Hi everyone!
See, I've told you I was going to send you more before long. Did you doubt me?
Anyway, I saw that lots of you came to visit my little chapter 1 yesterday, and I'd like to thanks you for it. Please continue reading, and so let me know who you are and what you think by droping a line in the "review" section.
Also, I'd like to thank ladoucemelodie for adding Miss Thalia Barrow on her Fav list after only one chapter, that's a huge encouragment.
What happened so far: This is the morning after Halloween; Thomas just woke up with a hangover and realized he's been transformed into a freaking woman, which he did not find reassuring at all.
It was half past six and the servants were getting ready for breakfast. Depending on their grade, the different members of the staff were somewhere between half-awake and already sweating from hard work. In this cold early November, the scullery maids had to build the fires earlier than usual to have the house warm and cosy by the time the Family woke up.
Jimmy Kent, on the other hand, was still trying to recover from the previous night's festivities, and he reckoned Thomas was about the same, since had still to come out of his room. Jimmy then wondered whether the under butler was awake at all. Suddenly worried, he paced up to the male servants quarters and only stopped when he was standing in front of Thomas door, his hand frozen on the knot.
This is stupid. He thought. He wouldn't have overslept, would he? The underbutler once told him he hadn't overslept a day in his life.
He hesitated and looked around. The last thing he wanted was Alfred catching him lurking in front of Thomas' room, especially after what happened the night before. He wasn't really mad at him. He was pretty drunk, they both were…and besides, it's not like Thomas had ever put any effort in hiding his feeling from him. He wouldn't go as far as saying that if anyone were to blame, he was, but he did think that it wasn't entirely Thomas' fault. Nevertheless, he didn't want Alfred to imagine things and go tell daddy Carson. So he needed to make a decision and quickly.
Door. Breakfast. Alfred. Thomas. Damn it!
He knocked twice and walked in.
The room was dark, cold and messier than usual. The armoire was open, clothes and books were scattered on the floor and Thomas was seemingly sleeping, wrapped in his sheets from head to toes, his back facing the door. Jimmy was right to worry, something was wrong.
"Thomas?"
No answer.
"Thomas, are you alright?"
"Go away…"
What was wrong with his voice? Was he really ill? Surely not! Jimmy turned up the light – only the highest members of staff had the luxury of electricity in their rooms, as well as water closet and a lavatory with running water. He stepped forward and closed his door behind him.
"Come on Thomas, you know Carson won't like you trying to pass your hangover for real illness. Come down, you're about to miss breakfast."
"I'm not going. I can't work today." His voice did sound rather odd.
"Sure you can." He said as he went across the room to open the window's shutters. There wasn't much sunlight to let in, but for the sake of the argument he also opened the window wide "And what happened to your room?"
"Jimmy please." Was he whining? Now Jimmy was really worried. What on earth had happened? He sat on the bed, still unable to see any of him, apart from a single lock of his pitch black hair. On the white sheet, it seemed soft and silky. How strange. Was that how it always looked, even without his pomade?
"Thomas…" He said, unsure of himself "What happened?"
"I don't know…" He said, his head shaking some more locks out of the sheets, all just as shinny "just leave me alone, Jimmy, please!" Two pleases in the same minute. And what it just him or did his voice sound like…like not that of a sick man?
"Mate, just tell me what you have and I'll leave you be, I promise." He couldn't really offer better than that, could he?
"I told you, I DON'T KNOW! I just know I can't work like that."
Like that? Was there something wrong with his face? The idea of Thomas having a skin condition was kind of amusing. He put his fingertips on the sheet covering his head. "Maybe it can be helped, show me." He was about to pull the sheets off him, but he felt a grip from underneath, fingers attempting to resist. "NO!"
This was getting really ridiculous, how old was he, really? He pulled harder "Come on, show me! I promise I won't laugh!"
"Please, Jimmy just, for the love of Go….oooooo, NO!"
"Ha! I won now I'll…" But Jimmy couldn't finish his sentence.
He couldn't, because instead of Thomas, he found that the sheets were actually hiding someone he's never seen before: a woman, with short black hair, pale skin, red lips and blue eyes. One of the most beautiful woman he's ever seen. And her collarbone was showing under her neck. God was she naked?
"W-Who are you? What are you doing here?"
The stranger looked back at him; her eyes wide open and her lips parted in confusion. "Jimmy…"
"How do you know my name?"
"Jimmy, it's me."
"Who…Who the bloody hell are you?"
Her lips pursed in something between embarrassment and slight annoyance, but her eyes were still scared.
Hang on, he talked with her. He called her Thomas and she answered, she passed herself off as Thomas. And she knew it was him without having to look! How did she know it was him? He must have said somehow, he much have had announced himself when he walked in. But since obviously she was not Thomas, where…
"Where is Thomas?"
"I told you Jimmy, it's me!"
"And I told you that I don't know you, and I want to know where my friend is, the one who sleeps in that room!"
"For God's sake, Jimmy, I AM Thomas. Thomas Barrow, that's me!"
What the hell was this woman babbling about? She was Thomas? That was absurd! Although, she did have black hair, blue eyes and...Hang on: he wasn't seriously considering it, was he? There must be a way to prove that she was lying.
"Alright, then, prove it." That confused look again. "Prove that you're Thomas."
"How on earth should I do that?"
"Tell me something. Something only Thomas and I know about."
"I once kissed you in your sleep." Somehow, as she said it, her voice got low and softer. Jimmy glared at her trying to look embarrassed, as if she really was recalling the incident. She could even blush on demand, that vixen. It got him even angrier.
"Alfred could have told you that."
"Please, like I would even talk to that dork." She said with a smirk, raising her eyes to meet his. Damn, she knew what she was doing. A pretty girl, laying naked in bed in a room alone with a young lad. She had all the weapons she needed. But Jimmy tried to stay firm and in control and attempted to do so by clearing his throat.
"Right. Show me your war wound, then."
The smirk fell off her pretty white face when she threw her arm out of the sheets with aggravation and waved her hand to his face. "It's gone, like everything else for that matter!" More cream white skin…she was taunting him!
"Of course it is." Jimmy said with a smirk of his own, trying not to look at her teasing collarbone.
In response, the girl batted her long eyelashes at him for a second, and with an exasperated sigh, sat up, trying to keep the sheets covering her as much as possible in the process. Jimmy tried not to stare. She really was naked under those sheets.
"For the love of God, Jimmy, can't you see that it is me? Can't you really?"
Jimmy ventured to observe her once more. She seemed sincere…but then again, that was simply impossible. Wasn't it?
"If you are really Thomas, you should feel honoured that your friend won't simply believe anyone pretending to be you, as pretty as they may be. Don't you think?"
The girl smiled to herself and blushed some more. "What?"
"It's nothing. Look, Jimmy I am honoured, but truly I wish you would just believe me when I say that is it me!" Her eyes showed confusion again and her breathing was quickening. She looked really scared. Maybe he should give her the benefit of the doubt? Come on Jimmy, get a grip: she's obviously lying!
"One more question." Jimmy insisted. She's going to fall right into it.
"One more." She nodded.
"How did you get your hand wounded during the war?" He tried to repress the urge to smirk. The girl's eyes narrowed with irritation and she said "How would you know, I've never told anyone."
A rock fell in Jimmy's stomach, a rock the size of his fist. He stared at the girl, motionless for a moment as the realisation started to emerge and settle in his mind...
"T-Thomas?"
The young woman nodded frenetically.
Dear God...
So, here you have it! What did you think of that? Are you glad that Jimmy found Thomas out immediately, or would you have pictured it happening differently.
Honestly, for a moment I wanted to have someone else find Thomas out first and have Jimmy realize it later on in the story, but don't worry, I've got plenty of ideas for this version of the story. Next chapter is almost ready, and you'll probably have it in a couple of days.
Happy Halloween everyone!
PS : Don't forget to leave a comment^^
