Page 38 of Knot What She Seems
A shiver skates down my spine, almost like the Grim Reaper himself is breathing on me. Goose bumps pebble on my skin.
Taking another deep breath and trying to ignore the queasy pull of fear, I break into a run once more, weaving through trees until I finally stumble out of the forest and into the garden. I find myself looking over my shoulder, trepidation a lead weight in my chest.
There’s no one there.
No one there.
No one there.
The forest is dark, the trees ominous entities with their spindly arms and grotesque trunks.
See, Brylee? You’re being ridiculous. There’s no one there.
Even as I think that, a trickle of unease cascades down my spine. I can’t ignore the nagging sensation that I’m being watched. This continues as I cross the garden and bounce up the steps of the academy. Only when I’m safely inside the school, the door closing with an audible click, does it feel like I can breathe again.
No one was watching you,I mentally scold myself. And then, more tentatively, I add,Right?
* * *
I’ve only just finishedmy shower and changed into my Darling Academy uniform when there’s a knock on my door.
I open it, expecting to see Harper, only to be greeted with the wrinkled face of Madam Ellora. She holds a garment bag over her arm.
“You need to change.” She pushes past me to enter my dorm room, her nose wrinkling when she spots my dirty clothes lying in a bundle on the floor.
“Change?” I frown. I don’t have any classes until two today, and I planned to grab breakfast and then return to my room. I have a homework assignment I need to complete for Eros Academy.
With a sniff, Madam Ellora thrusts the garment bag into my hands.
“Umm…” Timidly, I pull down the zipper, my eyes nearly popping out of my head when I see the glittery red number contained inside. For a moment, I don’t speak, simply volleying my gaze between the dress and the stern woman before me.
But Madam Ellora doesn’t provide me an explanation as she stomps out of the room with a curt, “I’ll be back in five minutes!”
What the hell?
Is this some kind of simulation I forgot about? Perhaps it’s a pop quiz on the proper way to host a dinner party. This wouldn’t be the first time the professors threw something like this at me.
With a groan, I remove the dress from the bag and settle it on my bed, already knowing I’ll be picking glitter off of my comforter for days to come.
The dress, admittedly, is beautiful. It has thin straps that cross in the back and a sweetheart neckline that will draw attention to my cleavage.
But why the hell do I have to wear it?
I strip out of my uniform and awkwardly begin to pull the dress on. It’s tight, getting stuck around my thighs, but I force it up through sheer willpower.
“No. No. No!” Madam Ellora hurries into the room in a flurry of gray skirts, Harper directly behind her. “Remove your undergarments this instant!”
I practically choke on my own spit. “W-what?”
“You heard me!”
I cast Harper aWhat the fuck?look, which she returns with a furrowed brow and hesitant shrug.
I wait for Madam Ellora to turn away, give me privacy, avert her eyes,something, but she merely plants her hands on her hips and glares at me.
The dress is bunched beneath my bra, and I twist slightly to remove it without flashing my tits to my roommate and teacher. Quickly, I pull the dress the rest of the way up before bending to remove my panties. My laundry basket is in my bathroom, so I settle for tossing my underwear on the floor with the rest of my discarded clothes.
Behind me, I can hear Madam Ellora murmur something about “entitled children.”
