Switched

Chapter 5

“Catch me! Catch me, Colette! Catch me…catch me…catch me…”

            I awoke with a loud gasp. My eyes flew open, and I groped in the pale early morning light for something I could not see. Finally realizing that it had only been yet another dream, I heaved a sigh and fell back onto the mattress. Judging by the thin light, it was early morning and time to begin my day. But I was so tired. Mayhap I could sleep another minute…just…another…

                                                d   d   d

            “Colette! Wake up! You have overslept!” I awoke to someone shaking me, desperately trying to get me to open my eyes.

            “What?” I sat up and rubbed my closed eyes with my fists. Aunt stood over me, worry etching her face.

            “Colette, what is ailing you? First you over-churn the butter, and now you oversleep? Are you certain you are well?” Aunt placed her palm on my forehead, brow furrowed.

            I brushed her hand aside. “I’m perfectly fine. Why should I be anything but?”

            “All right, impertinent one.” A smile traced tiny paths of crinkles around Aunt’s eyes. “Ah, but you do so remind me of your mother at times.”

            “Do I? It pleases me much to hear you say so, Aunt.” I began to plait my hair, combing it with my fingers as I went.

            “Yes, you are much like her.” Aunt sighed and sat down on my unmade cot and ran a hand over her face. She looked up at me, a question forming on her lips. “Do you miss her?”

            I turned to her, my fingers still. “Yes. Very much so, at times.” I looked down at my feet, trying to fight the tears that threatened to spill over.

            “Yes, my sister was certainly a good woman. I wish she had lived longer. You were so young when she was taken by the plague…” I raised my eyes to Aunt’s downcast face, and was shocked to see that it glistened with tears. Before I could say anything, Aunt brushed away the tears and rose briskly. “Well. No sense in lamenting over the past. What is done is done. We must hurry now. Widow Mavery has passed, and I prepared some bread to take to Easton.”

            My hand flew to my mouth. “How dreadful! Aunt, please, allow me to take the bread. I am friends with Easton. I would like to see how he is fairing.”

            “Colette,” Aunt sighed, “There is much to be done today. You have chores…”

            “Which I shall complete upon return!”

            “Dinner to make…”

            “Not for hours yet!”

            “Mending to do…”

            “Which has been waiting for weeks. There is no reason why it should not wait a bit longer.”

            Aunt closed her eyes and shook her head, then looked at me. “You will return in no more than an hour.”

            “Yes.”

            “You will complete your tasks.”

            “Yes.”

            “You will give the bread to Easton and speak only with him. You will not stop to converse on your way back.”

            “Yes, Aunt. No, Aunt. Now may I please go?”