She reached out to touch Sara's fine gold hair, but stopped as Sara exclaimed, "You mean I'm not in the United States? Oh my God! Where am I?"

The young girl's eyes widened as she realized she had revealed more than she should have. "I ... I can not say. You must wait for my brother. He will explain. But ..." she continued before Sara could respond, "but now there is a bath all drawn and ready for you. Come, I will assist you. You must have a need for the, uh, facilities." She patted Sara's hand comfortingly and pleaded into the bright blue eyes, so unlike her own.

"Do you know why I'm here, wherever here is, or how I got here, Yasmine?" asked Sara, quietly.

Yasmine took the tea cup from Sara and shook her head as she gently set it on the tray beside the bed. "Have patience. Now, come, your bath is ready."Feeling scared and confused, Sara realized it was useless to persist. She might as well do as the girl suggested, a nice hot bath did sound enticing. So, still weak from the drug she had been given, she accepted Yasmine's arm as she slowly got out of the bed and hobbled across the room to the doorway Yasmine indicated.

The young girl parted the curtain to reveal the largest and most beautiful bathroom Sara had ever seen. The walls were covered with pale pink damask fabric and the blushing marble floor seemed almost translucent in the flickering light of a dozen or more candles set into golden sconces on the walls. The fixtures were of fine white porcelain, accented with golden handles. But the best feature of all was a large, oval tub, sunk into the floor in the center of the room. Jasmine petals floated on the surface of the steaming water, filling the room with their fragrance.

Sara slipped into the warm, soothing water with a grateful sigh, and Yasmine began to wash her with a soft, soapy sponge. At first Sara felt uneasy, but was too weak to object, so accepted the ministrations of the young girl.

Once Sara was rinsed, Yasmine dried her off with a large pink fluffy towel and motioned for her to lie down on the cushioned chaise lounge beside the sunken tub. Sara complied, and the girl proceeded to massage her, rubbing a fragrant oil into her skin with gentle, kneading strokes. As the tiny hands worked their magic on Sara's aching muscles, she found herself relaxing and had just started to doze off, when Yasmine stopped. The girl left for a moment and returned with a blue silk caftan.




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