Bittersweet World

As I rolled my body to its side, my face pressed into a soft surface. The scent of roses, my least favorite flower, stung my nostrils. My eyes open to a disgusting brown color. I blinked a few times to try to remember where I was. The color of the couch a way layed out on didn't look familiar. Sitting up, I looked around. White walls. Tan carpet. A glass coffee table. None of this looked familiar to me. A chill went through me as I realized how cold it was.

Then I remembered the guy I met at the club. His fiery hair and skin tone. I shoved my palm into my forehead, annoyed at my own stupidity. All those years of high school telling us girls, "Never let someone at a club handle your drinks." I fell for it, and now I didn't know where I was, how I got there, or if I'd been hurt in some way. "I'm so stupid," I said out loud.

"Don't punish yourself."

Did I imagine that? I looked around, but saw no one. I stood to go look for someone; surely I didn't walk myself into an empty apartment. "Hello?"

From out of a bedroom near what I assumed to be the front door came a tall man, at least a half foot taller than myself. He looked as though he'd just woken up himself. Tufts of hair standing up, a button down shirt and black pajama pants.

Seeing him, I couldn't help but scream as loud as I could. What was I doing here? How did I get here? My head was racing and I'd lost control of my vocal cords. I was screaming out of fear but more out of frustration.

Calmly, he walked right up to my placing a hand over my mouth and another hand on the back of my head, ensuring I wouldn't run away. "I need you to listen. Don't scream. Don't run off. Don't say anything until I ask you to. Can you do that?" His grip loosened enough for me to nod in compliance. "Sit over there, it'll be hard to take."

Reluctantly, I obeyed him and took a seat on the gross brown couch that smelled of roses. I placed my hands in my lap and tried to calm myself.

Running a hand through his hair, he came and sat on the couch close to me but still giving me space. He took hold of my hand--I assumed to try to make a connection with me. His touch was so warm, it actually was rather comforting. "What happened was, you were drugged by some of the scouts who are going over to where you live and take humans to where you are now. It's hard for you to understand, but right now you're in an entirely different place. Where you are now, humans are kept as pets, servants, or lovers."

My chest pulsed. My mind raced. How could humans be pets? What did that make him? Why was he so warm in this chilled room.

"Judging by the way you slept, I'd say they drugged you pretty hard. I was surprised when I saw you laying unconscious in the grass on a back road. Usually you would have been auctioned off," he explained further.

I was dying to ask him to take me home. I guess it showed on my face by what he said next.

"Before you ask, you can't go home. The way the portal from this world into yours works is strange. For you to come from your world, you have to be willing. You can't be forcefully dragged in. That's probably why they drugged you. At first you lose your inhibitions, which is probably how you 'willingly' went through," his hand tightened around mine. "But how you go through the other way, is whoever brought you through has to want you to go through. It's like they an invisible leash that ties you to this world." Releasing my hand, he stood up. "So you're pretty much stuck here."

"So what's going to happen to me?" My mouth was dry and I could now taste the scent of rose.

"You can either stay with me or you can take your chances out there. I'll warn you though. There's a 'catch 'em, keep 'em,' law around here. Basically, if someone finds you without a license, you're their property. And unlike in your world, it's not a crime to torture and kill our pets."

Uncontrollably, silently, I began sobbing. I curled my knees up and rested my arms on them, hiding my face in my arms as I cried. My life was over. Everything I worked for was done. There was nothing I could do about it.

"It's okay, I'll take good care of you. If that's what you want, I mean." He knelt beside me, stroking my matted hair. "And if you see the person who brought you to this world, I might be able to convince him to let you go back."

I perked up immediately. "You mean it?!"

"Yes. But for now, you'll have to get a license so no one else will claim you. I don't think many others would take care of you or ever let you go home, for that matter."

"Can I ask a couple questions?" I ventured.

"Sure. I guess you can ask as many as you need."

"First, what's a license? Second, what are you since you're not human? Third, what's your name?"

He laughed. "I suppose those are reasonable questions. I think in your world there are licenses on your pets. Collars, I believe they are."

"I have to wear a collar?" I was so irritated. The idea of me having to wear a collar was disgusting.

"Yep. That's just how it goes. Anyway, my name is Dublin. And... I'm a weird mix. A vampire and a dragon." Running his hand through his hair, he moved a section of hair away from his ear to show me a weird symbol. "This is my clan mark. Dragons have them. My dad was a vampire and my mom a dragon of the fire region," he let his hair cover the mark again. "I know in your world's folklore dragons are like lizards. That's only half of it. We actually look like humans unless we choose to appear as dragons. Similar to how your world thinks vampires turn into bats."

I was at a loss for what to say. It was a lot to digest. Having to wear a collar. The fact that dragons and vampires existed. Did this mean elves, werewolves, mermaids and wizards existed too? My boring old life just got a lot more complicated.