She awoke with a start, to a blinding light so white it was almost black. Her pulse was racing as her vision slowly came into focus. Dry, swollen, her tongue made her breath come in rushed gasps. She was aware of rough, sharp objects digging into her back. Blood rushed to her head as her vision went black around the edges, spots, and nothing...
Awake. Light this time, but softer, kinder. Light that echoed her surroundings, the coolness on her skin. Silk. Or something like it. As she gained her bearings, she realized she was in a plush room, carpets, tapestries, sweet incense, soft, mellow hues flooded her senses. Hunger--there was a bowl of fruit by the bed, which seemed like a mountain of goose down.
After eating her fill, somebody entered the room. Robed in a white, semi-transparent robe, the woman's figure was just visible underneath. She had a beautiful face, and, the girl realized with a start, was completely bald. It was almost natural though, as if she were born bald and was beautiful because of it.
"Where am I? How did I get here?" the girl pleaded. Nothing. Just a kind smile.
She felt her eyelids grow heavy, almost of their own accord, and she slipped into a deep, deep sleep.
Colors flashed and a myriad images flew before her eyes, as if some trickster had spliced a single frame from one thousand movies together. She was always on the edge of understanding but never quite arriving. A warmth, brushing on her body, on her cheek. It increased in pressure as the frames flew faster, then faded with an urgency, a deep, primal fear.
Her eyes snapped open to a woman peering over her, sitting on the edge of the bed. The first thing she felt was an uncontrollable terror. It was almost instantly replaced with warmth and comfort, such security that she almost laughed at the fright. The woman's large, brown eyes peered into hers with such kindness that she was reminded of her mother. Well, not her mother, but a friend's mother. Somebody very familiar.
"We were worried about you." We? The girl looked up to see the other woman she had seen earlier. But she was accompanied by several others. Eerily, they were all dressed the same with the same bald head. Where the hell am I?