"Dad, please. I don't want to do this," I pleaded. My dad was dragging me by the arm, me shuffling my feet to try and slow him down enough to talk him out of this, into an auction house.
"Carmen, I don't have time for your shit right now. I told you that all the royal families have one. Except us. You will buy a vampire, and it will be your slave. Now go and there, feel free to spend how ever much money you want, and then come back home. I expect that you will not be alone. Or there will be consqueqences," he said. And with that he opened the door and shoved me in, slamming it as he walked back out.
I rubbed my arm. My dad had always been abusive, ever since my real mom died. He had been forced to choose another wife and soon so that he could take the throne and be king. Ever since he married that bitch, Laura, he's become an alcoholic and rapist. Towards me. I try to steer clear of him most of the time. Still I got beat up pretty bad. I still had slashes all down my arms from his last drunken rampage. Good thing I had a jacket on today. I didn't want the vampires to attack me.
Vampires used to rule the world. They treated us as slaves and food, forcing us to do their housework and cook for them and please them, if you know what I mean. (If you don't, you're a dumbass. I'm not explaining.) But soon war broke out between them. Vampires fought for power, all thinking that they deserved to rule, all thinking that they were more powerful than any other vampire. Soon, they were nearly extinct, giving humans a chance to take back the throne that was rightfully ours in the first place. The remaining vampires are now sold at places like these- auction houses. Like we once were, they are forced to be our slaves, to work for us, and please us. (My former comment still stands.)
But I didn't think any of it was right. All of this stuff happened years ago, before anyone who is ruling now was even born. Sure, I don't think we should just let vampires run free to do whatever they want so that they can eventually get stronger and attack us again, but I don't think that we should be doing this. Forcing them to work for us, dressing them in rags, showcasing them like they are toys rather than living breathing creatures. They may not be human, but they still do have feelings. I don't think it's right to beat a vampire who most likely had nothing to do with the way humans were treated before. I felt sympathy for them. And my dad was making me buy one today. Something I swore I would never do.
My dad is a royal. He is king. My step-mother is queen and I am the princess, a role I despise whole heartedly. I hate that people bow to me, I hate that I'm expected to wear frilly dresses and sit up straight everwhere and talk like a lady. I never get to be a kid. I spend most of my time locked up in the attic. I've created my own personal space up there. The room is filled with posters of boy bands and guys with no shirts, something my mother and father would never approve of. It had gothic decorations covering the place while my other room is girly and pink- like a princess's room should be. Or so my step-mother says. I have my radio and cd's and movies and t.v. Laura says that t.v. rots your brain and loud music is not fitting nor healthy for a princess to listen to. She had most of my cd's burn. I almost killed her for that. I didn't talk for weeks. Gradually, though, my cd collection has grown. I hide nearly everything from my parents now. And I have a key that goes to my door so that I can lock it and no one can get in. Though why my mom would want to go up to the dusty, filthy attic, I have no idea.
I sighed and went to sit down in the front. I took off my jacket, forgetting abou the scratches on my arms. The announcer came out and stood at the podium.
"I'm sorry for the delay people. In five minutes we will be bringing them out," he said.
I heard a few people front of me scoff and shift impatiently. There were a few girls around me that looked like straight-up sluts. They had bellyshirts on and mini skirts that barely covered their asses. They had blond and curly hair- all of them. My hair was red. It had waves so my hair constantly looked as if I crimped it every day. It looked almost black when I wasn't in the sun. It only had a faint red luminosity. But when I was outside, in the light, it shone a dazzling red, the color of fresh blood.
I lounged in my seat, waiting impatiently, uncomfortable with being here. This was not a place I took pride in being seen. I didn't want a vampire slave. I didn't want to force anyone to do anything against there will. I just wanted to go home, back up to my attic.
The announcer guy came out again a few seconds later. "I'm so sorry to keep you waiting, but we're ready to go now. If you'll please bring the first one out," he said, gesturing to something behind a curtain.
I heard a snarling and a little's girls whimper. And then, surprisingly, a human's cry of pain. But a few seconds later a little girl that couldn't have been more than six or seven was dragged out, whimpering. I looked at the curtain and saw a older vampire, no older than about sixteen, growling, trying to go after her.
"Aaaah, ladies and gentleman, I think you will be quite pleased with this one. She's six, quite the quick little worker, and a virgin." I heard the older vampire snarl when he said this. "So let's say we start the bidding at six hundred."
And old man beside me raised his hand. He was smirking and clearly undressing the little girl with his eyes. I almost gagged.
"Okay, we've got six hundred. Going on six hundred and fifty," the announcer said. Another guy raised his hand. He was just staring at her chest. Fury bubbled in me. She was just a little girl for god's sake.
"Do I hear six hundred and sixty?"
The perverted man on my right side raised his hand. I glanced nervously as the two men battled each other, the numbers rising higher and higher. They were both smirking and glaring as they raised their hand higher and higher. This was so sick. I couldn't take it anymore. I stood up angrily.
"Ten hundred thousand," I said. Both men gaped at me and the announcer looked completely shocked. I smirked and turned to look at the little girl. I smiled sweetly at her at her. I heard a growl and the older vampire was glaring at me. I smiled reassuringly and sympathetically at him, too. He just bared his teeth at me. I leaned back a little, tacken aback. I had just saved that little girl from those two perverted men. From how protective of her he looked you would think he would be grateful that I bought her. He just continued to glare at me. I sighed.
"Uh... T-Ten hundred thousand going once, going twice, and sold to the nice young lady in the back." I grimaced and sat down. As much as I was glad that those men couldn't have that little girl, I still did not want a slave.
"Now the next one is a fearsome young man, sixteen, strong will, a virgin," the young vampire just continued to glare at me. What did I ever do to him? I heard the slutty girls in front of me whisper excitedly.
"Mmmm, wonder if he's good in bed," she said, her eyes running hungrily over him.
"Oh yeah, he'd be perfect to try out all those new toys you just bought on," the other blond beside her said, licking her lips. "Promise me that you'll let me have some, too," she said as the girl raised her hand. All the girls giggled and said "Yeah, me, too. I wanna have a go. "
I rolled my eyes, glancing at the guy again. He was now glaring at the girls, his face red with fury. Then his eyes shot back to me, glaring again. I sighed. I so did not want to do this. Reluctantly, I stood up again.
"I'll give you fifty thousand dollars," I said. Everyone stopped talking to look at me, disbelieving. The girls all glared at me. I flipped them off and they huffed, turning back around. I looked back at the vampire boy, fearing his reaction. He was still glaring at me. Jeez!
I ran out of the show room. I would not be tempted into buying anyone else. I came around the curtains where I was supposed to pick up the two vampires I had bought and saw that there was a bit of a struggle going on. The little girl was lying on a table, crying, while a girl tried to pull her pants down. The vampire boy was beating up a guard, trying to knock aside the nurse who was trying to strip the girl.
"What the hell is going on," I said, furious when the girl pulled down her skirt. I knocked her hands aside and pulled the girls skirt back up, helping her sit up. She was still crying and whimpering. The guy had stopped fighting with the guards. He was now glaring at me, snarling slightly as I helped the girl.
"We were checking her virginity. We don't want to give you tainted goods," she said.
"Tainted goods?! She's SIX for god's sake. What is wrong with you people," I said, pulling the girl off of the table and setting her on the floor by my feet. She seemed scared at first, but she wrapped her trembling arms around me and scooted behind me a litte. I put my hand on the top of her head comfortingly.
"We'll be going now," I said. The nurse just shrugged and walked off, along with the guard. I bent down to the shaking little girl who still had tears pouring down her face. She looked scared to death as I got down to her level. I reached up to stroke her cheek, shushing her. She reminded me of my sister, Cissy. Her real name was Cecelia, but we all called her Cissy instead. She had died along with my mom. The vampires had killed them. I didn't like to think of her much, but this little girl looked so much like her. I couldn't help to remember.
When my hand came into contact with her face I suddenly heard a growl. I turned my head to look up at the sixteen year old boy who was hovering over me, looking as if he wanted to kill me. I'm sure that was the case.
I sighed and stood up. We were just inches apart now. The girl was still standing beside me. Her head came up to my thigh. I pushed her slightly forward, toward the other vampire who seemed so fond of her.
He bent down faster than I could see and scooped her up, glowering warningly at me. I took a small step back in surprise.
"Uh... okay. Let's, um, go..." I said hesitantly. Neither vampire made any sort of reply so I just turned to walk out. I didn't hear them walking behind me, so I glanced over my shoulder. They were a good few feet back. The little girl had her arms wrapped around the guy's neck and he was holding her in front of him, one hand on her back, the other under her thigh. I smiled slightly and turned around.
"So, what are your names?" I asked when we reached the car.
"My name is Lilly," the little girl responded immediately.
The guy didn't say anything. I waited, but after a minute of silence I figured he still wasn't going to speak. I sighed and opened the door. He sat Lilly down and she climbed into the backseat, curling up against the door. He climbed in warily after her, glancing at me as passed. My eyes narrowed. What did he think I was going to do, bite him? That was more his area of expertise. I shut the door quietly and walked around the car to the driver's seat. I got in and shut the door. I leaned my head against the steering wheel for a minute, taking deep breathes, before I turned around to look out the back window before backing up. I noticed that the vampire whose name I still have not learned was staring at something. I followed his gaze down to my arms. Uh- oh.
Damn- I didn't have my jacket on. It was still inside. I forgot that had taken it off. The scratches weren't healed yet and they were quite deep. Half of them were from a knife and the other half from my dad's fingernails. Bruises on my wrists were blossoming from his grip on me today. I looked around the car to see if I had a jacket anywhere. I spotted one under the seat where Lilly and mystery man sat. I ducked down to grab it and he quickly moved away, a rumbling starting in his chest. I saw him reach out towards Lilly protectively. I grabbed the jacket and rolled my eyes.
"Jeez," I muttered as I pulled it on, covering up my exposed skin. My legs were safely hidden. They were much worse off. I backed the car up and didn't turn back around until we were home. I hopped out of the car and opened the door politely, gesturing out grandly before me.
"Welcome to my home," I said, trying to sound enthusiastic, but my voice came out dead. This was no home. This was a prison cell, more to me than it would ever me to them. Lilly's eyes widened excitedly as she took in my mansion size house, while the boy just clung to her, his expression blank.
"Follow me," I said, trying to make my voice sound light and calm, when really I was dreading walking through those doors. My dad would surely be waiting.
I was right. As soon as the front door was open he was there, leering at me in door frame. I gulped and took a step back.
"Uh, h-hi Dad. I did what you asked," stepping back and gesturing to the two vampires behind me. I saw Mr. No Name glance at me curiously. My dad gave them a quick once over. His eyes landed on Lilly and he smirked, taking a step forward. I read his hungry eyes, the same look he always had right before he raped me, and anxiously stepped between them, in front of the girl. The boy, too, had taken a defensive position beside her.
"No!" I snarled, pushing Lilly behind me. My dad's leer turned into a glare as he turned on me.
"What did you say?" he asked menacingly, advancing on me.
"She's just a kid. I won't let you touch her." My dad raised his hand and brought it down hard on my face. I fell down at Vampire Boy's feet, breathing hard, willing myself not to cry. My face throbbed and I could even feel the blood as it trickled down my feet. My dad stepped forward again, around me, trying to get towards Lilly. I grabbed his ankle.
"Stop," I said again. My dad froze for a minute and looked down at me. He then slumped back, cackling slightly.
"Fine. I won't touch her. But tomorrow your gonna go back to that place and get me a pretty little blond, like I asked for," he said.
"But you didn't..." I started but was cut off by my dad yanking his foot away and stomping it back down on my hand. I heard many bones crush as he did this. I clamped my teeth together, trying not scream in pain. My dad laughed evily and walked off. I stayed put for a minute, not wanting to move, but I heard Lilly shuffle slightly and I decided it was time to get up. Without putting any pressure on my hand I pushed myself up off the ground.
The boy was staring at me, gaping slightly. His gaze flickered to my cheek and he swallowed convulsively. Lilly, too, was staring at my cheek with a pained face. I was confused at first, but it didn't take me long to realize what was going on. I was bleeding- and they were thirsty.
"You two must be thirsty," I said, voicing my thoughts. The guy met my eyes again and he didn't say a word. I smiled through the pain I was feeling. "Come on. I'll get you something."
Without another word I turned and led them through the house, keeping an eye out for my dad, ready to take off he came back. I went to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. There were bags of blood in there that I had made sure to supply when my dad first told me about this. I pulled six out, giving three to each of them. I didn't know how much they might need.
Lilly gasped, her eyes bulging as she looked at the three large packs or blood in her hands before a huge smile broke across her face. She ran up to me, wrapping her arms around my knees.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you," she said. I smiled weakly. My face and hand were still killing me.
"You're welcome," I whispered, glancing up at the boy. He was alternating between anxious glances down at Lilly, incredulous glances at me, and shocked stares at the blood his hands.
"Something wrong," I asked.
He looked back up at me and shook his head slightly. I looked down to see Lilly easily opening her bag, downing it in one gulp. I almost laughed at her eager expression, nearly jumping on the next one.
I turned around and grabbed some ice out of the freezer. Then I slipped the ice into a ziploc bag, holding it against my hand. I winced as it put pressure against my wounds. I went over to the large island in the middle of the kitched, putting my hand down with the ice against it, gripping the edge of the counter of the other. I hung my head so they couldn't see my expression and squeezed my eyes shut while the ice started to numb my hand which was now screaming in protest. I scraped my nails against the counter, panting. This did not feel good. I felt something tug on my jeans and opened my eyes to find myself staring at Lilly's inhumanly beautiful face.
"Why did he hurt you?" she questioned softly. I smiled at her and pushed myself off the counter, taking the ice off my hand. It still wasn't completely numb, but it was almost there. I held it down to her.
"It's nothing," I said, squeezing my hand into a fist. "See. I'm fine." My hand definitely was not fine. Tears sprung in my eyes at the simple gesture. She took my hand softly, tugging on my fingers slightly. Her skin was ice cold.
"Then why are you crying," she asked.
I quickly wiped my eyes. I smiled and crouched down. "Because you're pretty," I said, fingering her sandy blond curls.
"Why would you cry if I was pretty?"
"Uh... they're tears of joy," I said brightly.
"Who cries when they're happy?" she said, putting on the most adorable confused face. I laughed, but didn't respond.
"Come on, let me show you guys your room," I said. I stood up to find myself staring into two of the bluest eyes I'd ever seen. He was still looking at the cut on my cheek. I sighed. I guess I should probably clean that up, too. Don't want them attacking me while I'm giving them the grand tour. I went over to the sink and grabbed a paper towel, wetting it. I dabbed my cheek with it, wincing a little. The cut wasn't deep, but the bruises hurt. Looking at the towel, I was surprised to see it entirely soaked with blood. Huh. He must've hit me harder than I thought. I threw it in the trash can under the sink and turned around.
"So, do I ever get to know your name?" I asked. He didn't respond for a minute. I was about to just give up and walk out of the kitchen when he spoke.
"Austin. My name is Austin." I froze. He had the most beautiful voice that matched his features. He had dark black hair, white skin, a muscled body sheathed in all black clothes, and bright blue eyes. No ocean or sky could ever compare to that color.
I smiled and nodded. "My name is Carmen," I said. I looked down at my features. My mom and dad never approved of my gothic nature, so I always had to cover up in front of them. I was wearing a pick jogging suit. The jacket I had on wasn't the one that matched the pants- I had left that one at the auction house- but it was still pink and girly. I shrugged out of it quickly and then started stripping off my pants.
"What are you doing?" I heard a voice ask. I looked up. Austin was staring at me with a shocked look that was half disgusted. I rolled my eyes. Like I was about to strip down in front of him. I pulled my pants the rest of the way off, revealing my black jeans, black converse, and red shirt with the words Suck It on the front. Vampire teeth were under that, blood dripping off the fangs. I blushed. I wouldn't have worn this shirt if I had known that I would actually be coming home with vampires today. I looked up.
Lilly giggled as she read my shirt and Austin eyed it oddly. "Sorry if the shirt is offensive to you or anything. I wouldn't have worn it if I knew what I would be doing today when I put it on."
Austin speculative look turned into a slight scowl, but he didn't look as angry as I thought he would. Lilly was still giggling. I walked towards the door, beckoning for them to follow. I showed them the entire house, only stopping when Lilly would squeal in excitement so that she could examine the rooms more fully. She did this at the ballroom, the dress room, (that room was filled with dresses that my step-mom and I wore to balls and on special occasions) and the movie room. Austin took a slight interest in the game room (filled with every electronic you can imagine), and the library. I, too, admired this room. You couldn't see one glimpse of the walls- they were all covered in books. I spent a great deal of time here. I had stolen the books I like most though and hid them in my attic. I knew I wouldn't be showing them that particular room. It was my private place. No one else was allowed to go there.
I stopped at a wooden door and opened it. It led to a very grand room with a large bed, a couch, a chair, a plasma t.v. with a bookcase filled with movies surrounding it, and black and red decorations. I had set this room up this morning. It was right across from mine.
The bed was quite large and the closets were already stocked. With every size clothes, because I didn't know what size they would be. Or what gender. I'll have to take a lot of stuff out of there once I know exactly what kind of clothes they wear and what size they are.
"It isn't much now. Tomorrow, if you want, I can go get anything you want. Movies, books, toys, clothes- anything you want. The closet has clothes," I said, gesturing to a door on the left side of the room. "It should have your sizes. I didn't know what to get so I just got everything." I smiled sheepishly. "The bathroom is through there. Everything you need is already in it, and the remote to the t.v. is on the nightstand, so feel free to watch that if you want to."
I waited, but they didn't say anything. Lilly was too busy looking around in awe. Austin, too, was glancing around with a slightly excited look on his face. His eyes lingered on the two stocked bookcases in the room.
"Okay, well, I'll let you two get settled. Good night," I said. Lilly gave me a hug and then went and jumped on the bed. Austin just stared at me. I turned around and walked towards the door. I opened it, but didn't leave.
"Hey, I'm really sorry. I didn't have a choice about any of this. My father is not someone to argue with," I said, looking down nervously. I looked up when Austin didn't respond. He looked kind of... sympathetic. Maybe even understanding. But he still didn't say anything.
I sighed and nodded a good-bye to him and then shut the door. Whew. I walked back to my room, planning to get straight in the shower, but as I was undressing I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. My face was bruised. There was a gash across my cheekbone and blood was matted in my hair and dried on my neck. I wrinkled my nose at my haggered look. I looked like I had just stepped out of a horror movie. My skin was pale and my eyes had large, purple bags under them. My hair was messed up and my face was bruised and bloody. My arms were all scraped up, along with the several cuts running along my stomach that were revealed now that I was naked. My legs were bruised and I had a huge cut running from my private area to my ankle. My dad's doing.
I sighed and got in the shower, watching the water run red, washing the blood from my body. My hand was completely swollen. I gasped in pain when I tried to move it. I did my best to put the shampoo and conditioner in my hair and then got out, wrapping myself in a towel. I didn't bother dressing. I just went over and sat on my bed, rocking back and forth, and thinking of today's events. I hated my dad! I hated my life! I just wanted it to end. So maybe that's what I should do. End it. I had never thought of commiting suicide before, but it didn't seem like a bad option now.
I yawned and rolled over. Maybe I'll kill myself in the morning. Right now, I'm too tired. And with that very peachy thought I fell into a dreamless sleep.