three
1035 Words
"...How do I know you're telling the truth?"
A rough voice drifted through the darkness.
"What if the girl isn't worth anything?"
"I told you," another voice replied confidently. "She's worth far more than you can imagine. Have i ever brought the wrong thing to you"
Abigail's head throbbed, every heartbeat sending another wave of pain through her skull.
She tried to focus on the voices, but they sounded distant, as though she were underwater.
"...You'll regret wasting my time if you're lying."
"You won't."
That second voice and her heart skipped when she recognised the voice. Brian.
The memories came crashing back and her eyes snapped open onky to be met with complete darkness. A deep frown immediately settled on her face.
Where was she?
She blinked repeatedly, but nothing changed, she couldn't see a thing.
A sharp ache spread through the back of her neck as she tried to move, the pain increasing, then the resistance.
Her wrists were bound tightly behind her back and hr ankles too.
The rough ropes dug painfully into her skin every time she struggled. panic seized her.
"No..."
She pulled harder but the ropes refused to budge.
"I'm tied up..."
Her breathing became uneven when she realised that it wasn't a nightmare, it was real.
Brian... Why? Why would he do this?
She replayed every conversation they'd ever had, every smile and every kind word, had all of it been fake? Her stomach twisted.
She wanted answers, Instead...She had ropes around her wrists.
Outside, the voices continued.
"I'm taking your word for it," the stranger said.
"But if she turns out to be worthless..."
A cold laugh answered him.
"I promise she won't."
Abigail froze.Worthless? What were they talking about?
Then another memory surfaced, he had said he wanted her. She frowned, why her of all people? she was a nobody who tried her best to avoid situations like this. She was just...
Her thoughts stopped and the realization struck like ice water. Yes, she was a nobody, someone no one would look for or ask questions about, that made her an easy target. She had been blinded by his beautiful smile, she grimaced when she remembered how his eyes had changed into slits. He was definitely not human.
They weren't just arguing, they were bargaining over her.
A lump formed in her throat.
"No..."
She squeezed her eyes shut.
"There has to be some mistake."
She had never hurt anyone, she barely had friends. She simply went to college, worked two jobs, paid her rent. How had her life turned into this overnight?
She swallowed the sob threatening to escape.
No, crying wouldn't help, she needed to think, she needed to survive.
Silence settled outside and Several long minutes passed before she heard footsteps, someone was coming.
Each step grew louder until it stopped directly in front of her.
Abigail held her breath, she couldn't see whoever it was, she only felt their presence.
"You don't look like much."
A raspy male voice spoke inches from her face.
"Pretty...but ordinary."
Something brushed against her cheek and she flinched violently.
"Don't touch me!"
The man chuckled and instead of answering, he untied the cloth covering her eyes.
Bright light flooded her vision and she squeezed her eyes shut before slowly opening them again.
The room came into focus and it was little more than a crude wooden shed.
The man standing before her looked as though he hadn't bathed in weeks.
His clothes were filthy and his beard unkempt, his yellowed teeth curling into an unsettling grin. Yet...his eyes were breathtaking.
A vivid blue unlike anything she'd ever seen, ahe found herself staring.
The man noticed this and his grin widened.
"Fell for them, didn't you?"
The brilliant blue vanished and in the blink of an eye, they became dull brown.
Abigail gasped.
"What..."
He laughed.
"I thought humans couldn't tell."
Her pulse quickened.
"You're..."
"A shapeshifter?"
He completed for her and nodded proudly.
"That's right."
Abigail looked away, she'd encountered supernatural creatures before, just never one standing this close.
"Come on."
He crouched to untie the ropes around her ankles.
"Time to see whether your seller was honest."
Seller. The word made her stomach churn.
He left her wrists bound before hauling her roughly to her feet, her legs wobbling beneath her.
She'd barely regained her balance when he shoved her toward the door ans sunlight blinded her again.
She stepped outside and froze. She wasn't in a city or even near one.
Tall trees stretched endlessly in every direction and small wooden huts were scattered throughout the clearing looked hastily built.
Smoke drifted into the air and dozens of people moved from one stall to another.
Some looked human, others...Didn't.
A woman with golden eyes argued over the price of something wrapped in chains, while a man with curved horns laughed while exchanging a pouch of coins.
Creatures she'd only ever caught fleeting glimpses of in dark alleys now walked openly as if this were perfectly normal. Her breath caught.
This wasn't a village or some sort of camp, it was a market. A market hidden deep inside the forest and the merchandise...were people.
A few feet away stood three young women with ropes binding their wrists, their expressions were empty and hopeless.
One stared at the ground while nother silently cried.
The third looked straight ahead, as though she'd already accepted whatever fate awaited her.
"No..." Abigail whispered.
A man grabbed her arm before she could move and without a word, he dragged her toward the other girls and tied her rope to theirs. The knot was pulled tight.
"There."
He stepped away and abigail looked from one frightened face to another.
"Please..."
Her voice shook.
"Can someone tell me where we are?"
None of them answered, not because they didn't hear but because they were too afraid to speak.
A cold dread settled deep inside Abigail's chest. she still didn't know why Brian had betrayed her.
She didn't know who wanted her or why she'd been brought here ;ut one thing had become painfully clear.
She was in a deep mess and had to find a freaking way to get out of it
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