Love Comes In Many Dangerous Forms

I followed Zach into the castle with Jimmy against my hip. Lucy trotted happily beside me and Colton and Shane trailing behind me.

Vera and Audrey went to the ball room to organize the servants and to clam everyone down. I walked over to the library, thinking it would be the appropriate place to talk of the matter.

I walked through the doorway and started scanning through the books.

“You can sit if you would like,” I suggested to them.

Colton and Shane took their seats near the windows of the large library, while Zach stood in the corner with his eyes narrowed at Shane.

I sighed and went to the historical events section and looked through the yellowing pages of old newspapers until I found what I was looking for.

I sighed sadly as I walked over to the desk that Shane and Colton were sitting.

“Now before I tell you anything, you both have to promise me that you will to no one about the information I am about to give you,” I told them.

“I promise,” Colton replied.

Shane was a bit hesitant, but he eventually said, “I promise.”

I closed my eyes and set the worn newspaper on the table.

“Do you remember the prince of vampires went missing six years ago?” I asked them.

“Prince Michael Aspen Simmer?” Colton asked.

“That’s right,” I gave them a weak smile trying to mask the pain. The pain was familiar; it felt like someone plunged a knife into my heart and started twisting and jerking the weapon inside destroying what little I had left.

“What does he have to do with all of this?” Shane asked.

“You both know that I was a slave, but you don’t know who my master was, nor where I worked,” I told them, “I grew up in one of the worst places for a human to live; I was a slave at the Simmers’ Castel.

“I was not a loud to speak to any of the royal family and was punished if I even glanced at one of the guests. I could not communicate with other slaves other than my family. Things were terrible at the Simmers’ castle.

“Slaves would sleep on the bottom floor. Our bedrooms had vermin crawling everywhere and the rats would bite at our flesh most of the time ripping something off. We weren’t allowed to use bathrooms so we were forced to go in our bedrooms. And you could faintly smell of rotting flesh that was masked by the scent of putrid waste. All that we ate in a week’s time was two pieces of moldy bread and a cup of polluted water. We never were healthy and most of us would vomit what little nutrients we had. Seeing dead slaves was normal for all of us.

“And then Michael came along,” I smiled softly, “He was a few months older than me when I first met him – when we were five years old. He would always be around me when I cleaned or helped cook, and eventually I started talking to him. We would get caught talking to each other, and I would be punished, but Michael always made it up to me – like giving me real food.

“We were best friends, and he always promised me when he took the throne he would let everyone go, and stop the war. But then he came.

“There was a vampire guest who stayed at the Simmer’s castle. I was twelve years old when it happened,” tears pooled into my eyes as I spoke, “Michael was in my room with me, and a vampire came in and wanted to rape me. And Michael never had any photographs of himself, so when Michael tried to stop him… the vampire didn’t recognize him and tore him into pieces. And he… raped me.”

I looked at Colton and Shane who both had the expressions of shock and confusion. But when I looked into Shane’s eyes I could see anger and frustration bubbling in his green eyes.

“When he found out that he killed Michael, he threatened to kill me and my family if I told who did it,” tears streamed down my face, but I was too exhausted to wipe them away, “And to this day, I can tell no one what he looked like, when he was at the castle, or when Michael was murdered, and it kills me keeping that from everyone, but I have to… Do you have any questions?” I asked them.

“What does this newspaper have to do with you and his murder?” Colton questioned.

“Read the headline,” I stated.

“Slave girl convicted of the murder of Prince Michael Aspen Simmer.”

“But you didn’t kill him,” Shane argued.

“They didn’t know that,” I told him, “And it was easier to convict a worthless human, than to kill the vampire who did it. So they put me in the dungeon and shackled me to the wall. The dungeon was even worse than the upstairs. All you could smell was rotting human flesh. It was dark; no light was so ever, it just was pitch black. You could hear the tortured scream of the residents down there. But most of them were mine.

“The guards would beat me continuously; almost all of my bones were shattered. They would cut me with their swords, sometimes they went all the way through, but they always poured vampire venom in it to keep me awake, I got deadly infections. And I still wonder how I am still alive. And,” I took a breath trying to calm myself, “they would rape me over and over and over again. And it went on for two years the same thing happening,” I sobbed.

“I think it’s best if you leave now,” Zach told Colton and Shane quietly.

Colton and Shane obeyed but Shane was hesitant to do so. Zach went over to the couch and retrieved a blanket that was resting on the armrest.

He walked back over to me and wrapped it around me.

“Do you want me to stay?” he asked me as he ran his hand up and down my back.

“No I th-think I want to be a-alone,” I told him in between sobs.

“Alright, but just call me if you need me, okay?” he smiled sadly.

I nodded my head and constricted my arms around my torso as I watched him leave.