Beforetime

Chapter 3

Sunlight was coming through the window on her left, disturbing the girl's dreamless sleep. She opened her eyes to discover an unfamiliar room. Across the room from her were an antiqueish looking dresser and chest of drawers set, as well as a wardrobe, and no closet in sight.

Sitting up Lorraine found herself on a comfortable bed with a blue and yellow quilt lying across her body. And to the sides of the bed there were two night stands, one with a lamp and the other piled with various old looking books. The walls of the room were an alabaster coloring the just awakening girl noted when she gingerly stepped out of the bed and onto the cold hard wood floors.

She glanced down to her clothing when she realized that she was no longer in her plain tee shirt and jeans. She found herself in a lightweight purple nightgown that her grandmother probably would have worn.

Remembering what had happened to cause her to be taken up to this bedroom, she racked my brain trying to remember who changed her out of her wet clothes and into the nightgown, but to no avail.

All she could remember is that there  were people helping her, their words drowned from her muddled thoughts, and they themselves a fuzzy haze.

She quickly dismissed the thought and would ask the people living here if it were to come up.

With that, she left the bedroom and entered the cozy, narrow hallway and went down the stairs.

At the bottom was the living room which was where the humble stone walled hearth stood against the deep red wall adjacent the the stairs. It was the same fireplace that she and Jonathan were drying off at the night before. The room was completely empty.

Lorraine followed the sounds of people talking and the smell of food cooking.

She gingerly walked into the kitchen and studied the sight that lay before her.

Ethel was placing bacon on five matching plates. At the table Charles and Leslie were reading different sections of a newspaper, while Casey had Jonathan in his lap. They both seemed to be having fun, especially Casey.

"Good morning dear! Feeling better I see." Ethel chirped when she took notice of the strange girl standing in the doorway of the kitchen. Which caused all four males sitting at the table to look up at her lurking in the doorway.

"Good morning." Lorraine replied suddenly embarrassed. What a sight she must be, for Leslie seemed to continue to stare at her, even when the rest of the family returned their attention to what they were doing previously, as if she were a puzzle for him to solve.

Jonathan's face light up at the sight of Lorraine and jumped off of Casey's lap and ran over to her. "Lo!" He giggled wanting her to pick him up. The young girl smiled at the name he called her. The name he used because he couldn't pronounce her full name. She complied, making him overjoyed.

Ethel came around to the doorway to greet her. "Would you like to change or..." She trailed off glancing at the nightgown Lorraine was currently wearing. The girl flushed when she realized to what the older woman was referring to. The gown she was in was a thin, purple one that, if in the direct sunlight, you could probably make out her slightly curvy figure underneath.

"Oh! Uh, yes!" Lorraine replied hurriedly. She started to turn to leave, "Um, where are my, uh, clothes?" She meekly added turning back around with her face as red as a beet.

"Oh... well, they are a bit dirty so I'll have to wash them. You can borrow mine for the time being. We should be about the same size if I'm basing on how you fit in my nightgown." Ethel nodded leading her back towards the living room.

Ethel was right. They did seem about the same size. She just seemed a bit wider than Lorraine was, but surely it wouldn't be that big of a problem.

Ethel took her upstairs to the hallway and into the first bedroom on the left. It was slightly bigger than the one that she had just woke up in. It was set up somewhat like the other bedroom, they both had the same type of furniture, but the ones in here were older and looked as if they had been used for years.

"I'm sure a young, pretty girl like you wears the latest fashions. So I don't know if you would be interested in my old clothes. But I'll try to find something in the current style." Ethel said trying to please her.

"Anything is fine, really." Lorraine replied quickly, not wanting Ethel to go to any trouble on her account.

After a minute of looking through the old wardrobe, she pulled out a blue button up shirt and a gray skirt that seemed like it would come to Lorraine calves. She thanked the woman who then left her to change into the clothes she gave the young girl. The shirt and skirt were just a bit loose but at least the skirt would stay up near her waist thanks to her curvy  hips. She looked at herself in the mirror that was attached to the dresser.

Her normally wavy dark brown hair was separating and in desperate need of a shower, so she put my hair up in a quick messy bun with one of the holders that she always kept on her wrist. The girl's emerald green eyes were as bright as ever, though. The outfit she now wore made her feel as though she had lost weight and still continued to wear this garment.

Lorraine left the room expecting Ethel to be waiting for her in the hall, but no one was there. She walked down the stairs and into the kitchen where only Ethel and Jonathan were. She noticed the girl coming into the kitchen and gestured for her to sit down. As she did, Ethel brought out a plate of bacon and eggs and set it down in front of Lorraine.

"Well, it may not be the greatest fit but it will work for now before we can pick you up anything new." Ethel commented as a matter of factly.

"Thank you again for everything you have done for me."

"It's no problem. You needed help, so we helped you. Anybody else would have done the same thing"

"Um... may I ask where the others are?"

"Oh, they're working, Leslie is making his rounds, and the other two are out in the fields. It's Casey's day off."

Oh, that's right. This is a farm, Lorraine realized that the night of the storm, but what about Leslie? 'Making his rounds'? What does that mean? Dismissing the thought, she focused on the breakfast before her. For the first time since she's been here, Lorraine realized she was starving.

She dug into the breakfast before her, and when she finished the absolutely delicious meal, Ethel and Lorraine talked for longer than she ever expected to talk to anyone.

She learned that the family's last name is Eaves, and that their home is eight miles away from the nearest town of Cane Hill. She also learned that Leslie is one of two of Cane Hill's doctors, (that would explain the 'rounds' that he made) and is a very good one, the best according to Ethel.

Lorraine wasn't much of a conversationalist, but being around this woman, she knew she could tell Ethel anything.

She only just met her, but she got the distinct feeling that Ethel was what a mother is supposed to be like, definitely not like her own mother was.

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Thank you for reading! Please comment on what you think and also what I can improve on in this story!
I'm sorry that I couldn't upload this sooner. I tried to upload it Wednesday but my internet was on the fritz. So I hoped you enjoyed it.