ASHES TO EMPIRE

Zara's POV The phone rings at exactly 6 AM, jolting me awake like a fire siren. "Zara! Get up right now!" Mom's voice screams through the speaker. "The caterers are here early, the flowers are wrong, and your sister is crying because her dress doesn't fit!" I sit up fast, my heart racing. Today is my engagement party. The day I've dreamt about since I was a little girl playing dress-up in Mom's closet. "I'm coming, Mom!" I jump out of bed and run to my dresser. My hands shake as I pull out clothes. Everything has to be right today. Marcus is going to announce our wedding date in front of the whole town. My parents are turning over the family business to me next month. My best friend Sophia is coming in from college just for this party. Perfect. Everything is going to be absolutely great. I grab my engagement ring from the jewelry box and slide it onto my finger. The diamond sparkles like a star. Marcus gave it to me six months ago on my twenty-third birthday. He got down on one knee right in the middle of the town square while everyone watched and cheered. "Zara Winters," he had said with that beautiful smile, "will you marry me and make me the luckiest man alive?" I said yes before he even finished talking. The whole town exploded in applause. Mrs. Henderson from the flower shop started crying. Even grumpy old Mr. Peterson clapped his hands. That was the best day of my life. Until today. Today will be even better. I run downstairs and right into chaos. "The pink roses are supposed to be white!" Mom yells at a delivery man who looks scared. "This is a disaster!" "Mom, calm down," I say, putting my hand on her shoulder. "Pink roses are beautiful too. Everything will be fine." But Mom's face is red and sweaty. "Fine? FINE? Zara, this is your engagement party! The mayor is coming! The newspaper is taking shots! Nothing can go wrong!" I take a deep breath. Mom always gets crazy when we have big events. "Where's Dad?" "In his office, hiding like always," Mom snaps. "And your sister locked herself in the bathroom because her dress is too tight." I sigh. Lily has always been passionate about everything. "I'll talk to her. " I climb the stairs two at a time and knock on the bathroom door. "Lily? It's me. Open up." "Go away!" she sobs. "I look fat and ugly! Everyone will laugh at me!" "No they won't. You're beautiful, Lily. Come on, let me help you." The door opens slowly. My little sister's eyes are red from crying. She's wearing a bright blue dress that does look a little tight, but she's still pretty. "I hate this dress," she whispers. "I hate everything about today." That surprises me. "Why? Today is going to be amazing!" Lily looks at me with an expression I can't understand. It's almost like... anger? But that doesn't make sense. "Because," she says softly, "everything always works out perfectly for you, Zara. You get the perfect boyfriend, the perfect future, the perfect life. What do I get?" Her words hurt my feelings. "Lily, you're only nineteen. You have your whole life ahead of you. And Marcus has lots of cute friends—" "I don't want Marcus's friends!" she snaps. "I want... never mind. Just forget it." She pushes past me and runs to her room, shutting the door. I stand in the hallway, confused. Lily has been acting weird for weeks, but I thought it was just stress about starting college next month. Maybe I should talk to her more after the party. My phone buzzes with a text from Marcus: "Can't wait to see you tonight, beautiful. I have a surprise for you!" My heart flutters. A treat! Maybe he wants to announce our wedding date earlier than planned. Maybe he bought me something special. Marcus always knows how to make me feel like a star. I text back: "Can't wait! I love you!" He replies immediately: "Love you too. See you at 7. Don't look too beautiful or I might have to marry you right there! 😘" I giggle and hug my phone. This is why I love Marcus so much. He always knows exactly what to say to make me smile. The rest of the day flies by in a rush of decorations, food prep, and family chaos. Dad finally comes out of his office to help set up tables. Mom stops yelling at the caterers long enough to actually eat something. Even Lily comes from her room wearing a different dress that fits perfectly. By 6 PM, our backyard looks like something from a fairy tale. White lights hang from every tree. Tables are covered with beautiful flowers (the pink ones actually look better than white would have). The band is setting up on the small stage Dad built last week. "Zara," Mom says, grabbing my hands, "you need to go get ready. Guests will start arriving soon." I race upstairs and put on the new dress I bought especially for tonight. It's soft and flowy and makes me feel like a princess. I curl my hair and put on the pearl necklace Grandma gave me before she died. Looking in the mirror, I see a happy girl about to start the most wonderful life possible. Tomorrow I'll wake up engaged to the best man in town. Next month I'll start running the family business I've been learning about since I was ten. Next year I'll be Mrs. Marcus Chen, living in our dream house with our future children. Everything is great. I hear cars pulling up outside and voices in the backyard. The party is starting! I grab my bag and head for the door, but something makes me stop. I forgot to get the special cologne I want to wear tonight. It's in Mom and Dad's bathroom. I run down the hall and push open their bedroom door. That's when I see them. Marcus and Lily. On my parents' bed. Kissing. His hands are in her hair. Her arms are wrapped around his neck. They're kissing like they've done this a hundred times before. They don't see me standing in the doorway with my mouth open and my heart breaking into a million pieces. But then Marcus opens his eyes and looks straight at me. For one horrible second, we just stare at each other. Then Lily turns around and sees me too. And she smiles.