Pearl Allen didn't have a very good feeling about that evening and she wasn't sure why. Work had been fine that day, they had their normal amount of customers in the salon she owned and worked for, she had even made plenty of tips. But she felt uneasy mentally and that was making her stomach churn. Something was wrong and her mind kept running through things it might be as she swept the floor of the salon before heading upstairs to her apartment on the level above.

She couldn't place it. Not yet.

Pearl lived alone in the apartment. Her parents lived out in the country and her brother lived in the big city. Sometimes her boyfriend stayed over, but not that particular night. She wished he was though. She figured his presence would get her mind off the unsettling knot growing in her system.

Seating herself on the gray, faux leather couch in her living room with a glass of iced tea in her hand, Pearl's gaze absently caught the pictures on the sofa table behind her. They were framed pictures of her family, photos of her with her boyfriend, photos of her and-

Stephanie.

The pit in her stomach tightened at the sight of her and her old best friend, clinging to each other and in mid-giggle at a mini-golf course. They had been twenty years old then and Stephanie had been pregnant. She died in a car accident six years after that photo was taken.

Why did her unease intensify when she looked at that photo?

After she asked herself that question, the phone rang, shattering the silence that had surrounded her. With a quick glance to the picture once more, Pearl stood and grabbed the cordless handset on the end table from its charging cradle.

"Hello?"

The voice on the other end was one she recognized instantly. From the sound of it, Pearl connected it to her odd feeling of unease. It was someone she saw here and there around town, maybe at the grocery store or working behind the register when she stopped at the department store down the street.

It was Stephanie's son.

"Miss Allen, I know it's late. I apologize for calling now but you're the only person who might actually believe us. We need to get out of here."

"Keith, honey, what is it? What's wrong?"

"I... it's a long story."

"Is your sister there? Are you two okay?"

"Janey's here..."

When he didn't continue, Pearl spoke up. "Both of you come to the back entrance of the salon. I'll wait for you there."

"Thank you."

Pearl hung the phone up and threw it on the couch, slipping on a pair of worn out sandals and stopping by the table of photos again to stare at the one of her and Stephanie. She could hear the way Keith's voice shook when he spoke. She briefly thought the unease had been Stephanie trying to warn her of whatever she was about to discover from the twins, but she shook the thought from her head and exited her apartment, bounding down the stairs towards the back of the salon. She pushed the door open and kicked a wooden block under the crack to keep it from shutting, then stepped out into the small back lot where her car was parked. Peering around the building, she waited for a few minutes and tensed up when she saw the faces of two pale figures almost jogging down the street towards the salon. They were both holding bags, both wearing hoodies with the hoods up - one was a checkerboard pattern of black and white, while the smaller figure wore purple.

She had seen Jane around as well; grocery store, post office, here and there. Pearl always said hello to the twins when she saw them and they always smiled brightly back and her and chatted with her for a bit. They reminded her of Stephanie. She remembered going with Steph to their dance recitals when they were little. Pearl always went with her because Stephanie's husband didn't care for dancing. When she died, he pulled the twins out of their dance classes. Pearl never liked him. Ever.

Shock hit her when they both stopped in front of her and said nothing, they didn't remove their hoods either.

"Tell me what's wrong."

"Can we go inside?" Keith motioned towards the back door.

"Of course," she said, throwing her right arm out and herding them inside. She kicked the block out from under the door and pulled it shut, following them into the main interior area of the salon. They were both standing in the middle and watching her, their skin standing out in the darkness. She reached back and turned on a small lamp that sat on the main desk. She didn't want to turn on the overhead lights - those were way too bright at that time of night. She didn't want to bring too much attention to the salon around midnight, especially since she had no idea what the two of them were doing there. "Guys, tell me."

Keith reached out to his sister and moved her forward, stepping up behind her. Jane began to take her hoodie off, Keith following with his moments later.

The first thing Pearl saw in the halo of dim light from the lamp was Jane's swollen lip, next was her neck and after that she watched Keith pull his shirt up and turn around.

"Murphy." She almost spat his name, the name of Stephanie's husband and their father. She knew this had to be his doing. He never deserved Stephanie, he never deserved to have these kids. Pearl thought there was nothing that could make her dislike him more. Until now. "Give me the details."

Keith watched his sister sit down in one of the chairs before starting his tale at his father's usual drunken tirades then moving to the night Jane was trying on makeup. He was sure to mention that their father said Janey looked like a whore and the fact that he had a scar on his face now, due to his father's high school class ring. He was sure to mention the drunken tantrums against the items around their house and the fact that Keith had been in the wrong place at the wrong time - in the backyard listening to music - when his father was in the kitchen getting another beer. Keith mentioned that he had been bobbing his head and tapping his foot and his father came out and pulled him inside, screaming at him for something that wasn't even really dancing. That shifted into the fact that Jane had been dancing earlier that evening and their father found out. "I really don't know what he has against it. Or what he has against us... I just... I can't stand this anymore. We can't stand this anymore. We just wanted someone to hear us out. We're leaving. We're going to the city."

Pearl sighed and reached out, putting her hand on Keith's back and leading him to where his sister sat in one of the chairs. She grabbed their fingers in hers and let her eyes drift between the two as she inhaled deeply. Her dark skin against their hands made them appear even more like ghosts to her. Part of them died with their mother, she always thought that.

"Kay. Jay," she used the nicknames Stephanie used to use when they were children. Pearl remembered the kids bolting back into house at the sound of Stephanie's voice: Kay! Jay! Snacktime!

"Your father didn't like dancing because your mother loved it. She was a dancer herself. She wanted all of you to move to the city so she could pursue her dreams of turning it into a profession. Murphy was afraid it was taking over her life. He ignored it, ignored her when she talked about it. Never moved to the city, obviously. He said he had so much here in town. A job, stability, friends - his drunk pals most likely. He never wanted to take any chances.

They started fighting close to when she died. She wanted so much more than what you all had and she said it was just in their reach, that your family just needed to take this one chance. He wanted none of it. He started drinking more. Then the car accident..." Pearl paused to give their hands a quick squeeze. "It was the perfect chance for him to get rid of any trace of her dreams. He took you two out of classes, took the trophies and ribbons from your rooms, I bet. Got rid of your dancing shoes too, no doubt. And you two. You look just like her. I'm sure looking at you makes him think of everything that happened. I really don't blame you two for wanting to leave. I'm just sorry that it had to come to this to make it happen."

She wasn't sure she wanted the answer to her next question, but she knew it would be a vital part of the puzzle that would be getting them to the city. "How did you guys leave the house without him knowing?"

"I knocked him out with his ashtray after this," Jane croaked, motioning weakly to her head.

Pearl wanted to blurt, Should've finished the job - but figured that wasn't the nicest way of dealing with things. She scolded herself momentarily for thinking it and gently dropped their hands. "Here's what we're gonna do."

Keith seated himself in the chair next to his sister and placed his hands in his lap. He knew Pearl would be able to help them out, he just had no idea how much she planned to assist. As she shared the thoughts that had been stewing in her brain since they had arrived and told her they were going to the city, Keith had to blink away a brief threat of tears. He reached to his right and grabbed his sister's hand.

We might actually be getting out of this dead end, Janey. We might be taking your trip to the city.