One Big Mistake

Jodi had been sleeping irregularly through the past few hours. It was until the time that was probably the third when she awoke did she feel the sudden urge for a drink. The room was in a serene shade of blue when she opened her eyes, letting in a much needed sense of calmness to seep into her bones.
The Blue Hour. She thought. It must be four in the morning now.
The awareness of time made her think of last night's past events. Her day had not been long for her, and yet ironically, so much more has happened than the past years of her own lifetime. She thought about the wise words of experience that Anna had spoken. She wished she could remember them all now. But there was one phrase that seemed to resonate continuously in her head.
THINK, think before you act.
With the obvious possibility of a questioning looming over her head, for now on, she will have to try to walk on eggshells without breaking them.
Jodi allowed the thought to sink in slowly in her head. Inside, she still felt exhausted, but her flesh felt awake. It made her think that if she weren't careful, her legs will disconnect from her body and run away.
Run away. She thought, and she smirked with a vapid bitterness. If only.
Flicking the blanket off of her, she twisted herself upright, and took a long moment to looking down and appraise herself in her new gown. She had been twisting around in her sleep, causing the big gown to ring around her tightly and bunch up around her waist. She didn't like the sight of it. Stupid as it sounded, she almost hoped she would have looked differently in the simple but elegant gown. The gown would have fetched a thousand dollars for its age and classical design, but with her in it, it seemed her very presence ruined its image.
She sighed heavily through her nose, swallowing instinctively. It made her eyes draw instinctively towards the door. There should be a kitchen here, she thought, with a pitcher of some nice, cold water out just in case. She could probably find a cup and help herself, and then sneak back to snuggle under the blankets.
Eager to take advantage of the day, she scooted herself off of the sofa, pulling down the fabric as she rose and tiptoed hurriedly to the door.
She took hold of the brass door handles, clenched her hands and pulled. The doors lurched inwards, but suddenly stopped midway and rattled clumsily, refusing to budge even more.
Confused, she looked down at the gap between the doors, and saw that the lock was in place.
Shit!
She had been locked in. Anna must have slipped in the key as soon as she saw Jodi in a deep state of sleep. Perfect timing, she thought acidly, she had been flinching to consciousness randomly through the night, and not even once did she notice anything amiss.
That was lesson number 1 for her; Anna's loyalties lie with her mistress. What she says, she has to obey.
Her hands fell to her sides, but she still continued to stare at the door, watching with increasing uneasiness as the light in the room became brighter and brighter.
Somewhere out there a rooster crows. Seconds later, a loud pop stopped it. She then heard someone shouting.
Time's up.
It was moments later did the house begin to creak and thump as several other people began to rise from their beds. Heavy but soft-soled footsteps trailed down the stairs; imagining Mme. Wimund coming to summon her, Jodi backed away from the door, and then quickly rushed back to the couch.
She landed on the cushions as soon as she heard the lock giving way, and piled the blankets over her, watching with apprehension as her visitor pushed the doors apart.
Mme. Wimund had been true to her word.
She came in bare-headed this time, but Jodi wasn't sure if the smooth, plaited red hair she wore was real or not. It didn't matter to her though, as she pretended to blink tiredly and offered a sleepy smile.
“Mmm—Good morning!” She said welcomingly. She wondered what else was she supposed to say. What do these people say when they greet each other?
Mme. Wimund did not smile back, but she did nod regally in response.
“Good day.” She said in turn, “I trust you had enough rest?”
No. Jodi thought, but said instead as she nodded, “Yeesss.”
She had to say it slowly lest it automatically turn into a 'yeah'. It felt so strange and overbearing to watch her tongue, Jodi realized, and a sudden pang of homesickness overtook her.
“Very well, then.” The lady said matter-of-factly, “breakfast is about to be served. We will not be expecting you at the table, however, instead the slave will come with a change of clothes and your meal. At the moment, you can get up and give me these blankets there. There are people needing them more than you would.”
Jodi raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything as she got up and pulled at the heavy cloths. The material was soon wrapped loosely into a ball in her arms, she handed it to the older woman obediently.
She didn't want to know who were the people she was talking about, let alone wonder where she got the blankets from. Somehow it conjured up memories of the people outside, she banished the thought as soon as it came.
“I see your face is looking better.” Mme. Wimund said.
Jodi nodded once more, not trusting herself to speak more than necessary. Growing up in a house full of boys had led to plenty of bruises and nosebleeds, making her feel at home at feeling pained and sore. Her face did feel tight when she moved its muscles, but even though it had been a while since her last adolescent injury, she knew she had worse scrapes than this.
“Speaking of which...” She continued, “One of the Lords told me a very fascinating story.”
Jodi tried not to react visibly. Instead she kept her eyes fixed on the floor as she attempted to stiffen her joints. Mme. Wimund continued to talk, she might as well have been discussing the weather.
“A story with many holes, I admit, but I believe they could be easily filled. Don't you think?”
Jodi forced herself to look up. Mme. Wimund was staring down at her with a hard and criticizing glare, and that nearly made her look back down at the floor.
“Yes.” Jodi said. It came out surprisingly straight-forward.
She'll fib her way through if she had to.
Just give me time, she thought desperately, So help me, just give me the time.
Mme. Wimund's thin eyebrows shot up. Jodi noticed with an inner smile that her hair didn't move at the facial movement; she purposefully drew her mouth down to keep the thought from showing.
“Oh.” Mme. Wimund said, recovering herself from the apparent surprise. She looked as if she had suddenly remembered something equally important, and then seemed to decide to conclude this meeting.
“In that case”, She said furthermore, “Then I must be leaving. We have a long day ahead of us, you see, and I have much to do. Stay here 'til I summon Anna.”
She left, with blankets and all, closing the door behind her as she went. Jodi knew better than to wander off to the rest of the house. All she could do was let out a long sigh of relief, for here, the only one she could really trust was coming to the rescue.