Auctioned Mate(unedited)

Chapter 1: Victorn Girl's Academy (edited)

“Bye, bye, blue jay,” my mother said. It was her nickname for me. I choked on a sob as the driver closed the door and I was thrust into darkness awaiting an uncertain future. 

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Suddenly the truck stopped and I knew we were here, Victorn Girl’s Academy. My heart felt like it dropped to my stomach. I wasn't sure if I could be trusted to stand on my own two feet. I was shaking with anxiety. I wish time would just rewind and take me back to last year when my parents were determined to make it the best year of my life. 

I could hear the driver getting out of the driver seat. If could hear his boot crunching against the gravel as he came around the back. The door opened and sun shined so brightly that the driver looked like some angelic figure, which he obviously wasn't. After hours off nothing but darkness, my eyes had to adjust to the brightness. I used my hand to block the intense light. I looked around the bus and I could clearly see how many of us there were. I don't remember there being so many. I was one o the first ones to get on so it didn't dawn on me how many kept coming in until I was almost claustrophobic.

“Alright, get out!” the driver said menacingly.  His face looked old and withered. The very few teeth that he did have in his mouth were brown and I couldn't find the strength to look at him anymore. Girls were stepping on each other as we piled out of the truck. Once the last girl came out, the driver closed the door, went back to the driver seat and drove off.

“Awwww girls!” a woman in a grass green, pant suit walked down the pathway with a clipboard in one arm. She had long black hair like mines, cascading around her shoulders, but her eyes were gray opposed to my blue ones. She looked like a businesswoman, which was very rare. All that I knew about business when came from the old book in the library dating back over thirty years.

I wondered if her mate had any objection, or died. The only good thing I could think of for having a mate is when they die their possession go to their mates, unless otherwise specified. There had been many cases were the women tried to kill their mates. Some were successful, other's were...less than successful.

“I suspect that you’ve all had a buuumpy ride, huh? Well we’ll get you all cleaned up in time for dinner. Follow me,” her voice was light and warm. If she wasn’t an employee of this hell hole, I would actually think of her as a mother-figure. Although she does seem out of it. Her eyes were forming into slits and her words were a bit slurred

We walked behind her as her black heels clicked against the pavement. I could never get over how big this school was. My high school wouldn’t let us. Victorn Girls Academy had 126 room, 154 bathroom, 23 classrooms, two large dining halls, and one dance hall, at least that what the pamphlets said. I wonder how they still keep it so clean, being that’s its over 120 years old. The outside looks impeccable, almost like a castle, but it doesn't change what goes on inside the castle.

Most of the girls walked hand-in-hand with each other, complete strangers. The sad truth of the matter is that most of us will probably never see each other again. “Um, ma’am?” a stickily girl with frizzy red hair raised her hand, getting the woman’s attention.

“Yes,” the woman turned around and smiled. For some reason it looked like it was a forced smile. I had never seen teeth so white, “and call me Mrs. Bellow.”

“Uh, Mrs. Bellow…I have to go to the bathroom,” the girl pulled her hand down to her crotch, implying that she had to pee really badly. The only other time I had ever seen that was when I saw women walking with their children.

“Oh okay, just hold on a minute.” She cleared her throat before speaking again. “Okay girls, welcome to Victorn Girl’s Academy. Here you will learn how to be a proper mate. You will be taught to dance, how to do make up, what and what not to wear, and you’ll take a few lessons on cooking, just the basics, but if your mate decides on more then so be it.”

She opened the door and we were all facing possibly hundreds of girls, dressed in green plaid dresses, lined along the stairs, with smiles on their faces. “Hello and welcome to Victorn Girl’s Academy!” they all said in unison. It was completely creepy and too rehearsed. We had to walk past them to get to our rooms. I spotted a few eyeing us. Many of them looked stiff, others looked bored or scared, and the rest looked very, very…PREGNANT. What in the hell was going on here? Shouldn’t they be with their mates?

I avoided directed eye contact with them, all of them. I knew I would find something in their eyes that I have found in many others, pain, sorrow, home-sickness, and frightened. I couldn’t allow them to make me weak, not here, not ever. “Okay so whoever last name starts with A-F come with me. The rest of you should stay here until I can escort the next group to their rooms.” Great, I was in the first group, I thought sarcastically.

We all followed her down the corridors to our rooms. “All of you have a roommate so you’ll have to learn to get along. Also ladies, I want you all to bathe and be ready in time for diner in an hour and a half. When the bell rings it will be time for dinner.” Some of the girls nodded while I crossed my arms. “Okay so the first two are…” She looked down at her clipboard. I zoned out, certain that I would be last on the list.

“Mason Faye…” Mrs. Bellow called, snapping me out of my trance

“Yes,” I raised my hand while slowly making my way to the front. It wasn't until I got to the front that I saw that the group had gotten significantly smaller.

“Here you are, room 113,” she said before handing me the key.

I pushed the key through the lock and immediately I am pulled the rest of the way in before the door is closed behind me.

“Whoa!” I breathed.

“Hi, I’m Jillian Samuels,” my roommate held out her hand to me. “Sorry, I would have kept the door open for you but I just don’t like my door to be opened. Sometimes people just come in without your permission, you know?”she shrugged. She seemed a little fidgety as she held her hand out to me.

“Uh…yeah…well I’m Mason Faye,” I shook it and glanced at her face. She had a red rimmed around her hazel eyes like she’d been crying. I was tempted to ask her what was wrong, but I thought maybe it was none of my business. I walked over to my bed which was in pink…everything, from the comforter to the bedposts. On top of my dresser, I saw the towels, wash cloths, tooth brushes, toothpaste and various soaps all spread out. I even saw a pink nightgown.

I looked down at the plaid green dress spread neatly across my bed and brown flats on the floor and grimaced. I hated wearing anything that wasn’t jeans. We weren’t allowed to take anything from home, including clothes and family pictures. “Aren’t you going to dinner?” I asked my roommate as I start taking off my white long-sleeve shirt and black beat up Converses.

She simply nodded then eased out of her gray sweat pants and white t-shirt to pull on her green plaid dress. Did that dress look good on anyone? It was a good thing we had bathrooms in our rooms. I slipped off my jeans then grabbed a towel, a bar of soap and a washcloth off my dresser, and went into the bathroom. Everything was off white and sterile, which was fine by me. I was only going to be here for six weeks anyway.

I turned the shower head on then got in. How can something feel so relaxing in a place like this? After I was done bathing, I dried of then wrapped the towel around my body. I went to the dresser, knowing that they provided almost everything for us, including underwear. If you didn’t bring a bra, tough cookies. After I put on my dress, I sat on the bed just looking up at the clock on the wall as the hands rotated clockwise.

45 minutes later

I heard the bell ring then I opened the door and walked out with my roommate behind me. Girls poured out from their rooms, none to eagerly though.

Dinner felt just as stuffy as the truck. I couldn’t identify half the food that was in front of me and I think that someone next to me had been farting. Every time I looked at her, she would sit up, blush, and then go back to eating. No apology, no excuse me.

After dinner, I went straight back to the room. Unfortunately, my roommate beat me and I could hear the faint sounds of her sobbing. I pulled off my dress then slipped on the nightgown they provided and got under the covers. I laid there looking up at the ceiling. After a few minutes of hearing her sob, I rolled over and went to sleep because tomorrow is going to be a bitch.