Master

Chapter Twelve

"Get up!" a voice yelled, awaking me from my slumber. I opened my eyes and saw one of the auction house workers standing in the doorway. I sighed. Today was the auction.

I got up off of the cold floor and followed him to the dining hall. There were probably around ten other girls sitting at the table in silence. We were provided with small servings of fruit. That was all the food we would be getting until we were sold.

"Okay, ladies," Kris began as he walked into the room. "I'm sure you all know the routine. Make yourself look halfway decent for the audience, because whoever doesn't get sold," he looked right at me with a smirk on his face, sending chills down my spine. "Will be mine."

I hated the thought of belonging to Kris. I hated the thought of what he'd do to me. I hated the situation I was in.

After breakfast, I started getting ready. I brushed my hair, washed my face, and changed into some clean clothes. Some girls did their makeup, but it was too much of a hassle for me, not to mention that I had never actually learned how to apply everything correctly.

Midday, the workers gathered up all the people who were to be auctioned off. It was time.

We all waited backstage for the auction to start. A woman came around and gave us stickers with numbers on them that told us what order we were going in. I was first in line.

The auction started, and I stepped out onto the stage. Hundreds of eyes looked me up and down. The silence was deafening.

The emcee announced all my information before adding, "She may not look it, but this girl's a fighter. Let's start the bidding at fifteen thousand dollars."

Fighter? Kris must have told him to say that. Masters didn't usually enjoy fighters.

"Twenty thousand," someone called out. I recognized that voice.

It was Xiumin.

"Thirty thousand," someone else yelled. I saw Xiumin glare at them.

That one point, someone else started bidding as well, but they quit when the bidding got to a hundred thousand.

Xiumin placed his final offer. "One ninety."

"Two hundred thousand," the other one said. The crowd went silent. My heart sunk.

"Two hundred thousand going once... going twice... Sold! To Prince Kai!"

I was escorted off the stage, but the words still rang in my head. Prince Kai? Was I really sold to royalty? Well, at least I didn't end up with Kris.

After a few minutes, a man came walking back stage. His blond hair and expensive looking attire made it obvious that he was royalty, or at least of nobility.

"Excuse me, sir," a woman said. "You're not suppose to be back here. If you're here for a slave, claiming takes place after all the slaves have been sold."

"I'm fully aware of that," he told the woman. "But I'm not sure you know who I am."

"I'm sorry, but there are no-"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his ID card. That shut the woman up very quickly. She gulped.

"Which slave did you buy?"

"The first one," he answered.

"Oh, yes," the woman said nervously. She pointed in my direction. "She's the one with the curly hair over there."

He nodded and headed in my direction. We locked eyes for a moment before he said, "Follow me, Inell." He turned around and began walking away. I quickly stood up and began following behind him.