Predator

Chapter 3

15. May, 8 pm

Someone snickered, "You put your pet to sleep?" "You ought to see what Leroi did to his."

As the sound of talking roused me up, I cautiously lifted the pillow from my head. It took a few moments for me to adjust my eyes to the brightness in the room.

The female voice said, "I'm not interested."

I cocked my head slightly to see who was speaking, but all I saw was that grayish, messy room. Right, I'm no longer at the pet store. My sister isn't either.

I jolted up from my previous position of lying down. The commotion in the other room stopped. That could indicate one of two things. Either she's dead or she's passed out.

"If you keep scowling at me, you're going to get wrinkles." According to the recognizable voice, a vampire named Calius said.

My eyes rested on the open cage doors as I tried my hardest to fix my gaze on that table to see whether there was anyone else but Calius and my new master. We were confined to our small cages in the pet shop for 20 hours a day. I used to fantasize about an open cage, but now that it's not locked, I'm experiencing a new kind of fear.

When I first walked in, I left it open, and it has remained that way ever since. No one came close to me, and no one bothered to lock the door.

"Why did you come here?" the female voice asked, her tone angered.

"Because I missed my baby sister of course," Calius said cheerfully.

"Alright, I came to tell you that dinner is ready," he said again after a brief pause.

"A maid could have told me that."

"Okay okay, I came to see if you were finished with those documents."

"Nearly. A handful of these are riddled with errors. It took me an entire day to correct them all; how about yours?"

"You just did." And with a stir of papers, he was gone.

As she stood up from her table, she whispered, "Fucking imbecile." She took a few steps toward the center of the room, stretching her arms and making a little sound as she did so. She reached down and carefully folded a pair of shirts that were lying on the floor. Her eyes landed on the cage as she searched the room for the remaining clothes.

"Oh right," she said, "you're still here."

She walked toward me after putting her clothing on the bed.

She knelt in front of the cage and looked at my nearly naked body before crashing into my eyes. She inquired, "Did you have a good nap?"

I nodded, my gaze falling to the floor. Something about her eyes made me want to lock myself inside this cage and never come out.

She demanded, "Look at me."

I paused for a second before agreeing.

Her bright eyes pierced right through me. It felt as if she could see right into my mind as if I was being robbed of all privacy.

"I have some new clothes that one of my previous pets has never had the opportunity to wear. It should fit you." She got up and walked over to a large closet, where she pulled out a blouse, some pants, and a pair of underwear.

That, I assumed, was my cue to get out. I stepped out of the cage and took a few steps toward her without making any unexpected movements. When she looked at me, it felt like I was walking on pins and needles.

She offered me the garments with a lifted hand and pointed toward a door I hadn't noticed before.

"That's the bathroom; feel free to use it any way you like. I can't stand looking at you in those shabby underpants, so go change."