Gemma's POV:

"What about this one?" The store attendant, a woman named Juno, held up a dress that I wouldn't even dream of slipping into. Mainly, because I knew that if I ever thought about it, my brothers would skin me alive.

"Too revealing." I sighed.

Juno grumbled a curse, throwing the dress to the side before plucking another dress from the rack.

"This one looks fine. What about it?" She asked, holding it up so I could get a good look.

I was pretty sure my grimace told her all she needed to know.

"It's the color of puke." I groaned, running a hand over my face as if that would make me forget about the hideous green dress Juno was offering. She nodded her head, lips pulled down in disgust as she looked over the dress once more.

"Agreed. I never thought there could be so many dresses in this store that I wanted to burn." She chuckled, throwing aside another grey dress that would make me look like a nun, which was exactly what my brothers were searching for.

My phone, newly bought and presented to me when my brothers realized I was completely without technology, started ringing. I jumped a mile in the air, still unused to the weird buzzing that the box let off when someone called.

"Hello?" I answered, trying to play off just how embarrassed I was about jumping. Thankfully, Juno was turned in the other direction, still searching through the racks for the perfect dress.

"Just wanted to make sure everything was going alright. Have you found a dress yet?" Tobias asked, his voice overshadowed momentarily by others. I assumed those around him were my brothers, seeing as how Tobias wouldn't let anyone else talk over him.

"Not even close," I grumbled, shaking my head at the somewhat pretty sky blue dress. It wasn't what I was looking for. Juno tossed it aside, delving back into the racks after taking a moment to breathe deeply.

"Well, we may need to put finding a dress off to another day. You and I need to talk once we get home." Tobias was suddenly serious, the hint of teasing diminishing rapidly. I thought back to earlier that day, earlier that week.

I hadn't done anything wrong, hadn't broken anything. I mean, I did eat one of Damian's yellow lollipops but no one knew about that since I hid the evidence of my betrayal right after it happened.

By the way, yellow lollipops suck. I had no idea how Damian gnawed on those things all the time.

"Did I do something wrong?" I hated how vulnerable and scared I sounded. Juno heard it too. She turned and watched me, concern written clearly in the planes of her face.

She was really pretty. And twenty-something. I wondered momentarily if I could set her up with one of my brothers. Nah, I wouldn't do that to her. I wasn't that evil.

"Nothing's wrong, I promise. Just some stuff the state is sending over about your education and medical history that we need to go through. They're also going to schedule another interview with a couple of officers. They just want to run through your story again, get an alibi for the day of George's murder." Tobias explained quickly. I let out a big breath of relief, a smile curling my lips when I realized it was literally nothing that was too big of a deal.

"Give me ten more minutes, please?" I asked nicely, praying I could get the extension. I wanted to try and find a dress. I didn't know why I wanted to find a dress so badly, but I did.

It was the first time I could really and truly make a decision about what I wanted.

Not because it was for my survival, or so I could avoid another debilitating beating, but because I simply could.

That may sound weird to some of my ever so loyal readers, but it was almost freeing for me. To choose it because I wanted to. I just hoped my brothers could understand that too.

"Alright. I can practically hear the puppy-dog eyes." Tobias said. While he could hear my puppy-dog eyes, I could hear the smile in his voice. I cheered happily, earning a smile from Juno and a couple of dirty looks from other customers.

"Thank you!" I chirped before hanging up. I didn't want him to change his mind.

"What about this one?" Juno asked, holding up a sparkly navy blue dress that looked like a disco ball had exploded on it. I wrinkled my nose, shaking my head.

Power to the girls who could pull that look off, but I wasn't one of them. And this was my first ever mafia ball, I didn't want to look like an idiot strutting around in an outfit that made me look like:

One) A fish

Two) A very easy to hit target

And, yes, I was making sure I could run in my dress, just in case something turned sour and there was a gunfight. Because, honestly, what kind of Wattpad book would this be without a shoot-out or two?

"That was the last one in your size. I wonder if my boss would be mad if I took off the rest of the day to go to different stores?" Juno said, tapping her chin with her fingers. I laughed, leaning all the way back in the fancy chair I was currently seated in.

I caught sight of a dress. It wasn't all that great looking at it upside down, but when I turned right side up it looked perfect. I pointed at it silently, catching Juno's attention. She gasped, eyes widening as she smiled.

"How did I miss it?" She squealed, racing towards the mannequin.

The klutz that was apparently Juno, didn't stop in time and promptly knocked over the plastic lady. The body broke apart, causing a girl gazing into the window (who was only, like, five) to shriek loudly and run away.

She popped right back up, dress in her grasp. Her Cheshire grin was really started to freak me out.

"Are you okay?" I asked, gesturing at her disheveled form. She nodded enthusiastically, pushing the dress into my hands and then jamming me into a dressing room stall. She slammed the curtain shut, giggling like a maniac.

I lived with someone who was clinically insane and he didn't freak me out as much as an excited Juno did.

"Are you ready?" She called through the curtain. I fluffed the skirt of the dress, turning this way and that in the mirror. I smirked, imagining myself floating down the stairs at some fancy ball. I imagined how amazing I would look.

I looked nothing like the broken girl hidden away inside. And I loved it.

"I'm ready," I whispered, spinning in front of the mirror.

Juno threw the curtain open, her smile falling rapidly. I didn't mind the back showing my whipping scars, but it was obvious Juno hadn't expected such deep, horrific scarring.

"You look beautiful." That was all she said, smile back in place as if it had never moved. I smiled at her, shuffling from foot to foot. I was pleasantly surprised that she hadn't asked what had happened, but I wasn't going to say something and ruin the sort-of-kind-of friendship the woman twice my age and I had built.

"Thank you," I whispered, spinning happily in the mirror. It wasn't like I was a vain person, but I liked the way I looked in this dress. It was stunning and it made me feel just as pretty, if not a bit like a badass.

"Ready to go wow them?" Juno asked, clapping her hands together. I shook my head, making her pout.

Sometimes I felt like the most mature person I was ever around.

"No. I want to wow everyone at the same time." I said, smirking a bit. Juno smiled mischievously, eyes glinting with something I couldn't identify. She glanced down at the price tag and winced, frowning deeply as she sighed.

"I hope you wormed a debit card out of your brother." Juno stepped outside of the changing, closing the curtain behind her. I laughed sharply, nodding before I realized she couldn't actually see me.

"Don't worry. I got the black card out of him." I told her through the curtain. I put my clothes back on and delicately folded the dress over my arm, clutching the hanger with an ironclad grip.

"Damn." Juno whistled as I stepped out of the changing room. She rolled her lips into her mouth when she realized I was only twelve years old and she wasn't supposed to be cursing around me. She apparently didn't think I'd heard a lot worse.

I only shrugged, following her back over to the counter so she could ring up the dress. She put it in a fancy bag and watched as I swiped Tobias's black card. Thank goodness he convinced me to take it before shoving me in here and running in the other direction because that dress wasn't cheap.

I was doubly thankful for the fact that I knew Tobias had plenty of money rolling in from his worldwide schemes and businesses.

"Have fun! And make sure to come back and tell me how the dance or whatever, goes." Juno ordered as I shoved Tobias's card into the back pocket of my jeans. I nodded, thanking her once more. I needed to head towards the food court before one or more of my brothers had an aneurysm from worry.

I waved to her as I left, instantly turning left because that's what my stupid brain demanded I do. I counted my steps, eyes on my feet, as I stalked towards the food court. I didn't want to make awkward eye contact with someone, so counting my steps was the better alternative.

Sinclair waved, catching my attention as well as the attention of everyone around. I hurried towards him, shooting him a brief grin as I pulled my dress behind me. I didn't want to be holding the ridiculously heavy bag for any longer, and my brothers were practically my own carrying system.

"Ready to head home?" Damian asked, pulling a new yellow lollipop out of his pocket. Where did he even find those things?

"Let's go." I chuckled.

Little did I know, that was the beginning of the end.