Thank you to Mel and Jill!
.: Átta :.
Eydís doesn't say anything as we walk back into the building. Not that I really expect her to say much. She could be delivering a soliloquy and I wouldn't understand her.
My body is achy from being tackled in the grass and from whatever strange events brought me to this world in the first place. I feel like I could sleep one hundred years and it would still not be enough.
Eydís stops by a table, gathering a pile of fabric to her chest. She turns to me, her face pulling into a tight frown.
I get the sense she doesn't approve of me. Fair enough because I'm not her biggest fan either.
She speaks in a short, clipped voice as she shoves the fabric into my chest. I take a small step back from the impact, and instinctively my fingers curl around the fabric. It's thick and rough like linen, and I glance down at it. There are two garments: a shift dress and another more colorful cloth. The green garment looks somewhat like a dress, but I'm not sure I know what to do with it.
I look up at Eydís, who watches me expectantly. Slowly, I lift the colored fabric.
Eydís scowls, and she bats it out of my hands, placing it on the table. She turns back to me, taking the linen from my hands as well, then reaches out to tug on my clothing. Her meaning is immediately clear, and I flush when she doesn't turn around.
Isla and I might be twins, but not even we were ever in the habit of changing in front of each other. Modesty kicks in, and I turn my back to her, uncomfortable to be stripping in front of this stranger.
I can feel her eyes on my back as I tug my blouse off. She says something, and then her warm fingers are prodding at my skin, plucking at the strap of my undergarments. I turn to her in surprise. She mutters something to me, but of course, I have no idea what she's saying. Her eyes narrow as she takes in the front of the garment. She plucks at the edge of my skirt, and I step out of her reach, uncomfortable. Her eyes flicker up to mine, and even in the low lighting of the room, I can see her amusement. She shifts back on her feet, almost as if to give me permission to keep changing.
It only makes me more self-conscious.
I strip down, keeping my undergarments on despite her frown. She helps me into the linen dress. It's too big—if it belonged to Eydís, it's no surprise. She is both taller and stronger than me. She scowls when she sees how much I'm drowning in the material, and her fingers pluck at it, pinching me as she mutters.
Finally, she shakes her head and stands upright.
She says something to me, and I try to focus on the breathy language, but I've never heard anything like it and it slips away from my ears, leaving almost no impression on my mind, like wind over snow.
Eydís pulls the colored fabric over me, and I realize it's another dress, though it has thin straps instead of sleeves. She secures it over me, grunting when she sees how big it is on me. She finishes it off by tying a cord around my waist.
Her pale green eyes meet mine, and for a moment, I see her eyes soften a fraction.
Her face hardens quickly, and she turns from me, barking out words at me I wonder are orders.
It isn't until she's shoving me lightly across the room that I think I can place the brief look she gave me: pity.