~The winter of 1878 at a winters ball~
It was the evening of the Royal Trinity Ball and to Kali, it was no surprise that Clotilde was late. She realised, therefore, that it was not her responsibility to worry about the whereabouts of her youngest sister. The guilt that she had done something so terribly wrong, however, continued to gnaw away at her. This was because she knew that any wrong doings, no matter whom of the three had committed them, were ultimately on her shoulders.
Being the eldest of the three had come at a very heavy price. With her mother sadly passing after the birth of her third child, Kali knew that it was her role to take care of the rest of the family. Her father, a rather self righteous and superior man, was distraught after the tragic death of his beloved wife and that had caused him to shut out any loving emotion in fear that he could lose again. This meant that Kali, from the early age of 5, had to quickly adapt to her knew, mothering role.
She despised it nevertheless. The constant weight of the responsibility pressed down on her skeletal frame and often threatened to send her spiralling down the route of self pity and denial. She had to stay strong, though. If not for her father then for Liliana.
Liliana was the favourite of her siblings. She often felt guilty for that opinion but it was true. As the night drew on, Kali watched her sister in awe as she meandered elegantly about the ballroom, greeting each and every guest with her fresh, blue eyes and a warm smile. It hurt her to think that Liliana might one day have to experience the same worry, pain and stress that she was having to endure.
Kali continued to watch her sister move about the room, gliding across the glossy floor and welcoming people to their home. Her rich, golden hair cascaded down the back of her deep, crimson gown and her eyes shone a brilliant blue as she spoke.
Eventually, the night grew darker and the guests gathered to dance but now that she had searched the whole room, Kali could see the worry settling in on her sister's face. Lilliana hurriedly approached her, seemingly graceful, and gave her a pained look.
"She's not here." Kali stated, answering her sister's silent question.
Liliana took a deep breath whilst her eyes continued to search the ballroom. "But why wouldn't she be?"
Kali sighed, feeling beaten and lethargic. "Perhaps because she never likes to make things easy for us."
"She might still be getting ready?"
"You and I know that is not true."
Liliana let out a sigh of defeat before returning her gaze back to her sister. "You're right."
The melodic music continued to fill the room as guests begun to dance, heads bobbing, skirts swaying, laughter ringing but Kali's gaze fell upon the static figure amongst the crowd. It was a male.
He had a strong, athletic build and wore a tailored suit, similar to the other guests, but something about his sombre, forest green eyes and sandy hair seemed almost peculiar and strangely alluring to her. He stood still amongst the moving guests, a dark aura radiating off of him. Kali shuddered, tearing her eyes away and turned to her sister but her gaze was elsewhere.
Suddenly, the grand oak doors burst open and a dishevelled looking girl stumbled through, eyes glazed. Her dress had gaping holes, as if it had been slashed by a knife, exposing her pale, bruised knees and her hair was a fiery explosion of copper curls. The room fell silent as everyone stopped to inspect the intruder.
"Clotilde!" Liliana gasped, rushing over to her sister and pulling her to the side by her arm.
Kali fought the urge to scream at her younger sister for ruining yet another important event. She knew their father would not be pleased. Thankfully, the orchestra begun to play louder, richer sounds and the crowd continued their dance, heads bobbing and skirts swishing as though they were oblivious to what had just happened.
"Where on earth have you been at this late hour?" Kali hissed, angry at the ignorance of her youngest sister. Clotilde continued to stare off into the crowd, a disconcerted look in her eyes. "Do you have any idea of the stress you have put us under worrying about your whereabouts?"
"Stress." Clotilde repeated. Her voice was barely a whisper.
"Yes, Clotilde. Stress." Kali reiterated, exhausted.
Sensing her sister's defeat, Liliana reached over and wrapped her arm around Clotilde. "Don't worry. At least we know you are safe now."
Kali grimaced at Liliana's kindness towards Clotilde. She understood forgiveness. But how could one forgive another who was willing to repent again?
"Safe." Clotilde murmured, her eyes fixated on the darkened windows as she traced her pale finger along a reddened cut in her lip.
Liliana smiled her warm, earnest smile and gently pulled Clotilde into a hug. She was so forgiving.
"No!" Clotilde shrieked, pushing her away with considerable force.
"Clo-?"
"I'm sorry." She mouthed, and hurried up the grand staircase, her dress traipsing behind in a ruptured mess.
Kali's face crumpled up in confusion. The disconnected look that had been in her sister's eyes made her uncomfortable and the way she had moved frantically with fearful, jittery movements gave her an uneasy feeling that churned her stomach. Looking over at Liliana, she could tell it had caused her some discomfort too.
An eery silence lingered in the air and Kali cringed slightly. Clearing her head, she looked up to see the silent room gazing back at her with a thousand pairs of expectant eyes. With deep breaths and her head held high, she began to speak.
"Please, do not let this minor occurrence disrupt your evening nor let it distract you from the beauty that our Trinity Ball has to offer. I know that myself, my father and sisters are extremely grateful for your presence on this brisk, winter's night so please do continue. If our mother were to be here I know that she would want you to enjoy this experience. Thank you."
The last line, as expected, caused for some wistful smiles amongst her audience and a gentle applause rippled along the room before the music rang clear again and the guests were back to twirling and bobbing.
With that, Kali stepped down and begun to climb the golden staircase, Liliana close behind.
YOU ARE READING
The Trinity Sisters
Teen Fiction"I love them, Alec" she sighed, her gaze dropping to the ground. A strand of her copper hair blew across her face and she looked up, their eyes instantly locking. "And that's why I need you to kill them." "Whatever you say, Little Red," the dark fig...
