My Next Life As A Villainess' Maid

01- Startling Awakening

''I often forget just how peaceful the scenery is in this part of the country."

My body lurched backward with a jolt. My skull rattled as it slammed into something hard behind me. The knot was quick to form, almost certainly a promise to become a bruise. What was going on?

"It is quite the view, though nothing compares to your beauty, my love."

It took a moment for the ringing to fully dissipate. Where was I? A carriage?

The sun's rays darted in and out of the cover of leaves, stabbing my eyes in an irritating flicker of light. Squinting, I could make out rich green fields that stretched to the deep blue horizon. A stream of white clouds painted the sky with a delicate hand. This place, that slowly rolled by, was nothing short of breathtaking. The kind of setting I’d imagined would be ripped straight from the pages of a fairytale.

Where are all the cars?

The only road that I was able to make out was this demon of a dirt path we were traveling on. I know the city never bothered to keep the roads nice and neat, but this? Last I checked, asphalt and concrete doesn’t simply vanish overnight.

And the rain?

It practically cemented itself in ink, staining all the headlines. “The biggest storm in centuries” they said. It was this big cultural event. Everyone was talking about it from TikTok to Twitter. Flood warnings, sirens, even the occasional PSA interrupting shows with that iconic mechanical beep.

“...ittle dragon? Are you listening?”

Slowly, my eyes trail to the left, revealing a younger-looking gentleman sitting across the way. His thick brows were furrowed in concern as he gazed at me.

"Umm…yah?" My voice squeaked out. Even those two words were enough to make my throat sore. It was taxing, and harsh, like years overdue use of rusty pipes. And was it just me, or did my voice sound a lot higher pitched than I remember it being?

Yeah, something's not right.

I retreated my gaze to my lap. How long had I been picking at the nonexistent dirt beneath my nails? Being aware of it didn’t make me stop, however. It only served to encourage it more. The feeling wouldn’t go away. This urge to do something, anything. My fingers were possessed by their own volition, searching my skin for any stray scabs to pick at, any bump to burst. To which, there were none. There was nothing. What was going on? Where was I? Why am I here?

No, not now. Think, I had to think.

'What had I just been doing? Going through the mail, right? In my kitchen...'

My nails began to sink deeper into my skin. It was cold and frigid. Images of ice trickled into my mind. Sharp, metal picks chipping into it. The resonance of their contact shivering down my spine.

Everything was fine. There has to be a reasonable explanation for this, yeah? A dream. Right, I was having a weird dream. Yeah! My dreams had always been this crazy in the past. That’s what this was, nothing but a dream that I would wake up from soon.

A dream that quickly turned to a nightmare.

Light from outside the window had shone in such a way, completely whiting out the glass. The lack of visibility on the outside spotlighted the reflections from the inside. And the face that was staring back at me was not my own. Well, not the one I was used to. It felt as if I was staring into a funhouse mirror. All the correct features were there, but distorted in a way that wasn’t quite right. My face was fuller, softer, …younger.

My breath caught in my throat as I continued to stare at the window. Every subtle shift, every tiny movement, everything I did, that image followed suit. A sickening feeling pitted into my gut. How was this possible?