Future

Chapter 1

I awake in a maroon room with little lighting as possible. A cold, damp, rag on my forehead. And a woman standing at my bed, slowly brushing her narrow fingers through my golden blonde hair. I peer into the woman's eyes, full of grey. And I feel peaceful. And very sleepy. She talks to me with kind words to reassure me.
"Relax dear. Shut your eyes."
Her words appease me and as if I were under command, my eyes slowly drop and the feel of relief rushes through my body.
My eyes awake once again, but the woman who greeted me was gone. I lift my fragile body off of the bed and stand up next to the oak wood night stand. I breath in all the air I possibly can. I recognize a familiar smell. Cinnamon spice. I turn around the room absorbing it's large mass. I slowly turn around looking at the room's quaintness, and accidentally knock into a desk full of different types of medicine and fall on my arm face first. A surge of pain rushes through my arms and travels to my chest. I fight back tears of pain as I slowly get up while clutching my arm and chest. The woman that dabbed my forehead with the washcloth returns into the room accompanied by a frail woman with light brown hair that cascades over her shoulders. Her green eyes piercing into my soul. She is very beautiful. Her pale skin stands out from the dark lighting of the room. The woman that greeted me walks over to me and puts a cold hand on my forehead.
"I am sorry. I did not formally introduce myself. I am Anastasia. And you are?"
My brain stops working for a couple minutes. The oriental woman staring at me with her grey eyes. I search in my brain for an answer and find my name.
"I am Grace."
"Well Grace. It is nice to meet you. But I must ask, did you hurt yourself when you fell on your arm?"
"No." I lie. My eyes look at the woman who accompanies her. She is slowly moving around the room, curious. Then stops at the foot of the bed and sees that I am staring at her. She looks at me. Her eyes scanning every inch of my body. I look down and see that I am injured. Not enough to kill though.
"Are you feeling okay?" She asks. I nod my head and know that she really doesn't care. Anastasia looks at me then back at the woman who accompanied her. And scowls at the woman with distaste. The woman nods and stares at her feet. Anastasia looks at me again and starts to speak.
"Forgive her carelessness. Grace this is Adeline." Adeline looks up at me and I see shame in her eyes. I break our stare and look back at Anastasia. Her eyes open with life and looks at all my wounds. Honestly I see a few cuts and scars that look only minor but her eyes look concerned. "Dear, if you would like I can start you a bath." Anastasia, even though I have only known her for three minutes I can tell that she is generous and kind. A mother.
"Yes please. That would be wonderful." Anastasia runs into the bathing quarters of the large room and I hear the trickling sound of bath water in a tub. Adeline looks at me.
"Grace, I advise you be kind to Anastasia, and never bicker with her nor me. We are your caretakers." She starts to tread towards the bathing quarters and I catch her just before she closes the door.
"How old are you and Anastasia?" I probably shouldn't have asked her that. She looks quite young. Too young to be offended I am guessing.
"I am nineteen years old. Anastasia is fifty." She sees my eyebrows shift as I wonder how she meets the age requirements to be a nurse's assistant. She catches me before I catch a breath to speak.
"And I am training to be a nurse. If you were wondering." She continues to close the door, my eyes still looking at her.