The Gift

Chapter One

Your POV

I shiver as I lay curled up on my side in the the cold room. It's not really a room, more like a cell, but they still call it a room. More to be mean than anything, I suppose. They like the fact that they can shove it it my face that this has been, and probably always will be, my life. At least I have a mattress. It's not much, but it's a small blessing. The mattress is pretty old and beat up, but there's no mold on it like my last one, and if I close my eyes and think hard enough, I can imagine I'm on a cloud. A very hard, cold, damp, and uncomfortable cloud. But still.

This particular room is pretty new to me, I've never been here before Master shoved me in here a few hours ago.

I try to push my face further down into the mattress and tightly close my eyes. It is so cold. I cannot stop shaking. Part of it is probably because I haven't been fed in awhile, but most of it's because it's so cold. I don't know what planet I am on right now- my Master likes to travel from place to place- but I'm assuming I'm on a very cold planet that is in the middle of winter. There's no way the temperature outside is anything above the negatives.

It doesn't help that the room I'm in is literally a jail. There was multiple cells in rows when Master brought me here, he shoved me in the first empty one he could find. This place has no heat, and no one thought to get me a blanket.

We traveled here just yesterday, my Master is here on business. I don't know what for, he doesn't ever tell me, and I'm not suicidal enough to ask.

My Master isn't that bad-he could be worse. He usually feeds me—if he remembers—he gives me rags for clothing, he likes to smack me around and beat me when he feels like it. And when we arrived here a few hours ago, he dumped me in this cold cell without a second thought. What a wonderful guy.

If you couldn't tell, I'm being sarcastic.

He's awful to me. He has his moments, where he is relatively nice to me—and treats me like a real human being, but those times never last. I would know, I've been his little pet for as long as I can remember. Literally. I think I've been with him all my life, but who knows, maybe I had a family once and they just gave me to him. I would never ask him, but that's still a possibility.

I don't know if that's better or worse than the thought of being alone my entire life. It's probably worse. Because even if I did have a family when I was very young, they either died, something very bad happened to them, or they just gave me up- or possibly sold me, to be someone's slave.

I don't like thinking about that. So I like to think I've just been with Master my whole life.

All I've ever known is him, anyway. I don't know his exact age, but if I had to guess then I would guess he was in his early forties. I'm eighteen, so he's had me for basically half his life.

Sucks to be me.

He could still technically be worse, though. When it comes down to it, I'd rather be with him then a few other of his friends that have pets like me. I've seen how they treat some of the other girls, and it's much worse than how Master treats me. But he's still a vile, evil person who is going to get what is coming to him eventually.

Not that I would ever say that to him, of course. If I did, I would probably be given to Malcolm, Master's friend, for a few days.

Malcolm is without a doubt worse than Master. He get's off on people's fear and pain. While Master doesn't necessarily get off on it or enjoy it, he just hurts me because he knows he can, and knows he has the power to do whatever he wants.

The first few times with Malcolm weren't anything like they are now. Master only gives me to him for a few days at a time—when he thinks I've been really bad. (Which usually I haven't done hardly anything, he's just a dramatic jerk).