White Bloodline

CHAPTER 1: White Rose

CHAPTER 1: FIRST EFFLORESCENCE

WHITE ROSE ~ Purity

Meaning: Purity, innocence, silence, secrecy, reverence, humility, youthfulness. 'I am worthy of you', heavenly.

It is only a tiny rosebud

A flower of God's design

But I cannot unfold the petals

With these clumsy hands of mine

The secret of unfolding flowers

Is not known to such as I

God opens this flower so easily

But in my hands they die

If I cannot unfold a rosebud

This flower of God's design

Then how can I have the wisdom

To unfold this life of mine?

So I'll trust in God for leading

Each moment of my day

I will look to God for guidance

In each step of the way

The path that lies before me

Only the Great knows

I'll trust thee to unfold the moments

Just as He unfolds the rose.

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Fragile like the Anemones. Innocent like the Daisies. Delicate yet beautiful like the Hibiscus. This garden of flower that my family has taken care for generations after generations is like the mirror of Larkspurs, beautiful in spirit. The garden's existence itself represents a lot of things. And not everything is as beautiful as it seems. Like Lavenders. Despite its lovely color, it represents distrust. Marigolds have bright, cheerful colors, but share the desire for riches. Rhododendrons are one of a kind with its form, but the flower warns you about the danger that has to be aware of.

I walk pass the fragile Anemones, the innocent Daisies and the beautiful delicate Hibiscus barefoot, but make some stops in front of the bushes of the Lavenders, Marigolds, and Rhododendrons. Different from the good, I must watch out for the evil. I pluck a Lavender from its stem, staring at the purple flower crowns. Shall I go with my feelings and explore, or shall I take the risk of being betrayed? Still holding the Lavender in my hand, I approach another bush of flower and repeal a Marigold. Shall I fall in love with its cheerfulness, or shall I embrace the bright curls and be a gold digger? I hold both flowers together at my left hand while my right one travels to grab for the last flower. I stare down on the eccentric pink crowns for quite a moment of time, just drowning in the color and the truth it holds. I don't dare to question this one, though.

"Catalia!" A girl's voice calls me from behind. I turn around and spot a milky blonde head walking towards me. "What are you doing here?" My little sister, Genevieve, hops her way to my side.

"Oh, just picking flowers like usual," I reply casually with a wide smile on my face.

She takes a peak at the flowers on my hands that are now a bouquet of it. "Rhododendron, Marigold and Lavender? Those are not even the flowers that Madam Hane requests!"

"Ah, yeah, I must have got a little distracted back then," I admit with a chuckle.

"Oh, she's going to be so mad! We're super late for her class." Genevieve stars pulling my hand. "Come on, we have no time for picking flower anymore. Forget about Madam Hane's order," she says while leading me to the inside of the mansion.

I have something more concerning in my head rather than Madam Hane and her silly class, though. Something like the dead of me and my little sister.

We won't technically die, but we might as well be. I've heard the things they've said ever since I was little. They are talking about things ─ things that will be the end of us. They will give up on me, even my mother. I almost can't believe in it, but I have heard her said it herself through her own mouth.

"The day is getting near," a woman says. I know her by my second aunt.

"We have to prepare," her older cousin mutters.

"We've been preparing ever since we were pregnant," the cousin's sister adds.

"We'll have to give our daughters up," my grandmother's youngest sister chants.

One woman in the group stays in silence, though, until she can't take the tension any longer and break out rows of tears from her crystal eyes.

"Oh, I can't do this. My baby. They are going to break her!" She wails in depress.

"Hold yourself together, Allysne." It was my mother who calms the historical women down. We can't save them from the destiny that's about to befall on them. Let her go, Allysne. She's never yours in the beginning, anyway. Remember, we do not love our daughters."

I couldn't believe what I just heard. Was she going to give up on me? How about my sister? Are we not wanted? But why?

....How...could...she...?

I could feel my chest getting suffocated as the pain in my heart grew stronger.

Other women looked like they were about to cry, but they all hold themselves from breaking into tears. They wanted to disown us, their daughters.

"Yes, we do not love our daughters," they all repeat what my mother had just said and chorused the words together.

I wake up crying silently inside my room, doing nothing next except to erase the tears that are beginning to dry up from under my eyes and down to the neckline. Tears are useless. My pillow even gets wet because of it.

There is no reason to cry about the fact, but my eyes always to the opposite f what I want it to react every time I'm upset. So I let the tears slip a few more drops until I can't feel anything anymore, until my heart can calm down from its bleeding.

I'm about to go back to sleep because a bloody scream pierces through the room next to me.

Genevieve!

I run as fast as I can and open her door without knocking. Adrenaline is injecting itself into my veins. My eyes are hunting for her figure, but I can't find anyone inside despite the darkness. Usually, I can immediately see her just by the help of the light from the outside hall. But the night is getting darker, and it begins to feel colder when I can't find anyone on her bed.

I scramble inside even though I know that it's no use. My sister is not anywhere inside. Desperately, I look up and outside the window shield, where the full moon is shining so brightly brilliant at the deep blue night sky. And that is when I realize it.

Oh my lord....

...They have taken her.

This is the night they all have been waiting for!

I want to scream, to curse, to destroy everything, but it's all way too late. They have took Genevieve! And if I scream her name, it is the same as letting them know that I'm here, open for them to catch as well. But I can't be caught! I have to get my sister free. I'm fully aware that I have to have a plan first, but I can't think of anything at the moment.

Screams and howls start to chorus from one room to another. But how should that even matter to me? They already got my sister. There's no need to worry about any other girls.

Silence doesn't mean the scream will stop, though. Each passing seconds, the screams grow louder and louder from many different girls, indicating that all the girls that have reached their puberty in this hallway have been snatched, including my sister. If only she hadn't gotten her menstruation for another week, she could have survived.

There's something else I've forgotten on the way of thinking this through, though. I can almost recall it, but I keep forgetting it as the screams grow louder and clearer to hear. Oh yeah, that's right. They are near. And I'm next.

The bloodstream in my ears sounds louder as my heart pumps faster.

My theory is proven to be right when I can hear footsteps walking towards Genevieve's room and stop just right in front of the door, blocking the exit and letting me know that he is hear for me.

My heart can't help but to beat faster. I turn around, sweating cold. But I have nothing else that I can do when hands start to cover my head with a bag and tie me down with a rope.

They pull my hands back to a very uncomfortable position, almost hurting but can't really injure me. The man then throws me upside down, shaking the entire Earth I have been relying on my whole life.

I can't see anything except darkness since he placed a bag to cover my head.

I want to break myself free from his grip and the fate that is about to befall on me, but how can I succeed when I have nothing left? They've took Genevieve, and there's possibly a strong chance that she will be hurt so badly, I don't think things will be the same again.

I hear the sound of a door being click and a heavy metal being move. The rusty metal shrills loudly when its hinge is being fricted. The world spins around me while I'm taken to what seems to be the downstairs.

There is no conversation inside, only echoes of faint whimpers and cries.

Is Genevieve down there? If so, then I think it is better if we are both there than not together at all. She's just fourteen. I can only plead my worst fear that they would somehow find mercy in their hearts and let her go.

If I have to be the substitute for her freedom, then let them take me instead and free her. I can't stand thinking of the things they will do to my beloved little sister. If they can give us the chance, then I will do the deed they desire in place of her and for my own.

Roughly, the man throws me down on a hard cold floor. I stumble a little and winch in pain when the sore of the impact aware me its presence. He pulls away the bag on my head and the ropes, before starting to tear my silky blazer brutally without giving any concern of its crystal buttons. The buttons end up scattered everywhere when he manages to take my blazer off.

I never dare to look up to see the man's face even for one moment. I'm too scared to know what is the identity of the person, who is still my family as well. He can be anyone I know, and I'm just not ready to face the whole truth.

He already has my blazer in his hand, but he doesn't do anything else except to undress me enough to make me feel the chill in the room. I hear his footstep furthering away and the sound of the metal door being used again.

It's dark in here, but I still try to look around anyway. I spot lines of girls sitting across from me, all facing their backs against the walls and have their arms circled around their bodies to cover the coldness. I recognize them as my cousins ─ younger and older ─ and aunts. Their clothes are also have been snatched, all wearing nothing but thin white nightgowns. Some are lucky that their clothes aren't backless like mine and the rest to not have to face their backs to the walls.

Their grimy faces are all showing the same thing, though ─ fear.

They don't know what they are going to face just yet. But I can bet that none will have their share of good luck. Looking around, I learn that we are currently inside the underground room, where prisoners are usually being kept and torture. Knowing their location, I'm sure they are aware that we won't be fine. They just don't know why we can end up in our own basement.

I do, though.

They are going to let the young males of Cainvarna to rape us and each choose one of us to be their s*x slave.

It has always been like that ─ the dark tradition of the Cainvarna family. The females raise their children ─ their sons to be the future clan leader and their daughters to be the slaves of their sons. They won't let their daughters know about the truth of their fates, until it is way too late to save ourselves.

I have always been trying to keep this dirty secret to myself, believing that I am the only one who need to life in fear for my entire life. I've tried to figure out a way to save my sister from being taken, but there is nothing that can stop her from reaching her puberty. I can't even tell her to hide the fact, because she will ask my reason and report the matter naively to our mother, the one that has betrayed us.

I can't do anything anymore. Our fate has been sealed.

I'm not even sure whether my sacrifice will her Genevieve anymore.

The metal door shrieks when someone opens it again. This time, I can hear lots of footsteps at the same time. There has to be at least a few people walking in, though.

When they appear under the light, I can see that there are actually six of them. All tall and muscled.

Damn it.

How do we women stand a chance against them now?

One of the girls across from me lifts her head and instantly I can read the recognition in her eyes.

She raises herself from her feet and approaches them before I can stop her, though.

"David, is that you? Oh, thank goodness. Help us. Someone has taken us here by mistake. Please, you have you get all of us out of here."

Acacia looks so relief and kind. I can't watch it when the smile of her kind face will be ripped away from her innocent soul.

David turns his head and look down at Rose, an evil grin spreads on his lips. His eyes travel down to her see-through nightgown and just enjoying the transparency.

Rose notices and starts to look uncomfortable by the look of her cousin's eyes.

"Oh, we will get you all out of here. Don't you worry." But his voice injects fear the most rather than calming us.

It all happens so fast when one by one they pull my cousins and aunts, when they themselves are my male cousins and uncles. I've seen them in better situations before, but in the underground they are different. They look like angels that have been replaced my demons, all looking down at each woman of their choices my lust and evil.

I am lucky that they haven't see me yet. Maybe they think that all the women are just them. I use that chance to hide myself at the corner, away from the light above. Maybe if they don't see me and never find me, I won't be taken as well.

Tears of shock and panic explode when the males start to touch the females inappropriately despite their protests.

All hopes of being saved are gone.

A few guys even can't hold themselves to rip the nightgowns that the girls in their hands wear until they are naked. The action seems to even trigger the men to touch them more, and they are supposed to be my family.

I push myself further into the corner I'm hiding, even though there is barely enough space for me to breathe anymore. I can't get caught. I know that I just can't. If I get caught, who will save Genevieve.

Thinking about her only makes me hope for the best that they haven't got to her yet. My Lord, she's just fourteen. Don't let them take her as well. Let me suffer in her place instead.

"Is that all the girls?" One of the men asks. His voice sounds familiar.

"No, I think they are all, Narcissus," Amaranth, my father's youngest brother, answers while dragging Fern, his own cousin, on her feet.

"Damn, I haven't even get one for myself," Narcissus complains, indication a girl to be made as his slave. I think the others have picked their choices and have left no one else for him.

"Don't worry. More will come again soon. You just need to wait here," Amaranth replies. "On the mean time, I'll be just right inside my bedroom," he says with a meaningful smile playing on his face. He bends down to Fern and steal a kiss from her frighten lips.

"Don't worry, My Sweet. You will be fine soon. No one is going to hurt you," he sushes her to calm down.

But how can she, in this kind of situation?

"Fine?" Fern asks when she finally finds her voice again. "In what way will I be fine?" She mocks. "How could you? I thought we were family." I can hear the pain in her voice.

"We are family, My Sweet Fern," Amaranth whispers in her ears with a cunning smile. "And we will have our own children very soon as well."

With that, he pulls Fern up to her feet and starts dragging her out from the room. The others that already have their own woman also start to pull them outside, while in reaction the women will scream in horror.

I try to stay put and out of sight, not wanting to move a muscle even though I want to help them. But if I blow my present now, there will be no more of them so save.

Or even Genevieve.

And I don't want that.

I hear the door being open and shut again. That means they are gone, except Narcissus whose scrubbing his shoes with the cold hard floor. I can hear the sound clearer, and I can only hope that he doesn't notice my present.

His draping shoes are just a few feet away. This room is too small for us. I can't help but having my heart beat increases a few throbs faster. Despite the cold, I even feel myself sweating. My backless nightgown begins to stick to my body soon. The hair around my face begins to feel uncomfortable. Even so I still try to push myself to the corner, hoping that Narcissus won't see m─

I let out a painful wail when he yanks my hair back, so hard that it makes me stand up almost at the same time unwillingly.

"What do we have here," he says, sniffing the skin on my neck. His right hand is still gripping my hair, so that I will stay in place.

I shiver in fear.

There goes my last defense.

I've tried to hold myself together, believing that as long as I stay rational, I won't get scared. Only Lord knows how easy I am in getting influence by my emotion. But even I've failed.

How can I save Genevieve now?

What can I do?

Narcissus starts to travel his hand to me when the door suddenly pulled open, it's sound echoes right to auricle of my ears. Narcissus' hand stops just above my breasts, aching to grope them with his hand.

"Narcissus, your share will come in minutes. Hold yourself, will you?" A voice sweeps the room with its beautiful dangerous tone. The owner of the voice walks down the step, just a few more to let me see the color of his hair. "Now get out," he spats with venom.

I'm lucky that the man is talking to Narcissus instead of me, because I don't think I can handle being spoken to so harshly.

Narcissus lets go of my hair and slips his right hand to my waist, pulling me when he starts to walk to the stairs.

"The girl stays," the man's voice booms with retrained fury, now standing right in front of me.

I don't dare to look up still.

Narcissus seems to be considering the man's order. He tries to ache his hand to my core, making my heart beats louder in fear. But the man's strong arm stops him in an instant, as if already knowing that Narcissus will do next.

The air is push against me and the next thing I know Narcissus is already on the ground, across from where he stood a few seconds ago.

"I've warned you. You should have known better than to mess with me," the man's voice is dripping with poison when he says that.

Narcissus seems to be in pain on the ground. I would have helped him if this is normal situation, but I know better that this family will never be normal. He would hurt me, even if I help him. So I step back, away from danger─

─Only to be collided with a new danger. Already behind me, the man has my back on his chest, stopping me from getting further. Cold sweat sweeps me. I don't try to mess with him either.

"Go, Narcissus. The others are waiting for you. You can get back again when the new group of women arrives. You don't have to worry. There are still plenty of them. Just not this one," the man orders Narcissus.

The man that almost rape me tries to crawl up from the ground, but he winces in pain soon after. It seems like the man has broke a few of his bones. Narcissus then decides to just to through the stairs on all fours. It takes some time, but he gets out finally.

I still can't breathe a sigh of relief, though, because the man behind me might be more dangerous that Narcissus.

He starts to move, circling me until he's right in front of me. I can see his shoes stopping right on my sight. His fingers nudge my chin and pull my head up. Our eyes meet for a second before I move my eyes to take in his features.

His hair as a unique color of rough silver, and there's burned bronze on the edges. Like his hair color, his eyes are also one of a kind. Pale blue is bordering his eyeballs, while deep ocean blue dots are boring into me in such an enchanting way.

Despite the beauty, his eyes look blank, though.

I've never seen someone from our family with features like him before. Even if he has been portrayed before, I think I would have remember him. But I never even see him cross the mansion until this very night.

He moves the fingers under my chin and brings them up to stroke one of my cheeks.

"I didn't see what's so special about you, but now I do," he says with a faint smile on his pale pink lips.

And I think I see something sparks in his eyes.

That's when his lips collide with mine.

I am shock at first as he let his lips devour my lips. My gut tense as the rest of my body does. He moves his lips slow and steady, making sure to cover mine at every inch. Eventually, he has to pull away for air as I suck in my breath. But before even I can inhale oxygen into my lungs, he already set his tongue to lick my lips. The tightness in my guts just feels tighter, and my lungs feel like it is reducing its size. After the long run of his tongue over my lips, he leans in again to kiss me.

This time, my hands try to push him away. But before I can move my hands that much, he already gets them taken care off by circling each of his hands around my elbows, holding me still. His lips devour mind once again, hungrier and harsher. Then he pulls away after quite a longer time than before to lick my lips all over again.

Unlike before, though, I can taste him this time.

The smell of Juniper flower.

It's difficult to describe his smell in words, but he has a slightly pungent smell ─ somewhat reminiscent of pine. The like alcohol, the smell of gin is largely the smell of him.

Intoxicating ─ with no pun intended to exaggerate it, because I think I can drawn myself in the smell. It is a forbidden nectar. I don't think I can ever pull away again unless he will.

I've blocked him. But I think I slipped. That's the only reason why I can taste his fragrance. I've become so weak after being hit by it. I don't think I can ever think clearly again after this. His hands are all over me, and his lips just seem to want more and more of my skin. His scent is so powerful that I can't even think or try of breaking free from his grip....

I gaps in shock, choking by myself when the third time he kisses me that he slips his tongue inside my mouth. I feel something just slip my hold, and then I can feel him freeze in front of me.

He pulls away and says, "That scent.... Can it be that you're...."

There is an emotion rushing to surface in his deep blue framed blue mist eyes now ─ disbelieve. I want to ask him what is he talking about, before something seems to be awaken in his eyes and he brutally attacks me with kisses that are rougher and more demanding than before. I don't have time to gasp for air. He already sucks everything from me.

I try to fight him again, because it seems like the most rational thing left to do. If I don't, I'll die out of breath.

When I do, thought, the man reacts by pressing his lower part to me, contacting his wet hardness against my core.

I moan in surprise.

He kisses me some more before he finally find the power to pull away. I think that's the reason why his breaths are so long and heavy, just like mine. Unlike him, though, I feel dizzy because he almost suffocates me.

"I can't wait to put you on my bed, Catalia," he says before pulling me out from the underground dungeon, while I am still too dizzy and shock to do anything.

Both of our smells are still lingering thickly around our bodies when we walk out by the shrieking of a metal door behind. His intoxicating Juniper fragrance is strong, and my faint White Rose scent that I just let it slipped accidentally.

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