Postby KP Presents » Mon Sep 24, 2012 4:56 am
It was starting to get dark by the time we reached Aunt Veronica’s house, and Mum and I had already arranged to stay there anyway - we would come back to here from church anyway, given who was coming. As we pulled up, Suzie opened her eyes and said “Nice house - not as big as Grandma’s but nice.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Aunt Veronica said as she got out of the car. “You lot go inside, and I’ll bring the cases in. There will be some snacks and drinks waiting in the kitchen, if my maid has done what I asked her to.”
As we went in, we saw the trays of snacks and drinks in the front room. Suzie and Cassie just threw themselves down on the recliner and sleepily took a drink, while Alicia and Jenny both hugged me.
“Hmmm,” Mum said as she came in with Mrs Craig and Lady Holderness, “Perhaps you had better take the two little ones up to their room, Heidi, and get them into bed. It has been a very long day for them.”
“I’ll give you a hand,” Alicia said as we helped Cassie and Suzie up the stairs, and laid them on a pair of cot beds that we had set up earlier in the one of the spare bedrooms. As we closed the door, Alicia looked at the one next to it,
“Is there someone in there? I thought I heard moaning.”
“Nobody you need to worry about,” I said as I showed Alicia another room. “You and Jenny will sleep here,” I said as I showed her the room with the two cot beds. “I will be next door, in my own room, and our elders will be upstairs on the third floor.”
“You mean the second floor?”
“No I - oh never mind.” I watched as Alicia yawned. “Maybe you need some sleep as well. You wait here and I’ll go and fetch your bags.”
I went downstairs, but by the time I returned with Jenny Alicia had crashed out, lying on her side as she slept.
“See you in the morning, Heidi” Jenny said with a yawn as she lay down. I closed the door and went back downstairs.
“They all fell asleep, didn't they,” Mrs Craig said as I came back into the room. I nodded and picked up my glass, sitting between Mum and Aunt Veronica.
“Yeah - they should sleep a while, but I’m going to go to bed as well - just in case. Good night, everyone.”
I left the adults talking as I went up the stairs. Stopping at the door next to Cassie and Jenny, I looked in and smiled, before closing it and going to my own bed, changing first into white cotton pyjamas. Putting my head down, I soon went off to sleep...
I woke up with a start when I heard muffled giggling in the corridor. Looking out, I saw what could only be Cassie and Suzie walking to the staircase. Rubbing my eyes, I looked at the clock.
“Four thirty? I thought they would be...” Then I remembered when I came back, and for three days I went to sleep and got up early. Jet lag - and these two fireballs must be wide awake.
I pulled on some bedsocks and followed them to the stairs, watching as they climbed up to the third floor. I really, really hoped they would not wake up any of the adults, but to my relief they kept climbing, heading for the attic.
“Wow,” I heard Cassie say as I walked up behind them, “This must be a great place to play games.”
“It is,” I said as I looked at them, “this is where Cindy first played tie-up games with me.”
“Who’s Cindy,” Suzie said as she turned and looked at me, “and why is it still dark at nine forty-five?”
“It’s quarter to five - you forgot we’re five hours behind you in the UK,” I said as I turned on the light, and showed them the attic. It had various boxes stacked up one side, and a number of cot beds neatly folded at the other end.
“Do you still play up here as well,” Suzie cooed as she looked round.
“From time to time - look, why don’t we go downstairs and get something to drink.”
“All right, but we need to get something from our room first. I want to get out of these clothes - can we put some pyjamas on?”
I nodded and we went down both flights of stairs, and I stood in the doorway as Cassie and Suzie changed out of their travel clothes into two pairs of short pyjamas - Cassie in blue and Suzie in white.
As they left the room and closed the door, there was a loud grunt from the next room along.
“What was that,” Cassie said as she walked along and opened the door. “Oh boy,” she said as she looked in, “What’s going on in here?”
I shrug my shoulders as Cassie and Suzie go in, and see who is lying on the bed. “You remember Natalie, my cousin,” I say as I look in, “well, she’s here too, but she won’t be joining us.”
Natalie was lying on the bed, her knees drawn up to her chest and held in place by the rope that ran around her neck and under her thighs, She was dressed in a white long sleeved top, a long skirt and was bare footed, with a rope bracelet around her left ankle,
Her arms were arranged like a box behind her back, with her wrists tied to the opposite elbow and her forearms tied together. Her ankles were also tied tightly together, and as Cassie lifted her skirt slightly she could see the rope around her legs below her knees. Her arms were held to her sides with rope that went round her chest, while another rope ran from her ankles to her forearms.
Her mouth was covered in white tape, which was wrapped round her head and held her hair firmly to the back of her neck, and a black sleep mask was over her eyes. A pair of ear plugs meant she heard nothing.
“Some time back, Nats and others helped us to deal with some things that had happened. Ever since then. She’s been trying to find a time when she can experience what we did - and that’s this weekend.”
I took the two girls by the hand and closed the door on Nats as she squirmed round.
“She’ll join us later tonight, but not until then. Please don’t tell Alicia or Jenny - this is her choice, all right?”
They nodded and put their fingers to their lips as I led them downstairs, and into the kitchen. As we came in, we saw Maria, Veronica’s maid, coming in from the outside door.
“Oh good morning Miss Heidi,” she said as she took her coat off, “You are up early. Are these two of Miss Veronica’s guests?”
“They are, Maria - the red haired girl is Suzie, and the little minx is Cassie. The others are still sleeping, but I believe these two are awake for a while.”
“Nice to meet you, girls,” Maria said as she hung her coat up and brushed down her light grey coat dress. “If you take them through to the main room, Miss Heidi, I will bring some milk and pastries through.”
“Thanks, Maria,” I said as I took Cassie and Suzie into the front room. It was still a bit early for the television, so I dug out a copy of high School Musical and stuck that into the DVD player.
“Oh I haven’t seen this in a while,” Cassie said as we sat down to watch, nibbling on the pastries that Maria brought in and then drinking the milk. The film passed soon enough, and as it finished the door opened and we saw Alicia and Jenny come in, rubbing their eyes.
“How long have you two been up,” Alicia said as she yawned and stretched.
“Long enough to...” Cassie started to say, but then stopped herself. “To see the film,” she eventually said.
“Well, Cassie,” Jenny said as she rubbed her eyes, “Granny and Lady Holderness are getting up as well. Heidi, your aunt said breakfast would be ready by eight thirty, but we all need to be washed and ready to go to church when we eat.”
“Which means,” I said as I stood up, “we need to start taking turns in the bathroom now. Come on you two - I’ll show you where the bathroom is.”
The clock showed eight thirty as we all trooped into the kitchen, bright eyed and bushy tailed. Cassie and Suzie were wearing pinafore dresses over white jumpers - Cassie was in blue and Suzie in green - with white socks and flat shoes. Alicia was wearing a powder blue trouser suit over a white top, and Jenny a brown jumper and knee length skirt. She had a pair of thick tights on, and both were wearing flat shoes as well.
“Good morning girls, “Lady Holderness said as she looked over from the breakfast table, “come and have something to eat that is hot - it is a bit cold outside.”
We sat at the table as Maria handed out bacon and eggs, as well as hash browns. I looked over at Mum, who was sitting drinking her coffee, and said “Where’s Aunt Veronica?”
She simply raised her eyes up, and nodded. I returned the nod. And started to cut into my bacon as Aunt Veronica came in. She was adjusting a scarf that she had tied over the shoulders of her coat dress.
“Good morning girls,” she said as she grabbed a muffin and coffee, “I hope you all slept well?”
“Yes,” we all replied as she sat down. Mum was wearing a white jumper and grey slacks while Lady Holderness was in a blue and cream floral print dress with a shawl tied over her shoulders.
The last to come in was Mrs Craig, who was pulling on a grey jacket to match her skirt, with a camisole top underneath. “It’s cold outside,” she said as she hugged Jenny and Cassie, and then sat at the table herself.
“Well, the car will be warm,” Amy said as she looked at her watch, “Better eat up, everyone, we want to be there a little early to give you a chance to meet a few people.”
It was about ten thirty when we pulled into the car park of First Church Christ the Apostle, and we all trooped out and walked across to the entrance. As we got closer, I saw Cindy and her mother Dorothy waiting at the doorway. Cindy’s my best friend - we’ve known each other for years, and started playing tie-up games a few years ago. We then discovered her father was a former crooked accountant, and the name I knew her under of Cindy Elsworth was not her real one, but she kept it. We’ve been through a lot together - kidnappings, long weekends, slumber parties, you name it, we’ve done it, and in that time she’s become a very different person.
Not that you would know it on a Sunday - she was wearing a high collared blouse under a light blue pinafore dress which came to below her knees, white socks and black shoes. She’s only a little smaller than me, with shoulder length black hair, but you would no know it - I had on small heels, after all.
Next to her was her mother Dorothy - when we first met she was what we call a cold fish, always trying to make sure Cindy did not do anything wrong. Over time, she softened up and allowed Cindy to grow up, but she could still strike fear into anyone who did not know her. She was wearing a blue velvet jacket and long skirt, with baggy black leather boots visible underneath, and a black jumper underneath.
“Hi there,” she said with a smile as we came closer, “You must be Heidi’s friends from England. I’m Dorothy, and this is my daughter Cindy.”
“Hi,” Cindy said, and I could see Cassie waving in reply at least. “Let’s go in,” Amy said as we headed for the doors, “We can make proper introductions back at Veronica’s place after lunch.”
Last edited by
KP Presents on Mon Sep 24, 2012 6:21 am, edited 1 time in total.