Everything hurts when I gain consciousness. My head is pounding, my throat is on fire and my entire body is stiff and sore. The smell of dust is overwhelming and a scratching sound in the corner is far too loud. Either I have had far too much wine again or have fallen ill. Weirdly, I do not remember.
I blink my eyes open and once they cut through the haze, I find myself staring at an unfamiliar unlit chandelier with tiny patches of cobwebs clinging to the clear crystals.
The room is dark except for a slice of light coming from a window covered in black velvet drapes to the right of me. It appears it's daytime from the brightness of the light, but this room is preventing it from feeling so. The black and silver damask wallpaper covering the wide walls from floor to ceiling makes the massive room feel shadowy but expensive. I don't know where I am but the softness of the bedding, the smell of polish on the silver on the vanity, and the details in the carved wooden bedposts reveal I am somewhere luxurious.
I try and remember details of how I got here, but I am coming up empty. Must have been too much wine then.
I lift my pale hand and as I wiggle my long foreign-looking. I push myself up and the vanity mirror across from me reveals a stranger. I tilt my head and watch the reflection mirror me, waiting for a flicker of recognition. I flit my eyes around the room, hoping to connect to something but silence and confusion greet me.
I slip out of the bundle of covers and glide over to the large oval mirror to get a closer look at my face. I find the long blonde hair that falls to my waist so pale it looks silver in the dim lighting. I lean in to find I have one green and one blueish-green eye. My mouth is a perfect Cupid's bow and although there is no color on my lips, they look plump against my porcelain skin. I touch my cold cheek to feel the smooth skin under my fingertips and trace my finger under my eye.
Still nothing. No recognition of who I am or how I found myself in this room. I know what all the objects are in the room and can recognize the scent of wood polish and laundered clothes around me, but I don't have a single idea as to who I am.
I run my hands down my simple linen nightgown and wonder if I own this space and if anyone is here waiting for me to rise.
I peel myself away from the mirror and silently walk to the far side of the room to place my hand on the crystal knob of the single black door. I pull it open an inch and use my green eye to peek out. I hear a rustling coming from somewhere, footsteps hustling below me, and a door slams across the house. Laughter rises into the air but it's quickly replaced with hushed voices. Clearly, there are several people here but I have no idea how to announce myself.
I pull the door open another inch and immediately make eye contact with a woman carrying a stack of clothing in a wicker basket. She freezes when she sees me.
"Oh my, you weren't due for another two days," she mutters, wide-eyed, and then spins on her heel to dash off back down the hallway. Her speed causes her mane of red hair to whip around behind her and I watch as she and the large basket disappear behind a door.
Apparently, someone knows who I am but I appear to be early for something. I look down at my nightgown and wonder if it's appropriate to wander hallways in a thin dress. I back away from the door and saunter over to the massive armoire that sits in the center of the longest wall. I pull the doors open and find it stuffed with a variety of strange black, maroon, and violet dresses. Lace detail covers the shoulders and cascades down the bodice and the skirts are wide and long. I run my hand over the silk and wonder if these are mine. I am unable to slide one off a hanger as the door flies open and the redhead with an older brunette woman comes barreling into the room.
"Ah, I knew she was going to be stunning," the brunette woman says with an accent I can't place. The room is still dim with only some lighting flooding in through the door, so I am surprised she can see me well enough to comment. They are also dressed in black, ruffled corsetted dresses and the redhead is practically spilling out of her top.
"Yes, it's hardly a surprise," the redhead says with a sigh. I stare at them in confusion and they must understand my silence because the brunette says, "No idea who you are or where you are, do ya?"
"It happens to all of us," the redhead says as she steps toward me. She runs her blue eyes over me and her boots on the wood flooring sound far too loud. "Don't worry, we're here for you." She methodically walks around me, inspecting me from head to toe. I fold my arms across my chest and wonder if my voice works.
"What happened to me?" I croak out, noting that my throat is still on fire.
"All in good time, love," The brunette says and then dips her head to me as she says, "I'm Lottie, I help run the house."
"Serena," the redhead says, "I..."
"Are mostly worthless, just comes to drink all the good liquor," Lottie interrupts and she too starts to inspect me. "Let me guess, everything is too loud, smells too strong, and is a bit too bright? Oh, and it seems like you need a pitcher of water?"
I eye her suspiciously before nodding slowly.
"Good, we were curious if anything was going to be different," Serena says quietly and I don't miss the glance Lottie gives her. Serena flits her eyes away from us before saying, "There are lots of people who are eager to meet you, but we don't want to overwhelm you."
"Are you going to at least give me some insight as to who I am and where I am?" I ask and it comes out with some bite. I appear to be a new object of fascination and am growing tired of being kept in the dark. Quite literally.
Lottie and Serena glance at each other again before Lottie answers, "Serena here can draw you a bath while I track down Kalma. She'll want to explain things, I'm sure." Lottie gestures toward Serena and she springs into action, dashing across the room and yanking a door open that I didn't notice in the shadowy corner of the room.
"This way," Serena says and Lottie exits out the open door. I shuffle toward the door Serena is holding open and go along with their plan. I want to lash out and demand answers from the secretive redhead, but I think she too will wait for Kalma. She already seemed to get silently reprimanded for saying too much earlier so my guess is not to push it. However, my patience will only last so long.
