Angels Born of Hell and Fire

[Chapter two: Jasper’s point of view]

Dreams of rough hands and malicious laughter were what woke me. I was jolted awake, frantic, only to stare up at an unfamiliar ceiling. Slow realization of fear crept up my spine as goosebumps raised my skin. I clenched my teeth together to resist hyperventilating. Carefully, I sat up, pushing down the panic that tried to take my mind captive.

My hands scrabbled around the top of the bedside nightstand. After placing my now crooked glasses on, I flipped on the lamp. According to the digital clock, it was daytime, eleven twenty-seven in the morning.

Megan.

Sending a quick prayer that their captors had kept us together, I looked over to the other side of the bed. Sighing with relief, I found Megan’s back amongst the sheets.

“Megan.”

No response.

“Megan, wake up,” I demanded, shaking the girl’s shoulder.

Incoherent mumbling was followed by Megan turning in my direction. “Mmmm…yeah? What’s up, Jasper?”

Mentally, I counted the seconds.

1…2…3…4...

“Ohmigod!” She bolted upright and blinked furiously at the dim lighting. We both took in the black and white décor, even the carpet wasn’t safe from the color scheme. If this was any other time, I would have been able to appreciate its beauty, but there were more important things to focus on.

“Megan…we have to get out of here.”

“Where exactly is here?” she asked, both of us speaking in whispers.

“I don’t know. I’m assuming that guys house.”

“I don’t remember much…” she pressed a hand to her tired eyes.

“I don’t either… I fell asleep on the drive…”

After the man had purchased us, the slave traders had hosed us down roughly, thrown two horse blankets at us and pushed us into a shiny black car. Here awaiting us had been their new owner, leisurely watching them with his stunning lavender eyes.

As soon has the door has slammed shut there had been the loud thud of the locks falling into place. Megan and I had huddled together, sitting as far from the man as we possibly could, shivering in our drenched clothes. Eventually, the hum of the car’s engine had driven us into an exhausted sleep.

I didn’t remember how we had ended up in this room.

I watched as Megan furrowed her brows at the black and white sets of pajamas that had been laid out on the bed for us, which we had blatantly ignored. I didn’t want to change my clothes, although they were completely filthy, the cold spray of water from the night before only serving to make our clothes smell like mildew and sweat. However, they were the only thing that I had of home; if we changed we may never get them back. And maybe with the stench we could displease the buyer. Possibly ward off any sexual desire he had for us.

“There’s a window,” Megan stated, bringing me back to reality.

I watched as she hurried over, pulling aside the heavy velvet of black curtains. A window was revealed, crisscrossed with heavy iron bars. I walked over to look out at the foreign landscape we now found ourselves in. Bellow me stretched a narrow valley. It went on for miles, green lush trees filling it on all sides. Rocky threatening cliffs loomed and both sides.

“Damn it,” she sank down to the floor, curling tightly in on herself.

“What are we going to do Jasper?” she whispered, tears were building in her brown eyes. “My mom must be going crazy right now.”

Both Megan and I lived with our mothers, our fathers not worthy of being mentioned in any way. We both had two older sister as well, who were already off living their lives with their own families.

The police had probably been called by now, scoring the streets in hope to find us. Would they be able to find us? I had very little faith in the police, so that meant it was up to us, no matter what, we would find a way to get out. There had to be a way. If only I knew where we were!

“We’re going to go home Megan, don’t worry. We’ll find a way,” I pulled her into an embrace, finding comfort in the simple act. I was suspicious of the room we were in, speaking quietly so only she could hear just in case we were being watched from hidden cameras. It was quiet; no sound reached us to give a hint about what lay beyond the large wooden door. The window had told me we were very high up, facing out over a cliff.

Paranoia crept across my skin as I listened to Megan’s breathing. The feeling of being watched overtook me as we sat huddled on the floor.

There was a knock at the door before it opened. Megan and I shared a glance as a small woman in an apron walked in, bowed. She was in her mid-forties maybe, and dressed in a long black skirt, white blouse, and a white apron tided around her wide hips.

“If My Ladies are awake, the Master would like to see you,” she said in a quiet voice, just loud enough to carry over the distance. She kept her gaze on the floor.

With a sudden rush of movement, we ran for the door while pushing the woman out of the way. We ran like mad things, barreling down the long hallway as fast as we possibly could. We had just gotten a few ways down the hall when a wall of men in black uniforms seized us and began dragging us back to our room.

“Let us go!” I yelled as we struggled against the men’s grips.

We were presented to the woman. She eyed us with a stony expression and pursed lips.

“This won’t do. The Master would not be pleased with this,” she clapped her hands and a group of maids appeared from around a corner.

“Bathe and clothe the Ladies, please,” she told the maids before they all began to drag us back into our room.

I knew they were only doing their job, but being clean meant defeat. Therefore, I scratched, bit, and thrashed around as much as I could. Through the chaos, I could catch glimpses of Megan doing the same.

“What in God’s name is going on up here Marie?” A loud masculine voice shouted above the ruckus.

I paused in my battle against the maids, turning to see the man who had bought us storm into the space. Fear came into my heart, stealing my breath. I tried not to show it, raising my head and sealing away my expressions.

The small woman, who appeared to be named Marie, shuffled forward, her head bowed.

“The Ladies don’t seem to wish to be bathed, Master,” she said in a low voice.

The master of the house looked over as us, his beautiful face twisting in disgust.

“You both look repulsive in that horrible human garb, if you wish to present yourselves before me you must be properly dressed.”

I bit my tongue against a sarcastic remark that came into my mind. However, Megan didn’t have such foresight.

“That’s fine, as we don’t wish to be anywhere near you! Let us go you twisted freak!” she snapped, causing a gasp from all the woman that surrounded us.

I really wished Megan would think before she said things. She always had a habit of saying things that only made everything worse. I knew she was afraid, using her anger to hide the fact, but I had a feeling that this man would not take lightly to her rude remarks.

The eyes of our captor narrowed dangerously as he slowly advanced on where Megan was being pinned by two maids.

“Whether you wish it or not,” he said darkly down into Megan’s frightened face, “You will bathe and be dressed!”

His hand clutched the front of Megan’s dirty T-Shirt and he yanked it away, tearing the material from her shoulders.

“Megan!” I lurched forward, but my arms were locked behind me by my own restraining maids.

Megan screamed, crying, as the man efficiently tore all of her clothing from her. Her naked form curled into a pathetic ball on the floor, the maids not even bothering to hold her in place any more. I knew she couldn’t even try fighting them in her current condition.

Hot tears fell down my cheeks as I watched her shivering form.

“Now you will be bathed and dressed. I expect you to behave properly before you disgrace yourself further,” the man hissed before striding angrily away.

Two hours later, we were freshly scrubbed, clothed in clean, foreign clothes, and badly bruised. I looked down irritably at the black skirt that swung around my legs. I hated wearing skirts, yet that was what the maids had presented to me. Enviously I looked over at the black cargo pants Megan had been dressed in. Exhaustion and loss weighed upon my shoulders as we were once again presented to the small woman named Marie.

“Now, if my Ladies would follow me.”

I reached for Megan’s hand. I was scared. In fact, I was shaking with fear. She tried to smile weakly, her lips trembling. I knew she hadn’t recovered from her earlier trauma quiet yet. I was so glad that Megan was with me. I wasn’t sure what would have happened if I were alone.

Together, we followed the maid into the unknown.

[End: Chapter Two]