AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Now, now. It is all forgotten. You share this room with Miss Bradshaw?"
"Yes," I say.
"She and Miss Worthington are your dearest friends?"
"Yes." They are my only friends, actually.
"They are certainly fine young ladies, but not half so interesting as you, I daresay, Miss Doyle."
I am dumbfounded."M-me? I'm not so very interesting." "Come now," she says, moving closer."Why, Mrs. Nightwing and I were
speaking of you just this very evening, and we agreed that there is something very special about you."
I am standing before her in a misbuttoned robe."You are too kind, I'm sure. Actually, Miss Bradshaw has an astonishing voice, and Miss Worthington is frightfully clever."
"See how loyal you are, Miss Doyle? Quick to come to the defense of your friends. It is a commendable trait."
She means to compliment me, but I feel uncomfortable, as if I am being studied.
"What a most unusual necklace." Bold as you please, she traces the curve of the crescent moon with her finger. "Where did you get this?" "It was my mother's," I say.
She gives me a penetrating look."It must have been hard for her to part with something so precious."
"She is dead. It is my inheritance."
"Does it have some meaning?" she asks.
"No," I lie."None that I am aware of."
Miss McCleethy stares at me till I have to look away."What was she like, your mother?"
I force a yawn."Forgive me, but I believe I am tired after all."
Miss McCleethy seems disappointed. "You should drink the milk while it's still warm. It will help you sleep. Rest is so very important."
"Yes, thank you," I say, holding the glass.
"Goon. Drink it."
There's no way around it. I force down a few mouthfuls of the chalky liquid. It tastes strangely sweet.
"Peppermint," Miss McCleethy announces, as if reading my mind. "It aids sleep. I'll take the glass back to Brigid. I don't think she much likes me, do you?"
"I am sure you are mistaken," I say, because it is the polite response.
"She looks at me as if I am the devil himself. Do you think I am the devil, Miss Doyle?"
"No," I croak."Of course not."
"I am glad we have decided to be friends. Sleep well, Miss Doyle. No more reading aloud tonight."
My body feels warm and heavy. Is it the warm milk? The peppermint? Or has Miss McCleethy poisoned me? Don't be ridiculous, Gemma. I open both windows, letting in the freezing air. Must stay awake. I move about the room in large paces. I bend at the waist and touch my toes. At last, I sit on the bed, singing Christmas carols to myself. It's to no avail. My song trails off, and I slide into twilight dreaming.
The crescent moon glows in my hand. My hand becomes a lotus blossom on a trail. Thick green vines push through cracks, their tiny buds blooming into magnificent roses. I see my face staring back at me, reflected in a wall of water. I push my hand through the wall until I'm falling through it entirely.
I fall deeper and am swallowed by the black cloak of dreamless sleep.
I do not know what time it is when I am startled awake by something. I listen for it, but there is nothing. The milk has left a thin coating on my tongue. It seems to grow in my mouth. Much as I wish I didn't, I have to go downstairs for a drink.
