31 A Proper Haircut

Light hit my eyes. I sat up and squinted as the sun shunting through my window blinded me. At some point last night, I must have fallen asleep. It's rather funny how I could never remember falling asleep. It just happened.

My clock read seven thirty-eight o'clock. I wanted to go back to sleep, but a piece of paper sitting on the end of my bed stopped me.

I reached for the paper, picked it up, and unfolded it. It was a note from Eon requesting my presence in the dining hall for breakfast at eight o'clock.

That was in twenty minutes!

I ran to the bathroom and washed my face. My messy hair was tamed by a few strokes of a comb.

A dress. Now I needed a dress. A dark red dress stood out. I yanked it out of the closet and slipped it on. This dress looked very good on me. It should please Eon.

The clock read seven fifty-five. I rushed into the hall and made my way to the dining room. Of course Eon would do something like this. He wanted me to be late so he could punish me. I wouldn't let that happen.

As soon as I reached the dining room, I held me head high and entered with a smile.

"Good morning," I said with a sweet voice.

"Good morning. I hoped you wouldn't be late," Eon cooed.

"What are we having for breakfast?"

"Eggs and bacon."

"How original."

The two of us dined and chatted. Eon even praised me for completing my chore. Not that it was a huge deal or anything.

The praise wasn't exactly new. Eon had given it to me a few times before. I wasn't treated like a slave. There wasn't a time I knew of where Eon called me a slave. What was I to Eon? He had used the word merchandise, but that sounded like a business term. There must be a specific term for what I was.

"My relatives are coming for a visit today. They sent me a letter a few days ago. That is why today we will be taking a visit to the nearby town of Maury," Eon informed me.

"What will we be doing in Maury?" I wondered.

"You need shoes. Unless you want to go barefoot."

"A pair of shoes would be wonderful."

"Besides, I haven't been to Maury in a while. I have to warn you, though. The ride lasts twenty-five minutes."

"That doesn't sound too long to me."

"Good. We leave at one o'clock. Until then, I would like you to take a shower and wash your hair. One of my servants will cut it then. It looks a bit uneven. After that, you have the freedom to explore the manor."

Uneven? That was a bit rude to say, but it was probably true. Eon spent the most time around me. Besides, when Auntie cut my hair, she did it in five minutes.

We finished lunch and went our separate ways. I followed Eon's instructions and took a shower. My whole body felt refreshed.

I put on the same red dress, as I hadn't worn it that long. It got a bit wet in the process of putting it on. My wet hair was to blame.

What should I do now? I showered, but no one came to cut my hair. Fidgety, I tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. It felt wet and unnatural, so I pulled the lock out.

A half hour passed. My hair dried a bit. I passed the time by looking through a few books in my bookshelf. Most of the material looked interesting, but I was too distracted to get deep into any reading.

A male servant finally entered the room. He held a towel, a thin tarp, and some scissors. Not a professional, but surely better than Auntie.

"My name is Arnold. I will be cutting your hair. Sir has instructed me to only trim it and even everything out," Arnold said as he grabbed a chair.

He motioned for me to sit in it. A towel was thrown around my neck and the front of my body. The tarp lay under the chair, probably to prevent hair from touching the floor.

"Do you have a comb I can use?" Arnold asked me.

"There is one in the bathroom," I replied.

Arnold fetched the comb and brushed my hair gently.

"My, your hair is a bit uneven," Arnold said.

He snipped my hair on the right side. The scissors made a rather calming noise in the process.

Arnold ran his fingers through my hair a few times, which was proceed by a few swipes of the comb.

After a little bit, Arnold made his way to the middle of my hair, then to the left side. A few strands of hair fell in front of my face, but Arnold pulled the back into place immediately after. He must be very observant.

About thirty-five minutes passed before Arnold finished. He pulled the towel off me and I moved the chair back to its original spot. Arnold grabbed the tarp and bunched it up. With that, he walked out of the room.

Everyone at Diablo Manor seemed to care about me so much. I hardly knew any of the servants, but they acted like they had known me my whole life.