The light revealed that Sarah's hair, which had been a platinum blonde just moments ago, had become deep and dark. Sarah couldn't notice that it was any different, but Mollie certainly did. The hair had just a little tightness in it near the roots. Mollie had spent enough time helping get Sarah ready that she knew this was wrong. Very wrong.
Mollie looked with increasing alarm. She needed to break this sleepwalking trance that Sarah was in. Suddenly, snapping out of it for a moment, she looked around and made for the door. Mollie, trying to not have Sarah's parents wake up to this mess, knew she had to act fast. She threw back the shower curtain, turned on the shower, and pushed her inside it.
Sarah then grabbed Mollie and pulled her into the shower with her, getting them both soaked.
"Ughhh..." Sarah finally made her first utterance since coming downstairs.
Mollie hurriedly turned off the shower. She took in the strange appearance of Sarah with dark hair.
"Why am I soaking wet, Miss Mollie?” she asked.
Mollie was confused at how Sarah was talking. It was nicer than anything she'd said to her before... Almost too nice. "Well, you tell me. You came down here sleepwalking and started looking at my makeup.”
"But I don't sleepwalk."
"Then why are you down here?"
"I live here, Miss Mollie." Sarah's words were sounding different, like she was gaining some sort of accent, but she was just as emphatic. "Why wouldn't I be here?" Sarah went for two towels and started drying Mollie off. Mollie was stunned. Shouldn't I be the one drying Miss Sarah off? And why was Sarah fussing over me instead of herself? She reached for the only other towel near the shower and moved toward Sarah to dry her off.
"No no no!" Sarah reacted. "I will do this."
"What has gotten into you?" Mollie asked.
Sarah dried herself and then went for the discarded lingerie to dress Mollie. Surprised but not willing to fight, Mollie stepped into the panties. She turned around and, under the light in the bedroom, was able to see that the Sarah McMillan she had served for the last two years looked completely different. She looked worn out—although it was early, so that wasn't surprising. But she looked older somehow... Mollie could have easily mistaken her for someone in her twenties.
"Why don't I take you back to bed, Sarah?"
"Why don't you go back to bed, Miss Mollie? Here, I'll take you up." The words took her aback. I don’t sleep upstairs… “But I can’t go naked through the house.” She grabbed a robe that was hanging on the back of the door and tied it around her before the two quietly made their way up the stairs to the bedroom. Mollie had been in the room regularly, though usually only to clean it for Sarah or when she was getting dressed for prom or other big events.
From what Mollie could see, everything was in the same place. She wasn’t going to turn on the light… She was trying to get Sarah to go to bed again.
"Now," Sarah instructedd, "why don't you go back to bed and I will go back to bed as well?" She asked, gently.
"Sounds like a good idea," Mollie said, unexpectedly yawning at the thought and expecting Sarah to get into the bed. But she started toward the door.
"Good night, Miss Mollie," Sarah said.
"Wait..." Mollie insisted.
Sarah turned, and Mollie could barely see her in the dimness of the room. "Is something wrong with the bed?"
"No, but..."
Sarah headed toward the door and exited. Mollie sighed, reluctantly slipping into the bed. She hoped that Sarah might get some sense back in her tomorrow. For now, though she couldn’t be awake much longer. Tomorrow was Sunday, after all.
