Headmistress Help!

Chapter 4

Eleanor yawned, rolling over in the comfortable, warm bed. Her body sunk into the mattress, the duvet large and wrapped securely around her small form. Soothing feather pillows beneath her head. A luscious smell wafted up her nose, stirring her mind into a sudden whirl of confusion. This wasn't her dorm. This wasn't her bed. Her bed wasn't anywhere near as comfortable or warm as this, the duvet not nearly as thick and warm, the mattress not as soft and her pillows were not made out of feathers. Cautiously, Eleanor opened her eyes. In front of her was Ms. Taylor, gently brushing hair out of Eleanor's face. "Hello darling," she said gently. Eleanor eyed her fingers cautiously, unsure on whether or not she should pull away. The gentle touch felt so good, yet to Eleanor it was almost taboo. She wanted to shy away from the touch, but at the same time she wanted to lean into the touch.

Ms. Taylor watched as Eleanor seemed to battle with herself. She slowly removed her fingers, not wanting to make the young girl uncomfortable in her presence. "I've ordered some Chinese for us sweetie, considering I haven't eaten all day and you haven't eaten either. I hope that's okay," Ms. Taylor explained, gesturing out of the lush bedroom and into the living room. Eleanor nodded and slowly began to get up. Ms. Taylor stood and Eleanor followed her into the living room. On a table surrounded by two comfortable looking sofas and two cozy looking armchairs was a layout of food. It was still in the tin holders that it came it and beside it was two plates along with two sets of knives, forks and spoons. "Help yourself dear, I have something I need to do before I eat anything," Ms. Taylor said as she parted two large sliding doors that led out into the office. Eleanor fidgeted uncomfortably, not having enough confidence to go and get some food, even though Ms. Taylor had told her to go ahead. She was still dressed in her white tracksuit bottoms and white vest top from earlier. She also had on her favorite maroon colored hoodie, which she pulled the hood up and pulled the sleeves down to cover her hands before pulling them up to her face and hiding behind them. Her heart rate began to increase as she thought about how much touching must have ensued after she'd passed out. She remembered sobbing against Ms. Taylor and snuggling as close as she could to her, and begging her to not let her go, but she had no recollection of anything after that point. She remembered the warm and fuzzy feeling she had felt when those arms had wrapped around her and held her close, but she also remembered the fear that had come with it. When Ms. Taylor came back, Eleanor was still standing there, hiding from everything around her. "Are you alright?" She asked, accidentally making her jump. Eleanor nodded and slowly lowered her hands. Ms. Taylor gave her a reassuring smile before gesturing for her to take a seat. Eleanor picked an armchair, with the logic that no one could sit near her and curled up in it. "Do you want something to eat?" Ms. Taylor asked as she sat down on one of the sofas. Eleanor nodded but she didn't want to dish it up for fear of taking too much and angering the kind woman. "Do you want me to get you some?" Ms. Taylor asked gently and Eleanor nodded again. The headmistress nodded her head and picked up a plate. "What would you like?" She asked. Eleanor shrugged. Unlike most people, Ms. Taylor didn't get angry with her. She simply smiled before showing her the items she had ordered and asking her if she wanted any of that. She built up a good sized plate for her and realizing that she probably didn't want to uncurl herself, she stood up and picked up a knife, fork and spoon before walking to Eleanor and holding the plate out to her. At first Eleanor flinched all the way back into the armchair with frightened eyes. "I'm not going to hurt you or touch you," Ms. Taylor said soothingly. It was almost as though Eleanor expected her to throw the hot food over her. Hesitantly, Eleanor moved forward and reached out a tentative hand to cautiously take the plate, her eyes continuously darting between the woman's hands. Once she had the plate secured on the arm of the armchair she carefully took the cutlery from her headmistress before slowly beginning to eat. Ms. Taylor built up her own plate before sitting on the sofa facing Eleanor with both her legs tucked underneath her. She didn't stare at the shivering girl, she simply ate her food and glanced at her to make sure she was alright every now and then but not enough to make her uncomfortable. She couldn't figure it out. She didn't understand why Eleanor was the way she was. She wanted to help her but she couldn't do that if she didn't know what was going on. Sighing heavily, she put her half finished plate in front of her on the table. "Eleanor," She called gently, watching as the girl froze and gulped down her mouthful. "Can I ask you a question?" Eleanor gave a tiny minute nod. "Why don't you like being touched?" Eleanor placed her finished plate on the table before quickly withdrawing into herself again.