Status: About once or twice a week. More if I ever get a break from school. :)
The Damned
Chapter Seven
Chapter Seven
Easter's POV
"Walk faster. We don't want to keep your master's waiting," Lee said, clearly enjoying this way too much. I swear he's insane. There's no way you can be sane and enjoy catching people to be slaves.
I finally got to the top of the road. There was only a couple of flights of stone stairs and then I'd be right at the front doors to the castle. Lee stopped me with another rough grab. "We wait here now," he said and stood quietly with Frank.
I ignored them and walked over to lay in the grass by a small man-made pond. I wanted to look at all the fish, bugs, frogs, and even a couple of turtles that made their home there.
"What do you think you're doing?! Get up!" Frank yelled. "This isn't a vacation. Get your ass up!"
I looked over my shoulder so Frank and Lee could get the full force of my glare. Believe me you would have died of fear if you saw me glaring at you. They didn't even flinch though. It was remarkable. "Actually, I'm fine right here. I haven't been comfortable for a long time. You really need to stop putting people in smelly boxes. They don't like it and won't listen to you," I informed them.
"Shut up," they hissed in unison. Lee kicked me in the side. I kicked him in the shin. Lame, I know. I didn't really have that many options, considering I was lying down though.
"I'm going to pretend I didn't just see you damage a new slave," a haughty voice said. I sat up looking around for the voice to see a tall woman in an expensive black dress, who looked like she was in her mid-twenties and had her hair pulled up in an elegant bun. Oh, how could I forget this? She was looking at me like I was something stuck to the bottom of her shoe. "Were you told why you will be a slave?" she said, seeming embarrassed that she had to talk to me.
"No," I replied.
"We'll have to do that too then," she said. "Let's go inside so you can be…reminded of what you did." She turned and swept up the steps, leaving me to scramble after her followed closely by Frank and Lee. She led us into the front hall of the castle. I know my mouth was hanging open like a complete idiot when I looked around. It looked like a gothic mansion from the 1800s. "Hurry up," she snapped. "You look like a fool. I don't have time for this. I'm not a tour guide."
"Sorry!" I whispered, running after her. We went up one of the two grand spiral staircases and down an endless hallway, before turning down another narrower hallway and then going down---Surprise!--Yet another hallway. Then, we went down several narrow flight of stairs where the ceiling was so low that even I had to duck to get down them. At the bottom of the stairs, there was a noticeable difference. Before I hadn't seen anyone but it was still beautiful and inviting. Here, there were people everywhere, but there wasn't any of that atmosphere. Everyone was bustling around, not talking to anyone else, only doing their work. These halls were drab and bare, with no windows since we were underground.
The woman opened a door and ushered us inside before closing the door sharply. "Sit down," she told me, pointing at a chair. I sat down and she stood across the room from me. Frank and Lee were standing next to the door like they were guarding people from getting in, or me from getting out. "Take those handcuffs off," she ordered, throwing me a pair of keys. I struggled to get them off, finally managing it, but only after the woman had made several annoyed sounds. I guess I took too long, but if she wants to complain, she should try it.
"I'm not going to waste any time explaining things you should already understand. You are now a slave. You have no rights. Not only that but you are here for two reasons. The first, being the one you were arrested for is your kind are now considered a dangerous breed and until, or if, you have proved yourself you will not be free. As an additional problem, we've come to find out you've killed your parents," she added, a harsh note in her voice.
"But, I--"
"Do you deny what you did?" the woman snapped.
"No, but--"
"I told you I wasn't going to waste time with you. The subject is closed," she said, with a tone of finality that agreed with her words. "Onto the next thing. You will be working in the kitchens, cleaning the guest rooms, making sure the slave quarters are in order, working in the gardens, and other tasks where you will not come in contact with anyone of any importance. You should know we have a carefully designed system from slaves to indentured servants to common citizens to upper-class citizens to the royal family, but there are many subsystems that I'm sure another slave will explain to you, since I don't particularly care to," the woman said. "Another slave will be here shortly to take you to your new room." Without another word, or so much as a good-bye, she left. Lee and Frank left behind her. I guess they figured I couldn't do much damage to anyone but myself right now.
A few minutes went by and I was getting restless. I felt uncomfortable here, sort of like I was being watched 24/7. I started tapping my foot on the ground, but it started to get annoying so I stopped. What is taking this person so long?! Can't they just get here already? I started walking up and down the room faster and faster until I was running; anything to get my mind off being trapped. I think that's what bothered me more than anything. I couldn't get away now. I had no space to myself. Nothing belonged to me and no one would help me. It felt like I didn't have enough air to breathe; like the walls were closing in on me.
"What are you doing?" a girl's voice asked. I looked over to see a pretty girl with blond hair down to her waist. She was really short and wearing really simple clothes with tons of patches. I think she was the first person I'd seen who looked about my age here. She had her hands on her hips and was staring at me like I was crazy.
"Nothing," I said. "Can we go now?"
"We'll go in a minute. I've got a couple of questions first," she said, flopping onto the chair. "You look weird," she commented, a moment later.
"That's not a question," I said, blushing. I know I look weird, but it really doesn't need to be pointed out.
"You need a haircut…and you need different clothes…and…you’re too skinny…I don't think any of the royal family will like anyone like you, since they usually prefer someone more masculine, but-" She poked one of my skinny arms. "Oh, pathetic. It doesn't look like you've had a day of hard work. No muscle, whatsoever."
"I have worked. I don't just sit around on my ass all day. And, for your information, I don't particularly care what you think of me. I already hate it here. You don't need to add to it," I snapped. "Just take me to my room.
"I'm sorry…do you really want your hair that long though? A haircut could be arranged…just saying," she said, before flinching under my glare.
I'm actually pretty proud of my inky black hair and I'm used to it being long. It's just past my shoulders now because Seven's the only one who'd cut it and I don't trust him with a pair of scissors. I'd be bald and bleeding by the end of that. The only part of hair I'd cut was my bangs, which fell across my eyes. "I like my hair just fine actually. Can we go now?" I asked.
The girl sighed but led me out of the room. She didn't seem interested in talking to me anymore and I felt a little bad for being so rude. It's not her fault I'm not used to being around other people. Seven and Haven are pretty relaxed and don't really care what I do, so I don't have a lot of opportunity to get uncomfortable around them. They're not going to bug me about the way I look, especially since they know I'm kind of self conscious. I'm actually kind of surprised at the progress I've made. Six months ago, I wouldn't have been able to even talk to someone who was mad at me. I would have just let them say whatever they wanted about me.
"Who was that lady? Who are you?" I asked as we hurried down the halls. "How long will it take me to get out of here? how long have you been here? That lady said there are different levels of slaves. Is that true?"
She laughed. "Too many questions! That lady was the official in charge of the slaves, not that we see her that much and her names is Diana. My name is Courtney. I'll be your advisor, so if you have any questions or need anything you can come to me. As for how long you'll be here, it depends on you. It could be only a couple of years or for the rest of your life. I've been here for five years. I've been a relatively good worker, but I had my problems in the beginning, which really hurt me. I suggest you be good and do everything they tell you to, especially because of what you are." There is levels for slaves, probably five or six. You are in the lowest level of slaves because you are just at the beginning of your stay here. The lowest level is for people who've caused a lot of trouble or are new and have no chance of getting out soon. You'll have the hardest jobs, work the longest hours, and be treated with absolutely no respect. As you rank up you'll have shorter hours and easier jobs. It'll always be hard since you're still a slave, but eventually you'll just be an indentured servant and you can buy your freedom. I think that's all your questions," she said, pleasantly.
"Here's your room. You'll have a couple of roommates, but you don't have to worry too much about them treating you badly. They are just as new as you are and just as scared, so they'll probably treat you okay. Bye!" She flounced off.
I opened the door and was greeted by two familiar faces. "Seven! Haven!" I squeaked, running over to them and tackling the sleeping Haven. Seven scooted over to us as Haven shot up, surprised by my random scream and hug.
"Easter, you're here!" Seven yelped, throwing his arms around me.
"What? How'd you--Seven missed you," Haven said, sheepishly hugging me.
"I missed you too," I teased Haven, who blushed. "Don't look so hurt, Seven. I missed you too," I told him. I hugged them both one more time before pulling away. As horrible as this situation was, being with my family, I felt a little bit better.
Easter's POV
"Walk faster. We don't want to keep your master's waiting," Lee said, clearly enjoying this way too much. I swear he's insane. There's no way you can be sane and enjoy catching people to be slaves.
I finally got to the top of the road. There was only a couple of flights of stone stairs and then I'd be right at the front doors to the castle. Lee stopped me with another rough grab. "We wait here now," he said and stood quietly with Frank.
I ignored them and walked over to lay in the grass by a small man-made pond. I wanted to look at all the fish, bugs, frogs, and even a couple of turtles that made their home there.
"What do you think you're doing?! Get up!" Frank yelled. "This isn't a vacation. Get your ass up!"
I looked over my shoulder so Frank and Lee could get the full force of my glare. Believe me you would have died of fear if you saw me glaring at you. They didn't even flinch though. It was remarkable. "Actually, I'm fine right here. I haven't been comfortable for a long time. You really need to stop putting people in smelly boxes. They don't like it and won't listen to you," I informed them.
"Shut up," they hissed in unison. Lee kicked me in the side. I kicked him in the shin. Lame, I know. I didn't really have that many options, considering I was lying down though.
"I'm going to pretend I didn't just see you damage a new slave," a haughty voice said. I sat up looking around for the voice to see a tall woman in an expensive black dress, who looked like she was in her mid-twenties and had her hair pulled up in an elegant bun. Oh, how could I forget this? She was looking at me like I was something stuck to the bottom of her shoe. "Were you told why you will be a slave?" she said, seeming embarrassed that she had to talk to me.
"No," I replied.
"We'll have to do that too then," she said. "Let's go inside so you can be…reminded of what you did." She turned and swept up the steps, leaving me to scramble after her followed closely by Frank and Lee. She led us into the front hall of the castle. I know my mouth was hanging open like a complete idiot when I looked around. It looked like a gothic mansion from the 1800s. "Hurry up," she snapped. "You look like a fool. I don't have time for this. I'm not a tour guide."
"Sorry!" I whispered, running after her. We went up one of the two grand spiral staircases and down an endless hallway, before turning down another narrower hallway and then going down---Surprise!--Yet another hallway. Then, we went down several narrow flight of stairs where the ceiling was so low that even I had to duck to get down them. At the bottom of the stairs, there was a noticeable difference. Before I hadn't seen anyone but it was still beautiful and inviting. Here, there were people everywhere, but there wasn't any of that atmosphere. Everyone was bustling around, not talking to anyone else, only doing their work. These halls were drab and bare, with no windows since we were underground.
The woman opened a door and ushered us inside before closing the door sharply. "Sit down," she told me, pointing at a chair. I sat down and she stood across the room from me. Frank and Lee were standing next to the door like they were guarding people from getting in, or me from getting out. "Take those handcuffs off," she ordered, throwing me a pair of keys. I struggled to get them off, finally managing it, but only after the woman had made several annoyed sounds. I guess I took too long, but if she wants to complain, she should try it.
"I'm not going to waste any time explaining things you should already understand. You are now a slave. You have no rights. Not only that but you are here for two reasons. The first, being the one you were arrested for is your kind are now considered a dangerous breed and until, or if, you have proved yourself you will not be free. As an additional problem, we've come to find out you've killed your parents," she added, a harsh note in her voice.
"But, I--"
"Do you deny what you did?" the woman snapped.
"No, but--"
"I told you I wasn't going to waste time with you. The subject is closed," she said, with a tone of finality that agreed with her words. "Onto the next thing. You will be working in the kitchens, cleaning the guest rooms, making sure the slave quarters are in order, working in the gardens, and other tasks where you will not come in contact with anyone of any importance. You should know we have a carefully designed system from slaves to indentured servants to common citizens to upper-class citizens to the royal family, but there are many subsystems that I'm sure another slave will explain to you, since I don't particularly care to," the woman said. "Another slave will be here shortly to take you to your new room." Without another word, or so much as a good-bye, she left. Lee and Frank left behind her. I guess they figured I couldn't do much damage to anyone but myself right now.
A few minutes went by and I was getting restless. I felt uncomfortable here, sort of like I was being watched 24/7. I started tapping my foot on the ground, but it started to get annoying so I stopped. What is taking this person so long?! Can't they just get here already? I started walking up and down the room faster and faster until I was running; anything to get my mind off being trapped. I think that's what bothered me more than anything. I couldn't get away now. I had no space to myself. Nothing belonged to me and no one would help me. It felt like I didn't have enough air to breathe; like the walls were closing in on me.
"What are you doing?" a girl's voice asked. I looked over to see a pretty girl with blond hair down to her waist. She was really short and wearing really simple clothes with tons of patches. I think she was the first person I'd seen who looked about my age here. She had her hands on her hips and was staring at me like I was crazy.
"Nothing," I said. "Can we go now?"
"We'll go in a minute. I've got a couple of questions first," she said, flopping onto the chair. "You look weird," she commented, a moment later.
"That's not a question," I said, blushing. I know I look weird, but it really doesn't need to be pointed out.
"You need a haircut…and you need different clothes…and…you’re too skinny…I don't think any of the royal family will like anyone like you, since they usually prefer someone more masculine, but-" She poked one of my skinny arms. "Oh, pathetic. It doesn't look like you've had a day of hard work. No muscle, whatsoever."
"I have worked. I don't just sit around on my ass all day. And, for your information, I don't particularly care what you think of me. I already hate it here. You don't need to add to it," I snapped. "Just take me to my room.
"I'm sorry…do you really want your hair that long though? A haircut could be arranged…just saying," she said, before flinching under my glare.
I'm actually pretty proud of my inky black hair and I'm used to it being long. It's just past my shoulders now because Seven's the only one who'd cut it and I don't trust him with a pair of scissors. I'd be bald and bleeding by the end of that. The only part of hair I'd cut was my bangs, which fell across my eyes. "I like my hair just fine actually. Can we go now?" I asked.
The girl sighed but led me out of the room. She didn't seem interested in talking to me anymore and I felt a little bad for being so rude. It's not her fault I'm not used to being around other people. Seven and Haven are pretty relaxed and don't really care what I do, so I don't have a lot of opportunity to get uncomfortable around them. They're not going to bug me about the way I look, especially since they know I'm kind of self conscious. I'm actually kind of surprised at the progress I've made. Six months ago, I wouldn't have been able to even talk to someone who was mad at me. I would have just let them say whatever they wanted about me.
"Who was that lady? Who are you?" I asked as we hurried down the halls. "How long will it take me to get out of here? how long have you been here? That lady said there are different levels of slaves. Is that true?"
She laughed. "Too many questions! That lady was the official in charge of the slaves, not that we see her that much and her names is Diana. My name is Courtney. I'll be your advisor, so if you have any questions or need anything you can come to me. As for how long you'll be here, it depends on you. It could be only a couple of years or for the rest of your life. I've been here for five years. I've been a relatively good worker, but I had my problems in the beginning, which really hurt me. I suggest you be good and do everything they tell you to, especially because of what you are." There is levels for slaves, probably five or six. You are in the lowest level of slaves because you are just at the beginning of your stay here. The lowest level is for people who've caused a lot of trouble or are new and have no chance of getting out soon. You'll have the hardest jobs, work the longest hours, and be treated with absolutely no respect. As you rank up you'll have shorter hours and easier jobs. It'll always be hard since you're still a slave, but eventually you'll just be an indentured servant and you can buy your freedom. I think that's all your questions," she said, pleasantly.
"Here's your room. You'll have a couple of roommates, but you don't have to worry too much about them treating you badly. They are just as new as you are and just as scared, so they'll probably treat you okay. Bye!" She flounced off.
I opened the door and was greeted by two familiar faces. "Seven! Haven!" I squeaked, running over to them and tackling the sleeping Haven. Seven scooted over to us as Haven shot up, surprised by my random scream and hug.
"Easter, you're here!" Seven yelped, throwing his arms around me.
"What? How'd you--Seven missed you," Haven said, sheepishly hugging me.
"I missed you too," I teased Haven, who blushed. "Don't look so hurt, Seven. I missed you too," I told him. I hugged them both one more time before pulling away. As horrible as this situation was, being with my family, I felt a little bit better.
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Sorry it's been so long!I'll update faster now that it's winter break.