Terra’s lips quirk. “It has been a long time since anyone argued over their bed time with me,” she muses. “Then again, I suppose I did take you over my knee and spank you, so a little regression isn’t entirely unexpected.”

You have never blushed so thoroughly before. You feel as though your face might burst into flames from the heat it is generating. The way Terra is talking to you is, well, it’s patronizing, but in a way which leaves you squirming.

You find yourself wishing you’d gone to the common room. If you’d done that, you’d be having a cold drink with some of your cohort and unwinding before lights out. Instead, you’ve made a fool of yourself in front of Terra. It’s becoming really clear that she thinks of you as some little cadet to be lectured and ordered around.

As the embarrassment really sets in, you start to feel mad. Mad at yourself for giving into the impulse to follow after her like a puppy dog, mad at Terra for talking to you that way. You’re a full grown adult woman, just like her, even if she doesn’t seem to realize it. And even if you can’t seem to act like it.

“I’m not regressing,” you say, trying to sound as adult as you can, which feels odd because you’re somehow almost pretending to be what you actually are. “I was simply pointing out that I still have some time. I’m sorry to have bothered you ma’am. Good night.”

“Good night, cadet,” Terra says, the muscle in her cheek dimpling as she looks at you with an expression that makes it seem as though she’s restraining herself from ruffling your hair.

She thinks you’re cute. But you don’t want her to think you’re cute. At least… you don’t want that to be where it ends.

Slinking away from Terra with your tail between your legs, you return to your dorm and go to bed. Sleep does not come quickly. Every time you get close, you remember the incident in the hall with Terra and you feel the embarrassment all over again. And she spanked you. God. How are you ever going to live this down? And how are you going to face her in the morning?