Where...
Maxine groaned, the throbbing of her head like an off drum beat. As she rose from the ground, she looked around to find herself somewhere completely unfamiliar. Counters of stainless steel lined the wall besides her, an oven and hefty-looking refridgerator standing next to them. The air felt oddly moist--it was as though she could feel it sticking to her skin.
...Where am I? What happened to me? She rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't dreaming. But when she pulled her hands away, surely enough, everything was still there. Was this a kitchen? Did her mother remodel overnight? Or had she somehow found herself kidnapped into a cannibal's lair?
Pointedly ignoring that last thought, Maxine sighed, looking around for anything that could jog her memory. Unfortunately, the knives, drawers, and cabinets did nothing for her, so she opted for the door instead. Just as she was about to open it, however, it flew open on its own--a girl her age with pink pigtails and a mint-colored coat stood in the doorway.
Their eyes met for a moment. Whereas Maxine's instict was to say 'hello', the other girl stepped back, suddenly brandishing a wooden ladle. "Who are you? What do you want?! Where's my brother?!"
Maxine jumped, raising her hands to try and demonstrate her innocence. "Dude, chill! I only just woke up here!"
"I don't believe you," the girl replied immediately, holding the ladle theateningly closer to Maxine's face. "What's your name? What do you want with us?!"
"M-my name's Maxine," Maxine answered after a moment, taking a careful step back. "I don't want anything to do with you, I just want to know where I am. I'm pretty sure I'm just as freaked out as you are."
The girl scowled--briefly, her eyes flickered over to the knives on the far counter. "Yeah, right. Likely story. I'll have you know I'm a lot tougher than I look, and I'm not going down without a fight."
Just as Maxine was opening her mouth to respond, the girl suddenly sprinted for the knives, trading two out for her wooden ladle and pointing both right at Maxine. Maxine shrieked--she raised her hands further up into the air, praying that this wouldn't somehow be her end.
The girl's tough expression flatered. She stared at Maxine for a long moment, taking a few steps back before slowly lowering her knives.
Maxine swallowed.
"...You really don't know what's going on?" The girl asked after a moment, licking her lips. Maxine nodded. "Fine. I'll...believe you, for now. Your name is Maxine? Can I call you Max?"
"I mean...sure, if you want." Hesitantly, Maxine began to lower her hands back to her side. "Can I ask you what your name is?"
The girl took a moment to respond. Sighing, she tucked one of the knives into her pockets and held onto the other, walking back over to the door. "I'm Cadence. I just woke up here, too."