Symbols

This one started out as an interactive story chapter I was working on, but it kinda got away from me. I couldn't finish it properly and ended up with way to many words. Deciding I should finish this later on for the time being this seemed like a good location to stash it. If you take the trouble of reading it you have my thanks, just please consider it to be a work in progress. Thank you.

Emily was enjoying an afternoon stroll through the mall next to her work. She just had a stressful day and really needed to blow off some steam, shopping usually worked. She was down three stores, but still hadn't found anything that really caught her eye. No matter how hard she tried to put her mind to it. It was like new shoes, pretty dresses and fancy accessories couldn't really excite her today. She stopped in front of a shady outlet store she hadn't noticed before. Neon colored signs saying "All must go" and "Cheep pricings" were taped to the windows. She was about to start strolling again when she picked up an old familiar scent, lightly sweet and a little aquatic. She thought she recognized it from somewhere, but couldn't quite place when or where she had smelled it before. Intrigued, she stepped inside the dim-lit store. Once her eyes had adjusted, she discovered the store was filled with all sorts of trumpery. She looked around for a store-keeper, but the shop appeared to be deserted. Waiting for the clerk to return, she noticed a couple of clothing aisles in the back. They were filled with all sorts of costumes and uniforms, some of which looked genuinely old.

After some time walking among the aisles, her eye was caught by a maid's uniform. It's plain appearance almost made it seem out of place. The dress itself was black, with a white collar and white sleeves.A laced white apron labelled it as a typically french uniform. She took out the uniform and turned it over, inspecting the front and back. A small metallic brooch was pinned to the chest, depicting a bag and key. She traced her fingers over the brooch. As soon as she did a slight tingle moved from the tip of her fingers up her arm. The hairs in the back of her neck sprung to attention, as if something dangerous was lurking near. She looked around, checking for anything conspicuous, and was put off by the gloomy and mysterious atmosphere in the shop. Why did she go here again? She put the maid's uniform back and decided to go for the exit.

While walking she found her thoughts lingering to the maid's outfit. Had she ever even seen a maid? Sure, plenty of times in historical movies, but that was hardly real. She'd bet a lot of the upper class people had maids, but certainly no-one she knew. She found herself fantasizing what it would be like to be a maid. She hadn't always been the most punctual girl, or the most tidy one. Far from it. But somehow she thought it would appease her to work in someone's household, have a master of the house to look up to. To do simple chores, but do them right and accurately. The more she thought about it, the more the idea seemed to grow on her.

She had been walking around the store lost in thought for about half an hour now, when she found herself standing in front of the cash register. Feeling very lost, she looked at the guy behind the counter, who was looking at her questioningly. She smiled a little estranged "I'm sorry, did you say something?" The clerk intensified his polite grin "I said: Shall I check those out for you?" She looked at her hands and noticed she was holding the maid's dress. "Oh, sure." she said, a little confused. "We have a cosmetics pouch which would go great with your purchase. It's handy for making quick fixes should the need arise." The clerk stated. "Interested?" She wanted to say no, but looking at the fabulous little pouch she found it difficult to refuse the offer. It had a little metal piece on it depicting a myrtle flower, in the same style as the brooch on the dress. "Yes, that's perfect. I'd like one please." She paid and was about to walk out of the store when she remembered the smell. "Excuse me, what's that delicious smell?" she asked the clerk blatantly. "Oh, That's just the myrtle my boss keeps stuffing into the air conditioning system. It's from his homeland or something. He uses so much of it every item in here is practically drenched in myrtle-smell. Don't worry, it'll go away eventually." She giggled at his remark which made frown, as if guilty about something. He leaned over the counter conspiratorial and lowered his voice. "Listen, the boss runs this place like an ancient temple in more than just the olfactory sense. It's....it can be strange sometimes. You seem like a nice lady. Take this card if you need repairs or something, OK? " A little hesitantly, she took the card and read the front. 'Lionel Hardy, Historical consultancy, mysticism and repairs.' was printed in plain black letters, followed by the regular contact information. "Repairs?" She asked amused. "Yeah, you won't believe how many people need it. All of us do, eventually." She looked around the store again "So this is just a ...." but as she turned back, the clerk was gone. "...side job." She finished for herself. She turned the card between her fingers. The back was decorated with an intricate pattern of flowers and ribbons. In the center was a complex pattern of strange foreign characters, seemingly spilling into each other. With a little imagination, the characters seemed to read 'wake up' but if she turned it another way it looked more like 'don't panic'. She put the card in her new make-up purse and quickly headed for the exit.

A minute later she was driving home, the bag with the uniform laying in the passenger seat. She still had no idea what that man was going on about at the store. And what was up with that myrtle? She could swear she knew that smell from somewhere. Feeling a headache coming on, she pinched the bridge of her nose and tried to focus on the road. A lack of sleep these past few nights had not been good for her. Her roommate Karen had recently acquired herself a new piece of man-candy. Whatever kind of fun games they played at night, it involved a lot of excited yelling and swearing. For hours on end. Finally, she pulled into the street where she lived. She parked her car in the driveway, went inside, and was greeted by her same old lived out house. Eugh, look at this mess She thought, hands itching to do something about it. Strange, the messiness had never bothered me thís much, has it? Disgusted by the untidy state of the house, she quickly went upstairs. Once she got to her bedroom she threw the maid's uniform on the bed and let herself fall next to it. Closing her eyes for a second, tying to fight the throbbing pain behind her eyelids.

Some time passed in which she laid in complete silence. There was a knock on her door "Hey, Em, you back from shopping?" Emily sighed. The Karen-induced sleep deprivation made her more than a little agitated towards her right now. She got up from the bed and answered the door. "Hey Karen. What's up?" "Hey, You up for coffee?" She yawned "I'll have some tea and Ibuprofin, if it's all the same to you." Although she did note her headache was practically gone now. Walking downstairs, she raised an eyebrow at the complete mess the house was in. "My god, what's the last time we cleaned this place. Look at this filth." She said, trailing a finger over a windowsill. "Oh come on, since when did you care about keeping things tidy?" Karen said laughing. "We clean every spring, that's enough. " They sat down for drinks and started chatting. Fortunately the headache was receding, and she could feign a friendly interest in her roommate's happenings. Apparently Karen and her new lover Dave had been going steady for weeks now. He was a small-time lawyer at a firm downtown. had his own apartment, but apparently the place was a bigger mess than this place because he would never let her go there. In fact, she had never even seen his place. Emily considered warning her briefly on the intentions of this so called 'steady' Dave, but then remembered there was something she really needed to do. She said goodbye to Karen who had a date with Dave later tonight and went up to her room. She had a task she needed to perform, if only she could remember what it was. Something about chores...

Her eyes went down to the maid's uniform, still lying on her bed. Something compelled her to pick it up, put it on. She walked over to the mirror and held it in front of her to see how it would suit her. To her surprise, she was growing more and more fond of the uniform the longer she held it. She quickly undressed and inspected the pieces that came with it. The uniform consisted of the black dress, black silk stockings, the white laced apron and a white shirt, but there was more. A small white laced headpiece, a plain black laced bra (a couple of cups larger than her own), some very 'practical' black laced panties and a pair of low heeled black shoes. Well, if she was going to wear it, she might as well do it properly. She quickly put on the panties and bra, followed by the shirt, stockings, dress and apron. She inspected herself in the mirror and was happy to see it fit her pretty well. That is, until she looked at herself sideways and noticed the huge irregularity in her breasts. This dress was obviously made for someone endowed a little better than her. Maybe she could fill that up or something. All she cared about now was looking really good in this uniform. Smiling she picked up the make-up bag, and went to work on her face. Some subtle dark red lipstick, a touch eyeliner and a little blush for her cheeks should be enough. When she looked at herself in the mirror, though, she still wasn't satisfied. It had to be more appeasing, more alluring. She deepened the red lipstick, making sure it exactly covered her lips. She redid her eyeliner and added some shadow, giving her a mysterious but disciplined appearance.

She looked at her hair and noticed what she was missing: the headpiece. Smiling, she picked it up from the bed and tied it around her head, binding her hair neatly behind her neck. Once she had tied the knot firmly, she could feel another tingle running trough her body, starting in her toes and intensifying as it went up. Her mouth fell open as she saw herself transform in the mirror. Her feet became more petite, giving her a set of perfectly manicured toes just the right size, any blemishes on her skin dissipated to make way for a perfectly smooth, almost unnaturally white shade of skin. Her calves became wider and more defined, Her upper legs became smoother and added a little mass and her butt bloomed out to become perfectly round and peach-like. She put both hands on her stomach and felt her insides contract, giving her a thinner waist-line, but not so thin as to appear unnatural. Moving up, she could feel her breasts growing smugly into the new bra. Stopping as they were just about to flow over. She moved in close to the mirror, inspecting the changes to her face. She saw all the small misplaced hairs on her face disappear, and her lips became less dry and plumped up. Her skin tone became a few shades more pale. Then the throbbing headache came back with a vengeance, making the room spin. She tried to sit down on the bed, but lost her footing and knocked her head on the bedside. Her last thought before passing out was: Why am I completely OK with this? I should be screaming my head of! This isn't normal...

She woke up to a hungry feeling in her stomach. Her first instinct was to go to the kitchen to get something to eat. Standing up, she glanced over to the mirror and had to do a double take. Then she remembered what had happened. The store, the dress, the throbbing headache. Luckily that last one was virtually gone now. She did a curtsey to the mirror "Oh la la. Vous avez l'air magnifique!" She put a hand in front of her mouth and gave herself a surprised look. Did she speak french? "Qu'est-ce qui se passe?" She tried again "I mean. What happened?" She said to herself, still with a heavy french accent. She glanced at the clock and noticed it was already 7:30. She had to start cleaning up right away if she wanted to have any time left to sleep tonight. Wait, what? What was she thinking, she wasn't a maid, was she? She walked over to the bathroom to freshen up a little. Once there she looked at herself in the mirror, barely recognizing herself with the heavy make-up on. She washed her hands in the sink and reached for the cotton wool to remove the make-up. Halfway to it she changed her mind and reached under the sink, where the cleaning supplies were. She prepared a cleaning solution and started to clean the bathroom like a madwoman. Thirty minutes later she was done, without so much as getting a speck of dirt on her apron. "Tellement plus bon!" She shook her head again. She found her thoughts switching from French to English at a whim. "I am Emily. I am English." She said sternly to the empty bathroom, successfully repressing the french accent. She smiled at herself contently and started working on the rest of the house, which seemed to be bigger than she remembered it to be. But that was just silly, houses didn't grow.

It was around 1:30 at night when she was finally done mopping up the hallway, finishing her chores for today. She had cleaned so many rooms tonight she didn't even remembered they had. She had to ask Karen about it. Right on queue, she saw the headlights of a car driving into the driveway. Quickly grabbing her new make-up bag, she retouched her lipstick and eyeliner and patiently waited for her to come in so that she could welcome her properly. The door opened and Karen and Dave stepped into the hallway. By the way she moved Emily figured she had had a few drinks to many, but a strange sensation crept over her when she saw what Karen was wearing. A stylish night gown, well out of her price-class. Did she wear that when she left? "Emy! Glad you're still up." She fumbled with her coat and pushed it in her arms. "Here, please put this somewhere and get us some DRINKS!" She exclaimed lavishly. Something inside Emily was offended by the way she was treated, but some other part of her seamlessly took over. "Right away, madame. What kind of drinks would you prefer?" She said, her french accent back with a vengeance. Dave smiled apologetically, while handing her his coat. "Just water, Em. She's had enough already." They stumbled up the stairs, which was fortunately sturdy enough to accommodate the drunk Karen. Emily had to suppress a giggle when she almost slipped a few times. Dave did his best to get her into the bedroom unscathed, but they needed the full width of the stairs and every form of support to get there. She quickly put the coats on the hanger and went to the kitchen, before they required her to help too.

A while later she went upstairs with a tray. On it were a couple of glasses, a pitcher of water and a cup filled with Alka-Seltzer. She quietly opened the door to the master bedroom, where she could hear the soft snores of Karen. She put the tray on her side of the bed. and quickly walked out again, trying not to make too much sound with her clicking heels. She looked around, as if seeing the place for the first time again. Something seemed off, had the hallway always been this large? Then she shook her head again. It had been this size ever since Karen had bought the place from her share of the family fortune, and Emily had been lucky to be picked as Karen's personal maid. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a flushing toilet, followed by footsteps coming her way. She saw Dave coming around the corner, a smile on his face as he saw her. She felt a slight wobble in her knees. She couldn't remember the last time she had been with a man. Her strict work hours meant she didn't have a lot of time to socialize, and the people she usually met literally treated her like a servant. Wait, there it was again. That strange feeling of something being off. As if all of this was wrong somehow.

Dave walked up to her. He had the unkempt look of someone who had been partying, but wasn't nearly done yet, which allured her a lot. "She really can't hold her liquor, can she?" Emily giggled at him, followed by a lustful look "She cannot, monsieur." Mon dieu, this guy was handsome! He glanced over her body and gave her a bedroom look of his own "Listen, I'm not even near ready to go to sleep yet. Now I don't want to be presumptuous, but do you think you could get me something to drink in the kitchen, chéri?" Emily blushed at the way he was checking out her body."Bien sûr, monsieur. It is my duty to service madame's guests. Please follow me." They went down to the kitchen where she went straight for the bar. She opened the cabinet, displaying a large collection of alcoholic beverages. "What would you like?" She turned around and noticed he was practically standing at her back. She had to lean back a little not to let her prominent breasts touch his torso. "Oh, you have quite the collection I see. Hmm." He reached out his hand, making her shiver as he brushed her waist, and grabbed a bottle of wine. "I think this will suffice for us tonight." He smiled up at her, putting her hands in front of her to make her breasts stand out even more. Feeling more and more like a vulnerable little piece of prey in his presence, she had to admit she kind of liked it. But what would madame say? She quickly pushed the thought away, making place for lustful thoughts about Dave. They were standing still in front of the bar for a moment, Dave looking at her hungrily. Finally, he seemed to have cut some sort of Gordian knot. He puckered his lips and leaned in on her. Closing her eyes in anticipation, she put one hand behind her to steady herself. When their lips touched, she wasn't dissapointed. Hmmm, Il était grand à baiser. J'aimerais qu'il est aussi bon avec sa bite She thought, feeling the bulge in his pants rubbing up to her lower belly. His hands were caressing her smooth ass, making her stomach flutter with butterflies When they finally broke the kiss She looked up at him naughtily."Oh la la, Monsieur. You really are a beast, aren't you?". Suddenly a noise came from the hallway, making them both look up in surprise. Emily sighed. "It's probably madame. I'll go see if she's alright. I will be right back, ma bête sauvage magnifique." A wink and she left for the master bedroom, hoping it was just the wind or something. Walking past the bathroom, she could hear choking noises coming from inside. It was Karen, hugging the toilet for dear life. "Oh madame, what have you done now?" Emily walked over and brushed the hairs out of her face. "Oh hai Emmy. I was just making friends with this magnificent porcelain thing here." Luckily, most of what she had spilled had ended up inside the toilet. Emily flushed and put an arm around Karen. "Come on madame, it is time to go to bed." With a little effort, they made it back to the bedroom. As soon as she hit the mattress Karen was sound asleep again. "Faites de beaux rêves, madame." Emily whispered, tucking her in and then quietly pacing back to the bathroom. She inspected herself in the mirror. A little of her make-up had run out, so she got her purse to fix it up before going back to Dave. Rummaging through the purse she found the card the clerk had given her earlier today. She carefully took it out and studied it again, as if it was some ancient relic from a long lost past. Wait a minute.... She looked at the back of the card. This time, she clearly read the words 'Réveille-Toi, Emily!' It was as if something popped inside her skull. A cascade of information flooded her brain, but somehow she could easily handle it. Once the stream of thoughts ended she, her mind, was back to normal. She looked at the card again, this time it was saying "Get Out!" Damn straight! She yelled inward. If I get my hands on that store owner there's going to be hell to pay. She looked at herself in the mirror again, repulsed by what she saw. She stormed out of the bathroom, went to her room, opened her closet and panicked at the sight of even more maid's uniforms. At least she found a pair of comfortable sneakers, which were quite a relief from the uneasy shoes she had been wearing. In an old shoe box she found the papers that belonged to her new identity along with a credit card and, for some reason, 2000 dollars in cash, which she put in her apron. She stomped down to the hallway and grabbed the first coat she found. She slung it around her neck and headed for the door. "Hey, cheri, where are you going with my coat?" Oh crap, this guy. She turned around to face Dave as serene as she could manage, trying to keep a neutral face. Apparently it didn't work, because he took a few steps back at seeing her expression. She fished his wallet from the inside pocket and wasn't surprised to see the pictures of his loving wife and kids. The poor guy even had a dog. "Listen, Dave. This coat is mine now. Count your lucky stars I'm only taking this coat and leave your balls hanging. Now go back to your wife and kids and tell them how lucky you feel you don't have to be eating through a straw." She threw the wallet in front of him and turned to face the door again. "C'mon Em, what's wrong?" The first thing she thought was to simply go. He must be king of neanderthals, this one. Get out before he stops you. But somewhere in her head a new voice of rationality sang out, and it was pissed. No, this is good. Let him come closer, this will avoid nasty questions later on. No one would suspect an innocent little maid... "Come on, cheri. At least give me my car keys..." She waited until he was within reach, made a fist around his car keys and swiftly turned around. "Fine" she said, just before giving an uppercut with her clenched fist, propelling him backwards. A definitive crack could be heard as he landed face first on the stone floor. Too bad, I was hoping he would put up more of a fight. She walked over to his moaning body and gave him one hard kick in the groin, sending him into unconsciousness. Without saying another word, she went outside, pressed the button on the car keys and noted to her satisfaction they belonged to the black BMW on the driveway. She got in, reversed with screeching tires and accelerated into the pitch black night.