Chapter 2

I found myself sitting in a black SUV the next day. There were two men in black suits sitting at the front. They wore sunglasses and had com units in their ears. Several other black cars drove ahead of us. After a while, I saw a glimpse of an iron gate appeared from the distance. The stone walls stretched far into the dark green forest surrounding the area.

The automatic gate opened. We drove through a massive courtyard with manicured gardens and overgrown oak trees. The smell of flowers seeped through the tinted windows as the cars kept crawling on the pebbled pavement that snaked toward an enormous mansion.

The building looked like the mansions in Florence. Those colossal sculpted pillars, statues, and marble fountains could be seen from afar. When the cars stopped, the door at my seat slid open.

"Get out," a man dressed in complete black said to me. I gingerly stepped out of the SUV with a pounding heart.

Then I realized there wasn't just me there. Five other girls and three boys were also brought along into this seeming paradise, or in our case — hell.

Before we left the Human Institution, they had made sure that we were well-groomed and well-fed. They spent a good part of our stay training us to be willing servants. I'd also got my skin scrubbed, my hair done, my nail polished, and body hair removed. It was a strenuous process on my part since I hated every minute of it.

Looking at the rest of us, I could tell the same thing happened to them. They looked perfectly healthy with glowing skin and beautiful faces, but as we stared at each other, I could see the nervousness in their eyes.

About ten guards came out of the grand double doors of the mansion and ushered us inside.

The main hall was even bigger than an average church's. Heavy thick scarlet draperies hung over the windows from floor to ceiling. Expensive furniture decorated the whole place. Ceramic vases and classic paintings lined up the walls.

"Wait here, humans," one of the red-eyed guards said to us. Others flashed their venomous teeth in a warning. We kept ourselves still and silent as they watched.

A moment later, another group of men walked into the hall. One of them wore a white suit with a brim of red around the collar. A red handkerchief popped out of his breast pocket. He had a tall and lean figure, shiny black hair, and violet eyes. The guards bowed at him as he walked past.

"Report," the man said in a deep voice. One of the guards hurried forward and handed him a clipboard. The man took it and examined whatever written on the papers.

"So they all have O positive blood?"

I'd heard that people with O blood had become so rare and expensive. For some reason I didn't know, the high-class vampires preferred the taste of it.

"Yes, sir." The guard nodded "But one of them is special."

"Who?" the man asked.

"That girl, sir," the guard pointed at me. The man looked up from the clipboard. My body shivered under his gaze.

"What's her blood type?"

"Hers is Rh negative, sir," the guard responded. "The rarest of her kind."

This piece of information shocked me. I'd heard that humans with this type of blood were already extinct under the vampire oppression. It was like finding a gem among the regular rocks.

"Wonderful," the white-suited man said and then walked forward. I froze in place as he circled around me with his piercing violet stare.

"What's your name?"

I couldn't find my voice to speak. The panic lump clogged my throat.

"Answer him, slave!" the guard hissed. I recoiled.

"My...my name is Av...Avery Pierce," I stuttered.

"You do smell different, too." The man nodded to himself. Then he turned to the others vampires. "Keep this one. Bring the rest to the servant house."

The guards started to move the others away.

The man walked up to me and cupped my chin in his cold hand. His violet eyes bore into mine.

"Be good and serve well, human girl," he said. "If you wish to stay alive longer, don't upset your mistress."

I grimaced. Then the man let me go.

"Now come with me," he said and turned to walk.

As the guards escorted me through the hallway, I looked around the place. We went up the main staircase. The mansion was massive. It might as well be a palace. I might have to spend a whole day just to find the nearest restroom.

We walked along the quiet archway. My high heels scrapped on the carpeted floor. We reached another majestic wooden door. The guards pushed it open. The groaning sound of wood sent a shiver down my spine.

But no one crossed the threshold as if there were some forbidden boundaries there. The man in the suit turned to me again and smiled.

"I hope you come back alive."

Then the guards shoved me into the room and locked the door behind me.