Chapter 10: Bedtime

Linda was dragging her feet a bit as she made her way back to the common room. It had been a long day. When she got there, she found that Victoria and several of the other girls were still there. She gestured Victoria over, and asked her to come back to the dorm room with her. She agreed, gathered her books, and left. As she waited, Linda was asked a number of questions by her curious classmates. She promised they would find out most of it at morning assembly, and they could ask her more after that.

On the way to their room, she asked whether Victoria was aware that anything they said could be heard by hidden microphones. She answered that most of them suspected as much, but they weren't sure. Sometimes it seemed like the adults knew everything they said. Other times, it was as though they had not heard a thing. Linda outlined the monitoring centre, and said that the times they had not heard were probably those during a time when someone else was being watched closely. Then she told her about her office, and the way it was microphone free.

When they got to the room, she found that her first uniform was gone. She checked her drawer and found that her things had been moved around, as though someone had been searching for something. On the other hand, the drawer opened more easily than it had before. She shrugged, straightened out the contents, and removed her towel. She told Victoria that she planned to take a shower, and asked about any procedures she was supposed to know. She learned that there was a small shower room near the dorms, in addition to the showers in the changing room. While technically there were no limits on when they could use the showers, the towels were only available at limited times. Without individual towels, and with no changing room in the showers, the usual procedure was to undress in the dorm room and walk to the showers naked. Then, after washing, drying, and powdering, they return to the room the same way. Most of the girls sleep that way, but some sleep in the used blouse.

Thinking of the cameras in the halls and rooms, Linda was not thrilled with that idea. But after that long, wearing day she really needed a shower. She offered to share her towel with Victoria in exchange for company and light guard duty. She agreed, and showed Linda where to put her dirty laundry. After they undressed, Linda considered wearing the towel to the shower. But she realized that she would attract far more attention that way than she would as just another naked girl. So, towel and cell in hand, they set off for the showers.

At first, they didn't meet anyone. But as they passed the door to another dorm room, an older girl stepped out to confront them. "Hey, peachfuzz," she began, looking pointedly at Linda's unshaven but sparse mound, "how do you rate your own towel?"

Victoria spoke up. "She knocked out a teacher, and they're afraid it might be catching."

"What did you use, your breath?"

Linda caught the mood of the exchange. "No, just my armpits. That's why she's making sure I get to the showers." She indicated Victoria. "She has to share a room with me."