Once Bitten, Twice Shy

5

That night Cathy couldn't sleep, Her mind was full of thoughts, many of them, much to her confusion, focusing on the one and only Anne Boleyn. Cathy wasn't sure what intrigued her so much about the girl. She was usually a very good judge of character, able to pick up the subtlest of social queues and decide, in a moment, exactly who a person was, but she couldn't do that with Anne, she couldn't see past the barrier she had put up. And that bothered her.

She found herself typing away at the kitchen counter, at an ungodly hour, opting to let her brain empty out onto the page, rather than let it relax into the welcoming arms of sleep. Aragon had taught her the previous day about the new array of technology and she hadn't put her laptop down since. She found comfort in the various tales her brain conjured up, using as a way to escape her own mind and enter someone else's.

"Can't sleep either?" Cathy nearly jumped out of her skin at the voice, turning her head and letting out a sigh at the sight of the girl behind her.

"Sorry" She chuckled "Didn't mean to scare you." Anne made her way to the tap, collecting a glass of water before perching herself on the stool beside Cathy.

"So what brings you down here at three o'clock in the morning?" Cathy looked at the girl beside her, fingers typing instinctively in the background. Half her face was illuminated slightly by the dull light of the computer screen, standing out against the black blur of the night.

"Just a nightmare" Anne shrugged it off, though Cathy didn't miss the dilation of her pupils as she no doubt recalled the events in her head. "you?"

Cathy gestured towards the laptop in front of her, earning a brief "ah" of understanding from her visitor. She continued to type as Anne took a sip from her glass, gazing out of the window into the night. They fell into a comfortable silence, Cathy every so often catching the girl looking, whether it was at her or her work, she wasn't quite sure, but she couldn't help the slight heat that lay on her cheeks when she thought about it.

Anne couldn't control her gaze. Her eyes kept drifting over to her face no matter how many times she dragged them back to the window. She wasn't sure why it was, but she could stare at that face for hours. She scolded herself, reminding herself that this person had only been here two days, and Anne had only talked to her once, and yet there was something about her that made Anne just want to grab her and-

"So Aragon tells me you've been here a year..." Anne snapped out her thoughts, violently blushing at the realisation of what she'd been picturing.

"mhm?" She quickly composed herself, praying the light was dim enough to hide her embarrassment. "She sure does love to talk. She didn't give you her giant monologue did she?" Anne huffed, a fond grin barely visible on her face in the dark light. She would never admit it, but Anne had developed a strong liking towards the Aragon that had showed her kindness on her first day, it was a debt she thought she would never be able to repay.

"possibly." A playful smile had appeared on Cathy's lips. "But I'll never turn down a good story."

"I can see that." Anne laughed slightly. "You seem to have adjusted to all this very quickly, I'm impressed. Took me a hell of a lot longer."

"I guess it helps having everyone here to teach me."

"Oh I know, I can't imagine how hard it must have been for Aragon waking up without anyone to explain it."

Cathy hummed in agreement as a thought played on her mind. It was something that had been bugging her for a while and she needed clarification.

"Um." She struggled for the words, not really knowing how to explain it. "When you got here, di- did you have all your memories?" She was aware it sounded strange, but she needed to know if it was something to be worried about. "I mean, normally I have a really good memory, I could remember almost every day of my life, but now its like there are gaps."

Anne looked at her for a moment, analysing her words. "I wouldn't worry too much about it. For the first day I didn't remember anything at all, but I think that was partly the trauma. Kitty was the same." Jane had explained the situation of the cousins, since they weren't ready to recall that yet. "And the others.. I guess it changes for everyone?" Honestly, Anne had no idea if what she was saying was correct, she just didn't want to worry the girl too much on her second day. "I'm sure you'll remember soon." She reassured. The kind smile went a long way in relaxing Cathy's thoughts and the room plunged into silence once more.

Taking a final sip from her glass, Anne stared at her empty cup for a moment, unsure of what to do next, it felt strange to stay there without a reason. So she abruptly rose from her seat, immediately regretting her decision but too nervous to back out, and placed her glass in the sink before swiftly turning around. "I'm gonna.. go back to bed" She said awkwardly, scuttling towards the door, silently cursing herself for her stupidity.

"oh, okay" Cathy blinked a few times, supposedly processing the abruptness. "Sleep well" she called behind her. Anne mumbled something in response that Cathy didn't quite catch, and retreated up the stairs, eyes squeezed shut in embarrassment and cringing at herself.