I inhale deeply, as I stretch out my arms and legs. Is it morning already? Opening my eyes, the soft light peeps in through the windows, and I realize that the room is empty. I look around, but before any worry has a chance to set in, I hear voices coming from just outside the curtain, reassuring me that my master hasn't left me again. He seems to be having a debate with Akida about the plans for taking me home.
"Come on, Akida. I have to get back to work, but I can't just leave her here!", he pleads.
"You definitely do have to work, but that doesn't mean she's ready to go home yet, Zion.", she snaps back.
"Look, I own every single one of these machines. You have my full permission to just pack up whatever you think she might need, and let me take her home with me! You should know me well enough to believe me when I say that I'm not leaving here without her."
"Fine then, you great big, stubborn ass.
As my master and I share a look of mutual excitement, one of the men wearing a white coat releases the hovering bed, and comes to stand beside me. He extends his arms to pick me up, but caught off guard, I flinch and pull away. I know that he merely intends to move me to the floating bed, but I still don't feel comfortable with another man touching me, let alone holding me. Before things have a chance to become too awkward, Master rushes over to help me."I'll move her.", he says, abruptly.The poor man is clearly confused as to why we are interfering with his duties, but he concedes, backing away while acceptingly nodding his head. A pair of comfortable, sturdy arms slide underneath me, one supporting my back, the other tucked behind my knees. He lifts me effortlessly off the bed, flashing me a satisfied grin. If I could capture this moment and put it in a picture frame, I would cherish it forever. Looking up at his weary face, my heart see
I watch his back, as he disappears through the door. Forcing myself not to call out and ask him to stay is so difficult, when my heart is being crushed like egg shells, with every step he takes. Before I can feel too alone though, I see some familiar figures, cautiously creeping about. Elise and Marie carefully step into the room, looking as though they've seen a ghost. They seem hesitant to enter."Euroah?", Elise asks, so quietly that her question is nearly inaudible."Of course, it's me. What's wrong?", I ask, as Elise walks over to the bed and kneels beside me, taking my hand in her's."Thank heavens, Euroah, I thought you were going to die! I never imagined that Anna was capable of doing something like that. I'm so sorry that I didn't pick up on something when we talked to her last. I heard the words she was saying, but I just didn't think that she had the intention of actually harming anyone. I thought she was just
I awake in utter terror. My legs throb and my ears are ringing. As I inhale deeply through my dry and cracking lips, my surroundings come into view. I must have fainted at some point but everything is hazy. The sound of dogs barking in the distance is enough to pull me out of my semi-conscious state, ready to run. There is no sun in the sky, yet the night is lit with orange dots, getting bigger with every passing second. I look around, trying to get my bearings straight. What is all this? Where am I? I wonder for only a second before a flashback of waking up from a dead sleep to a banging on the door plays through my memory. Then I recall my father's face as he appeared in the doorway of my bedroom yelling, 'Quickly, Euroah! Don't worry about me! Just run!' That scene sears through my mind like wildfire, and I push myself off the ground. How long have I been running? It seems like it's been days, but I know that isn't possible. Who are these men and why are they even chasing me?
Coming to my senses, I'm able to make out voices but all I can see is darkness. Who are the voices coming from? I listen to my surroundings as my world comes back together like puzzle pieces in my previously jumbled mind. I don't believe I recognize any of these sounds or voices. Suddenly, my last memories come cascading back to me, crashing into my head with a roar. Opening my eyes, I try to jolt up but my efforts are in vain. Where am I? What happened after I was picked up by that ugly brute on horseback? Piece after piece, floats into place as the world builds in the darkness around me. My eyes seem to be covered with a dark cloth of sorts and my hands and ankles are bound by some kind of scratchy rope, though it feels more like thorns or barbed wire against what used to be my soft, delicate skin. I can only imagine what I must look like now, covered in sweat and dirt, bruises and blood. As my captors come to the realization that I've awoken, I hear footsteps coming in my directi
"Get up!", I hear as I'm being nudged in the side by a heavy boot. "We haven't got all day to wait on you to get ready! The stands are just full of stallions chomping at the bit for the chance to get at a fresh new pony." Stands and stallions and ponies? What is he talking about? I'm barely awake and we're already talking about animals? Ah, the auction. I guess I'm being sold with livestock. Have I been sold to a farmer? Perhaps he breeds horses. Before I'm even fully coherent, I'm taken by the arms and pulled up to a standing position. This time, I can feel that there is one person on each side of me. I do my best to gain an understanding of my situation. The hands on my arms aren't as large or rough as the brute man's. Perhaps they belong to women? And I sense another presence somewhere behind me, so there are at least four people here. "The knife.", the same voice calls out from his position in front of me. Knife? Wait, what knife? What's happening? He doesn't need a knife!
The blood pulsing through me freezes upon seeing the ugly man in the doorway. Now is not the time to make a run for it, though the thought briefly flashes through my mind. As though somehow sensing the possibility of my resistence, the woman who had given me water and helped me to dress comes close to me. Her trembling hands reach out to tidy some stray hairs that the older woman seems to have missed before. Hardly audible even to my own ears, she leans in and whispers to me, her voice shaking with fear. "Go now. Don't fight back, whatever you do. It will only make things more difficult for you." She steps away, without another word, only giving me a nudge from behind to coax me forward. Having grown impatient, the gruff man huffs into the room and grabs me, clamping heavy metal cuffs onto my wrists. He yanks me so hard that I nearly fall into him but he stops me short and attaches a chain to the cuffs. They're so heavy I feel like I'm going to drop to the floor with a clank if h
People in the stands begin to get up and bustle about, off to meander until the next object of interest goes up for bid. The smell of something delicious lingering in the air is probably tempting them to go and spend their money for a taste of it. My stomach growls and I wish I had my father here to buy some food for us to eat together. The gruff man starts cranking a lever and the tension that had been pulling on my wrists lessens. An idea pops into my head and any thought of filling my stomach leaves me.My arms start to lower and I see my only possible opportunity for escape. If I jump off the stage, I can probably run. There's got to be a way out that's just out of sight to the right or left of the stage. Beyond the stands is an entrance somewhere, otherwise all of these people couldn't have gotten in. As soon as the pulley is low enough, I lower my wrists as low as I can and then, with all my might, I fling my arms up, lifting the chain just high enough to
A shorter man in an identical black suit to the one worn by the man carrying me opens a back door on the car while a third black suited man opens the door on the opposite side. I'm placed into the seat and I stare out at the wretched people walking to and fro like a person isnt being treated like swine over here. My tears are once again dried up and I can see black streaks down my face in the reflection of the tinted window.The black suit who carried me on his shoulder only moments ago bows to this new master of mine who then turns and walks around to the other side of the car, settling into the seat beside me. The door closes and the car begins to drive. I can feel his eyes on me but I have no more energy left to fight. There's no will left in my weakened, starved body. I dare not look back at him.Instead, I watch the road, trying to take my mind elsewhere. The trees are so green, sky so blue. The fields turn into rolling hills, and then,