Untitled Episode
1287 Words
Mira Pov
I didn't know how long I'd been standing there.
At some point, I'd stopped paying attention to time completely.
The auction kept moving whether I watched it or not. One girl would disappear through a side door, another would be brought onto the stage, and the same routine would start all over again. Different faces, different prices. Same outcome.
The worst part wasn't even the bidding anymore.
It was how normal everyone acted.
The people sitting in those seats weren't behaving like they were doing something terrible. Nobody looked guilty. Nobody looked uncomfortable, some of them were talking quietly among themselves between lots. Others were drinking from crystal glasses brought by attendants who moved through the aisles like they were serving guests at some expensive event.
As if there wasn't a stage in front of them.
As if there weren't actual human beings being sold one after another.
I leaned slightly closer to the opening in the wall, trying to understand what kind of people filled a place like this. Rich people, obviously powerful people too. That much was easy to see.
Even from here, I could tell most of them were used to getting whatever they wanted, there was a confidence about them that reminded me of customers who came into the diner and snapped their fingers when they wanted coffee. The difference was that those customers usually left a bad tip.
These people looked like they could buy the diner.
The town too, probably. A girl stepped onto the stage. She couldn't have been much older than me.The announcer read from a screen while she stood under the spotlight trying not to look terrified. She failed.I could see her hands shaking from there.
The audience noticed too.
A man in the front row said something to the person beside him and both of them laughed.
I felt my stomach turn.
"Disgusting," I muttered.
Nobody heard me.
Or maybe nobody cared. The bidding started a few seconds later.I looked away.I couldn't do anything for her and that was the truth I kept running into every few minutes.
I couldn't help the girls on stage.
I couldn't help myself.
I didn't even know where I was.
The feeling sat heavily in my chest. The kind that makes it hard to breathe properly. A sudden shift in the room pulled my attention back. At first, I couldn't figure out what had changed.
The auction was still happening.
The announcer was still talking, people were still sitting in their seats. And yet something felt different. Then I noticed the staff.
Several of them had straightened almost immediately.
One attendant who had been speaking quietly near the stage stopped mid-conversation.
Another moved aside quickly as someone entered from the main doors. The reaction wasn't dramatic. That was what made it noticeable. Nobody announced anything and nobody stood up.Nobody made a scene, but people noticed.
Heads turned.
Conversations stopped.
Eyes followed. The change spread through the room in small waves until almost everyone seemed aware of the newcomer. Curious despite myself, I shifted position slightly, the angle wasn't great from where I stood, but I managed to catch a glimpse.
A man.
Tall.
Broad shoulders.
Dark clothing.
He moved through the room without rushing, and somehow that made everyone else seem rushed by comparison.
The people around him stepped aside naturally.
Not because they were told to. Because they wanted to. That alone made my skin prickle. The man eventually took a seat near the front. Not the center.
Not the most obvious position.
And yet somehow the entire room felt arranged around him.
I frowned.
Who was he?
One of the staff members hurried past behind me. Another followed. Then another.
Their movements had become noticeably quicker.
Whatever was happening, it had something to do with him.
The auction continued, but even I could tell the energy had shifted. The announcer seemed more careful now. The staff seemed more alert.
Even some of the bidders looked distracted.
Like they were waiting. The girl currently on stage finished her presentation and was led away. Another followed. Then another. The man never spoke.
At least not that I could hear. He simply watched. And somehow that was worse. Something about him made me uneasy. Not because he looked dangerous.I couldn't even see him properly. It was the way everyone else reacted.
The way the atmosphere bent around him.
The way nobody seemed willing to ignore his presence.
The woman who had overseen my preparation earlier appeared nearby. She was carrying the same tablet as always.
For the first time since meeting her, she looked stressed.
Actually stressed.
She kept checking the screen every few seconds while speaking quietly into a communication device clipped near her collar. That immediately got my attention.
Up until now, every employee in this place had acted like a robot.
Calm.
Controlled.
Predictable.
Seeing one of them rattled felt strange.
The woman stopped near another staff member.
Their conversation wasn't meant for me, but the hallway carried sound surprisingly well.
"Has it been confirmed?" the other person asked.
"Not yet."
"We're running out of time."
"I know."
The woman rubbed her forehead briefly.
"We're still waiting."
Waiting for what?
I strained to hear more. Unfortunately, they lowered their voices after that.A moment later they disappeared down the corridor.I sighed in frustration. Everything in this place felt like half of a conversation. Bits and pieces.
Fragments.
Enough to make me curious but never enough to actually understand anything. The auction floor remained visible through the opening. A new lot had just taken the stage. The audience watched. The announcer spoke. The process repeated. And yet the room somehow felt tense now. Not nervous.
Expectant.
Like everyone knew something was about to happen.
Everyone except me.
A few minutes later, movement near the front row caught my eye. The man had finally stood. My pulse jumped unexpectedly.I wasn't sure why. Maybe because the entire room seemed to notice at once. Conversations stopped again. Several people looked in his direction.
Even the announcer faltered for a split second before continuing.
The man spoke briefly to someone beside him.I couldn't hear the words. Whatever he said, the response was immediate.A staff member practically hurried away. Then another. Then a third.I stared.
Who the hell was this guy?
The question had barely formed when the woman with the tablet appeared beside me again.
This time she looked directly at me.
"Mira."
The way she said my name made my stomach drop.
I straightened immediately.
"What?"
"You need to come with me."
My pulse sped up.
"Why?"
She glanced toward the auction floor.
For a moment, something flickered across her face.
Not fear. Not exactly. More like uncertainty. As if she wasn't entirely sure how this situation was supposed to be handled. That alone made me nervous.
"What is it?" I asked.
The woman lowered her voice.
"The schedule has changed."
I stared at her.
"What schedule?"
She looked down at the tablet. Then back at me. And whatever she saw there seemed to confirm something.
"The private review has been approved."
My mouth went dry.I had no idea what that meant. But judging by her expression, I wasn't going to like it. Before I could ask another question, she added quietly,
"Someone important requested to see you before the final auction begins."
A cold sensation slid down my spine. My eyes drifted toward the crowded auction hall again. Toward the front row,toward the man everyone seemed unable to ignore.
And for the first time since arriving here, a thought entered my mind that I couldn't shake.
What if he wasn't here for the auction?
What if he was here for me?
- Writer
