Chapter one

"Are you sure about this?" May asked, fidgeting with her shirt. Her eyes kept darting from side to side, rendering her irises a blur of sandy brown and sky blue.

"Of course, they said there's only a 10% chance it'll go wrong!" I laughed nervously. I put my hand on my leg to stop it from shaking, but it only made it make a slightly less loud clank, clank, thunk sound than before.

"Did you just  say ten percent?!" May slammed her hands down on the table. "They said it was safe! Ten percent isn't safe!" The desk lady glared at her.

"It's relatively safe! Anyway, I'm doing a public service because if I didn't, they would choose some poor child since it's safer to do it with someone small," I tried for a cheerful smile. "If an adult tries it, there's an 11% chance it'll go wrong!"

"Ah, yes, except you've overlooked that YOU ARE AN ADULT NOW" May put her head in her hands, her hair falling in front of her face like a wavy beige curtain.

I blinked. "What?" I was pretty sure I wasn't an adult. I was only 18, and adulthood was considered to start at 20, though legally, I'm already an adult. But I'm short, so my mass is technically less than the average and certainly legs contribute to mass so I could technically take the metal one off, except then I would fall down so-.

"I can see you calculating, and it's still hazardous," May interrupted my calculations. 

"Oh well, I can't back out now. I already signed the papers," I shrugged. May turned to look at me with a glare that would've made anyone whimper. 

"You what?" May asked, "You might as well have sold your soul to the devil!" 

"It's not that risky" I put my hand on her shoulder. 

"YES, IT IS!" May yelled, swatting my hand away. 

"No yelling, please. I can and will have you thrown out," the desk lady warned, gesturing to a sign that said Rules: No eating, No yelling, No conflict of any kind. I found that entirely unreasonable. Conflict was such a vague concept. It could mean any disagreement, even something as simple as disagreeing over the best pizza flavour. I shook my head. I did not have time to be falling down that rabbit hole.

"I can't believe you agreed to this ," May slumped down in her chair.

"Hey, I'll be fine."

"How do you know that? " May asked. "you're- uh you're tonta, what's that word in English?"

"It's stupid I believe, and" I exhaled. "I don't."

"Thanks, and you just said that you did." 

"No, I said that to boost morale, very different than actually believing that" 

"Wait, let me get this straight..." May bit her lip, and blood beaded up "even you think it'll go wrong?" 

"I didn't say that it's just a bit riskier than I'd like to admit!"

"I don't even know what to say," May wouldn't meet my eyes. "When I said you should try new things, this is not what I thought you would do!"

"I- I'm sorry" I reached out for her hand, but she pulled it away. "I just thought it would be cool."

"Well, it's not! Painting a mural is cool, doing a woodworking workshop is cool, volunteering for a potentially lethal science experiment is the act of an imbecile." 

"I believe they said death isn't something that can happen... just getting stuck in the wrong time."

"That's even worse because you could get stuck with the dinosaurs!"

"That would be cool," I mused. 

"EXCEPT THEY COULD EAT YOU!"

"Oh yeah... not so cool." I looked at the floor. We sat in silence for an awkward amount of time.

"Annabell Smith? It's time," the desk lady called out. 

"Well, that's my sign. I have to go now," I sighed dramatically and slowly got up. I took the tiniest steps imaginable toward the lab. Clink, Clank, Clink, Clank.

"Fine," May got up and hugged me. "I can't let my best friend go to her death without a proper goodbye, even if you are the biggest idiot alive." 

I squeezed her hand and went off. Everything would be fine, right?

༻❁༺

"Test 1, subject female," one of the scientists said into a recording device. I was in a tube-like thing, waiting. It had been 30 minutes or so, and I was already bored.

"Um, If you don't mind me asking, how long until you guys do something?" 

"Just a few more tests, and hopefully, you'll be ten minutes in the past, kid." 

"Ok," I shifted my weight and my left leg made a painful scratching noise. I could probably describe the lab in detail, but that would take forever, so I'll stick to the fact it looked pretty standard, with lots of screens, buttons, levers, and red buttons of doom. The average, you know? "So, is there any proof that'll work?"

"Well-" the nearest scientist looked up from his clipboard. "it was successful for the most part, but we've never tried it with a human before, so yeah..." he stuck his pencil behind his ear and handed the clipboard to another scientist.

"How could you tell?" I asked. "Didn't you say I would have to tell you guys a password you guys tell me right before you switch it on?"

"Well, for one, another version would appear." 

"WAIT! Does that mean there would be two of me?"

"No, that's why it's safer to do it with small people," he laughed "small creatures don't get noticed by it, so two versions can exist. Big ones might get stuck in the void because the universe decides two versions can't exist. Medium, however, get their bodies saved in the void and their consciousness put into their past self." 

"That makes literally no sense though? But then wouldn't an average person be better?"

"I know it makes no sense, but it's complicated."

"Ok..." 

"Dr. Thales, stop getting attached to the tester," the scientist who took the clipboard from him said. 

"You're making it sound like she'll die"

"Ah, you know what I mean"

"Yes, but she doesn't and I'd much rather not have to find another person because you scared her away"

"Bah, ridiculous, she seems smart enough" I wasn't sure whether to be offended or flatered.

"Ophelia-"

"This conversation is over, and that's Professor Ariti to you." She stalked away. 

"Sheesh, a bit stuck up, isn't she?" I asked.

"Ah, I suppose she has to be" Dr. Thales frowned. "She's been behind most breakthroughs we've had, and people still don't respect her much, so I guess it's better to be feared and respected than loved and mocked." 

"I suppose" I agreed.

"All systems are a go professor" recording device scientist said.

"Ok, let's light this thing up!" Ophelia/Professor said.

They pressed the red button of doom and- and nothing happened. 

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Oh, nothing let me just-" a blinding flash of light shot towards me. It wasn't exactly painful, it was more like that burning/freezing sensation you get when it's so cold outside that your body decides to boil you, but the cold hits your skin, so it's truly an extremely confusing contrast that doesn't hurt but isn't pleasant either. Then, nothing. The light seeped away, leaving an abyss to stare at. I couldn't move, yet I seemed to be floating freely. I don't know how long I sat in the void for. All I know is that the next thing I knew, it was gone

Chapter two

"Miss?" I heard a muffled voice say. There was a buzzing in my ears. I wish it would stop. "Miss, are you alive?"

"Well, look what you've done now," Another voice said, this one female sounding. "you've killed someone! I knew we shouldn't have let you steer! Now I'll have to bail you out of jail and my parents will never let me go near you ever again-"

"No, he did not kill her! Stop stressing out. She's very much alive," a third voice, much sharper than the previous two, snapped. I felt someone nudge me with their shoe. "Miss?" I opened my eyes. It seemed to be night. But where was I? I tried to remember and stumbled on something disturbing. I had no idea who I was. That probably wasn't good. Why was I lying on the road? The three people who were discussing whether I was dead turned out to be some people about my age, two girls and one boy. They were also wearing the weirdest outfits. They were wearing some very old-fashioned clothes. I decided to ignore this because they were probably just cosplayers or something.

"Where am I?" I asked them groggily. My head was pounding as if I'd hit it against a wall. They exchanged concerned looks. 

"London, miss," the boy answered. 

"Oh," I frowned. I didn't have many memories, but I was pretty sure I didn't live in London. "If you don't mind me asking, why are you calling me miss?"

"Because we haven't been properly introduced yet,"

"But... that's a bit formal, don't you think?" I asked him. "Honestly, no one says that anymore. It's so 19th century."

"Miss, perhaps we should have you checked out..."

"JAMES! We don't call strangers crazy, remember? It's rude to do that!" One of the girls scolded him. She had long locks of black hair, spruce-coloured skin, and dark eyes like obsidian and was wearing one of the frilliest purple dresses I'd ever seen. "Besides, it's not like you want to be addressed as Mr. Baker, right? In fact, if I remember correctly, you're quite against it" James looked at the floor sheepishly.

Suddenly I had an odd idea. The formal speak, the old-fashioned outfits, the fact there weren't any cars running me over right now. It was probably too out there to be correct, but I could at least ask, right? "Hey, would you mind telling me the year?"

"It's 1899," the black-haired girl answered, scrunching her eyebrows. "Why do you ask?" 1899. Well, damn, that wasn't good. I was sure it hadn't been the 19th century. It had been the 22nd century, just a few seconds ago, right? Right? She must have noticed my expression because she asked again, "Why did you ask?"

I sat up. In the process, I saw I was also wearing one of the fancy dresses. It was baby blue. That was a weird observation to make in such a perilous situation. Suddenly it came back to me. A bright flash of light, then nothing, just an infinite void with nothing in it. And it felt like a cold, clammy hand had wrapped itself around me, squeezing the heat out. Then I was here all of a sudden. A name surfaced in my mind... Annabell Smith- was that my name? I got up and heard a weird sound of creaking wood. I shifted my weight, and the sound persisted. "Nothing! I just wanted to make sure hadn't been out for too long".

"Oh, I see," she said, her expression changing from concern to a more lax smile. "I'm Lady Sato, or if you find that too hard to pronounce, Lady Lucia. What's yours?"

"Annabell Smith," I said.

"What a lovely name, Miss Smith," Lucia frowned. "Say, my mum said that a governess willing to teach me advanced mathematics by the name of Ann Smith was coming to town. Would that be you?"

"Uh, yes, I am a governess" I was not, but if I said no, I would be left to die here, so desperate times call for desperate measures. Besides, maybe I was just delusional, and I was. Wouldn't that be funny?

"Luce, I don't trust her." the other girl spoke up as she walked into view. "Governess, I must know how you gained such a title so young."

 "My father was a governor before he passed and taught me mathematics so I could impress the guests." When in doubt, pull the governor card.

"See Cassandra? We can trust her. Governors are always trying to impress everyone." 

"Hmph, I still think it's odd that she just so happened to bump into us," Cassandra glared at me. She had short ashen hair that looked like it had been cut with a knife in the dark and ice-cold blue eyes. Unlike Lucia and I, she was wearing a less poofy simple white dress that went down only to slightly below the knee and a brown corset. Her boots were brown lace-up leather ones, patch marked with stains. 

"I'm quite sure you bumped into me." I met her gaze, then looked away because she was scary.

"No, James ran you over" Cassandra glared at the boy. I felt bad for him. After all, it seemed he hadn't meant to. 

"I've already said sorry, and after all, It was very dark... it was almost like she just popped out of the blue, not that it was your fault, Governess Ann" James hugged himself. 

"It's really fine. It doesn't even hurt."

"That's odd, as he ran over your leg with that!" Lucia pointed at a small wagon in the corner. I thought about that. I shifted my weight again. Ah, that explained it. I didn't have a leg. Why? I had no idea. Instead of flesh, I had a wooden left leg. At least it felt like wood. I would have to check later. A distant part of me said that I should probably be more concerned or shocked about that.

"No, it truly isn't a problem! What's not there can't feel pain after all," I chuckled weakly. Now you've done it. It's probably considered bad manners to joke about that! I thought to myself. Stupid Ann. I glanced at them. Their reactions varied wildly. Lucia seemed taken aback and clutched her skirt tightly. James still seemed guilty, but he looked slightly relieved. Cassandra seemed a bit flushed and embarrassed. 

"Oh- um... I'll take you to meet my mother about your job, Governess." Lucia stumbled over her words. "It's not far. In fact, it's quite close. Do you have any baggage?"

I thought about that for a second. That was odd. Why didn't I have any baggage? "Nope... I must have dropped it in the river" I know, I know, horrible excuse, but in my defence, I have three brain cells.

"You poor girl- ah, I mean governess- I mean-" Lucia faltered. Her eyes danced with fear as if it was a great offence not to call someone by a formal title. 

"Just call me Ann" I was very confused about why they kept talking in formal titles. Then I remembered when I was. Was it even socially acceptable to do anything we do -or was it did- in the 22nd century? 

Lucia sighed and turned towards an incline in the street. She lifted her skirt slightly, and I spotted cream heels with what seemed like pearls decorating the tip. Oh. That must be why she had the title Lady. She was a noble, wasn't she? I suppose this was obvious to everyone else from how she was dressed and the fact she could afford a governess that would come to her house and teach her and just her when most people her age were working at pubs or as servants. I decided to follow her. As Cassandra ran past me to catch up with Lucia, she shot me a glare. James fell into place beside me and gave me a small smile. "Sorry about her. She's been like this towards everyone since-"

"JAMES IF YOU'RE TELLING A STRANGER ABOUT MY PERSONAL LIFE, I SWEAR TO GOD THAT I-" Lucia nudged her in the rip with her elbow. Cassandra winced.

"If you weren't so shitty to everyone we meet, I wouldn't have to explain it," James grumbled under his breath. His oak eyes glinted with annoyance. 

"You're allowed to swear in the 1800s without being put in a correction facility?" I mused, without realizing I had said it aloud. My eyes widened when I realized that I had spoken out loud, very loudly, so that James heard it very clearly. Shit.

"What do you mean the 18th century? What are you? A time traveller?" James smirked, chuckling. He clearly still thought I was crazy.

Suddenly I felt my face collide with cold metal bars. "Sorry, I forgot to tell you, we're there," Cassandra grinned malevolently. Seriously, what did that girl have against me? I mean, I had just met her a few minutes ago... Am I really that hateable? 

I peeled my face away from the gate. I staggered back at what I saw. A mansion worthy of a period drama. The sprawling grounds had beds of flowers, big willow trees and even a few sheep and horses. Well, this just became a lot more interesting.

Chapter three

"So, Miss Smith, let's discuss payment now"  Lady Cecil brought out a notebook. I shifted uncomfortably. Her office of sorts was warm, which was a relief. They had made me change into something cleaner, a navy nightgown and black heels. I still felt uncomfortable sitting there, though. It was a grand room with a large candle chandelier. I felt small and out of place. I suppose that was the point. To make people feel inferior and in awe when they're allowed in. Well, at least if I wasn't crazy, actually came from the future and somehow made it back alive, I would have a good history report. "I was thinking 3 shillings per week. Of course, you would have Sunday and Saturday off and would be required to stay in a chamber on the estate" She spoke briskly as if it was a bad thing I wouldn't be homeless and had weekends off.

I froze. I was a math teacher -at least, supposedly, I didn't actually know, but I knew math from high school, and that was pretty advanced. At least, I think it was high school... could just be that I was crazy. I don't know- I was supposed to know how much a shilling was. How much was a shilling in dollars? Was this good payment? Probably, but it could be even less than minimum wage, and I wouldn't know. I wasn't British or old! I was in quite a pickle. "That sounds good." 

"Good, now that this matter has been dealt with, off you go" Lady Cecil got up from her desk, causing a part of her big elaborate bun of red hair to fall out of place slightly. I wondered why she had it up like that and why it was so big. In fact, I'm pretty sure when not tied up, her hair would go down to her knees. Were there simply no scissors in the 18th century? Weird. "Lucia, darling, since you insist on listening in on us, would you kindly show Miss Smith to her chambers?" Lucia's pale face popped out from the hallway. She looked bewildered and a bit scared.

"Yes, Mum," Lucia shrunk under her gaze. Her purple dress had been exchanged for a simple cream tunic and a long rosewood skirt. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail and secured with a metallic ruby-coloured pin. "I'm sorry for listening in," I tensed. This seemed like it could go downhill really easily.

"Dear, If you wanted to know what we were discussing, you could have asked me later," Lady Cecil frowned. "But never mind that I needed someone to tell Miss Smith where her chambers were anyway" Lucia's eyes drifted to the floor. I had to admit my brain did a flip. That wasn't what I expected. Perhaps the period dramas weren't a good source of information. Perhaps. 

I got up from the chair and followed Lucia as she walked silently down the corridor. Our shoes clinked against the floor. "So-"

"What?" Lucia stumbled suddenly as if startled by the sudden broken silence.

"Nothing," I shook my head. The words seemed to have disappeared from my mind. How? Why? What? Ugh, now it would get awkward.

"I'm guessing it was a question?" She raised an eyebrow "If so, let me answer what I guess you were going to ask."

I opened my mouth to protest, but this was better than silence, so I closed it again.

"Yes, everything in your room is at your disposal. Mum always takes good care of her staff, after all" Lucia gave me a small smile as if this was the only bright side. I found the fact I had weekends off more shocking. "Mum will brief you on the schedule tomorrow, If you hear anything from the hallway or rooms next door, feel free to complain, you have the room between Cassandra and Castor's rooms, and they get into fights all the time. They'll shut up if you scream at them loud enough. If they don't, my room is just a few doors away. It has a cream welcome mat."

I blinked. That left more questions than answers. One, who was Castor? Two, why do he and Cassandra fight all the time? Three, why was I being advised to scream at them? Four, did this have anything to do with what James had said?

I voiced the second and last question because I'm always up for some gossip. I might yet get to live in a victorian period drama. I might.

Lucia sighed. "Yes, but I can't tell you the specifics-"

"They're in an arranged marriage, and they don't like each other, right?" I blabbered. Then I froze, covered my mouth and looked at the floor. "Sorry, I didn't-" Stupid Ann. Not everything is a period drama.

Lucia seemed stunned for a second. Then she burst into laughter. By the time she was finished, she was wheezing for breath. "I'm sorry, that was rude of me" She smoothed out her tunic. "You're right, of course. No one has ever just blurted it out! But yes, her parents arranged them" She said the word parents with such absolute hatred and disgust it almost sounded like a swear word. "She hasn't been the happiest of late because of this."

"Oh..." I hadn't expected to be right.

We stood there awkwardly, Lucia still wheezing for breath. Suddenly I heard a door creak. I turned slowly. The dark corridor was filled with warm light. A guy holding a candle stood in the doorway, looking like he had just walked into something much worse than this awkward conversation. "Sato, who's this?" The guy's eyes drifted between us. His brown hair stood out in messy tufts. 

"Castor, this is Governess Smith. She's my new tutor" Lucia ran a hand through her hair. I wasn't sure what to do, so I just nodded. Hopefully, that wasn't a declaration of war. 

"Really?"  He asked. The words sounded menacing, but his tone and expression both seemed mellow and kind. "And why does your tutor need to know about your friend's dating life?"

"Well, I didn't really tell her. She just guessed."

"Uh-huh, after meeting Cassandra once, she just magically guessed?" Somehow, even while being sarcastic, his expression still looked mellow. HOW? "I mean, she is kind of a grump, but do I really give off such a bad vibe that you would immediately assume I'm the cause of it?" 

I laughed slightly. "No, it's that James-" A look of something other than calmness crossed Castor's face for such a short time it could be described as a flicker. I couldn't quite place it.

"James slipped up and mentioned something along the lines of how Cassandra hasn't been happy since something, but Cassandra cut him off," Lucia interrupted. "I'm sure he didn't mean to, but you know how he is. She was being a bit mean, and I bet he thought Annabell here deserved an explanation." 

"Ah, that makes more sense," Castor sighed. "Well, I ought to go to bed now" He closed the door again.

"Your room is over there,"  Lucia finally said. She pointed towards a door next to the room Castor had just gone back into. She walked into another room then, leaving me to find my own way. I opened the door. 

The room was dimly lit with lamps and a small chandelier. There was a small four-poster bed with white sheets and, right next to that, a birch wardrobe. There was a white vanity with a mirror that looked 50 years old and some cosmetics neatly arranged. A desk made out of dark wood sat in the corner. Pretty nice.

I sat down on the bed and took off my shoes. I lifted up my dress slightly and unlaced the sort of sleeve holding my lower leg in place. It was wood. I was right. Yay. The wind howled outside, but it was pleasantly warm inside. The covers were silky. Before I knew it, my eyes grew heavy, and I fell asleep.

 ༻❁༺

You know how when you're dreaming, there's a fuzzy feeling? That feeling that you're merely spectating a copy of you, not in control of what you do, doomed to whatever fate this dream self desires? This wasn't like that. It was like watching a recorded tape. It glitched and faded out sometimes. It started like this.

"Test one, camera rolling," A voice in the background said. Two people in lab coats came into view. The lady had olive skin, bubblegum pink hair, and piercing blue eyes. The man had messy short red hair and brown eyes. Unlike the lady, who had a scary 'boss about to fire you' vibe, he had a fun air about him. But they both wore the same grim expressions.

"Annabell Smith-" The lady started, then the dream cut off, pausing and only making glitchy snippets of her talking.

"It's not going through properly," A voice informed. There was some muttering, and there was a pause. It cut back in, and now a girl about my age sat on a chair in front of the camera. She looked like she had been crying. The girl looked painfully familiar. Everything from her brown eyes with a blue patch on the side of the right one, her sand-coloured curly hair, her tan skin peppered with freckles, and even her eyeliner. It all looked so familiar, so much it could have been me I was remembering. "It's working now, with extreme clarity," The same voice muttered.

"Ann, they said you may have forgotten everything." The girl choked on a sob. "You remember me, right? I'm May, and we're best friends. We have been since we were 4. They say you're fine, and you're not with dinosaurs," May laughed darkly "Please listen to these guys, they're going to get you back, they have to. Please. I need you" May's eyes swam with tears and her face looked stricken with despair. 

I wanted to reach out, to hug her, just to tell her I was listning. I didn't remember her exactly, but my heart fell seeing her so sad.

The video cut again.

The lab coat guys were back. "Annabell, I need you to listen very carefully." The pink haired lady said. "stay put, don't tell anyone anything they wouldn't know at this point and stay low profile"

"Most importantly-" the red haired guy's words faded away, along with the footage. 

Chapter four

I woke up in a cold sweat. The sun shone through the window. A bird chirped cheerily outside. Ugh, mornings. I sat up and swung myself over to the side of the bed. The sun blinded me. I scowled. I laced my lower leg on and got up from the bed. It creaked violently. I opened the closet door and inspected the clothes, looking for something comfortable. There was no lack of frilly ballgowns, but a few casual gowns were shoved in the corner. I grabbed the closest one. It was a simple short-sleeved button-on beige gown with a dark blue skirt. No frills. Score! I slipped into the dress and pulled on some knee-high socks. It was going to be a fine day. No need to address that odd dream! No reason at all.

I walked over to the little bathroom in the corner, shielded from the rest of the room with a sheet-looking thing hanging between poles, making a sort of rectangle room. On top of the sink, there was a small metal tin and a small brush. I decided it was probably toothpaste. So I brushed my teeth. I did not die. 

I went over to the vanity and started brushing my hair. Unfortunately, there was a mirror in the vanity. My hair looked flat on one side and like a puffed-up porcupine on the other. I sighed. This was going to be a long morning. 

A few minutes, screams of pain and brush strokes later, it was confirmed it was going to be a long morning. "Ah, that hurts," I whimpered. It was working, though. My hair looked less like a porcupine and more like hair. I studied my reflection. My wavy brown hair,  amber eyes and the beauty mark next to my lips, which were horribly cracked for some reason. They didn't look familiar at all. They looked like someone else's. My mind flashed back to the girl from the dream. Her tortured face was all that was shown in the dream, but somehow, I had a vivid memory of her laughing. OH! I remembered something! I tried to think back to it. It wasn't much, just sitting on a bed with her. I said something and made her laugh. It was blurry, but a feeling of warmth and safety washed over me. I poured over it. A bookshelf crammed with books and other little things was in the corner. The walls were cream with shades of blue splattered on them. Outside the window, skyscrapers rose above the clouds. A small two-seated airplane-looking thing flew past it.

Flying things that sleek, small and advanced didn't exist yet. I WASN'T CRAZY! I almost sobbed with relief. I wasn't crazy... that meant I was actually from the future. Oh no. I was from the future. That wasn't good. Someone knocked on the door.

"Come in," I muttered, still in shock. The door creaked open. Lucia had changed into another frilly dress, which was pink and had a slightly smaller skirt. Her dark locks were tied in a bun with a flower-shaped pink pin.

"Oh lord, what happened to you?!" She rushed to the vanity, picking up a bottle of green stuff labelled 'Mary's premium hair gel' and a smaller brush. "How did you even do this? Did someone break in?"

"I just slept-"

"May I?" She asked, already dipping her finger in the bottle.

"Sure, do whatever," I shrugged. It couldn't get any worse. 

She splatted some hair gel on my head and brushed carefully. She braided my hair and tied it up in a bun with a silver comb. "Done"

"Thanks," I got up.

"No problem, I find it calming." Lucia gave me a small smile. "Anyway, it's time for breakfast, and my Mum wants a briefing at eight, so you should get going if you want to eat anything." 

"What time is it now?" I asked her. 

"Uh, let me check-" She pulled out a pocket watch. "Seven thirty. We better get going now!" She turned on her heel and walked out the door, then noticing I was a dumbass and couldn't understand when someone was telling me to follow them, gestured for me to follow her. I blinked, then spurred back to life. The hallway looked different in the sunlight. It felt airy and alive. Voices floated up from downstairs, and sunlight beams revealed swirling dust. Lucia led me down the stairs.

The dining room was surprisingly small, considering the size of the house. Just a wooden table surrounded by chairs in the middle of the room, some cabinets and a big window. The wallpaper had a faint pink tint to it and a flower print. The table was laid with a basket of bread, a bowl of eggs (I think they were boiled, at least I hope they were), a wedge of cheese and a ceramic pot labelled 'Berry Jam.' Three people sat at the table. 

James had his nose in a newspaper. His fluffy blond hair was matted down on the top, probably from the hat in front of him. Castor was spreading jam on a slice of bread with a dull knife, and Cassandra was leaning back dangerously in her chair. 

Lucia cleared her throat. "Good morning." 

Cassandra let her chair fall back to the ground. I cringed at the loud clattering."Good morning" She raised her eyebrow, reaching for a cup of tea. "What is it?" 

"Well, it's just that that paper better have some scandal of a story," Lucia said. She frowned pointedly at James.

James looked up sheepishly. "It is quite a scandal this time." He set the newspaper down. "You know Mr. Tatcher?"

"The pub owner?" Lucia slid into the seat next to him.

"Yeah, him" 

"What happened? I sure hope it's not anything too bad. He had the cheapest high-quality stuff" Lucia went to cut a piece of bread.

"His son has gone missing."

"Ezra?" Lucia froze, her fork halfway to her mouth.

"Uh-huh," James frowned sadly.

"Oh, poor Mabel! She must be heartbroken" Lucia looked horrified. "That explains why she looked so sad."

"He was a bitch anyway," Cassandra said abruptly.

"CASSANDRA! The boy is missing!" Lucia slapped her lightly on the arm.

"I'm just saying Mabel deserves better" Cassandra shrugged.

"Just because you aren't happy with your engagement doesn't mean everyone else is as well," James pointed out.

"Yeah, Cass, just because you hate me doesn't mean Mabel doesn't love Ezra," Castor smiled bitterly, reminding me he existed.

Cassandra recoiled as if shocked that Castor would dare go against her. "I don't hate you," She whispered. "I just don't want to marry you."

"Good to know. I know we're not perfect, but I love you, so can you at least make an effort not to look like you hate me?" I zoned out.

I glanced at the grandfather clock in the hallway. 7:41.

"Um, Lucia, it's almost eight-" 

Lucia looked up at me. "Oh, right" She handed me a piece of bread with jam on it. "eat it on your way. Briar will lead the way."

I bit into the bread. It tasted like sourdough. Yum.

"Briar!?" Lucia called into the hallway. A pettit girl scurried over. She couldn't have been older than 14. She had long curly blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She was wearing a simple white dress and a pink bow. "You look wonderful today, Briar!"

The girl beamed at her "Thanks! Mum bought me a special bow!" She fixed her bow, showing it off. It was baby pink with plum detailing and what looked like two cat bells hanging on it. The bells twinkled loudly when she moved. "So, what did you want me to do, Lady Sato?"

"Would you mind taking Ann over to Lady Cecil's office?"

Briar nodded and grabbed my hand, leading me down the corridor. 

"So, how old are you?" I asked her.

"I'm already 14, which means only a few years until I can court!" She seemed ecstatic at the prospect.

"Isn't it illegal for you to be working?" I frowned.

Briar froze, spun around to face me and stifled a laugh. "Of course not! I've worked since I was 10, and it's legal."

I blinked. "What?"

"I don't know where you came from, but everyone works to put food on the table here. If you can walk, you can work" She didn't sound bitter exactly, just a bit sad "I'm lucky, you know."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Master Cecil has always been kind to me. She doesn't overwork me like my old employer. She provides a room for me and my mum. She pays us well and lets us eat part of the meal we prepare for her if there's leftover in the pan. And Lady Sato has always treated me like a friend. I'm sure you'll like it here, though why a lady of your social status would have to work is unknown" She posed the last statement as a sort of prod like she was asking me politely.

"I told my father I wanted to make my own money, not marry a man I do not love," I lied. That was believable, right?

"He disowned you!?" Briar gasped. 

"No-" I stammered. She interrupted me with a hug. 

She pulled away and started fumbling over her words, blush staining he face pink "SORRY! I forgot who you were for a second, and I remembered my friend who was also disowned and-"

"It's fine. By the way, I wasn't disowned. I just decided to get a job." 

She bit her lip. "Oh- sorry again."

"It's fine."

"Anyway, we're here" Briar nodded towards the door and scurried off before I could say thanks.

I exhaled and turned the doorknob lightly. The room looked more inviting in the sunlight, as most things tend to do. Even Lady Cecil looked more approachable, if only slightly. She had her hair in two loose braids and read a large book. "Um-"

"Come, take a seat," She said without looking up. I took a seat. I sat awkwardly there for a few minutes until Lady Cecil placed her book down. "So, each lesson will be scheduled to Lucia's wants, within reason, of course. Meanwhile, you have been given the responsibility of chaperone, as you show more responsibility than the children," I noted that I didn't seem much older than them "So sadly, you'll have to go out at night with them. Anyway, it's not socially acceptable for women to drink in public, so you should expect some glares. Feel free the glare back, I don't care. Just make sure my daughter and her friends don't get raped" Her expression didn't change throughout the entire thing. The same neutral frown. I also noticed a certain degree of detachment.

"Any questions?"

I thought for a bit "What would I teach her?"

"Whatever she wants to learn" 

Well that's frustratingly vague... 

I nodded.

"Good, now off with you, I have important things to take care of"

Chapter five

I wandered around the hallway for a bit, wondering where I was supposed to go. Walking past the kitchen, I heard Briar and an older woman talking. 

"Ann is so nice, Mommy. She's also gorgeous!" Briar exclaimed to the woman I assumed was her mother. Her mom smiled warmly in her direction.

"Is that so sweetie?"

"YEAH!" Briar jumped up and down excitedly. "It's so fun having a new friend!" 

Her mom hugged her close, calming her down. "That's nice, Bri. It's good that you have a new friend."

I had to smile at that. 

With a small chuckle, I continued in my search. Some other rooms I passed resonated with dripping water (I don't want to know), music and soft voices. Well... except for one room. 

One room hit me like a wall. 

"I don't trust her! This is going to end horribly, Luce!" Cassandra shouted from the room. I supposed "her" was me. I edged towards the room. Cassandra stood cross-armed in front of Lucia, Castor standing behind Cassandra, kind of protectively but also menacingly.

"Why not?" Lucia asked softly.

"Because we essentially picked up some random bitch from the street and trusted she wasn't lying about her identity!" Cassandra yelled at her, waving her hands around wildly.

Something in Lucia's eyes steeled. "Well, I trust her. She's kind, and something tells me she isn't lying."

 I flinched, suddenly feeling inadequate as a surge of guilt overcame me. Cassandra scowled. "Maybe it's because you trust everyone instead of your closest friend." Her voice broke at the end. "Good day to you as well"

Lucia held her hand out as if to stop her from leaving. Cassandra stormed out another door, and after a moment, Castor shook his head and followed her. 

"You can come out now" She turned towards me. Her eyes were slightly glassy, and her mouth quivered. 

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause a fight," I came out, looking at the floor.

"It's not your fault..." She didn't sound like she believed that. "Cass is just... difficult sometimes, I love her, but she's not the most trusting person."

"I'm sorry regardless" I averted my gaze a bit more. "Um... perhaps it's not the best time to mention it, but Lady Cecil wanted you to have a lesson now."

Lucia's eyes lit up as if she suddenly remembered why I was here in the first place. "Yes! That's wonderful!" She grabbed one of my hands in both of hers, causing me to blush a bit.  "What do you need for the lesson?"

"Um- uh... just something to write on and to write with," I stuttered, still flustered by her sudden touch.

"I can arrange that!" She pulled me along, grabbing a satchel on the way. She burst through a glass door towards the fields. The sun shone across the hills, the sky a perfect blue. Flowers dotted the field, and small horses galloped somewhere nearby. Wow, I thought. It's beautiful. 

Until I was face first in the ground. My wooden leg twisted oddly, apparently not equipped to handle running down a hill. I felt my eyes widen as I fell in a kind of comedic way. I rolled forward, slowly going down the hill. The grass did not taste good, if you were wondering. It tasted horrible in fact. I guess that was pretty obvious to you, but since not everyone has tasted grass, surprisingly, I had to clarify-

*puts flex tape on the fourth wall* You saw nothing

Anyway, I got a mouthful of grass and dirt while rolling down a hill, probably ruining my clothes in the process.

"Are you hurt?" Lucia asked me, prodding me with her foot.

"Well," I spit out the nature I was currently ingesting, "I seem to be alive, and nothing seems broken-" As soon as I said that, a sharp pain on my leg started. Typical. It turns out that my remaining left leg did not like being ground against the wood. Stupid leg. It's not that bad! Well, I guess since I was experiencing it myself, it was that bad, but still. 

Apparently, I was not looking ok because Lucia frowned.

"Can we stay here?" I asked her, not confident in my walking abilities anymore.

"Oh.. sure" She sat down next to me and dumped the contents of the satchel on the grass. There were two small blackboards and some purple chalk. There was also a bottle of water and a towel, to wash the blackboards I guessed. "So, what can you teach me?"

My mind went blank. "Um... do you know division?"

"Huh?" She asked, as if I'd just said gibirish.

"It's kind of like splitting things into groups, but with numbers" I tried to explain. She stared at me blankly.

I took some of the chalk, 8 pieces to be exact and placed them in front of me "How many pieces of chalk are there here?" I asked her.

"Eight"

"yes, and what happens if I divide it by two?" I asked her.

"Uh..." She frowned.

"I get two groups of four" I split the chalk up into two groups.

"But... what does that have to do with math?"

"Well, when you split groups of numbers up into a specific number of groups-"

"That makes no sense" She interrupted.

"What?"

"It's not math, it's nonsense."

"It's not..."

"It's very hard" Lucia crossed her arms. 

"If you want we can work on easier equations." I whispered "If this is too hard"

"NO!" She exclaimed "I'm not a little kid! IT JUST MAKES NO SENSE!"

I recoiled slightly.

As if realizing what she'd just said, she looked at the ground sheepishly. Lucia picked at the grass silently. "I'm sorry. I got a bit frustrated."

"It's fine" I assured her.

"Um... as an apology, would you like to come to a bar with us tonight?"

"Sure" I nodded. "But how about we take a little break from the lesson for now?"

༻❁༺

I closed the door and turned around. Well, time to get ready to go to a bar where I may or may not get fired for losing Lucia and her friends in the crowd. 

There was already a navy dress laid on the bed, along with some boots. I pulled off my current dress and slid the navy dress on. I laced my boots up, managing to fall down three different times in the process. I brushed my hair into a messy braid and pinned it down with a flower made out of a blue metal. It felt weird. The person in the mirror looked unfamiliar, just like I felt in the morning. Thinking back to that morning, I remembered the girl, and how sincerely concerned she was. It felt icky, to feel such a deep love for someone and barely even know them at the same time. 

I hugged myself, closing my eyes and breathing slowly. After a while of this, I opened my eyes again, and the person in the mirror looked less stressed. I walked over to the door and made my way downstairs. Lucia and Castor were leaning against a piano, talking, and James was idly playing with a piece of cloth.

But the person who really caught my attention was Cassandra. She wore a silky red dress that fit her tightly, showing off her cleavage fairly well. Her hair was curled and had little silver pins in it, holding it together. Her black stockings and red heels only added to her beauty. How had I not noticed how pretty she was before? 

Ah, wait, I knew. It was probably her yelling at me. At that moment, Cassandra met my eyes and scowled. 

"What?" She asked.

"Nothing!" I yelped, looking away quickly.

"You were staring at me. It must be something," She noted. "Do I have a stain on my dress?"

"No!" I assured her, a bit too quickly. "I- I mean, no, of course not, I was just distracted."

"Oh, Ann, I didn't notice you had come downstairs already" James interjected, successfully saving me from being murdered.

"Ann? Wonderful, now we can go" Lucia exclaimed, going out the door and down the steps towards the gates. 

As Cassandra passed me, she grabbed my hand, locked eyes with me and whispered in my ear "Don't you fucking look at me like that ever again, got it bitch?" She snarled. 

I nodded stiffly, and fast walked away from her