Sigh. What an unfortunate nightmare I had.
I checked the time and was relieved that I wasn't late for school. It was still early but I decided not to sleep-in after having that dream, despite my sleepiness. I might experience the same outcome if I did.
Like the other days, I did my morning routine after forcing myself up from my bed. Brushed my teeth, washed my face, took a shower and wore my school attire. I was in the mood for a ponytail so I tied a neat one.
Will I wake up late today if I used my phone after my bath last night? Luckily it was low on battery so I changed my mind.
When I finally convinced myself that the fire was all a dream, I took a breather and left my room. Pancakes were served warm and fresh on the table by the time I reached the dining room.
"You're quite early today, Miss," a maid said when I greeted her.
That nightmare really scared me to death. If I didn't wake up sooner, I might have thought I died. By the way, where's Alice? She's usually awake by now but she's nowhere to be seen.
The maids seemed to know who I was looking for and told me before I had the chance to ask.
"Alice is still asleep. She would usually wake up a little later than usual today."
Really? What's special today that she scheduled herself to wake up later than usual?
I did not ask any further because I didn't want to pry into her business. It's not like I'm late or anything, it's fine for her to have a little more rest once in a while.
My sister woke up not long after and greeted us with a yawn, "Good morning."
"Good morning. You seemed tired, Andrea," I said when I saw bags under her eyes, indicating her tiredness. She nodded and explained that she hadn't finished yesterday's workload.
"So I thought of finishing it in the morning," she added.
That hard working attitude of hers scared me a little. She has always been the type to fully use 24 hours of the day, it's rare for her to finish all work in the morning. I hope it doesn't rain frogs today.
Grumbling sound came from my stomach when the smell of pancakes was closer. I sat down to enjoy it with honey and blueberries as the toppings. The appetizing pancakes weren't enough for me but I had to control myself not to take too much.
Alice wasn't awake yet even after I finished my breakfast. Waiting won't wake her, waking her up will so I decided to look for Alice in her room. It was rare for her to wake up later than me on a school day. What time did she sleep last night?
Alice opened the door when I knocked and I was surprised to see her still in her pajamas, while she was surprised to see me looking for her in the morning.
"Miss? Is something the matter?"
Yes, matter of school. Well, it's not like I'm late or anything, I just came to make sure you haven't forgotten…
Alice's eyes widened in shock when she realized I was in my school attire. "My apologies, Miss! I didn't know you're going to school today," she apologized and quickly looked for her outwear in the wardrobe.
She didn't know?
"Do you have any activities in school today?"
My mind was full of confusion. Why did she sound like I wasn't supposed to have school today? Is this a dream too? Wake up!
She read my perplexed expression and said, "Miss, just so you know, today is Sunday."
Huh? Sunday? I took out my phone to check the date.
Seriously, what was I thinking, waking up someone who is off duty? I flushed in embarrassment and apologized for my careless mistake.
It's all that dream's fault, tricking me into thinking I have school today. But why didn't I check the date when I was checking the time earlier?
Well, whatever. I can't change what has happened but I can avoid making the same mistake again in the future.
I met my sister on my way back to my room. She was heading to her study room for work when she questioned me.
"Amanda? I thought you left?"
"Today is a Sunday."
"Don't tell me you..." Ah, I have a feeling I wouldn't like where this is going. "Did you think today is a school day?" Her eyes widened in amusement.
"Poor you, getting fired up for school on a day you don't have school," she snickered and entered her study room.
She could have done a page of her work if she hadn't wasted that few minutes to tease me.
It was still early to visit my mother but I have completed my homework. Furthermore, the room is really hot with the air-con turned off. I never had the habit to turn it on during day time either.
Hmm… let's eat some ice cream. It's been a while since I last had one.
I tiptoed into the kitchen, making sure to not make a single sound or the maids' sharp ears would hear me. I haven't used my stealth skills in a while so it seemed to have weakened a little.
Slowly and carefully, my hand reached out to the freezer and grabbed a random ice cream stick. I didn't want to spend too much time on choosing a flavor. My presence might be noticed if I stayed for any longer.
"Orange..." Just like the color of the fire in my dream, or rather, nightmare.
I went to the balcony and felt so refreshed after taking the first bite of my orange flavored ice cream. It was starting to melt from the heat so I had to finish it up quickly.
Tch, this isn't fun anymore. Ice cream is and has always been enjoyable only when you eat it slowly, bit by bit; not in one mouth.
I let my guard down after I finished eating and threw the wrapper into the bin in the kitchen. The maids saw what I threw and asked me to confirm it.
"M-my friends gave me…. Some… snacks t-the other day, so I ate it just now..." I stuttered while averting my gaze from theirs. However, they were smart enough to realize I was hiding something.
"Miss, please tell us the truth."
"What wrapper was it that you just threw into the bin a moment ago?"
I sighed and gave in. Lying any further won't stop them from chasing me with questions so I told them the truth.
"Miss, what did we say about ice creams?"
"No ice creams in the mornings," I pouted as I repeated the rule they made for me when I was a child.
They nodded their heads and forgave my actions.
"Jeez, and there we thought the Miss could handle herself since she's already 16."
"We should have kept the child-lock on."
Wait, I'm still here and did they just say "child-lock"? No wonder I couldn't open the fridge when I was younger.
I returned to my room and took my phone.
"Let's rank up today," I said to myself while clicking on my game. It was intriguing until I didn't know it was already lunchtime.
"Miss, lunch is ready."
A message of me reaching the 27th rank popped up at the right moment. I placed my phone down and headed to the dining room.