Call Me Master

All I've ever wanted out of life is simplicity. I've never wanted to see my name in lights, I've never wanted riches, and I've never even wanted love. I only wanted simplicity, but that became the furthest thing in the world to me the night my mother died at the hands of my father when I was seventeen years old. How so? Well, it's a pretty f*cked up thing to have to tell people that your father was a jealous man who willingly cheated on your beautiful mother with an ugly, snaggle-toothed b*tch, and even more so to admit that he murdered your mother because he envied her new and improved life with another man. Here we are, though! Dad went to prison for life, and left town for good! I ended up crashing on a friend's couch in a little town about seventy miles away, and all was well for a while – or at least as well as it could've been, given the messed-up circumstances I unfortunately found myself under. About a month passed by before my friend finally told me of a place called the Center; apparently, it was a God-send – a place where wayward girls aged eighteen to twenty-three lived to keep themselves off the streets and out of trouble – and it's also where the most exhilarating chapter in my life truly began. ***** It was a cool, crisp morning and I was enjoying the soft, gentle breeze that was accompanying me downtown on my search for the Center. With a vague description from my friend and little to no help from the passersby, I was basically on my own trying to find the place. About thirty minutes or so later, I finally stumbled upon it! For a short while, I just sat on the front steps with sweaty palms and a lump in my throat, trying hard to gather myself and my fleeting courage enough to brave the unknown and push the door open. After managing to pull myself together, I let myself inside and instantly locked eyes with those of the Director, Ms. Hannigan; she was wearing one of those kind, motherly smiles which reminded me so much of my own mother! Right off the bat, we introduced ourselves to each other, then we trudged upstairs to her office for a lengthy discussion and an incredibly-ugly cry. Afterwards, she led me down the hallway to a vacant room at the end – my new room! Even though I didn't know the woman from Adam, she helped me in so many ways that day, including bailing on her Assistant Director to drive me back to my friend's place so that I could pack my things. All in all, I just knew that we were at the beginning of a long, beautiful friendship. The years passed by (six of them, to be exact) and I flourished in my new environment with my new friends and family. After the Assistant Director abruptly quit on Ms. Hannigan, I took on many responsibilities around the Center; I guess you could say I took over the role of Assistant by the time I was twenty-three. While the other girls my age were making preparations to leave the nest, I was working side by side with Ms. Hannigan doing ... well … anything she asked of me! One evening during deep conversation, she told me she'd been thinking of retiring and that she was gonna need someone to officially take over when that time came about. She didn't beat around the bush about it at all – she offered me the future position, and I gladly accepted it! Over the next four years, I managed to make a good life for myself, and I loved the girls that came and went as if they were my sisters – the sisters that my parents never had. Despite how good things were going for me, though, my life took a drastic turn one sunny, beautiful, mid-October afternoon. ***** I was down in the kitchen supervising the girls as they were cooking lunch when I heard the front door open. I didn't typically interact with the potential newcomers because Ms. Hannigan preferred to do that, which in all honesty was fine by me! Excusing myself, I headed up the stairwell at the rear of the kitchen that led to the end of the upstairs hallway, which was directly across from my room. I barged inside and gathered a stack of papers that had been strewn across my little desk then headed down the hall towards Ms. Hannigan's office, but as I was walking along, I began to hear low voices having what sounded like a heated conversation. When I reached the door, I paused briefly, determining the voices to most definitely be coming from behind it. With my heart racing and my senses on high alert, I pushed open the door and shuffled inside, annoyed that goosebumps were spreading across my skin despite the fact that the lady always kept her office warm; I felt like I couldn't breathe properly, either, which also bugged me! The conversation came to an abrupt halt as two sets of eyes wandered over to me, the more penetrating of the two belonging to the handsome man sitting in the chair opposite Ms. Hannigan. Now he was a fine specimen of a man with his piercing, icy-blue eyes and brown, tousled hair. He had the perfect amount of facial hair along his sharp jawline, and his skin was smooth, flawless, and pale – not pale like a sheet of printer paper or anything, but pale nonetheless. Vampire, I silently assumed, and when our eyes locked, I swear I saw something flash in his; I just couldn't decipher exactly what it was. Averting my gaze, I huffed out a breath then turned my attention to Ms. Hannigan. "My apologies for interrupting, Ma'am," I said. "I'm just gonna file these for you and be on my way. “It's quite alright, Darling," she replied. "I wanted to introduce you to someone anyway." She rounded the desk then took my hand into hers and squeezed it like she was trying to convey something important to me. "Darling, this is Master Dane Ambrose Hale, and he's in town on business today." She's lying to me! Why's she doing that? Avoiding my questioning eyes, she pressed on. "Master Hale, this is Harper Faye Hollins, my protégé and my friend. She's like a daughter to me, really. I certainly love her like one, anyway." Beaming at her praise, I offered the Master my hand to shake, but instead of shaking it, he brought it to his lips in true old-school fashion and kissed it. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Harper," he said. "Allison's had nothing but good things to say about you to me." Wait a minute! Why am I the topic of discussion here? "Well, that's a relief!" I replied sarcastically, weirded out because the vampire was holding onto my hand for a bit longer than what I felt was necessary, all the while never averting his gaze. There was something captivating about those eyes of his! They were simply beautiful, along with the rest of him. I tugged my hand from his grip then went on with my business placing the paperwork where it belonged, practically feeling his gaze burning into my flesh as I mosied about. "Lunch is almost ready, Ma'am. The girls made Pasta Primavera today," I mentioned to Ms. Hannigan as I headed toward the door, smiling when I met and held the Master's piercing gaze. Moments of uncomfortable silence later, I crossed the threshold then turned to look over my shoulder at the man. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Master Hale," I told him sweetly, then I promptly pulled the door closed without giving him the slightest opportunity to reply. With my back pressed firmly against the wall, I released a shaky, relieved breath and took a moment to gather my thoughts. The conversation started back up within seconds, letting me know that whatever they were discussing was something they clearly didn't want to do within my earshot. I tried to listen in, but since I couldn't decipher their exchange of words, I shrugged it all off and went back to my room, locking my door behind myself once there. I popped my earpods into my ears as I eased onto my bed, then I closed my eyes, relaxed back, and completely lost myself in my playlist. Time passed slowly – so slowly that I didn't realize I'd dozed off until a soft knock at the door jerked me awake. "Just a sec," I yelled, hopping up to scramble to the door. "We need to talk, Harper," Ms. Hannigan's soft voice called back. My smile dropped as I opened the door and registered the woman's pale features; in all honesty, she looked like she'd just seen a ghost or something! "What's going on, Ms. Hannigan?" I asked, visibly concerned about her state of being. "Just let me in, Darling," she pleaded. Man, she sounds serious! I ushered her inside and shut the door behind her, then she took a seat on my bed and patted the space beside her, gesturing for me to sit. Anticipation washed over me then, causing my mind to race a hundred miles an hour as I grabbed a box of tissues and took my place beside her. She grabbed my hand as she began to speak, but she quickly turned her face away in an obvious fight to mask her tears and gain her composure. In response, I began fidgeting with the hem of my shorts with my free hand – an action I usually performed whenever I was anxious or nervous. She blew out a shaky breath as she grabbed a tissue from the box, then she turned her focus back to me. "I'm afraid I have some news for you, Darling," she sniffled, "but I don't quite know how to break it to you gently. You know you've been much more to me over the years than just my assistant, right? You've been a reliable confidant and a wonderful friend – someone whom I truly adore and respect ... which is why this is killing me..." There's that look again. I hate that look! "What's going on, Ms. Hannigan?" I asked point-blank. She paused to dab at her eyes, inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly in the process. "The Center is tanking financially, as you already know, so I made a decision today regarding its future," she explained, though I suspected she wasn't being a hundred percent honest with me. "You know I just can't manage to keep things afloat on my own anymore, Harper, which is affecting my retirement plans. I hate that it's come to this here, but I was just given an offer that I … I just cannot refuse…" As her words trailed off, she snapped her head toward my window. "I won't beat around the bush about it, Harper," she murmured. "You're leaving." I was completely stunned! She was so blunt, it nearly made jaw hit the f*cking floor! Suddenly, she wrapped her arms tightly around me and began to stroke my head, smoothing my hair down as her hand slowly glided along. "I'm so sorry, Darling," she cried, but truthfully, I didn't wanna hear whatever bullshit excuse she was trying to throw at me. Apart from trying to register the bomb she dropped, my mind went back to that heated conversation between her and the vampire Master, the way the man kept looking at me, and whatever it was that I briefly saw in his eyes each time they lingered for too long. "Well, I'll give you some space and time to pack your things," she announced, dabbing her eyes with the tissue she was holding. "The Master will be here to collect you later." Wait, WHAT? The f*cking Master?! Although I begged them not to, my eyes began to water as they followed her every movement toward the door. Pausing for a moment to look over her shoulder at me, she offered me a small, sad smile then pulled the door closed behind her. With the sharp sting of betrayal hitting my gut like a ton of bricks, I crashed onto my bed then grabbed a pillow and screamed every obscenity under the sun into it. I couldn't stop myself at that point, breaking down into raw, unfiltered sobs – the kind you just don't give a sh*t whether anybody else hears or not. What could I have even done, anyway? Call the police? HA! In this upside-down world where supernaturals are far superior to human beings, calling the police is absolutely pointless! In this world, a vampire can claim a human as his or her own, and the human has no choice but to accept it! The cops would do nothing but laugh us off if we were to call and complain about such a thing! Those teams of supernaturals don't like us, and we "stupid naturals" have a general distrust of them! After a lengthy emotional release, I grabbed my bags and began packing my things, screaming internally all the while until a faint yet familiar male voice coming from just outside my room managed to break through my muddled thoughts and startle me. "Is she ready yet? I don't have much more time to waste," the man grumbled in reference to me, clearly annoyed. "She should be, Sir," the voice of Whatshername – I mean, Ms. Hannigan – answered. "And please, Sir, do treat her well. She's such a genuine soul, and after all she's done for me, she deserves that much." "Rest assured, I wouldn't dream of anything less, Madam," replied the vampire. In that moment I could practically picture his smug expression, and the tension that accompanied it was almost tangible. "Don't you worry about her, Allison. She couldn't possibly be in any safer hands than mine," he assured her in return. "Yeah fuckin' right," I muttered under my breath, snorting and rolling my eyes to the ceiling and back. Mere moments later, a tap on my shoulder made me jump damn-near out of my skin, sending the pile of panties I was holding flying about. Instantly aware of the tall, foreboding shadow leering behind me, I turned my head slightly then looked upward and met the bright, piercing-blue gaze of the handsome vampire Master. "You know … for such a pretty girl, you sure have a dirty mouth," he said in an almost-teasing manner. Indeed I do, vampire! Indeed I do! "Shouldn't be listening so hard then," I snapped through gritted teeth. It was rude, sure, but I didn't really care! With annoyance flashing in his eyes, he silently watched me go about picking up my panties and stuff them into a bag one-by-one. "Gonna watch me pack my sh*t, too?" I harshly spat. Saying nothing in return, he plopped down onto my bed and made himself comfortable, keeping his eyes intensely fixed on me all the while. After I finished packing my clothes, I barged into my bathroom to begin packing my toiletries, glaring at the smirking Master as I slammed the door behind myself. After a while, I left the bathroom with my toiletry bags slung over my shoulder, intrigued to find the Master studying the pictures of myself and my friends that adorned the walls. "Are you finished?" he asked, his eyes fixed heavily upon the picture of my mother and myself. "Nope, but do I really have a choice in the matter?" I snapped. Smirking back, he gestured to the door, then proceeded toward it and slipped into the hall a moment later. Completely sullen, I took a final look around the room in which I'd spent the last ten years of my life, huffing out a deep-seeded sigh as fear slowly began to creep into my mind. This is it. This is goodbye. Glaring at both the Master and the woman standing alongside him in the hallway, I slammed my door shut then made my way toward them, pausing only a moment to look past them before I decided to turn and sprint down the back stairwell. As I ran through the kitchen, the girls called to me with concern laced in their voices. Registering their cries, I jerked to a halt. "I'll be alright, you guys," I tried to reassure them. "Just mind your manners and make good choices, okay?" As their sniffles and protests filled my ears, I grabbed the nearest girl and wrapped her in a tight embrace then gestured for the others to close in on us. This is really it. This is really goodbye. I shushed their cries as I pulled away from them, then I worked my way to the kitchen's entrance and proceeded toward the front door of the Center, surprised to see that the Master and Ms. Hannigan were already waiting for me there with my belongings in a large pile at their feet. Slowly at first, Ms. Hannigan closed the distance between us and wrapped me tightly in her arms, tenderly kissing the top of my head like a mother would her child. Words escaped me then, and even though every fiber of my being was screaming at her, all I could do was return her hug even more fiercely. All too soon, the clearing of the Master's throat broke our embrace. With fear written all over her face, Ms. Hannigan's eyes repeatedly darted between the Master's and mine. "Please take care of her, Sir, and please don't make her be a stranger to me," she begged with her hands clasped together in true pleading fashion. Smiling wide in return like the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland, the Master looked me over then turned his gaze to Ms. Hannigan. "Believe me, Madam, she's in good hands," he assured her, then he took hold of my arm and led me down the front steps towards a Mercedes that was idling in the driveway. Almost instantly, a sharp-dressed man wearing a nice suit, a slick pair of shoes, and an old-school Stetson stepped out of the driver's seat and walked around to open the door for me. "Miss," he greeted as he shuffled past me, then he grabbed a few of my bags from inside and gently placed them in the trunk, whistling to himself as he worked. Sighing internally, I looked back at the Center one last time and shook my head with much disdain, then I slid into the back passenger seat and shut my door. After the Master took his place behind the suit-clad driver, the car pulled away and taxied down the street slowly. Cautiously. "So…," I curtly huffed, "where are we off to? Got some castle on a hill where you plan to chain me up and do … God only knows what to me?" Snapping his full attention to me, he flashed a fang and answered, "We're off to my manor, pet – your new home."