Lucy blinked awake and stretched her hands, neck and toes leisurely. The words 'The governess did it' bobbed by in her mind's eye and she froze mid-stretch as the memory of the previous day's events came careening back to her. The budding smile withered and collapsed upon her lips, and her stomach twisted itself into a thousand colourful knots. As if enjoying her misery, the sunlight brightened and raced into the room and proceeded to attack the small mirror lying on her dressing table. The reflective surface made the light ricochet in joy, and a particularly sharp beam smacked Lucy in the eye and dragged her out of her gloomy thoughts. She flung aside the sheets and frowned. The light streaming in through the window seemed different today. Was it brighter? Her toes curled in protest as she padded barefoot on the cold stone floor towards the window and peeked out. It was as if a white carpet had unrolled while she had slept and covered the whole of Blackwell. She breathed in sharply and flung open the window.
