"You know, a girl could go to school too."

Adelaide nearly fainted, head swiveling from the carriage window to her younger sister, Eurydicia. For once, Eurydica looked somewhat appropriate, dressed in a large red silk gown with white laced trim and golden buttons. Her golden-brown hair sat styled atop her head, not a tangle in sight. Somehow, even with the time Adelaide was sure had been spent, it managed to keep that same messy look that Eurydica liked. Locks fell down her shoulders from where she had picked and pulled apart the style. All Adelaide could do was be thankful that it was a step up from her usual appearance, something that looked close to rags. Eurydicia had never been one to care about things such as that, clothing and hair being all but nuisances in her busy life. Nothing more than flies that she swatted away with the flick of a hand, lips set in a smile as people gawked around her. Adelaide had never heard of a noble being as daring and uncaring as her sister was. She was sure that if Eurydicia found herself in death's eye, she would only laugh, fear something Adelaide didn't think was in her sister's vocabulary.

Yet, even with the wardrobe change it didn't look as if Eurydicia was going to let her... undesirable personality slip for the occasion.

"Absolutely not!" screamed Governess Edna, shaking her head. Adelaide wondered if she was getting dizzy, but all she could see was rage on the older woman's face. "Where in the world did you ever get that idea?"

"I am curious about that as well," muttered Adelaide's mother, her eyes sliding over to the Governess. "What exactly are you teaching my children Edna?"

She wouldn't need to teach us anything if you had taken up that role, Adelaide thought, but she didn't say it out loud, already knowing how inappropriate the sentence was. It wasn't as if her family was in an uncommon situation, governess and nannies were almost always used to teach and raise children. Still, she couldn't help being jealous of other girls though, as even though they had governess, their mother also made sure to play a part. Whether that was stopping in and checking on then, or giving them hugs, even if it was little, they took it for granted. This was the first time in months that Adelaide had even caught a glimpse of her mother, let alone talk to her. She was always doing her own thing, socializing, throwing parties, everything and anything except visiting her children.

That job was completely left up to Governess Edna, someone who Adelaide woke up dreading every day. Edna was a woman who had missed the chance to marry, now too old to find a husband to take her needs. She was left with finding a job for herself, going into governess, a career most unmarried women decided upon. Every girl in Adelaide's family had gone through life with her at their side, and none of them had liked it. She was a mean lady, bitter that she never got children. It was no secret she hated any woman who had a baby at her side, biting her cheek to keep the fowl words on her tongue as a mother and her child walked by. All the anger she bundled up was always taken out on those under her care, and Adelaine had been left with quite a few bruises after many of their meetings.

Both her and Eurydicia were jealous of their siblings who had already gone on to marriage, and of the boys of the family. They could be sent off to boarding school when they came of age, escaping the wrath of Governess Edna. Still, Adelaine would never say that out loud, not if she cared for her cheek. Anything along the lines would get her a hard slap, and more sewing work than her hands could take.

Eurydicia though, she had always been the more vocal, being one year older and seeming to have gone into a rebellious phase. She spoke without thinking and did what she wanted to, including conversing with unmarried men, something Adelaine shuttered to think about. There wasn’t anything more disgraceful than that, at least, not when there wasn’t a married woman around. Eurydicia had already spat upon her reputation and thrown it to the ground, completely tarnished and unredeemable. It was a shame too, she was so young. Adelaine was sure when her sister got older, she would look back and see all the faults and mistakes she had made. She would turn out just like Governess Edna, cold, bitter, and unwed.

Adelaine could remember a time when she was like her sister or at least thought like her. The idea of breaking through the bonds of proper had been so enticing, singing a sweet song that she couldn't quite get enough of. There had always been a little voice in her head, urging her to do everything without a care in the world. To free herself from the chains and fly away from the cage she called home. She had thought about everything she could do to get away, thought of every scandal she could try to get her kicked from the house. Even debating ripping up her clothes and throwing her panties out the windows, letting them float to the ground as servants looked up in horror. Such a scandal would go down in the newspapers, and it would reach every corner of the city. It would have definitely given the wish that she craved.

Thankfully, she could gain ahold of herself before she did anything rash. It happened because of a trip through the city on their way out to the seaside, exactly what they were doing now. Never before had she really paid attention to the outside, but that day, she found her eyes drawn out. They had been somewhere near the heart of the city, bustling carriages and chatting maidens roaming the street in the hot evening air. She could not understand how they went all go about life with the thousands of layers of fabric coating their skin, sweat seeping through Adelaide's ss dress as she swore the carriage grew even hotter.

A scandal came to mind, and she almost jumped to strip herself of her dress, sure that the action would eliminate the sweat sticking to her. Yet, as she did that, her gaze was caught by something outside, something so small and unnoticeable that she had to squint to see it properly. A porcelain doll, one laying in the dirt between two buildings. Once a beautiful toy, the thing was now cracked, clothes torn and hair flying each and every which way. The golden ringlets she usually recognized from dolls such as those were destroyed, a mess of tangles and dirt in their place. The paint on her face was faded, some parts completely worn off. Vibrant blue looked to have been the original color, but it was dull now, scrubbed off by years or maybe only days of abandonment. It made the doll look dead, any trace of life and happiness gone.

In her mind, Adelaine could picture what the original doll had looked like. Pretty and perfect, a gift made specifically for a child all her own. Maybe she had a happy life, but she had grown out of favor and ended up here, on the streets. Fallen from grace was the doll, something that could easily happen to a girl. Adelaine did not want to be like that, to be thrown out and forgotten. If being good and following the rules meant she could shine in the eyes of others then she would follow that path. She would stay in the lap of luxury, safe and warm each night.

As stupid as it sounded, that abandoned doll had been an eye-opener, one Eurydicia had yet to see.

“Oh, what are you so disgusted with?” Eurydicia sighed, rolling her eyes as she slumped in her seat. Half of the time, Adelaine wondered if they’d been taught by the same person. They were so different, yet were raised in the same way. It made her wonder what exactly had gone wrong with her sister. Maybe that doll had really been larger than Adelaine gave it credit for. “A bunch of the girls go to the boarding school, they are opening it up to them now.”

“We have already had this discussion,” Governess Edna hissed, glaring. “It is not proper for a lady to go to school, especially not with boys.”

“Then why’s everyone doing it?”

“You are exaggerating. Barely any people we know are sending their daughters there, at least none of the sane ones anyway.”

“Edna since when has she been talking about this?” Their mother asked, confusion crossing her face. Of course, she would not know, she barely knew any thing Eurydicia had done. To preoccupied in her fancy dinners to give a passing look to what was happening in her own household.

“It’s nothing my lady,” Governess Edna quickly sputtered out, fear leaking through the redness of her face. Adelaine avoided smiling at that, turning her head back to the window in hopes no one saw. When Governess Edna got frantic, it was always a fun sight, something like a bit of revenge for her years of slapping and throwing insults. It always brightened up Adelaine’s day even if it was just a little. She would never tell anyone that of course, not if she wanted to keep her lady-like glow. A woman was an angel, not one who laughed at other misery.

Or at least, that’s what one was supposed to be. Adelaine did not feel that any of the women in this carriage were angels, especially not Governess Edna. Adelaine would go as far as to call her a devil, and maybe her sister as well, though it hurt her a little to think. She loved Eurydicia, she really did, but she hated what she was doing to herself. Not only did it hurt her reputation, but it also hurt the time Adelaine was able to spend with her, and whether she could even be seen in public next to her. She’d taken up the task of avoiding Eurydicia at all cost, knowing exactly what could happen if she was caught hanging around with her. Others could start thinking that she encouraged the behavior that she was on good terms with her rowdy and monstrous sister. People's thoughts would turn toward the worst and everything she had worked to build would be thrown out the window. She wouldn’t even need to throw her panties out with them.

Today was not a day where that was possible though, and Adelaine was stuck dealing with her sister for a long ride from their home to the seaside. It was one of the many vacations of their family, one that Adelaine wasn’t ever too keen on. There was only hassle to it, but it wasn’t as if she could do anything about it. She was stuck here in the hot carriage, feeling every bump they went over and listening to this same old conversation.

“Oh, it is a rather big thing if you ask me,” Eurydicia snorted, crossing her arms. Her eyes were focused upon the window, watching the passing scenery as if she wasn’t invested in the conversation. Adelaine knew it was only to annoy Governess Edna. One thing that always got her fired up was when someone did not look her in the eye when she was speaking to them.

“Stop slouching! Sit up straight!” Governess Edna couldn’t hold it in anymore, screaming out the instruction with a certain kind of rage that was more comical than scary. Her face always turned tomato red, and it made her look like she’d be baked in an oven. Even her tall figure and high cheekbones could not make up for her color. When she towered over them she was a little scarier, but it took a lot to keep from smiling at the commercial side of the rage.

“No!” Eurydicia stuck out her tongue for good measures, looking like a child.

“Eurydicia, what has become of you?” Their mother asked, clutching her chest. She looked confused, eyebrows up slightly and mouth open. It was not a concerned expression only a confused one. A true mother would be concerned at their daughter’s rapid change in attitude, even though Eurydicia’s change had not been as rapid as she probably thought.

“I don’t know mother, common sense?”

“No, it’s the devil’s work,” Governess Edna muttered, and Adelaine couldn’t keep in the chuckle. It was just because she’d been thinking something similar earlier, but it had been about the Governess. “What are you laughing at!”

“Oh, um-”

“Maybe you are the cause of all this behavior,” The Governess spit, Adelaide growing confused and hurt at her accusation. From her? When had she ever been like this? She made sure to never be seen the way her sister was acting.

“What are you talking about? I would never!”

“Well, she certainly did not get it from me! I did my job, and I did it well. Any of the other girls can tell you so. So she must be getting it from an outside source.”

“I haven’t done anything!” Adelaide cried, panic stirring inside her. She could not be seen like that. Her reputation would go down the line, everything would be ruined. On the streets, she would be thrown out onto the streets! Cracked and bruised, thrown away and forgotten. Her panic turned to anger, and she whipped her head around to glare at her sister. If she wasn’t acting out like this, Adelaide wouldn't ever have to worry about things such as these. Their family name would speak for itself, a proper lady would be associated with her immediately, instead, something wicked and unruly was, and she had to suffer through the worry of eyes always on her. All because of Eurydicia’s stupid decisions. “Maybe she’s Cursed!”