To hell and back

I was never meant to wear a uniform

The rune was healing fine, so I pulled some of the bandages I got hidden in one of my bags and covered them. After that, I pulled on my undergarments back on and gathered my little treasures I had brought with me and put them under my pillow as I went to sleep... well, not fully for sleep. One thing that has not returned to me was my sleep. Unless completely exhausted, I cannot seem to fall asleep fully and if I fall asleep I get haunted by my past from the moment I close my eyes. So I spend the rest of the night lying in bed, staring at the ceiling.

When the sun started to rise outside my window, I heard a small knock on the door and a moment later the doors opened and a short young girl walked inside.

"Good morning, Miss Cali. Petro sent me with the uniform for you as well as instructions to eat your breakfast and to accompany me to tend to the young mistress."

I could not help but smile at the genteel young girl. Slowly, I rose from the bed and walked over to the young girl who had her curious eyes locked onto me. With a smile on my face, I walked closer to her, and she made a small step back as her eyes got wider.

Slowly, I reached out for the garment she had clenched in her hands as my fingers brushed against her and I could visibly see her taking a deep breath in.

Hmmm... well this might be fun....

"It seems that you have me at a disadvantage here..."

"Dis... disadvantage?"

I leaned a bit closer, giving her my best seductive smile as I lifted my hand to brush away hair from her cheek as my fingers moved to her chin as I forced her to look up at me.

"Why yes, you seem to know my name... but I haven't had the honor and pleasure to know yours..."

My voice was nothing more than a low whisper and I could see the young girl drawing in a breath.

"S... Sara.... my name is Sara..."

"Hmm... what a pretty name for a pretty girl..."

I could almost visibly see heat rush to the girl's face as her breathing got shallower.

She was just adorable and if it was the old me here, I would have taken great pleasure in taking this little shy innocent creature and eating her alive as I had done to dozens of others. It was a fun little game that used to make me feel alive. The rush of joy seeing someone experience pleasure for the first time... the memory of it almost has me salivating.

With a small wink, I took the garments from her hands and stepped back, giving the young girl some breathing room.

"Well, I better get ready, before Petro skins us alive for being late."

I walked back to the bed, placed the dress there and reached to take off my undergarments as new ones apparently were among the new uniform I was provided. The moment my undershirt fell off my shoulders, the little shy creature by the door released a sound of surprise and from the corner of my eyes I saw her clasp her hand on her face as she rapidly turned her back to me.

It took a lot of self-control not to laugh, but I had to play nice if I wanted to keep this little toy for me to play with.

Quickly, I pulled on the new undershirt and the material felt horrible against my skin, but it was nothing compared to the dress of my uniform. The black material was scratchy, and I knew that by the end of today, for sure, I was going to break into a rash...

Hmmm... maybe I will have a moment to raid the kitchen to make some salve to sooth the rash...

"You can open your eyes now, I am dressed."

I said in a soft voice as I was fastening the little bags under my dress and moved to the mirror to deal with my hair. It was one thing that for now looked the same even after I lost my powers. The dark chestnut brown waves reached the middle of my back and took a bit of time to take care of. It would be more logical to cut it shorter or something, but I could not part with the last things that reminded me of me, but in a more positive light.

"Here, let me help you."

The young girl appeared behind me and started braiding my hair with skillful hands.

If this was me a few months ago, she would be already.... nope, I should stop myself from thinking about it. There is no need to give energy to those memories, they are way too powerful. Instead, I forced myself to relax in the genteel hands that turned my hair into beautiful braids that she pilled at the bottom of my scalp in a neat bun.

"Thank you."

I whispered with a smile as I opened my eyes and was met with the image of myself in the mirror.

As a lover of black I was saddened by the image in front of me.

The shade of black reeked of low class and unflattering undertones that suited no one.

Sure, it was a maid's uniform, but could at least make it a decent garment and not this...

Gods... if the old me or anyone I used to know would see me know... how far I had fallen...

A freaking maid with the saddest excuse of a uniform I have ever seen.

It took me a moment to take it all in, but before I could process it, a soft voice drew me back to the current moment.

"You look beautiful, Miss Cali."

I could not help but smile at the young girl behind me as I released a deep sigh.

"Thank you, Sara... Why don't we go get breakfast so we don't get the raft of Petro and the young mistress."

"You should not worry about the young mistress. She is not a stickler to the rules and would not make a fuss about us being late... she actually prefers to lazy around in bed in the morning for as long as she can. So I am pretty sure she would be thankful if we took our time. Petro, on the other hand..."

"Would make us kneel on dry peas for hours or some other ancient way of punishment he sees fit."

The younger girl broke out into laughter and I smiled at her honest genteel reaction. It felt so nice to see a true, honest reaction that was not catered to me and how I would react.

One last time, I looked at my sad reflection and, with a deep sigh, I turned on my heel.

"Well show the way, Miss Sara."

Blush filled the young girl's cheeks.

"Sara is enough, Miss Cali."

"Well, then Cali is enough as well."

The way that the younger girl's face brightened up to the brightest smile I must have ever seen.

"Okay, mis... Cali."

She looked like a little puppy. If she had a tail I am sure it would be wiggling like crazy. She almost skipped to the door like a happy child she was, but straightened her appearance the moment she opened the door, taking on the image of the perfect maid. It was impressive to see that sudden change in her demeanor, but I guess that is what I should expect as she was probably trained by Petro, and he was not lenient to even sweet little puppies to the likes of the young girl in front of me.

Silently, I followed her through the maze of corridors, trying my best to match her pace till we reached the kitchen. There, she looked around the room and relaxed again. I realized that she was probably looking for Petro, because the other two people in the room relaxed as well when it was only us two who entered the kitchen.