Sophia - First Awakening

Sophia awoke suddenly, uncertain whether she had heard a deep gong sound or felt a low rumble. Her left hand fumbled for her bedside lamp as her mind tried to understand why she was seeing moonlight patterns on curtains. Fear slowly clawed up her back as she registered her surrounding. Moonlight streamed in through ornate lattice windows, a delicate scent of flowers and the sound of a fountain drifted on a puff of breeze. The bed was three times larger than the one in her apartment and far more comfortable. She sat up and stared around the room, her gaze moving faster and faster as she found nothing familiar.

The room was large, with a high, domed ceiling. Beautiful tile work covered the walls and perfectly fitted stone and plaster work created the dome. A high arched doorway opened into a space beyond. Delicate bronze lattices covered two large windows and moonlight painted the patterns on the tiled floor, scattered carpets, and cushions. A black leather corset, velvet half jacket, and long black skirt were draped on the far side of the bed. They looked like the outfit she had worn to work the previous day.

Fear built to terror and pulled a shout from her, "Hello?!? Who's there? What is going on!?!" Only the sound of the fountain greeted the silence at the end of her shout. Anger started to filter in over the terror, "What do you want? Where are you?" Trying to ride the anger she leapt out of the bed and nervously prowled around the room. She found nothing that would tell her where she was or how she had gotten here. Slowly she returned to the bed, sat facing the door, and stared into the darkness of the space beyond. Slowly the adrenaline faded and, in spite of herself, she drifted into sleep, falling back into the bed in an awkward and twisted position.