Hi people! Sorry this chapter is short and boring, and I can't promise I'll
update soon, because it's Exam Week next week and I need to revise (arrg!)
Lovies and Kisses, J.R
1 Chapter 4- The Arrival of the Witch
The darkness disappeared and Hitomi found herself in a quiet town. In front of her stood a large manor house. She looked up to the sky and knew she was on Gaea. "I guess Dilandau's machine did work, after all," She muttered. As she heard a door open she whirled round and saw a maid come out of the manor house. Their eyes met. "Miss Hitomi?" The maid asked timidly. Hitomi stepped closer to her. "Yes, I'm Hitomi," she said. The maid wore an expression of relief as she led Hitomi into the house. She stopped at a flight of elegant stairs. "We've been expecting you, so you already have a place prepared for you," Hitomi wondered who 'we' was. The house was absolutely silent and she'd seen no one apart from the maid. "My name is Maria. I will make sure you have what you need and that your quarters are clean and tidy. Have you already eaten?"
"Yes, I have. I'm not hungry."
"Good. Breakfast is at eight o clock. You will be woken at seven by me, Miss." They had arrived. Maria took out a set of keys and unlocked a beautifully decorated door. She went first, and started lighting candles around the room. "This is your lounge." Maria told her. Hitomi gasped. It was wonderful! Two couches faced each other, in between them a soft, beautiful rug. There was a lovely painting of a fresh spring day on the peach walls, and in the corner was a bookcase made of dark wood cut into patterns and glass doors. What impressed her the most was a set of glass french doors leading to a small balcony. "Wow," she breathed. "This is were you are to receive guests. You won't be here very often." She opened a door to the left of the room. "This is your bed chamber." Hitomi took a peek. "A four-poster bed?! Isn't this a bit much? I mean, I'm not a lady or something…" Maria strode into the luxurious bedroom. She lit several candles, and then carried in the rest from the lounge. "This room is perfectly suited to you, Miss Hitomi. If you're not a lady now, you'll become one soon enough."
"Please, call me Hitomi." Hitomi said, feeling uncomfortable. "Yes, Miss. Would you like me to show you your wardrobe now? It would be better if you knew what is acceptable to wear in these parts." Hitomi wondered whether Maria was trying to insult her. Maria took out a long white dress with long sleeves and neck. Hitomi stared at it, wide-eyed. "You want me to wear that?" She asked unbelievingly. "This is just your main dress. You can wear over that different over-garments, like this one." She pulled out a light green dress, that came to Hitomi's knees and had baggy sleeves that ended at the elbows. Around the v-shaped neck of the dress, selves and bottom, were elaborate patterns embroidered with the upmost care. Hitomi gently touched the material. It felt soft and light. It was beautiful. "This is the over-garment you wear indoors. With this one you wear these on your feet." She showed Hitomi a pair of pale green slippers. They looked and felt like silk. Maria took out a dress exactly like the first one, except it finished at the wrists and the ankles, and was made of a thicker material, but it was just as soft as the the short one. "This is the over- garment for going outside. When you wish to leave the house, you will replace your indoor over-garment with one of these. The slippers should be changed to these boots," Maria held up a pair of soft, leather boots. "I have to change clothes every time I want to go outside?!" Maria quickly gathered the indoor garments and put them on a chair. "Miss Hitomi, that is the way we do things here," She said stiffly. Hitomi felt that she'd put her foot in it. She hadn't been here ten minutes, and she'd already offended someone! "It's…it's not that I don't like these clothes, they're beautiful, really nice, it's just, um, I'm not used to this, I mean, maids and stuff…not that I think being a maid is bad! It's very good, I think a maid must be a very…satisfying job, it's just, errr…" Hitomi stopped when she saw that Maria was smiling. "Don't worry so much, Miss Hitomi," Hitomi smiled with relief. "Thanks,"
"Oh, and your under-garments are in the drawer. Are you tired?" Maria closed the wardrobe when she saw everything was back in its place. Hitomi yawned. "A little," Maria opened one of the drawers and removed a night dress. "Here you go, Miss Hitomi. Your bathroom is just there," She pointed at a door to the right of the room. "Have good dreams, Miss." Maria turned, and closing the door behind her, left the room."Good night, Maria," Hitomi said softly.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Hitomi heard something, and opened her eyes. Maria was opening the curtains. Hitomi screwed up her eyes against the light. "Already?" She said sleepily. Maria glanced at her. "Oh! You're awake. Good morning. Slept well I trust?" Hitomi groaned. "I'm sleepy," She complained, and rolled over. Maria went up to her, and shook her gently on the shoulder. "Wake up, Miss. It's a beautiful morning outside." Miss? Why was she being called Miss? "Five more minutes, Mum," Hitomi muttered. Maria raised her voice."Miss Hitomi!"
"Ahhhh!" Hitomi shot up in bed, looking around frantically. She spotted Maria, and, remembering where she was, relaxed. "Good morning, Maria."
"Good Morning, Miss Hitomi. Breakfast is in an hour. You have time to get washed, if you so wish."
"Huh…I think I'll have nice, relaxing bath. Am I allowed?"
"Yes, Miss. I'll go and run it for you right away."
"Thank you, but I can do it myself. Really." She added, as Maria gave her a hard stare. As Maria was about to go, Hitomi said: "Oh, and Maria?"
Maria stopped, and faced Hitomi. "Yes, Miss?"
"When is my, um, 'lady training' going to start?"
"Today, Miss. Mrs.Hatetonly will be teaching you." Maria hesitated for a second, before continuing: "A word of advice, Miss. Don't annoy her. She's very…bitter towards most people, and you don't want to get on her bad side."
"What's she like?"
"You won't tell her I told you, will you?" Hitomi smiled. "I promise,"
" Well, for one, she's a fire-breathing old dragon. She'll insult you dawn till dusk and she won't ever give you a moments peace. She's a nightmare!" Maria told Hitomi enthusiastically. Hitomi suddenly noticed someone behind Maria. "Um, Maria"-
"She's awful! A real harpy! Mrs. Hatetonly is really, really bi.."-
"That's enough, Maria," Said an icy voice behind her. Maria almost jumped out of her skin. "Err..H-Hello, Mrs. Hatetonly!" She stuttered. Hitomi gasped. This woman was Mrs.Hatetonly? She prayed that Mrs. H hadn't heard what Maria had said. The greying woman looked at Maria sternly. "I trust you've been attending to your duties?"
"Yes, Ma'am."
"Is our guest's bath running?"
"No, Ma'am, but"-
Maria was cut short as she received a hard blow to her left cheek. Hitomi gasped, both surprised and sorry for Maria. "Mrs. Hatetonly!" She called. Mrs. Hateonly fixed her glimmering brown eyes onto Hitomi. They made her want to crawl under a large rock and hide untill Mrs. Hateonly had gone. She reminded herself how Maria had called her 'Miss' and must also be this woman's superior, before continuing. "I asked Maria not to run my bath for me as I am perfectly capable of doing it myself. Please refrain from harming my maid." Hitomi wowed herself with her posh-speak. "Very well, Miss Hitomi." Mrs. Hatetonly said in her hard, icy tone. "It is as you wish," And, with that, she swept out of the room. Safe in the knowledge that The Witch had gone. Hitomi slipped out of bed to where Maria was standing. "Maria!" She cried, feeling distressed. "Are you alright? She's such a stroppy cow! Does she always hit you like that? You should tell some one!"
Maria snorted. "Ain't no one to tell," She muttered. Hitomi shuddered. "Urgh. And to think I have to spend every day with that woman…"
"I'll go and run your bath, Miss." Hitomi let her go,disturbed that the servants were treated so badly.
Hitomi stood in front of the full-length mirror, amazed at the result. Maria looked at her admiringly, her face full of pride. "So you're a pretty one, after all," She murmured. She was right; The green brought out her eyes, and the long skirts swishing around her emphasised her tall, graceful frame. Maria had scraped her hair back and secured it using a green bow to match the dress, which made her look as though she had long hair put into a bun and hidden under the bow. It made Hitomi look a lot more feminine. The lack of hair around her face brought attention to Hitomi's delicate features. The vision in the mirror was one of beauty and grace. 'Can this really be me?' Hitomi wondered. Maria smiled grimly. "You might as well look nice for breakfast with Mrs.Hatetonly, though I doubt it will help you much,"
"The Witch?!" Hitomi yelled. "I'm having breakfast with The Witch?"
Maria looked at her strangeley. "Mrs. Hateonly," Hitomi explained. Understanding broke on Maria's face. "Oh, you mean Harpy." Hitomi laughed. "Is that what you call her? She's definitely worse," Maria nodded in agreement. "If she's worse what can I call her?"
"Hmmm. Tough one. What's evil, ugly and a pain in the you know where?"
They laughed again, both their troubles forgotten, just two young girls having a laugh.
Like it, hate it? I think it's rubbish! I'll try and make the next chapter more interesting. Byeeeeeeeeeeee! Julirt Riddle
Lovies and Kisses, J.R
1 Chapter 4- The Arrival of the Witch
The darkness disappeared and Hitomi found herself in a quiet town. In front of her stood a large manor house. She looked up to the sky and knew she was on Gaea. "I guess Dilandau's machine did work, after all," She muttered. As she heard a door open she whirled round and saw a maid come out of the manor house. Their eyes met. "Miss Hitomi?" The maid asked timidly. Hitomi stepped closer to her. "Yes, I'm Hitomi," she said. The maid wore an expression of relief as she led Hitomi into the house. She stopped at a flight of elegant stairs. "We've been expecting you, so you already have a place prepared for you," Hitomi wondered who 'we' was. The house was absolutely silent and she'd seen no one apart from the maid. "My name is Maria. I will make sure you have what you need and that your quarters are clean and tidy. Have you already eaten?"
"Yes, I have. I'm not hungry."
"Good. Breakfast is at eight o clock. You will be woken at seven by me, Miss." They had arrived. Maria took out a set of keys and unlocked a beautifully decorated door. She went first, and started lighting candles around the room. "This is your lounge." Maria told her. Hitomi gasped. It was wonderful! Two couches faced each other, in between them a soft, beautiful rug. There was a lovely painting of a fresh spring day on the peach walls, and in the corner was a bookcase made of dark wood cut into patterns and glass doors. What impressed her the most was a set of glass french doors leading to a small balcony. "Wow," she breathed. "This is were you are to receive guests. You won't be here very often." She opened a door to the left of the room. "This is your bed chamber." Hitomi took a peek. "A four-poster bed?! Isn't this a bit much? I mean, I'm not a lady or something…" Maria strode into the luxurious bedroom. She lit several candles, and then carried in the rest from the lounge. "This room is perfectly suited to you, Miss Hitomi. If you're not a lady now, you'll become one soon enough."
"Please, call me Hitomi." Hitomi said, feeling uncomfortable. "Yes, Miss. Would you like me to show you your wardrobe now? It would be better if you knew what is acceptable to wear in these parts." Hitomi wondered whether Maria was trying to insult her. Maria took out a long white dress with long sleeves and neck. Hitomi stared at it, wide-eyed. "You want me to wear that?" She asked unbelievingly. "This is just your main dress. You can wear over that different over-garments, like this one." She pulled out a light green dress, that came to Hitomi's knees and had baggy sleeves that ended at the elbows. Around the v-shaped neck of the dress, selves and bottom, were elaborate patterns embroidered with the upmost care. Hitomi gently touched the material. It felt soft and light. It was beautiful. "This is the over-garment you wear indoors. With this one you wear these on your feet." She showed Hitomi a pair of pale green slippers. They looked and felt like silk. Maria took out a dress exactly like the first one, except it finished at the wrists and the ankles, and was made of a thicker material, but it was just as soft as the the short one. "This is the over- garment for going outside. When you wish to leave the house, you will replace your indoor over-garment with one of these. The slippers should be changed to these boots," Maria held up a pair of soft, leather boots. "I have to change clothes every time I want to go outside?!" Maria quickly gathered the indoor garments and put them on a chair. "Miss Hitomi, that is the way we do things here," She said stiffly. Hitomi felt that she'd put her foot in it. She hadn't been here ten minutes, and she'd already offended someone! "It's…it's not that I don't like these clothes, they're beautiful, really nice, it's just, um, I'm not used to this, I mean, maids and stuff…not that I think being a maid is bad! It's very good, I think a maid must be a very…satisfying job, it's just, errr…" Hitomi stopped when she saw that Maria was smiling. "Don't worry so much, Miss Hitomi," Hitomi smiled with relief. "Thanks,"
"Oh, and your under-garments are in the drawer. Are you tired?" Maria closed the wardrobe when she saw everything was back in its place. Hitomi yawned. "A little," Maria opened one of the drawers and removed a night dress. "Here you go, Miss Hitomi. Your bathroom is just there," She pointed at a door to the right of the room. "Have good dreams, Miss." Maria turned, and closing the door behind her, left the room."Good night, Maria," Hitomi said softly.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Hitomi heard something, and opened her eyes. Maria was opening the curtains. Hitomi screwed up her eyes against the light. "Already?" She said sleepily. Maria glanced at her. "Oh! You're awake. Good morning. Slept well I trust?" Hitomi groaned. "I'm sleepy," She complained, and rolled over. Maria went up to her, and shook her gently on the shoulder. "Wake up, Miss. It's a beautiful morning outside." Miss? Why was she being called Miss? "Five more minutes, Mum," Hitomi muttered. Maria raised her voice."Miss Hitomi!"
"Ahhhh!" Hitomi shot up in bed, looking around frantically. She spotted Maria, and, remembering where she was, relaxed. "Good morning, Maria."
"Good Morning, Miss Hitomi. Breakfast is in an hour. You have time to get washed, if you so wish."
"Huh…I think I'll have nice, relaxing bath. Am I allowed?"
"Yes, Miss. I'll go and run it for you right away."
"Thank you, but I can do it myself. Really." She added, as Maria gave her a hard stare. As Maria was about to go, Hitomi said: "Oh, and Maria?"
Maria stopped, and faced Hitomi. "Yes, Miss?"
"When is my, um, 'lady training' going to start?"
"Today, Miss. Mrs.Hatetonly will be teaching you." Maria hesitated for a second, before continuing: "A word of advice, Miss. Don't annoy her. She's very…bitter towards most people, and you don't want to get on her bad side."
"What's she like?"
"You won't tell her I told you, will you?" Hitomi smiled. "I promise,"
" Well, for one, she's a fire-breathing old dragon. She'll insult you dawn till dusk and she won't ever give you a moments peace. She's a nightmare!" Maria told Hitomi enthusiastically. Hitomi suddenly noticed someone behind Maria. "Um, Maria"-
"She's awful! A real harpy! Mrs. Hatetonly is really, really bi.."-
"That's enough, Maria," Said an icy voice behind her. Maria almost jumped out of her skin. "Err..H-Hello, Mrs. Hatetonly!" She stuttered. Hitomi gasped. This woman was Mrs.Hatetonly? She prayed that Mrs. H hadn't heard what Maria had said. The greying woman looked at Maria sternly. "I trust you've been attending to your duties?"
"Yes, Ma'am."
"Is our guest's bath running?"
"No, Ma'am, but"-
Maria was cut short as she received a hard blow to her left cheek. Hitomi gasped, both surprised and sorry for Maria. "Mrs. Hatetonly!" She called. Mrs. Hateonly fixed her glimmering brown eyes onto Hitomi. They made her want to crawl under a large rock and hide untill Mrs. Hateonly had gone. She reminded herself how Maria had called her 'Miss' and must also be this woman's superior, before continuing. "I asked Maria not to run my bath for me as I am perfectly capable of doing it myself. Please refrain from harming my maid." Hitomi wowed herself with her posh-speak. "Very well, Miss Hitomi." Mrs. Hatetonly said in her hard, icy tone. "It is as you wish," And, with that, she swept out of the room. Safe in the knowledge that The Witch had gone. Hitomi slipped out of bed to where Maria was standing. "Maria!" She cried, feeling distressed. "Are you alright? She's such a stroppy cow! Does she always hit you like that? You should tell some one!"
Maria snorted. "Ain't no one to tell," She muttered. Hitomi shuddered. "Urgh. And to think I have to spend every day with that woman…"
"I'll go and run your bath, Miss." Hitomi let her go,disturbed that the servants were treated so badly.
Hitomi stood in front of the full-length mirror, amazed at the result. Maria looked at her admiringly, her face full of pride. "So you're a pretty one, after all," She murmured. She was right; The green brought out her eyes, and the long skirts swishing around her emphasised her tall, graceful frame. Maria had scraped her hair back and secured it using a green bow to match the dress, which made her look as though she had long hair put into a bun and hidden under the bow. It made Hitomi look a lot more feminine. The lack of hair around her face brought attention to Hitomi's delicate features. The vision in the mirror was one of beauty and grace. 'Can this really be me?' Hitomi wondered. Maria smiled grimly. "You might as well look nice for breakfast with Mrs.Hatetonly, though I doubt it will help you much,"
"The Witch?!" Hitomi yelled. "I'm having breakfast with The Witch?"
Maria looked at her strangeley. "Mrs. Hateonly," Hitomi explained. Understanding broke on Maria's face. "Oh, you mean Harpy." Hitomi laughed. "Is that what you call her? She's definitely worse," Maria nodded in agreement. "If she's worse what can I call her?"
"Hmmm. Tough one. What's evil, ugly and a pain in the you know where?"
They laughed again, both their troubles forgotten, just two young girls having a laugh.
Like it, hate it? I think it's rubbish! I'll try and make the next chapter more interesting. Byeeeeeeeeeeee! Julirt Riddle
