Two identical black cars pull up behind the one I'm in and more men in black suits get out. They stop in front of my master and bow. This time, I recognize one of the faces. The man who had carried me over his shoulder appears at my door and grabs me by the hips, pulling me so hard that I fall onto my back. With my legs now bent at the knees, my feet slam to the ground, What is he doing now? This can't be good!
I gasp in shock when I see him pull out a folding knife and whip it open. Do I scream? Am I about to lose my clothing again? Anything but that! I'll just die of shame if all these people bear witness to that kind of humiliation. Suddenly, I feel a warm hand above my right knee. My master bends down to meet my gaze.
"Are you going to be a good little toy?", he asks me.
Nodding my head vigorously, I reply, "Yes Master!"
This causes him to grin and step forward, taking the place of the blac
Hearing whispers around me, I try to keep my focus. I can no longer move. one of the women in a blue dress is cupping my face but my eyes refuse to focus on her. Then a faceless man in a black suit leans down, cradling me in his arms. He scoops me up and continues down the corridor, following the women into a room."What happened?""I don't know, she just fell!""Are we going to be fired?""Shut up, Elise, we didn't do anything wrong!""Calm down, Anna. Akida will find out what happened and clear everything up.""Hurry up unless you all really do want to lose your jobs! Benny, you get out of here. Marie, get some water. Anna, towels. I'll get her clothes."A door closes and I feel myself being jerked around a bit. Though I can't comprehend what's happening, I feel like I should at least attempt to fight it. I try to lift my head but it fa
Micro... Micro means something very very small. Chip? I can't think of anything that makes sense so I tell her, 'No'. She digs in her case and pulls out a plastic tube with a needle at the end. It's sealed in a plastic wrapping of some sort. Walking over to me, she lays it on the bed and I sit up, pulling the blanket tightly around me. I scan the packaging with my eyes for a moment before looking at the words. "Micro-Claim" I read aloud. "Legally Acquired Slave Identification Device". "This is a micro chip. We call them LASIDs, for short. Until recently, we used to brand slaves with a tattoo.", she begins. "But in the cases where they escaped, it was difficult to track them down. Zio- I mean your master's company came up with a way to both mark and track slaves in one device. It's more humane, less painful, and a lot faster than tattooing." I turn it around in my hand, trying to figure out ho
Laying my head back on the pillow, I curl up and hug the blanket. There are so many emotions going on in my heart right now. I'm angry. I'm so angry at the men who took me away from my home, away from my father, away from my happy life far from all these people who want to hurt me this way.I'm sad. That's clearly an understatement, but I can't think of a better word to describe it. The loss of my father has cut me deeply but it feels so unreal, so untrue that I don't think I'm even fully allowing myself to accept that he's gone.I'm relieved that I have met this woman named Akida. She has been the only person, other than the slave who offered me water at the auction house, since this all began who has truly shown me compassion, sympathy, and genuine kindness. Having at least one person by my side makes me feel like maybe everything will be okay in the end.I'm humiliated. I was stripped of my clothing, my dignity, dragg
The hallway leading to the staircase is shorter than I remember it appearing to be last night and it takes no time at all to reach it. We turn right and walk behind the staircase, and head toward the wall lined with windows. This time, I can clearly see a beautiful garden with paved walkways, majestic trees, and many varieties of flowers.From what I'd seen last night, I thought that the fireplace was attached to the wall but behind it lays an alcove with a set of white doors with glass windows. Two black suited men wearing bow ties pull the doors open while Elise and Anna walk through. I pause and look at my bare feet.I feel uneasy walking around this fancy house without shoes on but I'm not royalty or of high esteem. I shouldn't be concerned with these trivial things. Looking forward, I step out and keep pace with the attendants. The courtyard is cool and the air is slightly sweet with the scent of flowers. It's so peaceful here.
Anna follows my master out and a jolly looking bow tied man closes the door behind them. Finally, I can unclench my tired muscles and just breathe! As soon as I catch hold of my nerves, Elise also breathes a sigh of relief and begins to giggle. Apparently, she's thinking of something hilarious because the look on her face is one of absolute entertainment."Is something funny?", I ask her, so confused as to how she could laugh after the embarrassment I just had to endure."Oh, I'm sorry. It's nothing. I've just never seen him touch a woman.", she explains, thoroughly amused. "I've worked as one of his attendants here for five years and every day, I see maids swooning over him left and right. I was beginning to think he prefers the company of another man, if you know what I mean."I do not in fact know what she means, but I nod my head to save myself any further embarrassment. There are so many things I must learn about th
Emrickson gently swings the door open to reveal a face I immediately recognize as the black suit they call Benny. With his sculpted hair swooped to the side, strong eyebrows frame his stern, yet young looking face. Deep brown eyes settled above high cheek bones refuse to meet mine and his curved jaw appears clenched. He's quite handsome but so uptight that his aura is awkward."Benjamin! Always a pleasure to see you. Take care of her, my boy.", Emrickson says, nudging me forward and patting my shoulder twice."Sir, I've told you so many times to call me Benny. We've worked together for years. Must we be so proper?", whines Benny, breaking from his statuesque facade.Not meaning to, I let a small chuckle escape my lips and quickly catch myself smiling at the two's silly banter. For a moment, it's as if this is a family home and not the manor of a tyrannical lord. Unfortunately, the feeling fades abruptly as Benny tu
"Sit.", he commands, as if I'm some pet, purely existing for his amusement.Not knowing exactly where he wants me to carry out this act of blind obedience, I panic and just plop down on my knees on the soft rug. For a few moments, he continues to watch the television. He appears to be okay with my placement for a split second. But then he turns to me. I avoid eye contact by staring straight forward at a button on the sofa cushion. This displeases him greatly.His chiseled jaw moves with the gritting of his teeth as he scowls and my heart sinks further down into my gut with every pulse of hot blood through the protruding vein in his neck. What in the celestial stars is going through his mind right now? As if hearing the question in my thoughts, a deep sigh leaves his lips in reply. He leans forward, bending down to meet my gaze, and we lock eyes with our faces only an inch apart."We could have done this the easy way.", h
Three women whom I don't recognize enter the room and walk to a door on the left of the room. My master stands and and without even sparing me a glance, he gets up from his seat on the sofa. His long legs carry him through the door in no time and it closes behind him as if he hadn't just made my whole world tremble only moments before.My eyes follow him as he vanishes before my eyes, every ounce of warmth I had felt has now fled my body. What is this? Why do I have such a feeling of loneliness now? An hour ago, I wanted to be left alone and now, I feel like a small child in need of a reassuring embrace. It doesn't make sense to me how someone so cold to me, a man I resent so much can make me yearn for their touch this way.Still, the sight of his back to me as he left me there alone saddens me. I wrap my arms around my chest and hold myself tightly while I wait for instruction. In this vast new place, I have no idea where to even go even if