A slight pulse in my collar brought me out of my sleep. I looked over at the alarm clock. 6:00 AM.
I gently extracted myself from Mistress Alexis' arms without waking her. It wasn't hard; she was fortunately a sound sleeper - a fact that both of us felt was very convenient, as it allowed me to sleep with her and still be able to wake before her like a slave properly should.
It was common sense that a slave should never be asleep while her master was awake. After all, her primary purpose was to serve her master. As such, my collar was programmed to sync itself to my Mistress' alarm clock and wake me half an hour before the clock would ring and wake her up - or at least, signal me to drag her out of bed.
I headed to the bathroom, brushed my teeth, and combed my hair. Mistress Alexis slept soundly enough that I could come back to her room after that and get dressed in the school uniform without disturbing her. As I got done, the alarm clock rang - a harsh, screeching sound.
"Mmmmph, uhh..." Her palm lazily made its way to the nightstand, and smacked down on the nightstand about 6 inches away from the alarm clock. It was so like her to be this helpless. I crossed over to her and hit the snooze button. She sighed softly, and snuggled into her sheets comfortably.
"Mistress Alexis, it's time to wake up."
"I'm getting up..."
She wasn't getting up.
"Mistress Alexis, it's Friday. We have school today."
She moaned in frustration, and slowly, painstakingly, sat up, her eyes glazed over from the work of the sandman. I rushed over to catch her, knowing that in a moment she would flop back over.
"Come on, you have to get ready."
She was too drowsy to do much other than grumble, and I practically had to carry her to the bathroom. It was a dance we'd done many times. I knew exactly how far I had to assist her. I'd wash her face and help her brush her teeth. Then she asked to pee, and it was at that point I could leave her alone.
Once I could be safe in the knowledge that she was up, I headed over to the kitchen. Sally, a kindly woman 45 years of age who looked 30, was already there preparing breakfast. She'd been gifted to Master Logan on his 15th birthday, and she'd been with him ever since - even longer than his wife had. The two even shared the same birthday. She'd borne children, though Master Logan had sold them.
"Good morning, Sally." As she was my senior, I was obliged to address her first.
"Mornin', dear." Her warm drawl comforted me.
We made idle chat as we got breakfast ready. By that time, our masters would be waiting for us in the dining room. It was not a particularly complex breakfast - just eggs, milk, and toast. Henry would probably just have cereal, so we prepared enough for five.
The family members arrived as we were setting the table. First, Master Logan and his wife, Mistress Augustine. Master Henry came in next - a young boy 14 years of age. I had expected when Master Logan took me on that I would be the one "showing him the ropes" of manhood, but I had only a month left in this household now. It was likely he'd bring on someone else. Perhaps he'd buy Henry a slave girl of his own, to be to Henry what Sally had been to Logan.
Mistress Alexis would be the last to stumble in, probably still groggy. As they entered, I addressed each of them in turn.
"Good morning, Master. Good morning, Mistress."
They each started eating on their own, as they came in. Myself and Sally waited to the side of the dining room, ready to fetch whatever was needed. We would not eat before our masters.
Mistress Alexis finally did stumble in. As she took her first bite of the sausage, Master Logan gestured to us, only a very slight movement but one we could never miss, permitting us to eat as well. Of course, as our masters were not done, we'd need to be vigilant as to their needs, but Master Logan had never been one to make us wait until he was done. That said, it wouldn't be right for him to let us eat before his own daughter.
"Alexis, Milly." Logan addressed us.
"Yes, Master?" I responded, pausing with my fork in front of my lips. Alexis looked up, but couldn't be bothered to stop eating so she could respond.
"We'll have someone here to look at that AC unit this evening. Though, you two will probably be out late tonight anyway. Just thought I'd give you a heads up."
"Mphkmmm, daaaaa..." Alexis tried to talk with her mouth full.
"Yes, Master." Unlike my Mistress, I didn't have the luxury of half-assing a response.
"Oh, and Alexis!" This time it was Mistress Augustine. "Be sure you're not overdoing it with Milly... She has to work hard enough as it is, you know!" She turned to me and grasped my hand. "Milly, dear, she's not pushing you too hard, is she? Oh, I hope you can forgive our daughter..."
"Mmmmphkffff..." Alexis mumbled something with her mouth full again. I took the liberty of speaking in her place.
"Mistress, I am happy to serve at any time."
"Oh, there you go again, being so reserved! You don't hesitate to let me know if it gets too much!" To be honest, I had always found her manner a little off-putting. While I appreciated her concern, I was here to make life more comfortable for Alexis. It was her right to use me as she saw fit.
"Augustine, Milly will be fine." This time it was Master Logan. His attitude was more comfortable to me - considerate, but still treating me like what I was. It felt too strange to be spoken to as an equal.
She continued to coo a little, then turned to Sally to talk. The two were unexpectedly close friends. Somehow they'd managed to put any jealousies aside long ago, and during my life with them I rarely saw them fight. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if a visitor were to assume Sally belonged to Augustine rather than to Logan. When the two of them really wanted something, it almost felt like they were the ones truly in charge of the household.
In some ways, they reminded me of myself and Alexis. Now there was a thought. It was very possible that by the time I was done with my term as a ponygirl, Mistress Alexis would have married. Would I have another master to serve?
Or... maybe Mistress Alexis would actually go for a male slave, and remain a bachelorette? She certainly was the type to break convention like that. I thought about that for a moment. It was very likely she'd still be the one wearing the strap-on. Could something like that really happen?
I stole a glance at Alexis. After a moment, her eyes quizzically rose to meet mine. I quickly looked away, trying to dispel those thoughts. That... might have been going too far.
She was still looking at me with a questioning expression on her face. I made up my resolve to never reveal the picture I had just conjured in my mind to her.
---
1:15 PM
I felt a slight buzzing on my throat. It meant someone had texted my phone - another device linked to my collar. It was quite handy, actually, how many things my collar could do - in fact, I had wondered before why some free people didn't wear them. I supposed at that time that they simply valued their autonomy too much to don a symbol of bondage like a slave collar.
Since I was at school, it must have been an important text. I surreptitiously checked it. Only certain numbers would alert me during school hours - my master and his family, my owner, and...
