so I can get dressed."

"Okey, dokey" giggled Rose, "come Rex!" and the two departed just as fast as they'd came.

Max came down the stairs dressed in worn jeans and a baggy t-shirt. Aunt Natalie frowned, "Aren't you gonna wear something a little cuter, it's your special day."

"It happens the same time , on the same day, every year, how special can

it be," Max said playfully kissing her Aunt on the top of the head. Max greeted the rest of her family similarly and then sat in her seat at the breakfast table, to an obviously picked on plate.

"I kept calling you, you took so long I had to send in the reinforcements." Her uncle Gerald laughed patting both Rose and Rex on the head.

Aunt Nat gave a heavy sigh , " such a pretty girl, hidden under all that fabric" she shook her head.

"Maxi, you're a girl?" her little brother, Will, rang out in a teasing tone.

"Ha. ha," retorted Max as she bit the corner of her toast and snuck the rest to the dog. She wasn't really a breakfast person anyway.

"Today, I need you to come straight home after school" her Aunt continued."we're going shopping!"

"yaaay!" exclaimed Rose with a squeal.

Aunt Nat looked at her, apologetically, "awww I'm sorry Rosie, it's just the big girls today. okay sweetie? "

Rose pouted in protest.

"Don't worry daffodil , I'll take you shopping this weekend, just the two of us." Max reached across the table wiping jelly off of Rose's face.

Rose returned the comment and gesture with a bright smile and Aunt Nat gave a sigh of relief.

Later that evening, as planed, Max and Aunt Natalie went out together to this small boutique in town.

"Are you sure this isn't too fitting?.." Max starred at her reflection in the mirror thinking about how tight the dress was. Sure, she'd worn tight clothing before but this was different. The dress looked as if it could have been painted on, out lining every feature her body had to offer whether she was confident about it or not.

"Wow-zah.." said Aunt Nat, coming into the room to adjust the straps of the dress" honey in that dress, you could stop traffic!"

"Or play in it," Max retorted, with a laugh, she always had a dark sense of humor. Aunt Nat slapped her arm playfully as she tugged at the straps of the little black dress to make sure they were secure.

She stared at Max for a moment. Maxine was 5'8 , with dark skin and big curly jet black hair. Natalie couldn't help but think about how she looked so much like her mother, Nat's sister. "I think we should buy it Maxi, it looks gorgeous on you!" Aunt Nat was already pulling out her card to hand the woman helping them.

"Auntie, I have plenty of dresses at home, why buy a new one?"

"I told you, tonight is very special and a special occasion calls for-"

"A special dress." Max cut in teasingly, finishing her aunt's sentence and mocking her for being so easy to read. Max had just about spent her entire life with her Aunt and could read her like an open book ...or at least that's what she thought.