I awoke naked in a dark, damp room. The ceiling dripped a warm liquid. There seemed to be others in the room, for I could hear breathing.
"Hello? Is anybody there?" I asked.
"We aren't supposed to talk! Shut up!" a voice whispered, sounding terrified.
"What's going on? I don't understand-"
"If you value your life you will shut up NOW!" the voice whispered, then everyone fell silent.
I heard loud footsteps coming towards wherever I was. I assumed it was a female, since it sounded like she was wearing heels.
"I heard voices," she called, in a sing-song voice. "Which of my pretties is talking?"
Everyone else knew better than to speak. I, apparently, am the stupid one in the group.
"Can you tell me what's going on? I don't know where I am or what's going on-" I was interrupted by a heavy door opening, pouring light into the tiny room. I saw five girls huddled against a wall before I was pulled out.
A beautiful, tall woman stood before me. She had long raven hair and almond shaped gold eyes against milky white skin. She reminded me very much of the woman at the coffee shop.
"You don't know better than to talk, do you? You must be new, am I correct, child?" She seemed warm, like a mother, but barely old enough to be calling me 'child'.
"Yes ma'am. I'm not really sure where I am but I'd like to be getting home now..." I felt like an idiot, even as the words left my lips. It was so obvious that I had been kidnapped.
"I am afraid that will not be possible." She looked at me for a long time. "You have very lovely hair."
At that moment I started to become afraid of the matronly figure. It just seemed like too strange of a comment at that time. She motioned for me to follow her upstairs, and as I did, she began to explain how I was to "behave here" from now on.
Apparently, I was not to talk during my working hours. If an authority figure asked something of me, I was to comply without complaint. I was not to consort with any of the males. Neglect to obey any of the rules and it would mean my life. I stared dumbfounded at the woman (Anna, she said she was called) as she spoke.
"May I ask one thing, please?" I mumbled, feebly. I was beginning to shake badly.
"Yes, yes, what is it?" She was beginning to get irritated with me.
"I was with another girl before I woke up here, her name is Stefanie? She has long blonde hair and brown eyes?"
"You should forget about her. One of our patrons took a liking to your little friend. She is long gone by now, I'd imagine."
"I don't understand, ma'am, what do you mean by 'long gone'?"
"She is either dead, or he has taken her with him as a pet or something. I don't know."
I fell silent. She led me to a small room that was occupied by two other girls who were sitting on their beds laughing when the door opened. As soon as they saw Anna they jumped to their feet with blood-drained faces.
"See to it that this one is put to work and clothed properly. She will begin this evening." Without another word, Anna shut the door behind herself.
I stared at the two girls, wondering what the hell was going on.
"You're new. Pity, that," the shorter girl said.
"Could you please explain where I am and what I'm doing here?" I asked.
"You're far away from wherever it is that you've come, judging by your accents. American, is it?" The other girl replied.
"Yes..." I muttered.
"Well, we are somewhere in Russia now. Nobody knows for sure, only that it is miles from civilization. We only know this because one girl tried to escape and we heard one of the guards talking about it, after she was killed." she continued.
"Why am I here?"
"Slavery, and food. You must have bad luck to have ended up here."
"Please, explain...is it a ransom they want? My parents will pay anything they ask!" I was beginning to cry. Miles from civilization, in Russia?! How did I get to Russia without knowing?!
"Look, it is not about the money. Do you believe in legends?"
"Sure, I guess? What does that have to do with it?"
"A long time ago, over four hundred years ago, actually, there was this countess who killed young maidens and bathed in their blood so as to appear younger. She would torture them and mutilate them and all these horrible things. That Anna, the girl that just brought you here, that was one of her daughters."
"Daughters?! Wouldn't that make her-"
"Yes. She is over four hundred years old. And the Countess is also still alive. We are in her castle, as we speak."
"I don't understand how I got here and...this is just too messed up. I'm so confused." I fell back against the wall and let myself slide down until I was resting on the floor.
"You were most likely captured by a slave trader and she bought you. It's probably your hair. She loves redheads."
They seemed so calm about things. It was unnatural. "How long have you two been here?"
"Well, I have been here for six years, Amelie has been here for a little longer. She was here a few months before I was."
"So there is a good chance I will survive?" I asked, hopeful.
"Amelie and I pride ourselves on being very plain. It is the only way to survive here. You, unfortunately, are a very pretty girl. The countess will notice you again, no telling when, and decide what to do with you."
I have never been so insulted to be called pretty.
Numb, I allowed them to show me how to wear the slave outfit, a black floor-length dress with some type of corset around the middle. A bit elegant for a slave, really. I was always to keep my hair up and out of my face unless told to do otherwise. Amelie and Sara, as I discovered the other girl was named, explained that it was their duty to prepare the meals for the patrons and the Countess' family, as well as clean up after meals. During the day they were responsible for feeding the horses as well as cleaning the first floor. Amelie and Sara were beginning to head downstairs to prepare the meal, and I followed them as instructed. We did not speak again, the walk there.
The kitchen was spotless, with sparse decoration. Sara immediately began to read a list of instructions on how the meal was to be prepared, while Amelie pulled out huge pieces of meat out of a basket lying on the ground.
Sara pointed at a cabinet. I opened it, revealing rows of beautiful crystal champagne flutes. She pointed to a number, 36, so I assumed it meant that I was to get 36 flutes out. I placed them carefully on the counter in the same neat rows. Sara then pointed to another, smaller basket lying next to the one Amelie retrieved meat from.
Inside the basket was human hearts. I reeled backwards, almost crashing into the delicate flutes before catching myself on the edge of the counter. I stared at Sara, wide-eyed.
"Squeeze the blood into the flutes. There will be enough to fill them. Do not think about it and do not say a word," Sara whispered, so faint I could barely hear her. She and Amelie then busied themselves with the meat (I didn't want to know the life the meat had held before it got here. I already had a pretty good idea).
I pulled the basket over towards the counter, staring at it's contents. I almost vomited in my mouth, but somehow held it back. Closing my eyes, I reached into the bag and pulled out a heart.
It felt soft and squishy in my hands, but also firm. I tried to pretend I was a doctor while I squeezed the blood into a flute. It filled one to the brim and half of another glass, before I went to the next one.
I eventually filled all the glasses. I was covered in blood, I knew, and smelled ghastly. But work was not done yet.
As Amelie and Sara finished cooking, I helped to prepare the dishes. Amelie and Sara set the plates onto trays then pushed me out into the dining room with a tray full of blood-filled flutes.
There was a momentary pause in conversation as everyone stared at me hungrily. I held my head steady and served the woman I assumed to be the Countess first. She, like Anna, had long black hair and almond-shaped gold eyes. But the Countess was an incredibly beautiful woman, even moreso than her daughter. She had soft looking full lips, deathly pale skin, and a delicate nose, as well as a generously curvy body. You couldn't help but notice the last one when the tops of her breasts were bared in her old-styled gown.
Apparently I did right by serving her first, even if she noticed me. I served her children afterwards, then went down the table, occasionally going back to refill the tray. I rushed back into the kitchen as soon as I had finished, sitting on the floor and fanning my face.
As soon as Sara and Amelie were done serving the food, the three of us stood quietly in the back of the dining room, waiting for them to request refills or seconds. Thankfully, nobody asked for any, and they all retired to their rooms after an hour or so. We cleared the table and washed the dishes, then returned to our room.
I had no desire to join in Amelie and Sara's conversation. I was not only exhausted, but still horrified from dinner.
"Why so silent, girl?" Amelie asked.
"I'm still in shock from dinner..."
"That will pass," she replied. "You can get used to anything if you're around it long enough. Just be thankful it was not you they were eating."
As soon as Amelie had finished speaking, the door swung open again. This time, a girl with dark brown hair and blue eyes was there. Amelie and Sara stood up, and I followed their lead. The Countess' other daughter.
"You with the red hair. My mother wishes to see you." She stood away from the doorway and pointed down the hall. I walked outside, shaking again, and followed her down the hall. The Countess had noticed me.