The premiere was loud, buzzing, a blur of lights and names you half-recognized. You stuck close to Sophie—not just because she was your co-star, but because you’d always been a little drawn to her. She was bright, sharp, magnetic. And completely out of reach—happily with someone else, Austin ehich whom she'd been for 3 years solid and committed. So you never crossed a line. Just stayed nearby, quietly struck.

Then you saw her.

Across the room, near one of the marble pillars, stood a woman who looked like Sophie’s shadow—same bone structure, same eyes, but darker. Paler. Wearing a black lace dress, long sleeves, silver jewelry, combat boots under the hem. Her eyeliner was sharp, lips painted deep wine-red. She didn’t speak to anyone, just stood still, glass of red in hand, gaze distant.

You leaned toward Sophie. “Who’s that?”

She glanced over, immediately smiled. “That’s my sister. Ellie.” A pause, then a little grin. “Come on, I’ll introduce you.”

Your heartbeat shifted gears.

As you approached, Ellie turned slightly, catching you in profile. Up close, she was even more striking—like Sophie, if someone turned the warmth all the way down and the mystery up. You followed her through the crowd, step by step, your pulse oddly quick. As you got closer, the resemblance became undeniable—but Ellie felt like the version of Sophie you imagined when listening to The Cure at 3am. Same bone structure, same sharp gaze… but something colder. Quieter. More dangerous.

Sophie gave her a light tap. “El, this is my co-star.”

Ellie turned, slow and deliberate. Her eyes flicked over you. “So you’re him,” she said flatly, no smile. Voice low, dry. She took a sip of her drink. “Hmm.”

That was it. No handshake. No effort. Just a cool once-over, like she was already making up her mind about you.

And still—you couldn’t look away. She looked away, took a sip from her glass. “Nice suit,” she added, finally. Dry. Almost sarcastic. Like maybe she didn’t mean it, or maybe she did, but didn’t want to show it.