"Nn... huh?"
My world... sways up and down
.
Below me, the darkening evening sky, thin fluffy clouds sail across it. Above, the ground, the asphalt, on which echoed two sets of steps.
I see the bare legs of... somebody, not mine, upside down in my vision.
Gloria looks to me on my right, she's upside down too.
"How are you feeling?" She asks worried, but somehow triumphant. I barely hear her whisper to somebody: "You owe me five bucks."
"What's-?" I cannot grasp the context of her strange comment, still groggy and unable to determine the position of my body, I try my legs, realizing they just swish around in the air.
"Woah Floret, careful." I'm pulled backwards, the world starting to straighten up.
"M-mary?" I realize I was being carried over the shoulder by her, not the most patient friendly position, is it?
"Can you let me down?"
Mary lowers herself and plants me on the ground on my feet, but still holding onto my arm, just in case.
"Welcome back," Mary's expression grows wary and shy: "D-do you remember everything that happened...?" She averts her gaze from mine.
"Uh, y-yeah?" Mary lets go of my arm, as she pulls it to awkwardly hold her other arm.
Gloria's eyebrows rise, but doesn't cling to this strange atmosphere. "Think you can walk now?"
"Y-yeah. It's fine, see?" I walk successfully on the warm evening asphalt. I even do a little spin, but my whole world spins with it, almost tripping on my own legs.
"A bit too soon for that?" Mary grabs my shoulder and steadies me, "but that's great!" She lets go and clasps her hands together. "Though, I still have to clean you up and monitor you over night, so you are coming with us."
"With you? To where?" I look around, spotting somebody turning a corner up ahead and disappear out of sight, but otherwise it's completely empty, perfectly normal residential area. Wide roads, lush bush fences around detached and row houses.
It all looks a little familiar.
"My place," Gloria answers. "You'll get to sit into a ready made table and finally eat something, I bet you must be starving."
Oh yes! I haven't eaten anything since breakfast... Wait...
"To your place... All three of us?"
"What's that supposed to mean? Of course, is it so strange to stay the night at your teachers?" Gloria says sounding annoyed.
"Uh, yeah it is."
"... Well it's happening anyway, so suck it up." Gloria spouts out. "I mean... it's probably for the better"
Mary laughs and covers her mouth.
"Do you know just how much trouble you caused for me? For Mary today? The distress, the... awakening of kinks in the other students..."
Gloria looks like she didn't meant to say that last part aloud. "Anyway! Be glad we two are deeply involved in this too, or there surely would be consequences!"
"R-right... Sorry about that... I mean, it wasn't my fault. I didn't even know I was... Before it was too late"
Wait... hold on just a second!
"Gloria! How did you end up with an... infestation too? Surely you didn't sleep in the forest as well?"
"Of course not! What kind of a responsible adult would I be if I did something like that?"
"Well, how come then?"
"I- it's not important. Why'd you sleep in the forest to begin with? Do you do that often?"
"What do you think, that its some kind of favorite pastime of mine? It was just an accident." I can't help but get riled up at her audacity. "Moreover, you completely dodged my question!"
They are interrupted by a gentle laugh from Mary.
"Are you sure you are just a teacher and a student? To me it sounds like you are more of a mother and their rebellious child."
"M-mother?!" Gloria says appalled.
"Rebellious? Hah, won't argue with that~" Almost like a tune, my sharply rising inflection, sings the end of the sentence.
"Sorry, Missy, but your rebel attitude might just cost us our jobs, our names a-and dignity to boot!" Gloria's comment dampens the rowdy atmosphere, worry taking over both her and Mary's faces.
"Sorry, I-"
It is unfortunate but... I damn well won't apologize when she's not telling everything... Heheh...
I put on my biggest smirk: "Did you enjoy it though?"
"I- w-what? O-of course not," Gloria stammers hard and looks away.
"Let's just cool ourselves now. It's nobody's fault okay?" Mary diplomatically silences both parties and gestures up ahead to Gloria.
"Is that your house?"
"Yeah," she gives me a look and hurries on ahead.
As we get closer, a two storied detached house, at the very end of the street opens up before us. It sits at the forest's edge, much like my house. Gloria lived this close to me?
The towering walls are a healthy color of red bricks, two windows with old fashioned wood lining in a plus shape, tin windowsills below as finishing touches.
Green square hedges guard its borders, though without gate, just an open arched entryway. Understandable, at least some visual obstruction, but harsh security measures weren't needed in this peaceful town.
At the sizeable terrace, comfortable looking wooden chairs with floral cushions, at both sides of the door, welcomes us to the residence. We step up the few stairs onto the patio and Gloria grabs the thick curved handle, of the intricately carved dark-wood door.
She pulls the door open and announces, "I'm home, dear!"
A sizeable, homey and rustic feel is transferred by the house's gentle and deep shades of lacquered wood. A staircase directly in front of us, further away, some more doors on the left, a large space opening up to the right, and the kitchen at the furthest corner, her husband walks up to us from there to greet us.
"Welcome, dinner will be just a moment. Been a while Mary and-?"
He wore a white cooking apron, at least no chef's hat laid on his head. He obviously wouldn't deserve to wear one, as a burnt odor started to irritate my nose.
Gloria throws her shoes off and bolts past Jed, realization dawned in his eyes, as she ran after her.
As the fire alarm started to blare, I wondered if his hair had always been so dark, or if he'd somehow managed to burn that too.
Me and Mary share glances of second hand embarrassment as we take our shoes off.
We enter to the kitchen, where the couple is in damage control mode, opening windows, waving the smoke outside with an oven tray.
