Hanging in the Stars

Chapter Three

Beatrice didn't think that Nancy Gamble would play a huge role in her life. Whether it was luck and fortune or great scheming that threw the Iris Casino jump into the crowd, she was more than fortunate that it did. No one ever truly found out who Nancy and Anthony Gamble were and it had to stay that way forever.

Suspended mid-air by a ribbon, Beatrice caught a glance of herself in one of the mirrors they were transporting. It was large and circular, standing alone against a pillar. She brushed her hand across her face to change how she looked, her thick brown waves now cut short above her shoulders and straightened flat, cheekbones more prominent. Her skin on the other hand was the same bronze tone, while her eyes shifted from dark brown to gray. Nancy. Nancy Gamble, the girl who was free and loved, the girl who could express how she felt without fallback, the girl who could reach for the stars and not fall back down on her knees. Nancy Gamble was when Beatrice felt like she could weave her fate between the stars and dictate what she wanted but no matter how hard she tried, she could somehow never reach that tip of the mountains she sought after as her second persona – never as herself, never as Beatrice Dair.

Her feet touched the ground and she let go of the ribbon, allowing the fabric to slip between her fingers while her bare feet hit the sand. She stared at herself in the mirror for a few moments, remembering everything she had done in the past. When she would sneak out in the middle of the night as Nancy to meet Anthony Gamble, her partner in crime, the one with whom she shared the night sky. The only one who could take her hand and defy the biddings of the stars.

"I still believe the Chester Estate won't sell your family's house Rosalind and the Lawrence's will let you into the old apartment." Her sister walked into the room with the burst open of the doors, Beatrice's heart jumped and she quickly changed her face back to normal. The soft reminisce of her life two years ago, mellowed into a hush. "Plus, I'm certain that that apartment complex is old enough to be haunted, I'm sure they don't even want to go near it ."

"This is why I need to talk to your sister, Kass," Rosalind laughed as she tied her black hair up into a ponytail. "Mr. Lawrence is just as stubborn as she is and she'll be able to help."

Beatrice spun around to face them, brushing off the extra sand that got on her legs. "Rosalind!" she exclaimed. "I'll pretend I didn't hear what you said – what happened?"

Rosalind in a white short-sleeved button-down tucked into dark blue pants, walked towards the center of the area with a letter in hand. "Don't pretend, we know you're just great with convincing." She wrapped her arms around Beatrice and gave her a quick hug. "I already suggested we pay a reasonable amount as a fee to be able to use it for a day but Mr. Lawrence had his son step in to argue with me for him," she scoffed. "Jesper is a pain in the ass."

Kassandra stepped in and took the letter from Rosalind's hands, ripping it open before she could react. "It was sent from the Isle Mansion, must be something important."

Beatrice and Rosalind hovered around her, waiting to see what was held inside. "Did you at least read who it was from before tearing it apart?" she asked.

Kassandra ignored her and started reading aloud, "Dear Beatrice, oh it's from Nikolas. Cleopatra and Mark Antony. Sincerely yours, Nikolas Isles." She looked at Beatrice with a look that had questions tattooed all over her face, yet underneath the ink, Kassandra knew what Nikolas implied, she knew the secrets between the walls. "All I'm saying is this better be about the magic."

Rosalind took the letter from Kassandra's hands and Beatrice began tying the ribbon to the pillar. "I suggest you guys get ready, we're about to leave in a while to watch the performance of our friendly competitors and you wouldn't want to be rushed into the car, halfway dressed."