At Sunrise

Earlier this day at sunrise.

A nebulous lump under a pile of luxurious down comforters wriggled. A hand jutted out reaching out in the open air. Next a mass of black hair, a small face with rosy cheeks and peach lips appeared gasping for air.

Something was constraining her tightly around her neck and arms. The girl slid off the side of the bed, comforter and all, into a pile on the floor.

`The sun isn't up yet` She solemnly thought slowly rising, letting the blanket fall to her ankles. The night gown she was wearing was 2 sizes too small.

`I'm taller again.`

The light material clung to her in all the right and wrong places, both revealing her maturing body and constricting her at the neckline and arms.

`There's no way out of this without ripping it.` The girl thought to herself in dismay. The nightgown was a fine linen with lace details and trim, fit for any wealthy daughter dotted by loving parents. She leaned forward slowly attempting to pull it up from the hem over her head.

`Just a little more`

She squeezed her eyes shut and froze as a slight tearing noise rang out like bells in the otherwise silent bedroom. Grimacing, she continued slowly wiggling her shoulders and straightening her arms above her head.

Tttrrriiipp…

There was no saving the nightgown.

Tugging gently at the fabric now around her head, she finally managed to disentangle herself from the too small clothing. Taking slow deep breaths, her dark eyes adjusted again to the darkness. She turned her head towards the wardrobe.

`Mamma probably put something in here I can fit.`

When her motion stopped, she froze again. Not only had she grown again overnight, but her hair had also grown in length.

`I went to bed, it was about...there.` She measured with her hands, first noting the length it should have been when she fell asleep the night before at the bottom of her shoulder blade. Feeling her sides further down her hand stopped by her hip. The long black mass of hair had grown a full 8" overnight!

Her dark eyes rolled for no one to see.

Grabbing a hair tie, she quickly wrapped her hair into a side braid and dove into the wardrobe for something to wear. The nights were still chilly, even inside the well maintained manor. Her nakedness couldn't ignore it any longer.

She was soon frustrated the her clothing selection. Garments sized for children were all she could find. Not even the cloaks were long enough to cover her. She tossed each piece of master crafted lace detail and intricate embroidery on the couch nearby. Nothing fit!

Crossing her arms in front of her, she discovered an uncomfortable mass surprising her even more than the length her hair had grown. Gasping at the unbelievable result of that night's rest, she quickly held herself tighter and gritted her teeth.

Cold, naked, and with the body of a woman. Only her glossy black hair covered her. She pushed the garments aside and curled up on the couch silently contemplating her next move as the sky began to lighten with the rise of the sun.

Moments later a soft knock on the door pulled her out of her stupor.

"Miss, are you awake?" A soft voice came from the other side of the door.

A girl who looked about the same age as her new body dressed in servants livery, crisp and recently pressed, entered the room and bowed respectfully. Slowly rising her eyes bulged at the mess she saw. The bed was empty, the comforter blankets strewn across the floor. The delicate wardrobe of the Duchess Ophelia's hand picked dresses and accessories were piled next to the couch. And on that couch was a young woman in nothing but her long black hair to cover her.

"Oh Miss Ria!" The servant girl grabbed the comforter and wrapped it around Ria in three swift steps.

"Sophie, I'm alright" Ria choked out from the impressive wrapping Sophie had done with the comforter. Ria stood there now resembling a white corn cob.

"No, no, Miss Ria, this will not do at all," Sophie was on the verge of tears. How could she fail to notice that the next growth spurt would have made a woman out of the little girl. Yesterday she had been watching over a child on the verge of her blooming teenage years, and now before her was that fully bloomed young woman.

"It's alright, I would have just ruined Mamma's pretty dresses" Ria looked sadly at the pile of finery next to them.

"Ahem, yes. Well just wait right here. I'll go fetch you something to wear," Sophie nodded and hurried back down to the servants quarter to get Ria some suitable clothes.

Since the day Ria arrived, not a single piece of clothing placed on the child lasted more than a few hours before it became stained, dirtied, or otherwise ruined by Ria's insatiable need to see and interact with everything around her. Just thinking of Miss Ria in one of Duchess Ophelia's finer dresses, and subsequently accidentally catching a bit of lace on a table or ornament in the hallway sent shivers down Sophie's spine. Duchess Ophelia was one of the wealthiest ladies in the kingdom. Her dresses were of the best quality, bejeweled and ornate as one suitable for her rank, position, and the sister of Queen Luneth.

"Mmhmm," Ria nodded unaware that Sophie had already left the room to fetch her clothing. She slowly sat back down on the couch still wrapped tightly in the bed comforter. Her face was blank and her peach lips were slightly frowning.

`What is happening to me?`