Chapter 1:
"He asked her where she was going. The poor child, who did not know that it was dangerous to stay and talk to a wolf, told him." -Little Red Riding Hood
The heels of Ellana Bennet's boots dragged through the gravel, kicking up tiny clouds of dust as she meandered down the winding country road. The Bennet house was a great, ancient, crumbling thing that sat on five acres of rolling farmland on the outskirts of Lydes. It was an hour walk from the last bus stop at the edge of the city, and her ankles protested her weight with every step, but Ellana wanted to feel the crunch of those little rocks beneath her feet.
The early morning air kissed her skin, leaving her cheeks and the tips of her pointed ears red under her simple black beanie. The sun would be up soon, she could see the sky beginning to lighten at the edge of the horizon, the blanket of stars above her winking out one by one. She shrugged a little deeper into her hooded sweatshirt, the rips in her jeans leaving her just a bit too exposed for the early spring chill. The chirrup of bugs and nocturnal creatures trailed her past fields where the year's crop of lavender had just been planted, the gentle floral scent not yet teasing its way through the air. She turned a corner, resting her hand on the lamppost that marked the end of their driveway as she shuffled by, watching her shadow lengthen in its yellowish glow.
By the time she was halfway up the long, curving drive, she could hear the commotion coming from the sitting room. Ellana hurried forward, unlocking the front door as her sisters' muffled shouts crystalized into words.
"Who cares? Yawn." Came Sera's thick Fereldan accent, her tone antagonistic as ever. "Sounds like a rich knob's snoozefest if you ask me."
"Well," Josephine's reply was stiff and offended. Sera never failed to get under her skin, often being the only person who could shake her carefully manufactured composure. "Next time, then, I won't bother to get you an invitation."
"Give me that," Sera shot back as Ellana emerged into the sitting room, using the momentary distraction of her entrance to snatch a gilded piece of paper from Josephine's hand. Josie's tan skin reddened with fury as she spun on her heel, but Cassandra had already slipped the paper from Sera's grasp and was using her superior height to dangle it just out of reach. Sera's lip curled, and she may have launched herself at her older sister, had Ellana not shut the door and cleared her throat, flicking her eyebrows up in a silent question.
The sitting room was cozy, lived in. Old, creaking hardwood floors were covered by plush rugs. An overstuffed dark green sofa and matching chair took up the main space in the room, facing a roaring fireplace. Soft throw blankets and pillows rested on various surfaces. The slivers of wall not covered by bookshelves and paintings were sun-faded yellow. A smile pulled at her lips as she surveyed the scene.
The Bennet sisters looked nothing alike. Josephine was dressed for her new job in the city, a smart blue blouse and high waisted cream colored skirt. Her shining raven black hair was similar enough to Jane and Cassandra's, her ears rounded and human, but her tan skin and sultry Antivan accent set her apart from her sisters. The other girls all still wore their pajamas.
Cassandra was in a simple pair of sweatpants and a black tank top. Her short black pixie cut was sticking up in places, still spiky from sleep. She smirked lazily as she held the paper high in the air. Sera, who had been taunting Josie, now stood with her hands curled into fists, grinding her teeth at Cassandra. Her chin length blonde hair was unbrushed, blunt, choppy bangs falling just above her eyes. Pointed elfen ears emerged from beneath it. She wore a large ratty T-shirt and shorts, her long legs unshaved.
The only one successfully avoiding the confrontation was Jane, who stood in the doorway to the kitchen, worrying her lower lip. Her lacy nightgown matched her angelic disposition, jet black curls framing her lovely face. Ellana often wondered what had possessed Mr. and Mrs. Bennet to take in and then adopt three foster daughters, when they had already been blessed with Jane and Cass. The most cynical parts of her suspected their mother wanted as many chances as possible to marry a daughter off to a wealthy man.
"What did I miss?" Ellana asked, distracting everyone long enough for Sera to grab the paper back from Cass and stick her tongue out. Then, she began to read.
"You presence is requested at the 25th annual Grey Warden Ball, to be held at the Lydes Ballroom on the 15th of Cloudreach." Sera's rough cockney would have sounded mocking even if her words hadn't been heavily laced with sarcasm.
Ellana's mouth popped open. She cast her gaze across the room to Jane, whose blue eyes danced in the firelight. The Grey Warden Ball was the biggest event in Lydes every year. People were known to travel from Halamshiral just to attend the glamorous event. Established over two decades ago, the ball honored the Grey Wardens, who had saved the world so many times from the blights.
There hadn't been a blight in three hundred years, and the Grey Wardens remained as more of a symbol of resilience than an actual organized force. They recruited in schools, promising good pay and support for volunteers' families, but even when she was young Ellana had always balked at the thought of whatever was involved in their mysterious "joining" ceremony. Still, to get an actual invitation to the party of the year was unbelievable.
Cassandra rolled her eyes, dropping onto the sofa with a disgusted sort of grumble. Sera, apparently bored with the invitation, flicked it back towards Josephine absently before miming an exaggerated yawn. Josephine grabbed it out of the air and cradled it in her palms like a baby bird.
"I'm going back to bed," Sera said, walking toward the stairway at the edge of the room. "Not sure why you thought that was worth waking me up for."
As she vanished up the stairs, Ellana rounded on Josephine, curiosity written across her face.
"How the fuck did you get that?" She asked.
Josephine's annoyance immediately melted into sparkling joy as she reached down and opened her purse, revealing four more of the little rectangular pieces of paper. They were written on off-white cardstock, with golden calligraphy embossed across the front.
"They were in the mailbox yesterday." She said, smiling so bright it was like looking into the sun. "My boss called them a 'perk' of working for the company. He didn't even blink when I asked for extras for my sisters!"
Ellana laughed, her younger sister beaming at her. Josephine's new job was a source of endless delight and gossip, for her if no one else. The whole house had been subjected to her constant chatter about it for the last two weeks. She'd somehow landed a position as secretary to some high up executive at her favorite fashion magazine, Orlais Couture. It was an accomplishment for anyone, but at eighteen Josephine was definitely ahead of the curve. And now... The 15th was only a week away.
"I have literally nothing to wear." Ellana said aloud as the thought occurred to her.
"I have a dozen dresses that would fit you in my closet." Jane, who had retreated to the kitchen, called back. "We'll go through them later."
The clatter of dishes, and the sound of sizzling butter hitting a pan chased her words. Josephine was stuffing the invites back into her sleek leather purse, eyes shifting to the clock on the wall.
"Shit," She cursed, fishing in the bag for a set of keys. "I'm going to be late. Let mum and dad know I took the car when they get up, alright?"
Cassandra, who had an arm thrown across her face and one leg kicked up onto the back of the couch, grunted. Josephine hurried out the door without waiting for another reply, letting in a gust of cool morning air before the latch clicked behind her. Ellana ducked into the kitchen with Jane.
The faded yellow walls and hardwood floors continued into this room. Pale ribbons of sunlight were beginning to filter through the curtains, casting rippling shadows. The drawers and cupboards were pale wood, the counters smooth and white. A small, unpainted table and chairs sat against the wall by the open doorway, a vase with a single daisy settled on top. Jane stood, cutting slices off a loaf of bread while eggs snapped and hissed in a skillet on the gas stove.
"Need any help?" Ellana asked, leaning against the doorframe. Jane, the only one of the Bennet sisters older than Ellana, made breakfast every morning like clockwork. Their parents likely wouldn't even stir for another twenty minutes. Jane smiled sweetly over her shoulder, the morning light dancing over her features made her look like a portrait in a museum.
"Absolutely not." She said simply, refocusing on her task. "You're still in your work clothes. Breakfast will be done when you get out of the shower."
Ellana knew better than to argue. She just raised her palms in defeat, backtracking out of the kitchen and down the short hall that ran from the sitting room to their father's study. The downstairs bathroom sat between the two, small but functional. The walls were periwinkle blue, a porcelain bathtub taking up most of the space.
Stepping through the door and shutting it behind her, Ellana drew the curtain and started the shower; finally removing her beanie and sweatshirt while she waited for the water to heat up. She combed her fingers through her long, straw blonde hair, working through the snarls. She only glanced in the mirror, knowing she probably looked like a mess after a full shift at the bar.
Indeed, her carefully applied eyeliner was smudged, red lipstick flaking. Her hair hung straight, if a bit tangled, falling to her mid back. If Jane's features were angelic, Ellana's could be described as coquettish. Her ears came to fine points, her nose slightly upturned. Her jawline was sharp but delicate, lips a gentle pout, catlike eyes brilliant green.
She was beautiful, and often hated for it, even if those traitorous ears didn't make it perfectly clear what she was. Not like Jane. Some kinds of beauty, human beauty, opened the world to people, earning them smiles as they walked down the street. Other kinds resulted in male eyes lingering where they shouldn't, and sneers from their jilted girlfriends. Ellana wasn't resentful, though most days she wished she could just blend in with the anonymous crowds of the city.
She stepped into the shower, plumes of steam billowing up from the ceramic surface of the tub, and allowed the hot water to wash away the grease and tension of a long night at work. She didn't get out until the smell of bacon wafted through the crack under the door. She dried herself roughly, cursing as she realized she didn't bring a change of clothes, and slithered her damp body back into her dirty jeans and T-shirt. By the time she again opened the bathroom door, Ellana could hear the shrill voice of her mother echoing from down the hall.
"Jane, dear, if you don't cover the bacon it's going to get cold." Mrs. Bennet lectured, as though Jane had not just prepared food for them all while she slept.
Padding into the kitchen on bare feet, hair still dripping, Ellana managed to stifle her eye roll. The table was occupied by her mother, her father, who sat ignoring them with his face buried in a newspaper, and Cassandra. Ellana took a seat at the same time as Jane, who had just finished piling food on her own plate and Mrs. Bennet's.
Mrs. Kathryn Bennet was a rounded, rosy sort of woman. She had curly salt-and-pepper hair bound up in a messy bun, pink cheeks, and sparkling blue eyes. Today she wore a blue sundress, tied with a simple sash around the waist. She was lovely, and she smiled often. It was her kind appearance that made her cold attitude all the more jarring. Not quite as jarring, however, as the shuddering gasp she let out the next moment.
"John! Maker's breath, your newspaper!" She practically screeched at Ellana's father, who calmly flipped a page to continue reading the story that had his attention. When he made no other reply, Mrs. Bennet huffed in irritation. "Aren't you curious what's gotten me so excited?"
"Clearly, you want to tell me," Mr. Bennet said in his soft, even timbre, finally closing his paper and lifting his silver eyes to his wife. A glint of amusement flickered there. "And I have no objection to hearing it."
Mr. Bennet's white hair was cut short, his face unshaven for many days. The scraggly stubble that grew there was also white, giving no hint of what color it had been as a young man. He wore a white button down shirt and grey trousers, as though he intended to go to the office today, but Ellana was sure he'd end up reading in his study again. Mrs. Bennet just scoffed, yanking the paper from his hands. Folding it to show the article that had caught her eye, she held it up for the rest of the table to see.
The headline read: Cullen Bingley to Attend Grey Warden Ball in Lydes. Jane choked on her orange juice. Cullen Bingley was a famously wealthy bachelor in Halamshiral, well known there for being impossible to marry.
"You need to get the girls invitations." Mrs. Bennet said earnestly. "This could be an amazing opportunity for them!"
"And why is that, my dear?" Mr. Bennet chuckled, delighting in the extra color the anger brought to his wife's cheeks.
It is an unspoken assumption in many social circles, mostly mothers of daughters, that any single, wealthy man ought to be looking for a wife. This assumption is as inconvenient for the daughters as it is for the single, wealthy men their mothers thrust them at. Mrs. Bennet was practically salivating as she said,
"Mr. Bingley is single, and quite the catch." She made a pointed look in Jane's direction. The eldest Bennet daughter, who was twenty-four, slid her eyes to her lap. There was no use in defending her unmarried status to their mother, but Ellana simmered nonetheless. Jane had been attending Lydes University, diligently studying Rivaini literature for the last four years.
"My apologies," Mr. Bennet said, retrieving his paper from Mrs. Bennet's hand. "I didn't realize he was coming here with the intention of marrying one of our daughters."
Cassandra snorted into her bite of toast, sending crumbs scattering across the table. Mrs. Bennet sputtered, incredulity twisting her face, and Ellana decided to jump in before things got worse.
"Josie already got us invitations," She said, rising from her chair to get herself a plate. "From her new boss."
The manic gleam in her adoptive mother's eye was unsettling, if not exactly atypical. Mrs. Bennet chattered enthusiastically through the rest of breakfast, discussing gowns and if they should rent a limousine or a carriage, while Ellana shoveled perfectly runny eggs and thick cut bacon into her mouth. Jane was an incredible cook.
Ellana scraped up one last bite of her meal, savoring the heavy saltiness of the bacon, and stood. She gathered her dishes, brushing crumbs from her black T-shirt, and brought them to the sink. Then she leaned over and kissed Jane on the head, pulling her sister into a tight hug from behind. Jane's face split into an unrestrained grin, and across the table Cassandra smiled despite herself.
"Sleep well," Jane murmured, leaning into the embrace. "When you wake up we'll find our dresses for the party."
Mrs. Bennet tutted, her face a perfect model of disappointment in Ellana's chosen schedule. She was shaking her head slightly, exhaling through her nose, when Cassandra opened her mouth to speak her first words of the morning.
"I'm not a dress person." She said flatly, not looking up from her mug of coffee. "If I have to wear one, I'm not going."
Mrs. Bennet's eyes looked like they might pop out of her head, her cheeks turning an unhealthy shade of purple. Mr. Bennet just chuckled again, gaze lifting to Ellana.
"You may want to take this moment to make your exit, my dear Ellie." He said to her, a joke written across his face. Ellana smiled wryly at her father and ducked out of the kitchen, trailing through the sitting room, Mrs. Bennet's chastisements audible the whole way upstairs.
The second floor of the Bennet house was a simple hallway with three doors, two on the right and one on the left. Morning sunshine and a light breeze trickled in through a cracked window at the stair landing. The two doors on the right led to the girls' rooms, Jane and Ellana shared one while the other three sisters took the second. The door on the left led to the master bedroom, where Mr. and Mrs. Bennet slept, along with an impressively large bathroom only accessible through there. Ellana could hear Sera's snoring even from the hall.
She staggered through her own door and shut it behind her, leaning back against it and shutting her eyes. Fatigue settled around her, thick and heavy. Pulling her phone from her pocket, she scrolled through her missed messages.
4:35 AM
Dorian: Two words: public transportation.
The message was accompanied by three nauseous looking green-faced emojis. Then, another text.
4:39 AM
I shudder to think what has touched those polyester seats.
Ellana snorted out a laugh, remembering that her friend had had one too many drinks last night, and gotten his keys confiscated. She quickly tapped a message back.
7:28 AM
Ellana: Regretting that fifth daiquiri yet? ;)
No response. He was certainly asleep by now. Sleep sounded like a fantastic idea. She glanced around the bedroom she'd shared with Jane since she was eleven. The walls were a dusty purple, collaged with band and movie posters; things they had liked in their teen years and not bothered to take down. Two queen beds sat against the wall beside the door, the comforters plush and inviting. The bedspread on Jane's was white with little embroidered leaves and flowers, Ellana's was blue-grey and sleek, like satin.
A tapestry of a night sky mapped with detailed constellations hung on the ceiling above their beds, and a small desk with an open laptop on it was tucked into a corner across from the door. Above that was a corkboard full of little notes and drawings, tacked to it with colorful pins. Polaroids of the Bennet sisters were layered between the pieces of paper. In one of them, a seventeen year old Cassandra was laughing so hard her head was tipped back, showing only her jawline, open mouth, and the underside of her nose. Josephine stood beside her, an arm wrapped around her middle, beaming at the camera.
Ellana remembered moving into the Bennet house, the first of the three adopted daughters to do so. She'd heard that the family had two other girls, one her age, and had been hopeful that she and Cassandra could be friends. Upon her arrival, though, Cass had flat out refused to speak to or share a room with her. She'd panicked, readying herself to be cast out, but fifteen year old Jane had been delighted to have a new little sister. That's what they'd been from the very first moment; sisters.
Josephine and Sera had arrived the next year, the youngest at ten and eleven years old, and then Cassandra had had no choice in sharing her room. The force of her rage had been felt by everyone in the house for months. The corners of Ellana's mouth quirked up at the memory, trying to ignore the tug in her chest at the thought that Josephine would no doubt be moving on soon.
Jane had been attending her university courses in Lydes while living at home, rationalizing that it was more expensive to stay in student housing than to commute. Ellana worked nights waitressing, but the money wasn't good. If she was lucky she'd have enough to move out by sometime next year. Sera had never even mentioned leaving, perfectly content with however she chose to spend her time. Josie, though. Her passionate drive would carry her away, far and fast.
Ellana squeezed her eyes shut again, a headache starting to pulse at her temples. She tossed her phone onto her pillows, peeling off her jeans with considerable effort, and roughly yanked down the blackout curtains that bordered the two windows. Then she toppled into bed, not even bothering to crawl beneath the covers before sliding into a deep sleep.
