Chapter 1

3179 Words
I don't want to get up, but it's so cold. I'm shivering, I have to get up and get my blanket from the floor. I hate it when I kick them off of bed. My dad usually sneaked into my room if he was awake during the night to check on me. He would always cover me with a blanket again. My mom never checks up on me. A good thing too. I sometimes sneak out and go to my friends' houses. As I open my eyes I see almost nothing through the darkness, but one thing I know is that this place isn't my room. I must be dreaming. I close my eyes and pinch my arm, but when I open them I'm still in this cold and unfamiliar place. What is this place? That's when everything came flooding back: the dinner with mom and Alex -‘her important guest’, sneaking out, feeling someone watching me, the man, my friends, his fangs. I quickly slammed my hand over my mouth, stopping the scream from coming out. I don't want the man coming back to me. I stood up and felt so dizzy that I had to sit back down, that's when the stinging pain in my head caught onto me. I lifted my hand to the right side of my head. I could feel wetness; I must have hit my head against the tree hard enough for it to bleed. I could feel a lump starting to build in my throat. I never cry. I didn't even cry when daddy left, but I don't know where I am. I don't know if my friends are okay or if I'll ever see them or my parents again. I'm scared, what if the man kills me tonight? The tears broke through and slid down my face. I'll never get to tell my mommy how sorry I am. The last words I told her were that I hated her. This can't be it! I have to get out of here, wherever there is. I was too afraid to stand up again, because of the dizziness, so I crawled flinching as the hard cold stone floor scrapped my wound I got earlier tonight or yesterday. I crawled until I hit a wall. I used the wall to get myself up. As I walked along the wall I felt a breeze against my exposed legs. I bent down to see a hole of some kind covered with a metal thing. It must be for ventilation. I pulled at it. Tears formed in my eyes as it cut my fingers, but I won't give up. I have to tell my mommy that I’m sorry and I love her. I started biting my lip to avoid screaming from the searing pain and finally it came loose. I squeezed through the hole; it was a tight fit, the edges of it scraping at my arms and legs. When I was out, I stood up against the wall and looked around. I was in a candle lid hall. It looked like an underground tunnel. The floor was wet with moss growing everywhere and the walls had cracks all over them. I could go left or right, but which way would get me out of here? So I followed the road safety rules. I looked left, right and left again. I started walking left, keeping my ears open for any sounds. I started running slowly and then faster. I just had to get out of here, it's eerie. I heard something from behind me and looked back and that's when I ran into something solid. This is what I get for not looking where I'm going. I fell down on my butt. Groaning, I looked up at a guy, instead of the wall I expected. "Where do you think you are going?" "I was thinking about home. I'm guessing you're not a nice guy that will point me in the right direction?" I said as I slowly got up. The guy smirked, flashing me his fangs. I gasped and quickly formed a plan. He came closer and I kicked him where it would hurt the most. He sunk down to the ground, giving me time to run away. I was just rounding the corner when someone grabbed me from behind. I screamed, thrashing around. When I figured that I didn't stand a chance, I stopped trying and looked over my shoulder. I saw the man that kidnapped me and let out a piercing scream again. The other guy joined us just as I breathed in for another scream. "How'd you know she escaped?" "Easy, I know what her blood smells like, so when I caught a whiff of it on my way to her cell I could smell it was coming from here." "Please let me go, please!" "Ah no." I really thought he was thinking about it. Why do you even waste your time pretending that you are thinking about something, when you already know what you're going to do? "I don't want to die. I have to tell my mom I'm sorry and that I love her." "We'll send her the message kid." He laughed a cruel laugh before starting to walk back in the direction he came, carrying me over his shoulder. I don't think he is really going to tell my mom. I kicked his chest and slammed my fist on his back, but it had no effect at all. He threw me down on the ground, but I had a soft landing. I bent my head back looking for what I landed on and saw a girl. She was really pretty. She had black hair and green eyes, her dark hair just made her eyes more vibrant. She looked just a little bit older than me. I quickly scurried off of her. "I'm so, so, so sorry, he threw me. I didn't mean to land on you." "Don't worry, it's fine." I bit my lip and looked at her. She pulled her hair over one shoulder and played with it. That's when I saw the bite marks and bruises on her neck. She saw me staring and only smiled at me. If I was her I would be feeling offended -I was staring at her like a complete i***t- and I would have asked the person what they were looking at. "It happened a week ago, I just don't heal fast." I nodded in thought. She was overly calm about it. "You don't mind it?" I asked shyly. "I do, but there isn't anything we can do about it. That's how it works?" "How what works?" She gasped softly. "Is this your first time at an auction?" "What's an auction? I was taken by a guy with fangs." "Oh sweetie, come sit here next to me. We need to have a little talk." I crawled over to her, sitting tight against her for some heat. She threw her arms around me, rubbing my shoulder vigorously to build up heat. It was calming and made me feel a little bit better. "You see... This isn't easy ... Okay, what happened was... You were kidnapped by a vampire, which explains the fangs. It happens a lot. Some vampires inhabit the streets looking for girls and boys around the ages of 6 to 20; they kidnap them and bring them to places like these." My heart beat was increasing rapidly, why hasn't anyone stopped them? "Places like these?" I asked softly, almost not wanting to know the answer. "Have you ever been to a place where there is a man or women on a stage with some object and a big crowd that bet against each other and the guy gives the object to the one with the highest price saying going once, going twice, sold?" "Yeah, that was a fun day; my daddy took me, because they had a rare sword there that he wanted." She sighed, looking down. She looked so sad. "This place is like that sweetie, but the difference is that the crowd is filled with vampires and werewolves and we are the objects being sold to them." I frowned, not completely understanding. "Sold to them as what?" I asked. She looked deep into my eyes and said the word that made my rapid heartbeat stop and form a knot in my throat. "Slaves" "But we are humans, not things. We can’t be sold." it seems wrong -it seems impossible. "Sweetie, to them we are only things. Whatever happens, just do as they ask, do not get them angry and do not refuse them anything." "How long have you been a ...a ..." "A slave? I was taken when I was nine; I just stepped out of the house for a minute to take out the trash. It happened so fast I didn't even have a clue what had happened when I woke up." "Have you always done as they asked?" "No I didn't. I refused them a lot, but I had to learn from my mistakes. That's why I’m telling you now not to make the same ones. It’s not an easy way to live." This was all so unreal, maybe I'm just dreaming. "I just hope you get a nice owner." This isn't a dream, is it? I was going to be owned by someone like an animal. The girl started playing with my hair, pulling her hand through it just when I wanted to start crying. It was very calming. "Why are you so nice to me?" "What do you mean?" "Usually strangers keep away from each other, they are mean without even knowing each other." "Well, you seem sweet enough." She smiled at me. "And you remind me of someone?" "Who?" I let slip. My mouth doesn't really have a guard. "My baby, she has the same blue eyes and blond hair as you." She touched the point of my nose, smiling at me. "How old is she?" "She is turning two in a month." "Where is she?" I said, looking around trying to see her. "I don't know my Master sent her away." She said it, staring out in front of her with a sad expression plastered on her face. "I think that you were a great mom." She smiled down at me again. Once again, I couldn't stop myself. "How old are you?" "I'm seventeen. Yes, that means I had a baby when I was fifteen." She got pregnant at that age. Don't you get pregnant when you love a man a lot and some other things? "Why did you know what sent your baby away?" "Because she was human?" Of course the baby was human. What else... "And what about her daddy?" "Also human, I had a great Master at the time and he never mistreated me, but he also didn't, save me from one of his slaves. He felt so guilty that all he could think about was selling me, because looking at me made him really sad." I didn't really understand, but she looked sad, so I didn't want to ask her anymore questions. My eyelids felt a little heavy, but I was too afraid to fall asleep. "You can sleep, I'll keep you safe." The girl said. I sunk down lying with my head on her lap. Just before I fell asleep, I asked her one more question. "What's your name?" "Bridget and yours?" "I'm Kaitlinn." I felt someone softly waking me up. My eyes slowly opened hoping to see my room, but instead I looked into Bridget's eyes. "You need to wake up, it's time." Time, time for what? She helped me to get up. The guys were pushing everyone in a straight line. So I just fell in line next to Bridget. I could hear a voice echoing from the hall before I saw the person it belonged too. The guy that grabbed me came walking in with a lady. She is the most beautiful lady I've ever seen, even more pretty than Bridget. She had dark brown hair that swirled into long curls down her back and caramel eyes that looked strained. "I have gathered only the best for you Madam Fiona." She gave him a slight nod before walking over to us. "Who is she?" I asked Bridget in a hushed tone, not taking my eyes off the beautiful lady that was inspecting every girl slowly moving closer to us. "I've only heard stories about her, but I've never actually seen her. I always thought it was just stories." She smiled at me before continuing. "They say that Madam Fiona owns a mansion which she transformed into an institution for young girls. Once a year, she buys five girls and takes them there. They are trained to be the best slaves, so that their future Masters will never have problems with them." "The girls that come from her school make her rich, since a slave of that value, skills and obedience is hard to come by, so they are sold for a big profit." So she was going to take us and teach us, was that a good thing or a bad thing. "Will she be a good owner?" I asked shyly. I hated that word, but I do prefer it over Master. "Yes, we should really be thankful." She stopped in front of Bridget, grabbing her chin and turning her head sideways. I could see Bridget was trying not to cringe away from her. "How old are you, slave?" "I'm seventeen, miss." She nodded to herself before moving on to me. A smile crossed her face, but I didn't smile back, something was off about her smile. "Aren't you beautiful, little one?" I didn't answer her because I didn't think it was needed. She pushed my thick curls behind my ear so that she could look into both my eyes. "You'll make your Master very happy one day." "What's your name?" I looked up at Bridget and she nodded at me encouragingly. "Kaitlinn...Miss." I bit my lip. I hate this formality. "And how old are you?" "Eleven." She nodded before walking back to the man. "I'll take all of them except the older girl near the end. How much will it be?" "Ten thousand" "Why are you charging me that much?" If she can’t afford to pay so much, then they can't sell us! "Because some of these girls are rare and it took a lot for me to obtain such a collection for you. If I were to sell them I could get 10 000 or more for just the one in the end that has taken up your interest." "Well, why don't you go and sell them to someone else? I could take my business somewhere else." The lady turned and started walking away, her heels clashing against the cold stone. "No wait fine, I'll give them to you for 8000." "Well that's more like it." The lady opened her purse and pulled out a bundle of cash. The men started rounding the girls up, but when they came for me, I grabbed on to Bridget. "No I won't go without her!" I held on to her leg for dear life. "What is this?" The lady suddenly flashed in front of me. "This is not an elegant way to act. Let go of the girl and come with me, young Kaitlinn." I squinted my eyes, glaring at her through them. "No, I'm not leaving her." "Can't you do anything right! I want to leave now. Have your men rip her from the girl's leg if they have to." She yelled at the guy. "In the way she is holding on, the only place they'll be able to pull is her middle, which could result in breaking her ribs, killing her." The lady hissed at me, but I only rapped my legs and arms tighter around Bridget's leg. "Fiona, why don't you just take the other girl along? I won't charge more. She could be like a gift." "I don't want a damaged girl. My school is known as the place where the most beautiful pure slaves are made. She is beautiful, but not pure. She has been soiled and has given birth!" How does she know that? "Yes, I know I do have her file and I can promise you that you would hardly have to do anything about her. She has been the perfect slave." "I only harbor the girls until they are eighteen. It would be a colossal waste of my time!" She glared at me again. "Please miss, please don't leave Bridget behind." She clenched her jaw and closed her eyes. "Fine, I’ll take her, but you will be punished little one." She opened her eyes and I saw they had turned black. I felt really scared, but I was glad Bridget got to come with me. As the men started binding all of us together, Bridget turned to me. "You should never do that again. She could have killed me or worse, you! Promise you won't do it again!" "I promise." She looked so sad, how couldn't I promise her? The men got to us, chaining us to the rest of the girls, that's how all of us walked out of the place in a straight line. They started pushing everyone into a van. "Let her loose, she will be riding with me!" Madam Fiona said, pointing to me. They quickly grabbed me, letting my chain fall to the ground. Madam Fiona got into a different car and I joined her. We sat in silence until the car roared to life. "What you did back there was wrong!" She said, looking out the window. "I'm sorry." I said softly, looking down at my hands. The chains had cut into my skin and it was sore. I could feel her looking at me. "I train girls to be aware of how it feels to be a slave." "What you did would have gotten you killed or there are other punishments worse than that." She came closer to me, taking my hand in hers. She was so cold. "You need to learn to behave!" The next thing I knew she bit into my wrist. I screamed as a burning sensation started, then it got worse, turning into a piercing pain. Tears were staining my face as I tried getting my arm back, but every time I moved the pain got worse. I could feel myself weakening, my eyelids felt heavy as they kept closing. I fought it, but it was hard. My vision got blurry and then went blank. All I could hear was Madam Fiona saying, "Don't disobey me ever again." I was hardly awake when the car stopped. I heard the door opening. "Take this girl to a room!" I felt being lifted into someone's arms. Something was dripping down my hand. I think it was my blood. I heard someone screaming my name just before I fell asleep completely.
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