Tapestry

Chapter One ;Simone d'Or stared at the paper in front of her, and then suddenly, without warning, reached out and crumpled it up. Throwing it across the room, she said loudly, "I can't stand this any longer, Damita!" ; ; Damita Madariaga, who sat across the room from Simone, stared at her roommate, taking in the long blonde hair, the dark blue eyes, and the full lower lip. Damita had always admired Simone's beauty, although she herself was recognized for being one of the most attractive girls at the Ursuline Convent. Damita took the book that she was reading and threw it across the room with all her force. The pages fluttered, and the book struck a picture on the wall and knocked it to the floor. It fell with a crash, and the glass shattered. ; "Good!" Damita said viciously. "I'd like to tear the whole building down!" She got up abruptly, went over to the window and stared outside. "I'm sick of this room!" she exclaimed. "It's like being in a prison." ; Actually the room was much nicer than most of the others in the convent. Both Simone and Damita came from wealthy families who had spared no expense in fixing up the bare room. The floor was carpeted with an expensive Persian rug. Silk hangings decorated the walls, and the furniture was mostly of polished rosewood gleaming from the sunlight that streamed through the large window. The two half beds, each of which occupied one side of the room, were comfortable and covered with well-chosen and attractive coverlets. ; "I'd like to take Sister Agnes and dump her in a well," Simone muttered darkly. Rising from her desk, she threw herself down on the bed, put her hands behind her head, and stared up at the ceiling. "She's too mean to be a nun." ; "She's worse than the rest of them. If it wasn't for her, we wouldn't be confined to quarters. I think it's a shame, and I'm going to tell my papa to take me out of this place." ; "He won't do it." ; Damita started to argue, then shrugged. "No, he probably won't, but I'm going to get even with her somehow or other." ; Simone closed her eyes and was quiet for a time. The two girls were perfect roommates, for both were spoiled beauties. The Ursuline Convent was not designed for such proud young women, and the two had been a problem for the sisters who were responsible for their training for their entire stay. ; As Damita stared out the window, her mind worked quickly. She had known little discipline at her home--she was the spoiled pet of the family, and although the discipline was somewhat stricter at the convent, neither Damita nor Simone had allowed it to interfere greatly with their lifestyles. Damita watched as one of the servants washed clothes beside a well. A young man had come to flirt with her, and Damita felt a twinge of envy. "Marie can have men flirt with her, but we can't." ; Simone got up from the bed in a smooth, easy motion and walked over to stare out the window. "She'd better watch out. If Sister Agnes catches her with Juan, she'll be sorry." ; The two girls watched as the young man reached out and smoothed the golden-brown cheek of the servant girl. The laughter of the two floated up to them, and Damita exclaimed suddenly, "Let's do something wicked, Simone!" ; "Do something? Like what?" ; "I've got to get out of this room, or it's going to drive me crazy!" ; Sister Agnes had confined them to their room for a week until they brought their work up to standard. She was a stern taskmaker with no respect for the power the girls' families had. She had even required them to take their meals there, and both young ladies were furious. They were the same age, sevenMorris, Gilbert is the author of 'Tapestry' with ISBN 9780785270058 and ISBN 0785270051.