Arian woke up the next morning in the most luxurious bed she had ever slept in. Everything was blissfully cozy, and the fluffy blanket was velvety on her legs. Buried in the softness, she was silently grateful her bed at her apartment had not been this tempting. That could have seriously interfered with her studies. Not that it mattered now. She was a doctor and could not figure out where the hell she was.

Being smart and helpless was a great feeling.

Her emotional dismay pulled her out of bed. Arian moved carefully as she didn't want to disturb Gwen, who was still quietly dozing. Gwen had been so excited about the idea of having her as a cousin that Arian could not deny the sleepover request. After hearing her uncle decide to literally adopt her so that Gwen could have her as family, she wondered if the girl was ever denied anything? And if that was the case, how was she not a spoiled brat?

Arian went to the large open space by the door and began her normal mobility routine. She was less sore than she expected from all the walking but supposed that was from the bath last night. Arian had never bathed with attendants before. The idea of someone helping her out of her clothes was not welcome, but they let her undress herself. During the bath they proceeded to massage her scalp and feet. Honestly, that was something she could get used to.

“You are so curious Ari.”

Shocked by the sound breaking her silent musings, Arian turned to look at Gwen. She was in the middle of a massive yawn, extending her small twig limbs outward into the air with stiff shaky energy. How long had Gwen been watching her stretch on the floor?

“Did you sleep well?” Gwen asked with large overdrawn sounds as the last bit of sleep seemed to escape from her mouth.

“That is the nicest bed I have ever slept in. Truly, how do you get out of it each morning?”

“Reluctantly,” Gwen said giggling. “I’m sure uncle will put a bed like this in your rooms, but I do hope we have more sister nights before I am wed.”

“Of course, I will have to throw you a bachelorette party!” Arian said with a laugh, imagining Gwen’s shock at modern male strippers.

Gwen popped up excitedly, “What manner of party is it?”

“Well, it will be your last party as a single woman, so it is a night where we talk about all the naughty things couples can do.”

Gwen blushed, “Do you know much of what happens?”

“Uhm… I'm not a particularly experienced individual, but I know a lot from a clinical perspective.”

“And you will tell me all the things I must know on this bachelorette night?”

“Anything you want to ask about intercourse I will answer on that evening.”

Gwen seemed struck by something critical and shot out of bed. She opened the drawer of her bedside table and pulled out a book, then went to pull a rope to ring for attendants, and then sat at her desk and began writing furiously.

“Gwen, what are you doing?”

“Oh, I am writing down all the questions I have in advance. I will keep adding as necessary.”

Arian sat stretching her straddle position laughing internally at Gwen. The girl was innocent, but maybe not nearly as naïve as many assumed. This Walter guy was in for it.

A light knock on the door signaled the arrival of the servants. They walked in holding trays for breakfast and paused at the scene. Gwen was furiously writing at her desk and Arian doing the splits on the floor. They deposited the trays on the table in front of the small settee. Gwen and Arian both silently migrated toward the smell of sustenance.

“Tea my lady?” A servant asked Gwen.

“Yes, please.”

“And you miss?” The servant asked Arian.

“That would be wonderful, thank you.” Truly Arian wanted to ask if they had coffee, but she didn’t want to be impolite. In the last twelve hours she had been given a personal bath, had her aches massaged away, slept in the most luxurious bed in the world, and was now being served breakfast in her borrowed pajamas. Tea would suffice.

As they ate breakfast, Gwen began chatting about the things they would need to do that day.

“I am afraid that none of my dresses will fit you appropriately.”

“You don’t say?” Arian said in a tone indicating that such a statement was incredibly obvious.

“Regretfully, you shall have to wear a basic skirt and blouse for us to go into town to visit the dress shop. That way you can select the clothes that are to your liking and be measured appropriately.”

Arian nodded at the plan as she finished her cup of tea, and the servant held out the teapot to offer her more. At Arian's nod, the servant began to pour when something strange happened. In actuality, everything stopped happening.

Gwen’s voice went silent, but her mouth hung open forming more words. The servant was pouring the tea from the pot, but Arian’s cup was not filling up. The stream of liquid hung in the air, completely suspended and unmoving. Arian’s head whipped around to scan the room, but there was nothing to see. No other people, no other sounds, everything was still.

Curious, Arian reached her finger towards the suspended stream of tea and touched it. Her finger passed through the hot liquid, and she retracted it abruptly. The frozen moment ended. Chatter filled her ears, and the cup began to fill. Looking at the servant and Gwen, neither seemed to realize that time had just stopped. This experience poked at Arian’s fears.

Was she in her own world? Was she in the past? Was she in the same reality? Was this an alternate dimension? Was she secretly in a coma and this was all a dream? Was she lost forever? Would she ever get to go home again?

“Ari, are you alright?”

“Yes,” she lied, painting a false smile on her face, and blinking away the water that had formed in her eyes as she drank her tea.