On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays Brandy had early classes. Regardless of the day she had to get up much earlier than Aubrey ever did. This Wednesday was just like all the others. A barely conscious Brandy swatted at her alarm until it turned off. She shuffled down the hall with her shower sandals dragging on the ground, with her cleaning products in hand, and a towel around her neck.

As usual Brandy didn't pay a slumbering Aubrey any attention. There was never a reason to. So why should she notice Aubrey's casted leg on display like it were a trophy? Brandy wasn’t a very observant person at 6 o’clock in the morning. Not many people were. A nuclear war could have destroyed humanity in her sleep and when the morning came she would still shuffle down the non-existent hall to the non-existent shower.

It wasn’t until Brandy returned from her lengthy shower that she noticed something different, "Oh my god!" Brandy said loudly as her shower products fell from her hand and crashed to the linoleum floor.

The carrier with all her shower stuff struck the ground with a sound that resembled to cars crashing head on. Normally Aubrey would have awoken immediately, but given the circumstances of the previous night she didn’t even stir. That same proverbial nuclear war could have destroyed humanity and she would have continued to snore away the day.

Brandy could not believe her eyes. She had never seen something so massive in her life. It was huge. That was more than a broken ankle. Carrie’s source was definitely off. Brandy slowly shuffled forward to inspect the fiberglass specimen further. The cast encompassed Aubrey’s entire leg excluding her long toes. The cast started at the base of Aubrey's toes. The cast angled Aubrey's foot at a 90-degree angle with her shin. The cast completely hid Aubrey's high arch. Aubrey's knee was bent slightly. The cast ended at the very top of her thigh. The cast looked so tight. It hugged her leg. It hugged every single curve. It accentuated the muscle tone of her thigh and calf. The cast made it clear just how long Aubrey's leg was. Brandy was mesmerized. She was in a trance. The cast brought out an unfamiliar feeling in Brandy. She wanted to nurture Aubrey. She wanted to wait on her hand and foot. She wanted to be her slave. The delicate look of Aubrey's casted foot reduced Brandy to a quivering mass.

She ran her fingers over the cool coarse surface. She couldn’t wait to get all the details after Aubrey woke from her death-like slumber. Brandy was a little more than tempted to make even more noise until Aubrey woke up and get all the details, but she suppressed her yearnings. She couldn't. She had to be strong. She couldn't let on that she actually cared about what happened to Aubrey. Aubrey had to know how much Brandy disliked her. Honest empathy was a forbidden emotion in her book.

Brandy hovered over Aubrey’s bed for another minute or two longer, visually absorbing everything about the cast, the curves, the texture, and the smallest of details. She needed an accurate visual picture to make it through the day. She’d find out what happened later. In the mean time it would be all she could think about. In the mean time she would devise a plan. How could she get the inside scoop without actually asking? She needed a third party’s assistance.