It had taken a while to get dinner preparations sorted out, but once she was finished she still had some time to get dressed. After cleaning up, she looked through her closet. Most of her own clothing didn’t fit her anymore, probably from shrinking in the wash. Now she usually used her sisters’ clothes. She didn’t think they would mind, they didn’t really use most of them anymore. But even taking those into account, none of the dresses were nearly elegant enough for what she was looking for. Not having another choice, she opened her bedside drawer and took out a key. With that clutched in her hand, she left her room, closing her door quietly after her.

She walked down the hallway, the thick but moth-eaten carpet muffling her steps, and stopped in front of her parents’ door. She hadn’t come in here in a long time. Her parents hadn’t liked having their children in their room, but Vivian knew they wouldn’t mind given something as important as this.

Using the key, she unlocked the door. Inside, all was silent, but she was sure she could hear breathing. She could hear it matching her heavy, quickly beating heart, and she slipped inside.

It was dark, penumbra upon penumbra stacked in jumbled shadows. She could make out the bed, just a few steps away from her, with tousled sheets. Skirting around it, she hurried to the closet. It squeaked open, and the breathing seemed to quicken, but nobody moved, and as she calmed down, so did the breathing. She pulled out a dress at random, and closed the closet door. She was about to go kiss her mother’s cheek before she left, but something deep inside her warned her not to get close, to leave right that instant, and she did.

As she closed the door behind her, she heard another door opening. She hurried and slipped into her own room, just as she heard someone walking out into the hallway. She changed into the dress quickly, and was surprised at how well it fit. It was a little long, but not by much. She pinned her hair up in the mirror as best as she could, wishing someone had taught her how to do it properly.

In the dining room all was ready. The food was all laid out: vegetable soup, roast chicken and vegetables, and pomegranates, peaches, and more fruits laid out in heaping baskets. Vivian felt her stomach rumbling.

Soon afterwards her guests joined her. They were still wearing the same clothes, but they were cleaner. Andy had put her hair up as best as she could given its short length, and Aquila’s hair was slicked back.

Vivian guided them to their seats. They both ate ravenously, Andy explaining between hurried bites that the amount of food you can carry on a plane was pretty limited, and Vivian ate slowly, doing her best to show an aura of poise and elegance. Still, her stomach grumbled a few times, which sort of ruined the effect. They were all too concentrated on eating to really make much conversation, but once they had reached their fruit dessert they slowed down, and started talking.

“So,” said Andy, “why didn’t your parents come downstairs for dinner? Aren’t they hungry?”

Vivian blinked, and felt her heart beat a little faster, though she couldn’t understand why. “They’re still sleeping, but don’t worry. I’ll have food sent up to them.”

“Have food sent up? By who? Miss Edith and Miss… what was her name, Wolf?” Andy asked, turning to Aquila, who was engrossed in taking apart a pomegranate. “Holly,” he answered, and continued his meticulous operation. Andy smiled at him, then turned back to face Vivian.

“Yeah, that’s right. Miss Holly. Are they your maids, then?”

Vivian shook her head. “No, they’re not maids. Would you like to see them? I was going to bring them to dinner, but I forgot.”

Aquila looked up, and both nodded. Vivian stood up and left the room. She came back soon afterwards with Miss Holly and Miss Edith.

Andromeda almost chocked on her peach pit. “They’re… they’re dolls?”

Vivian nodded, sitting both of the dolls on the edge of the table, their smiles frozen. She smoothed down their curls, and looked up at her guests.

“But, before, when we first got here, didn’t you mention that they’d talked to you? She did say that, right?” asked Andy, eyes flicking between her and the dolls. Aquila nodded.

“They do talk! Well, just to me, I guess. And they’re not that interesting. They don’t really know a lot of things, you know?” said Vivian, casually, but unable to shake off the feeling of wrongness that had just come over her. Something wasn’t right, and she didn’t know what it was or how to fix it, and that annoyed her.

“Do you mean you make up what they’re saying, Vivian?”

“Doesn’t every little girl do that with her dolls?” she answered, frowning. “It’s not strange at all, so I just don’t understand why you’re both staring at me like that!” The last word ended up more of a shrill noise than a real word.

“No, we just meant… we were only surprised that they weren’t people, that’s all. But, Vivian, if Miss Holly and Miss Edith are dolls, and your parents have been… sleeping, are you all alone here? And who made dinner? It wasn’t you, was it?”

Vivian scoffed at the last question. “Me, make dinner? I’m a lord’s daughter! I don’t cook! And anyways, my parents didn’t let me anywhere near the stove. It was Lysander.”

She continued before they could ask, as she knew they would. “He’s the one that takes care of me most of the time, since my parents are so busy.”

“Where is he?” asked Andromeda.

“Oh, probably cleaning or something. He doesn’t really like parties. You’ll meet him soon enough, I’m sure.”

Andromeda and Aquila shared a look. Andromeda stood up, surprising Vivian, who nearly dropped her fruit. “I think it’s time we went to sleep. It’s getting late, and we’ve had a long day.” Aquila nodded, standing up as well. They had both left the room before she could even say goodnight. She had just taken a bite into a plum when Andromeda surprised her by coming back inside “Thank you for dinner, Vivian. It was really lovely. Goodnight!”

She was gone then, again leaving before Vivian could answer.

She stayed there for a while more, the candles melting, the light flickering around her, until the shadows got a little too long, and the room got a little too cold, and she stood up, and blew them all out.

She had almost arrived to her room when she heard voices in Aquila’s room. She walked towards the door slowly, doing her best to make her footsteps noiseless. When she reached the door she didn’t try to open it, or knock, but instead leaned closer, trying to make out the sounds into words. It was then that the door swung inwards slightly, and she shrank back, afraid that she’d been caught, but the voices continued talking without an interruption. She peeked inside.