It was as though a haze had been lifted from Emily’s eyes. Nobody else in the household seemed to notice a difference. They continued to treat Emily the same way she had always been: obedient and easily flustered. Not that Emily did anything to contradict that opinion. Missus Narangs words kept ringing in her ears: being told what to do kept her life structured. Better not to rock the boat when she was finally happy for the first time in… years.

“Miss Emily,” Anna said, distracting Emily from her magazine, “I want to play a game. Grab the control for me.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” Emily answered automatically.

She stood up from her bed and walked over to the TV to pick up the controller before handing it off to Anna, who was still sprawled out on her own bed.

Okay, cards on the table: she was still pretty fucking hypnotized. Emily wasn’t sure she could disobey an order even if she wanted to. She wasn’t eager to try, though, in case it broke the spell or something. Certainly, Anna enjoyed being able to boss her around.

“Come sit next to me, Miss Emily,” Anna said.

Emily obeyed as Anna propped herself up on her elbows to play. As Anna got invested in the game, Emily placed her hands on Anna’s shoulders and started giving them a gentle rub. Anna glanced over at Emily, brows raised in surprise.

“You’ve been taking a lot more initiative lately,” she noted.

“I’m sorry,” Emily said, pulling away. “I can stop, if you want.”

“No… I like it. Just remember your place, alright?”

“I will.” A pleasant shiver ran through her at the thought of being nothing more than an accessory to Anna. “Anna, tell me about what it was like growing up together.”

“Oh?” Anna paused the game and sat up. “Well, in high school all the boys were after you, because you’re so small and sweet.” She stroked Emily’s chin gently. “I had to fight them off with a stick because they just didn’t understand that you belong to me.”

Another shiver and Emily beamed. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew that none of it was true, but the thought of letting someone else play with her memories, to override them for her own benefit, was exhilarating. Besides, the constructed memories of growing up as a girl and being taken care of by her best friend was better than the life Emily didn’t want to think about anymore.

The next day, Emily and Anna helped each other into their uniforms and wished each other a good day. Emily made her way to Miss Lalita’s room and knocked. It was a few moments before she heard, “Come on in, Miss Emily.”

Lalita was sitting on her canopy bed, buttoning up her blouse.

“Help me with my shoes, dear,” she instructed.

Emily knelt down and picked up one of Miss Lalita’s boots, undoing the laces. She slid it onto Miss Lalita’s foot, slowly and gently. Then she did the laces before moving onto the other shoe.

“What are we doing today, Miss?” she asked.

“I was thinking of taking a morning walk in the garden before heading into the office. Samuel is coming to visit this afternoon, and I’d like to have tea prepared for us when he arrives.”

“Yes, Miss Lalita.”

Samuel visited often enough that Emily would be able to predict his arrival. He and Miss Lalita had been getting much closer over the past few weeks. It was good to see her Mistress find another partner who made her so happy. All that jealousy that had been weighing Emily down was gone, now. Missus Narang had said that Emily was feeling “compersion” instead? Emily had yet to return to the library to look that word up.

Emily finished lacing up the other boot and stood up. Miss Lalita did at the same time, surprising Emily by cupping her cheeks in her hands and planting a kiss right on her lips. Heat rushed to her face as Emily glanced down.

“Oh my, now you have my lipstick on your lips,” Miss Lalita said. “I’ll go fix my makeup. You… don’t wipe it off. I want everyone to see.”

“Yes, Miss,” Emily replied, biting her lip as she grinned.

The garden circled the entire manor, and it was absolutely delightful. There was a whole staff of gardeners to keep it nice and beautiful. Semi-domesticated foxes wandered around, keeping out small animals. Little bird homes were scattered about so local birds could keep the insect population in check. A metal fence circled the garden, letting in plenty of sunlight, but nobody lived close enough nearby for anyone to peer in.

Miss Lalita walked quietly, soaking up the semi-natural beauty. Emily walked beside her, not daring to break the silence, not speaking unless she was spoken to. Ever since the encounter with Missus Narang, Miss Lalita had been requesting more of Emily’s time in the mornings and afternoons. Emily suspected that the mistress of the house had suggested that they start treating Emily as more of Miss Lalita’s personal maid.

Speaking of: when they rounded a corner, Missus Narang was standing by a small cherub fountain, scattering feed for the birds.

“Hello, Lalita,” she said. “Miss Emily.”

“Good morning, Mother.”

Emily bowed and said, “Missus Narang.”

“You two seem to be enjoying your morning,” Missus Narang said, strolling up and placing a hand on Emily’s cheek. “I’m glad things are going well. I know it’s still early, but have you given any thought to what you might do when your three years of service has passed?”

“No, Ma’am,” Emily admitted, blushing a little. “At the moment, I can’t imagine wanting to be anywhere else.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

Missus Narang took her leave. Miss Lalita chuckled and wrapped an arm around Emily’s shoulders, drawing her in close. Emily closed her eyes and took a deep breath, soaking up her Mistress’ scent.

Miss Lalita continued to stroll around the garden, and Emily followed.