As usual this story is my property and may not be republished or redistributed without my permission. Any resemblance to people living dead or non existent is a coincidence.
It is assumed that people who are hearing impaired and their family members are fully literate in sign language and are able to read lips. Any text in single quotations is assumed to be sign language.
---
Matt was beautiful, at least Emily thought so. She'd known him since they were three years old and started learning sign language together. Matt was an adventurer and had an older sister who was partially deaf. Emily was born deaf and mute, and was a shy and very cerebral girl. Em also tended to get dragged into Matt's adventures, willing or not.
One of the things that cemented their friendship forever was when they figured out they were born on the same day, November fourteenth. They joked that they were half-twins. The fourteenth gained an even more humorous significance when they took Sex Ed and figured out when they were conceived.
---
They were in their final year of highschool and the Graduation dance was only a few weeks away.
'So who are you taking Matty?' Emily signed across the lunchroom table, hoping beyond hope that he'd ask her to go.
Matt grinned slyly and signed back, 'There are so many victims, I mean volunteers I don't know who to ask. Can you help me pick?'
Emily was crushed. She wished Matt could love her like she did him. 'Sure,' she signed with a dejected look.
Matt pulled out a note pad and wrote down some names on it. Hiding what he wrote from her. When he was done he spun the pad around for Em to read.
Emily read down the list then looked up at Matt, 'Are you serious? These are the girls you have to pick from? You could do way better than Sara Culver or Nicole Hartmann. You could do better than all of them. When did you start doing drugs Matty?' she signed rapid-fire at him.
Matt was surprised by Emily's reaction to his list of girls. In actual fact he didn't have anyone on his list. He never had. Hanging out with 'the deaf kid' pretty much killed his social status but he didn't care. Besides he preferred Em's company anyway. Emily was the coolest person he knew, it didn't matter to him that she was deaf, they just had a secret language to talk to each other with.
"What's your problem Em? You're acting like you're my keeper or something." Matt said.
'I just think you're way better than all of these girls. You deserve a girl who loves you, not one who feels sorry for you.' Emily signed with more emotion than she intended, and feeling the hot sting of tears burn her eyes.
"Hey, hey Em! I was just trying to have a little fun with you. I guess it backfired and I'm sorry." Matt said as he tucked some stray hairs back behind Emily's ear.
He smiled gently at his friend, "So seriously, no one's asked you to go? What's wrong with people? You're the prettiest, smartest girl in our class and no one but me sees it. GOD!"
Emily blushed deeply at Matt's compliments. 'I guess they're afraid to dance with me. Maybe they think I'll stomp on their toes,' she signed.
Matt got a look of determination in his face, "Well I'm not afraid, I'd like it if you'd go to the Grad dance with me Em."
Emily leaped up from across the table and kissed Matt on the cheek. Everyone in the lunch room stared for a second then shook their heads at the two weirdoes sitting by themselves.
Matt couldn't believe Em's reaction to him asking her to the dance. The biggest problem he could think of was that when they danced Em couldn't hear the music so she'd be out of sync.
He decided to talk to the guy who was Dj'ing the dance, and see if he'd be willing to lay one of his big speakers flat so the sound could travel through the floor for Em. He knew Emily was very graceful when she could "hear" the music through her feet. She'd even taken ballet classes.
Emily floated on a cloud for the rest of the day, she'd never been happier in her whole life. As far as she was concerned, Matt's comments were as good as an admission to her that he felt the same way she did about him.
---
Emily's mom noticed her change in mood as soon as she walked in from work. Emily's hands were flashing so fast her mom could barely keep up.
"Hold on sweetie, all I got out of that was Matt, dance and dress."
Emily sighed, counted to three and told her mom that Matt had asked her to their Graduation dance and she needed to get a dress.
"Seriously? That's wonderful honey, Matt's always been so good to you. We'll go out after dinner and see if we can find something for you okay?"
---
Matt walked in from school and his sister was waiting for him. She was two years older than him and was just finishing up her second year of college.
Jen grinned wickedly and signed to him, 'So I hear you're taking Emily to your Grad.'
Matt blushed and asked her how she knew.
Jen laughed and told him to check Em's Facebook page. Matt went to their computer and looked up Emily's page. When it came up he checked her wall.
'Going to the Grad with my best friend! I know it's going to be a great night! Can't wait to dance with him. I love you Matty!'
'She loves you Matty!' Jen signed with a big grin.
Matt blushed again, "She's probably just excited."
Jen tousled Matt's hair, 'I think she LOVE's you!'
"So what if she does? It's not like we'll get married or something." Matt said defensively.
'I think it's cute, you guys spend so much time together, you make a sweet couple,' Jen replied.
"Well if Emily wants a special night I'm going to make sure she has one," Matt said to his sister.
Matt went to the mall and rented a tuxedo for the dance. He had some money saved for college but decided to dip into it and rented a stretch limo for them to go to the Grad in.
---
Emily's Mom took her out shopping for her dress, they tried a few different stores but they couldn't find something that she liked. Emily felt like they'd looked in every store in town. She thought she'd never find a dress she'd like.
A few days later Emily and her Mom were driving around in the garment district when Emily pulled on her Mom's arm and motioned for her to pull over. Emily was out of the car and running back down the street before her Mom had even finished parking.
When her Mom finally caught up with her, Emily was standing in front of the window of a small Chinese tailors. Emily was vibrating with excitement, she knew she had found the perfect dress.
'Mom! This is it! This is the one!' Emily signed with glee.
Emily's Mom looked at the dress she was pointing to. It was a beautiful royal blue Chinese-style dress with two intertwined dragons on it, one gold the other silver. She agreed with Em and they went inside to get a closer look.
The old seamstress was very happy to see them, and when Emily's Mom told her which dress they wanted to look at she beamed at them.
"This is a very special dress, the gold dragon is a female Horned Dragon. They are the most powerful of the dragons, and like you they cannot hear. The silver dragon is a male Celestial Dragon, the Guardian of the Gods' mansions."
'Mom we have to get it, please?' Emily begged.
"Let's see if it fits first sweetie," her Mom laughed.
The old Chinese woman took the dress from the window and gave it to Emily to try on. She went in to the small dressing room and put on the dress then stepped out.
Emily's Mom gasped, she'd never seen her look as beautiful as she was just then. "Oh honey, you look beautiful!"
"Yes, very beautiful! Come, we will make sure of the fit."
Emily stepped up onto the fitting stand, and the old woman quickly checked her to make sure the dress fit. She tacked a few pins in to set the fit of the dress then walked around Em to make sure the dress still hung properly.
Emily looked at herself in the mirror, she thought she looked gorgeous. The dress accentuated the curves of her young body perfectly.
'What do you think Mom? Do you think Matty will like it?' she asked with a grin.
"Sweetheart you'll be the most beautiful girl at the dance. And yes, Matt will love it."
The old woman smiled then went and got some lacquered chopsticks and silver combs. She rolled Emily's long auburn hair into a bun, then stuck the chopsticks and combs through it to hold it in place.
Emily kept turning this way and that, looking at herself from several angles in the mirrors. She had a wide smile on her face as she looked at her Mom. 'So? Can we get it?'
"I think we have to Em, it was made for you!" her Mom said as she pulled out her credit card.
The old seamstress rang their purchase through and her Mom noticed that she hadn't billed her for the chopsticks and combs.
"I think you've made a mistake! You didn't charge me for her accessories."
"No, no mistake," the old woman said. "They are a gift for the Dragon Princess and her Guardian."
Emily went and changed back into her clothes and gave the seamstress her dress. She smiled and bowed to the older woman then hugged her. Although she was surprised, she hugged Emily back and patted her shoulder.
"You come back on Tuesday and we will make sure everything is perfect."
'Thank you! Thank you so much!' Emily signed as she beamed with joy.
---
The following week at school Emily was so excited she could barely contain herself. She told her few friends aside from Matt about her dress. At lunch Matt asked her what colour her dress was so he could get her a corsage. She gave him a shy smile and said it was royal blue with silver and gold accents. When he tried to pry she only grinned and told him he'd have to wait until he picked her up to see it.
Matt felt like an idiot when he called the florist, "Uhm hi. I need to get a corsage for my Grad date for Saturday?"
"Okay, and what colours would you like to use?" the girl on the phone asked.
"Well my date's dress is royal blue with silver and gold accents. I know there aren't any silver or gold flowers but is there anything you can do for me?"
He could tell the girl on the other end was smiling when she told him she was sure they could fill his order.
---
All week at school Emily was in a playful, kittenish mood with Matt.
'Oh Matty we're going to have so much fun on Saturday, thank you so much for asking me to go with you!'
