Chapter 3

Black and misery. Where am I?

I blinked once again and trying to figure out what is this place. Both of my feet and hands are tied by a chain. My mouth is taped so I couldn’t say anything. What did I do?

Worse thing happened is being abandoned by parents and left by a debt while I am trying to survive and here I am being kidnapped I guess. This is like the movies I watched before with Dianne. I couldn’t remember anything, anything but a pale skin guy.

“Where is she?” A voice that I didn’t know who owns but I’m certain it is a woman.

“Inside Madame,” answered by the guards outside.

I heard the door opens and it gives a little light from the outside. A classy dressed woman enters the room, but the baby bump is giving its emphasize. She is pregnant.

“A Winston,” the classy woman said gracefully. “Where is your parents?”

Confused but tears fall when she asks me about my parents who abandoned me. I hate them. I suffer at young age a lot of pain just to live because I can’t die. I attempt a lot of times, but there’s always this someone who saved me. I guess even in deathbed they will haunt me with my parent’s debt.

She told the guards to get the taped because she can’t lean down to do so. I am sitting here so it must be so hard for her. “How much debt they borrowed on you?” I asked directly so we could negotiate it now and I can go.

The classy woman draws confusion in her face when I asked her the question. “I need them now, but they don’t have any debts on me.”

“What do you mean? You kidnapped me here just to say that you need my parents? I didn’t even know where the hell they go!” I burst my emotions and find the strength to say it forward.

The guards went on me and slap me with their belt. The belt marked on my face and my face hurts. The woman told the guards to not do it and taped me instead.

“We need them before the game started. For you to get out of here,” she said and starting walk away.

The guards closed the door again and the woman is gone. Their debts are piling up. What they expect me to say? I never been kidnapped before but I was tortured, almost raped and abused because of their debts. How much pain they will give in me? How much pain will I carry before I die?

I tried to shout even if my mouth is taped. Help me. I am trying to live because I promise to myself that I will pay them first before I die. I can’t let them curse me in my deathbed, that is my rest and peace.

Suddenly the door opened again and the guards approached me. They forced me to stand up and when I got up they dragged me out. Even though I wanted to die, I was still afraid of what was happening like today. “You’re too beautiful to just be baptized if Prince William doesn’t win tomorrow’s game,” said one of the guards dragging me.

First, they were looking for my parents. Now I need to baptized my life to them for the thing that I don’t know and why I am involved?

We entered a room where there was a lot of food. Steak, chicken, pizza, waffles, beef, mozzarella cheese, bacon, massaman curry, chocolate, sushi, pecking duck and etc. Will I be hanged tomorrow? “Eat it, because it might take a long time for it is forbidden to feed you when they were still playing,” one of the maid disclosed the information.

“What do you mean? What will happen tomorrow?” I sat down and started eating. If I will be hanged tomorrow at least I am full. Who am I to refuse grace?

I saw that the maid was impressed that I am actually eating. “What if you eat with poison hija?”

“Then I will die,” I reassured.

The food was great; first time I ate food like this is when I am almost raped. I am fifteen years old that time, they offered me food like this. I was young so I fell easily and I want to eat those certain foods. They actually fed me the same food I eat today. I was happy and fooled also. I was just fourteen years old when my parents left me and became a maid to a neighbor to eat and study. I didn’t realize that the juice I drank had a sedative so I fell asleep for a while. But when I woke up I was completely naked and the man was above me trying to enter my insides. I suddenly sat down and pushed him when I realized that he was doing something that disgusted me. They took advantage on me and I pity myself.

Suddenly a man came in, to my surprise he was the creepy pale guy when Lucy was hospitalized.

“You just have to…” He turned to the maid and motioned for us to leave first. She left and then he went on to say “Just stare at William’s eye as if you’re giving him help when you know he doesn’t have much strength.”

“What’s going on?” My forehead creased as if I am trying to get fresh information of what is happening.

“Your life is at risk. The only thing that saves you and the kingdom is when you listen.”

One of the guards entered and approached the man. I heard him calling the creepy man, Mr. Winston. Is he related to me? He was being kicked out because I needed to eat and get ready to go to the game Arena.

I suddenly felt the tension of what was happening. It was as if I was going to be hanged but before that I would have to witness a game. Did I ask for it? Is it a reward before dying?

I took off what I ate first and they put on a white dress on me and chained me again. We went through several corridors before reaching a garden. That means we’re out. I looked around and it was full of green. It is not yet time for the flowers to bloom here in the garden. I smiled bitterly, my mom loves flowers.

We entered the dark large aisle. I guess we entered the entranced of the Arena. I was taken in an elevator; we went up to the top of the Arena. I saw it glow as they tied me back to a web like chained that lacked where I could be hung. The number of people entering is also increase. It was noisy but they were going to the top of the Arena. How will they see the game? On second thoughts, why am I worried that they’ll see the game if I’m already hanging out here?

The drums rang and everyone was shouting as if they were in a cheer dance competition. Someone was shouting William’s name and a Joshua. They were getting a little hot as they shouted. How much is the prize that they are all excited this to start?

They fell silent when a woman entered. I don’t recognize her because she’s a bit far away. “Her Royal Highness, Princess of Zorana. Princess Lucianna.”

My eyes widened as I realized that the Lucianna they were welcoming is the Lucy that I treated as friend. She smiled as a thank you for the welcome. As she sits down and roam her eyes, our eyes meet each other. Her mouth fell open when she realized that it was me hung here.

“Her Royal Highness, Queen of Zorana. Queen Cassandra.” They growl for the recognition of the queen.

Growl? Like a wolf. What are they? Why they growl? Are they a wolf?