Free Be Careful What You Wish For by Misty Blue

presence. But if this is the way it must be, at least there is a way I can reach you when I have that need. Please, be gentle with me. Tread softly... lest you tread on my dreams?
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    White Lady with the numberless dreams, you will come to me when the time is right. Do well by Shadow. He is your teacher for now. Learn well and he will reward you. But go now, and explore. Use the time you have been given.
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    As the words spooled away from the screen they saw her quicken her pace through the rooms, and they sensed even before she knew where she was heading. The bedroom was filled with white lace. Wardrobes filled the length of the wall, but they were empty. There was also a chest on the floor... locked. Either side of the king-size bed was a locker made of the same heavy oak which adorned the lounge. Moving swiftly on she came to the huge bathroom, a bath sunk into the floor, with deep carpet-piled steps encircling its sides.
    A shower cubicle of large cupboard proportions stood to one side. And a deep basin boasting shining gold taps hung below an array of cupboards filled with expensive creams and oils, and all manner of products she would have seen at Hartington Hall, because that was their suppliers.
    They sensed her indecision, watched her working through the desire to feel the warmth of the water from a shower, using some of the products she had seen; or sample the waters she could see through the windows glinting in the sunlight beyond. She chose the latter. And washing the crockery she had used carefully in the sink, she hesitated only moments gazing soulfully into the emptiness of the wardrobe, before throwing open the doors and making her way in the morning sun to the beach.
    Cameras were hidden in ornaments set seemingly randomly around the grounds. And through the lenses they could see her clearly, sitting on a flat rock, her toes dipped in the cool waters of The Sound. It was the first time they had seen her actually relax since her arrival. She pulled the fur of the coat closer around her, as if a sudden flurry of wind had reached inside to touch her pale skin. Or else she had become fearful of being on show. Her actions seemed to confirm the latter, as she turned back towards the upper windows of Arcana to wave. Did she sense them watching? In any event, Richard couldn’t resist the urge to wave back. It was as if she needed to know she wasn’t entirely alone.
    Later, back in her Chamber, she made good use of the creams and oils, and the shower obviously fulfilled a need. Shadow brought dinner to her on a trolley, and she seemed to delight in the silver platters filled with delicious dishes made to tempt her. Everything had been carefully orchestrated and planned, designed to offer pleasure, comfort, protection, and to help her feel special, loved. They needed it to become familiar to her, to be home.
    By early evening she looked tired, drained, as if all the life had gone out of her. The new lifestyle was taking its toll. For the first time she shrugged the comfort of her fur to one side, slipping quickly beneath the ample feathered duvet covering the bed.
    It took but minutes for her to fall into a deep and satisfying sleep. She slept so soundly that she remained oblivious to the covered footsteps of Shadow and her Master. They gazed down at their charge, smitten by the childlike pose she adopted, curled up tight as if returning as a foetus to the womb. Then they departed for the night. In their wake they left bowls of red roses as a way of expressing their pleasure, a gift to tell her she was special.
    One full bloom was placed beside her on the pillow to greet her when she awoke... a prelude to the specialness which would follow. Shadow had lovingly nurtured the rose from a small cutting he’d found dying by the wayside. He called the rose simply, Angel.
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Arcana
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    It was a house of secrets. She knew it as soon as she woke - an awakening such as she had never experienced