Beatrice felt the sting of tears blur her vision as Fidelia was swept into the crowd of dancers. Her chest was tight, and she clutched at the wall for support. Anger curled her hands into fists. Selfish Fidelia, to leave her sister stranded alone at the ball!

The wall was too solidly close to the rush of dancers. Blindly, she felt her way along the edge of the room, desperate for air. For space. For the nauseating sea of unknown faces to fade away.

“Be careful!”

Beatrice hadn’t even known she was falling until the other girl caught her with steadying hands. “Sorry. So sorry.” Her voice sounded a million miles away.

The other girl considered her with worried brown eyes. “You should sit down.” She guided Beatrice out a door Beatrice had never even noticed. Immediately, the cacophony of the dance faded, and Beatrice felt her chest expand.

They sat at a bench in a plain white hallway. “So sorry,” Beatrice apologized again. Her heartbeat was fluttering in her ears. “I just… I don’t do crowds.”

The other girl laughed. “Clearly. Your face was as white as a piece of paper!”

Beatrice forced a laugh. Her thoughts were clearing, and she glanced at the other girl with a sudden fear that she should know her. She had the brown hair, the brown eyes, a faint smattering of freckles. But a quick glance told Beatrice the girl wore no necklace, and she relaxed. A stranger, then.

“You’re alone at the ball?” the girl asked.

Beatrice shrugged. “My sister is supposed to be with me. But she’s dancing. Some boy.” She laughed as if it were funny, though her chest tightened a little bit again.

“Sisters.” The girl rolled her eyes. “I’ve got two of them. Perfectly unreliable.”

“Same for me! Well, I mean, I have two sisters, too. But just the one unreliable one.”

The girl clucked her tongue. “It’s always the dancers.”

“No, not Fidelia. Not usually.” Beatrice squirmed. But no harm in sharing with a stranger, right? “It’s my younger sister. Ellis. She’s… we’ll, she’s a bit hard to keep up with.”

“I’m afraid to say that’s usually me in my family.” The girl smiled. “Always galavanting about with friends. They can’t keep me pinned down. But I do think it makes their lives more interesting.”

“Oh, Ellis certainly accomplishes that!” Beatrice didn’t have to fake a laugh this time. “She’s a regular character. Always catching us off-guard and popping up in unexpected places.” Always by help of the curse, but Beatrice didn’t tell the girl that part. It crossed a line.

“More fun for you, I suppose?”

Beatrice looked at the floor. “Never.” The hallway suddenly felt too tight. She needed Fidelia. Fearless Fidelia, who never seemed bothered by their sister’s curse. Never seemed to care that Ellis looked perpetually unfamiliar. Never flinched when the stranger on the street corner turned out to be Ellis all along.

A chill breeze whispered of another escape further down the hall, and Beatrice abruptly stood. “I think I need some fresh air,” she said. “It was lovely to talk to you!” Before the girl could even say goodbye, she leapt off the bench and disappeared down the hall.

In her absence, Ellis sighed. She rubbed a thumb over the necklace wound about her wrist like a bracelet. The curse had done its job well once again. Ellis and Beatrice, sisters by name, were absolutely perfect strangers.