Nightmares

It was a beautiful magnolia tree. Its strong truck held hundreds of branches, where the ivory flowers bloomed. The delicate flowers danced with the wind, and as the gusts of wind struck the leaves, the flowers waved away, creating a cascade of flowers.

"Wow!" Luiza gasped at the majestic view.

A magnolia sat on her shoulder. Her head somewhat turned to the side; she took the delicate flower in the middle of her couped palms. Gleefully, she ran inside her small house. Her tunic, which reached up to her knee, flared, and she had her steps in front of the kitchen's doorway. 

Her mother, Loretto, had her hair tied into a bun and wrapped a beige scarf around it. Her slender back had the aprons wrapped around her waist, and she gently hummed a tune. 

"Mummy!" The little girl, Luiza, who was only ten years old, ran to her mother. As her mother turned around, suddenly it was a group of men who had their bodies tangled with her. 

"If you let me touch you here," The older man grabbed her underdeveloped chest and said, "And here." She sharply breathed. Terrified by their actions, she forcefully started to kick them, but they continued to touch the inner corners of her thighs. 

"Then I shall help you find out you're a mother," his stinky breath whispered to her ears. Her eyes squinched closed, her heartbeat accelerated, and tears stained her cheeks. 

"Help me," she whispered.

~

"Help me," she whispered. Her forehead was drenched with sweat, and her eyes were moistened with tears. Her body curled into a small ball despite sleeping in a large double bed.

Her eyes gently woke up from the nightmare. The wind had changed the curtain's position, and she could see the blue sky filled with stars.

"It's the same dream once again," she breathed out. The cold wind continued to flow inside the room, and Luiza turned, her back parallel to the bed.

Her arms rested on the bed, and she delicately leaned forward. She took a deep breath inside her lungs. Her eyes closed, and she temporarily let her body stay at rest.

"It's so cold. Perhaps winter is on its way," she muttered as she sluggishly pulled her legs to land on the rug. Her body slightly trembled, but she continued to walk forward.

The left window was left open, while the right one stayed closed. She placed her hands on the wall, peeking through to gaze at the early morning sky. 

"For how long..." the words left her lips, and she turned around. She closed the window and slid the curtains. She walked back to her bed and plopped on it. Mentally fatigued, she went into a deep slumber. 

"Milady! Milady!" She felt someone shaking her body.

"Milady! Please wake up! It's about time for your etiquette class," Delia, the maid, informed.

"Um, is it morning now?" she grumbled

"It is milady. Please hurry, Miss, or else your tardiness will infuriate Miss Ramona." 

Luiza jolted out of her sleeping position and sat upright. Her eyes flung wide open, and she immediately got out of bed. She sat before the dressing table while the maid patted her face with warm water.

Delia combed the long brown hair and wrapped it into a bun. She adjusted the soft corset around her waist to support Luiza's bosom, and over it, she layered the royal blue gown, which had a high waist.

"That's enough. Let's go now." Luiza pinched the sides of her dress and modestly brisked through the hallway. The maids avoided her gaze as they neither bowed to her nor did they wish her a "good morning."

She descended the spiral stairs covered in a red velvety rug and entered her tutoring hall, where her etiquette teacher sat patiently. Her lips held a soft smile, while her hands held a whip. 

"Aren't you very early, Lady Luiza?" Teacher Ramona held a tight-lipped smile. Her etiquettical presence made Luiza visibly shaken. Her eyes were lowered, and she whispered, "I beg your pardon." 

"Words cannot make up for the loss of time, Milady. You may enter." Despite the innocent appearance of teacher Ramona, she was ruthless. 

When the door closed, Ramona got out of her seat and stood before Luiza. 

"Bring your right hand forward." 

Luiza cowered. Her body quivered, and her fists clenched. 

"I said, bring your right hand forward." Ramona glared at her student. 

She brought her quivering hand forward, and instantly the whip landed on her palms. It let out a loud sound, and Luiza whimpered. 

"Bring your other hand now." 

"No…"