Sunshine and Lollipops

Mia sleepily turned around where she was. She felt the sunlight bearing down on her. Oh, what a dream she had. Where was she? Ah yes, the common room. Well, it was time to get up and go to pick her stuff up. Where would she put said items?

She rolled out of the bed and stubbled towards the restroom. It was always the same place. Unfortunately, she had gotten way too familiar with the common room. At least she found a bunk spot that she liked. Oh, how she wished for a more permanent home to rest upon. Stupid rent prices. Ah well, a splash of water on the face and she can deal with the rest of the day.

Her musing crashed to a halt as she splashed into cold water. Her eyes popped wide over.

What the hell! She saw that she was underwater all of a sudden. Panicking a bit, she searched for the surface. There! She oriented herself and swam towards it.

Breaking the surface, she gasped a lungful of air. Coughing up some water, she looked around herself. The fuck … where the hell was she?

First things first, she needed out of this pool. She swam to a ladder she spotted. Hauling herself out, she took a better look around.

Why did this place look like her dream? Wait. Did that mean that was real! Shit. Ok, calm down. Her wet clothes were also contributing to her shivering.

She looked around, she spotted the butler from… last night coming over. He had a towel and what looked like a change of clothes.

She rushed over to him, “Excuse me, are you bringing me a change of clothes?”

He nodded slightly, handed her the towel and clothes, and walked towards the woods.

She stared blankly after him. Why was he going into the woods? Whatever, none of her business.

She laid the clothes on a lawn chair and stripped out of her soaking uniform. She grabbed the towel and assessed her surroundings. It was as she dre … saw it: the manor, the woods, the pool area, only now they were in the full light of day.

Of course, now she could see the lake in the woods and the court facilities. Really if it weren’t for how she came to be here there it would be a very fancy retreat. It would still be as fancy without her trepidations about it.

Would breakfast be served? That would be interesting. She hoped for some standard breakfast fare: eggs, bacon, toast (or better yet pancakes). These would be good, solid foundations for the rest of the day. Hmm, they had something called kedgeree. A curry fish dish? It was a bit heavy for what she wanted, but …

Wait a minute. She was holding a menu in her hands. She thought about it for a moment. She recalled drying herself, climbing to the manor, entering the dining room, and sitting at one of the unoccupied tables for breakfast. Why did she do any of that? Importantly why did it feel like she was missing a step?

She suddenly had a faint chill telling her that she had not changed into anything. The only thing she had on was the towel around her torso.

She leaped and sprinted back out to grab the clothes she had left outside. What on earth had compelled her to walk from beside the pool and into the dining room? Especially without clothes on! Thank god there wasn’t anyone else about.

She noticed someone had folded her wet clothes next to the dry ones. She didn’t remember doing that. Shrugging, she grabbed the plain white undergarments. Dropping the towel, she put them on. She was glad that the butler had gone for a blue dress. Easy to slip on and didn’t have to worry about other items for the moment.

As she donned her dress, she noticed the butler was marching out of the forest. She squinted as there was something under his arm. As he drew close she made it out. It was that woman presenter he was carrying. Their voices rang out over the grounds.

“I was comfortable. Did you really have to pull me away?” The woman pouted.

“Dear sister, we have a job to do. You have obligations to fill.” Mia could hear the steel in his voice.

“Fine. Èr bǎi wǔ. Anyway, can you let me go in a more dignified manner?”

“No.”

“Well, nǐ zhēn fán rén. What on the agenda from on high?”

She watched the two of them disappear into the manor.

“They’re a strange pair.”

Mia nearly jumped out of her skin when the soft voice spoke. The fuzzy-haired woman was stood next to her. Where did she come from? And so silently as well.

The woman took Mia’s arm and guided her towards the manor. “We best be getting inside. The butler stated we all needed to be inside for … an activity.”

Mia’s heart sank, “What about breakfast?”

The woman glanced at Mia and shrugged. Mia felt uncomfortable. This woman was dragging her to who knows where. Her bra and panties felt tight, her dress felt strange, and now she was missing breakfast. However, given everything, that was the least of her concerns.

“Sorry. That’s not here nor there. I’m Mia Tang. I don’t believe I caught your name.”

“Clara.”

“What is this activity we’re going to?” Mia hoped food might be in the offing.

Clara slowly shook her head. “No idea.”

Mia’s stomach growled. This was going to be a long morning.