Demon's Curse

Arianna stared ahead, her eyes narrowed in defiance. Her family had been captured and brought to a trading post; they were trapped. There were four of them altogether; her younger brother, her parents, and herself. She looked around, trying to find some sort of exit. Trees surrounded the area like a mouth waiting to devour, inviting her in with the darkness. There were tents lined in the distance as well 4 different lines of humans, each looking bleaker than the last. "What is your name?" The trader growled, his dark, reflective eyes narrowed at Arianna menacingly. His fangs glistened with saliva under the pale moonlight, causing his face to become more monster-like. Arianna stared him down, her lips curled into a smirk. There was no way she would give in easily. She was, after all, taught to do as such. "I asked you a question!" Arianna felt the sting of a hand meeting her face and flew across the field with force. Her back hit a metal barricade with a loud "oomph." and the air was forced from her body, leaving her gasping. Her father yelled in protest, struggling to break free as he was held back by another trader. She began to stand, her body still shaky from impact. Arianna was sure she would bruise but she didn't care, that was the least of her concerns. Arianna scanned over the other humans that were in line, searching, before she found her little brother, Connor. As his brown eyes filled with fear bore into her, She felt this anger and hatred boil in her being. Her back throbbed and screamed but she paid it no mind. Adrenaline was coursing through her veins, egging her on. Arianna began to run towards her brother, ready to free him so he could run. Moments after she pushed herself from the barricade, She was snatched up, her breath once again being forced from her body. The traders laughed and yanked Connor out of the line, pushing him to the ground as one of them began to step on his head. Arianna screeched as she wriggled against the trader that held her flush against his body. "Simply comply with us and he will stop little one." His voice dripped with venom, slicing through the air. Connor began to scream, clawing at the boots that pressed against his face, threatening to crush him. His screams were blood-curdling and it broke Arianna's very will. She could feel her heart shattering into a million pieces as his screams reverberated in her ears. Her breath quivered before she hung her head in defeat. "Arianna Frey." She hissed through clenched teeth. Connor's life was more important than her pride. The man smirked and waved a hand to the other. She watched as Connor was dragged towards the line beside her parents, his head hung low. The trader jerked her before a table where there were stacks of papers. "How old are you?" Arianna remained silent, only for a moment before she replied. "Twenty-four." She whispered, glaring at the trader. "Good, Human." He purred, his fangs glistening in the moonlight. She sneered at the creature before her eyes fell upon her brother. It was heartbreaking, seeing Connor so broken. He stood beside their parents, tears streaming down his face. A large boot print lined his cheek and blood stained his mouth, reminding her of what was at stake. Arianna clenched her fists and glared at the ground. It was to be expected, he was just a kid, no matter his strength. "Come here." As Arianna was pulled away from the table, she looked behind her and saw her parent's heads held high. She grinned but quickly winced as her finger was pricked with a needle. Arianna was about to pull her hand away from it but her index finger was pressed against a sheet of paper with her information. She and Connor had been born off the radar. It only made sense for them to do this but it still angered her. She hated being treated like dirt. Arianna was relieved to be brought back towards the line but the trader took an abrupt left, leading her away from her family. Arianna screamed and thrashed against him but naturally, he was much stronger than her. "Ari!" Her brother called out, suddenly struggling against his restraints to get to her. Arianna's face was flooded with tears as she scratched at the trader's arms, trying with every ounce of her strength to get free. Connor was held back by their parents but their screams were met with equal ferocity. She didn't want to be separated from her brother. At least she'd be sane with him around! "Connor!" She sobbed and thrashed harder. As the trader went to adjust his hold on her, she tore herself away and ran towards her family, her breathing ragged and heavy. Upon reaching them, she grasped them tightly to her body, shaking and scared. "Just go, Arianna." Her father whispered, kissing her forehead. " No, I can't leave you! I can't leave Connor!" Connor held onto Arianna for dear life, begging her to stay with him. "I love you." was the last thing she heard from her family before pain flooded her body and she was enveloped by blackness. - It was all a nightmare. It had to be. Arianna blinked slowly; her body felt heavy, almost as if she was being held down by her weight. Voices filled her ears, causing a massive headache to ensue. Her brows furrowed together in confusion. Where was she? They were human voices, she could recognize that much. "Oh! She's waking!" A warm, gentle hand brushed along her cheek. It was as if the person was trying to bring her to. Arianna opened her eyes, finding a girl no older than seventeen standing above her. "Hi." The girl whispered gently, tucking hair behind Arianna's ear. Arianna jumped and pushed herself away from the strange girl. Her heart began to thud, threatening to burst from her chest. Anxiety began to fill her body. "Do you know where you are?" Arianna frowned and shook her head, slowly sitting up. Her head pounded and she felt dizzy. It made her incredibly nauseous. Once she was able to get some sort of control of her vertigo, she looked around. She was in a large room filled with girls. Most of them appeared to be around the age of ten. Bright lights lined the ceiling, causing her head to pound even more as she looked. The room itself was damp and the air felt heavy. As her gaze moved to the floor, she saw a tracking bracelet wrapped around her ankle. "Damn it!" She yelled, tugging at the device angrily. Her teeth grit together in frustration. "Hey, calm down. You'll cause the traders to come." The girls surrounding them froze, their eyes wide in fear. Arianna gruffed and muttered a few curse words. "Where are we?" She asked finally, her green eyes meeting perfect blue ones. "A trading center." Arianna frowned but then it clicked. She was separated from her family, they were captured. "Oh god." She whispered and rubbed her face, tears welling up in her eyes. "You must've been a struggle if they had to put you under." The blue-eyed girl stated, studying Arianna closely. Arianna ignored the girl and finally gathered the strength to stand, her eyes raking along with the room once again for an exit. It was obvious just by looking that there were none. "You have no idea," Arianna whispered, mostly to herself. "I noticed you are pretty dark. Were you a rogue?" The blue-eyed girl wrapped an arm around Arianna, keeping her steady. Arianna smirked at the name. A rogue was quite fitting. That is exactly what her family were, Rogues. "Yes. I've been one my whole life." She explained and the girls gasped, crawling closer. "What's it like? Outside of here?" A little girl asked, her little eyes filled with life. Arianna chuckled softly. "It's peaceful. You can do whatever you want, it's-." Arianna trailed off, smiling. The girls grinned ear to ear as they listened. "How did you survive?" One asked curiously, eyes wide. "My parents built a cabin and we all survived on nature." All the girls seemed to be filled with life now and it gave Arianna some semblance of joy. "Angelica Fitzgerald!" A trader called, his eyes scanning the room with disgust before settling on Arianna, a small smirk tugging at his lips. A young girl, maybe eight years old, walked out through a rusted metal door. Her head was down and her shoulders were shaking. "This is horrible," Arianna whispered. "How could they do this?" The blue-eyed girl shrugged and looked away. "I'm Leila, by the way." She introduced, dismissing the trading. It was odd to Arianna. They all were so nonchalant about the entire process and yet they were also scared of the traders. "I'm Arianna." She rubbed her arm, feeling a small bump from where the drugs were administered. Looking down once again, she finally took notice that someone had changed her out of her old clothes and put her in a simple summer dress. She groaned and shook her head. "God, they are sick." She hissed in disgust and paced the room, still trying to find an escape. "They have the whole place rigged with cameras and guards," Leila explained. "They're fast too. You won't make it past the door." Arianna scoffed. "No offense but I'm quicker than you city girls." Leila frowned for a moment. "You know, maybe you could teach me." Arianna raised an eyebrow. "Teach you what?" Leila grinned, her blue eyes sparkling with mischief. "How to be a rogue." Arianna laughed. "They'll never allow you out, sweetie." Leila moved in front of Arianna, a determined look in her eyes. "They are required by law to allow us out for at least two hours in a twenty-four hour period. There is plenty of time for you to teach me. I could ask to write to you and we can organize times. They allow us slaves some social time." Arianna furrowed her brows. Since she had never been to the city before, she knew nothing. Maybe she could learn from Leila and in return, she'd teach her. "Fine-" she began, her voice soft. Leila beamed and nodded. "But only you." Leila nodded giddily and looked around the room, her eyes scanning over the girls. A few more names were called and the trader's gaze found Arianna. "Arianna Frey." His voice was icy. Arianna rolled her eyes at the trader and looked at Leila. "Be sure to contact me." Leila reminded. With a curt nod, Arianna left, following the trader down a dimly lit hall. "Rogue, huh? This will be very interesting." Arianna gave a nasty look but remained silent, following the man. She scanned the walls for a possible escape but it was impossible. Guards stood near every exit, their dead eyes set on Arianna with hatred and hunger. "Identify yourself." A guard demanded, his black eyes boring into Arianna relentlessly. "Arianna Frey." He looked through his tablet and nodded. "Thanks." The trader said as the guard took her. He didn't reply nor did he even nod. Arianna exhaled and looked at the creature. He was buff, to say the least. He must've enjoyed working out before he was turned. Arianna looked down in defeat. Escaping him wouldn't be easy, at all. A door opened and she was led to a platform. When she stepped onto it, cuffs snapped tightly around her ankles and she yelped, trying to yank her feet free. "Stop moving," The creature commanded, his black eyes boring into her. With a huff, she ceased. No use arguing there, not with a room full of blood-suckers surrounding her. Once he was out of sight, the lights on the platform dimmed and a man began to speak, telling the audience what little they had on her. - - Arianna was dragged from the platform, struggling to keep up with the guard. She grunted and resisted against him as his grip tightened. The blood-sucker brought her to a small room, shoved her in, and slammed the door shut. Silence. That's all that filled the room beside her heavy breathing and the faint noise of the auctioneer's voice. Dark wallpaper decorated the walls and a small, luxurious couch sat in the middle of the room and that was it. It was a boring room, to say the least. A hand suddenly touched her shoulder and she gasped pulling away. It was cold, dead. Her gaze was met with piercing green eyes that were glinting in the dark. "You are going to be fun." The creature purred, pulling Arianna close to his body. She shivered in disgust and tried to pull away. How dare he touch her with his filthy hands! It was revolting! He growled and gripped her forearm tighter. "You are going to sit here and take whatever is given to you like a good little slave. If not-" he trailed off and grinned sadistically, the faint lighting flashing along with his wet fangs. The creature trailed a nail along her throat, eliciting a sharp hiss from Arianna. Blood trickled down her throat and she shivered. She watched him as he licked his finger, the smile never once leaving his lips. "Sebastian, leave her be." A voice echoed in the room and Sebastian grunted. "She tastes so good though, Brother." He whined and licked Arianna's neck for good measure before shoving her onto her knees. Pain flashed through her body like electricity and she winced at impact. If only she could have him alone, she would drive a stake straight through his un-beating heart! A figure approached Arianna and held out his hand. She looked up in confusion. Was he helping her? She stared at his hand with disgust before she was pulled up anyway, bringing her flush against the other creature. He was attractive... for a vampire. His brother was just plain terrifying. Arianna clenched her jaw, seeing Sebastian pace around them. While Sebastian had dirty blonde hair, this one had deep brown messy hair that curled at the nape of his neck. He had hazel eyes that were bright with life, which was ironic considering their condition. His features were kind whereas Sebastian's were sharp. "Pay my brother no mind," his gaze swept over to Sebastian. "He has no respect for my property." Arianna grunted and glared at the man. How dare he call her his property! She belonged to no one! Sebastian laughed and stood behind Arianna closely. "But she is lower than dirt, dear Brother. Why should a little maggot be shown respect?" He jabbed a bony finger into her spine and she hissed in pain. "Lord Nicholas, Lord Sebastian, your cars are ready for your departure." A guard spoke quickly before leaving the room. Sebastian chuckled and waved Nicholas down. "I'll see you at home, Brother." With that, he was gone. Nicholas visibly relaxed and grabbed Arianna's wrist. "We leave."