A Vampire's Pet

It seemed that time stopped. The man got up and left, leaving me bound, gagged, and half naked in the cold room with no idea what was going to happen next. I couldn't control the tears that streamed relentlessly down my face as soon as the door closed behind him.

Everything was quiet and the room was really cold. These two things put together made me feel as if I were in some twisted nightmare. Maybe that's what was happening. My dad wouldn't really sell me to a slave house, would he?

I continued like that for what seemed like hours, trying to figure out how this all happened, where things went wrong, and what I did to deserve this. All the while, my hands worked tirelessly to free themselves of the rope binding them behind my back.

It seemed that my hands were beginning to slip free just as the door opened to reveal a young girl who looked to be about nineteen years old. She had long blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and was wearing a simple white tank top and black shorts. She wore a black collar around her throat and she carried a tray that held an assortment of items on it.

"My name is Poppy. The Master sent me to prepare you for the auction." She said, stepping closer to me.

Poppy seemed so gentle and kind and I immediately felt like I could trust her. She picked up a silky black cloth from the tray before setting the tray next to me on the table.

"This will be put over your eyes. It's not only for our safety but for yours as well." Poppy explained before gently placing the blindfold over my eyes.

I felt a sense of terror as my vision was shrouded in darkness and I couldn't help but pull away as I felt something cold and metallic running across my skin with the accompanying sound of fabric being cut.

"It's okay. I won't hurt you. Since the dress has been ripped, we must dress you in something a little more appropriate. Once I finish cutting this off, I will untie your hands and dress you in the new outfit. Please don't fight me."

I felt bad because I knew that as soon as my hands were free, fighting and running was exactly what I was going to be doing. Poppy was smaller than me and didn't quite fit the "fighter" type. I knew I could overpower her and make an escape.

I sat completely still as Poppy continued cutting my dress off before moving behind me. I could feel her fingers moving deftly to loosen and remove the knot in the ropes around my wrists. As soon as the ropes fell away, I jumped up and removed my blindfold, turning to look at Poppy in a split second. She watched me with wide, horrified eyes.

"Please don't. The Master will be here any moment to ensure the preparation has been complete. If he sees you like this, we'll both be in trouble!" Poppy pleaded, reaching a hand toward me.

I shook my head and dashed for the door, reaching up with one hand to undo the straps behind my head and spitting out the gag. I reached for the door with my other hand before throwing myself out of the room, into a dimly lit corridor. I didn't stop to contemplate which way to go, I just ran, turning left and sprinting as fast as my legs would carry me. I turned another corner and found myself in a short, well-lit hallway, but what stopped me what that the man from earlier was walking toward me. He stopped in his tracks, his thick brown eyebrows pulling down over his eyes in a scowl as his gaze landed on me. I knew he wouldn't chase me, but I had no doubt that he had people who would. People who were much stronger and faster than me. I was trapped and the only thing that would get me out of this would have had to be nothing less than an absolute miracle.

I stepped back as he pulled a small cellphone out of his pocket and pressed a single key before putting the phone to his ear. Not waiting to see what happened, I turn and ran back down the corridor I had first entered. I could hear footsteps storming in my direction, though I couldn't tell if the were coming from in front of me or from behind me. I ran faster. I knew I couldn't stop, but I also knew that I had no chance of making it out of here in one piece.

Before I could realize what was happening, I was tackled from behind. I had expected to feel the cold hard ground grating against my skin, but instead, I fell on top of whoever had just caught me. I was dumbfounded. How had they tackled me from behind, yet ended up beneath me to cushion my fall and, more importantly, why?

People surrounded us, coming from both ends of the hallway. A tall man with short blonde hair stepped forward and grabbed my arm, roughly pulling me to my feet. Another moved forward and produced a red ball gag, identical to the one I'd worn such a short time ago, from his pocket and forced it into my mouth before latching it securely behind my head.

Everything after that happened so quickly that my head was left spinning. I was blindfolded and picked up bridal style and carried for several long moments. I kicked my legs and screamed into the gag, pushing against the person carrying me. Nothing worked.

When I was dropped roughly on a soft surface that felt eerily similar to a bed, my screams grew more frantic and panicked. What was going to happen to me? Had I just sealed a more horrible fate for myself by running?

"I warned you."

I knew the voice immediately and I had known that he was going to come. I had also known that that's what he was going to say.

"Move to the end of the bed and stand up. Quickly, child." He said.

I was too afraid to disobey him, so I slowly moved forward until my feet hung off the edge of the bed and stood up. I felt his hands coaxing me to raise my arms and I complied, trembling from a mix of fear and cold. Fabric slid down my arms, over my head, and down my body. I could tell that it was a form-fitting dress that stopped mid-thigh.

After a moment, something cold wrapped around my throat with a soft click. Another click sounded shortly after, a mere moment before I felt myself being tugged forward. I heard him make a noise of approval and felt something wrap around my wrists. Once again, I was tugged forward, but it didn't stop this time. I was led, I assumed, from the room and down one of the hallways.

I counted mentally each step I was forced to take and just after I reached four hundred steps, we stopped. My hands were unbound but for only a moment before being re-tied behind my back. I heard muffled voices for a moment, then a voice louder than all the others.

"Welcome to tonight's auction. We, unfortunately, only have five girls for sale tonight, but let's get started, shall we?"

The sound of applause erupted all around me. The suddenness of the sound, caused me to flinch, just as my blindfold was taken off. I blinked against the blinding lights trained on me before my vision cleared and I could see a room full of men and women. Bids began soaring even before the announcer had time to set a starting price.

The bidding went on for what seemed like hours until finally, a very handsome man stepped to the front of the crowd and bellowed out "Fifteen Million!"

The room fell silent as everyone gawked at the man who had just bid such a high price for me. Was I really worth so much to him? Why? He didn't know anything about me. What would make him think I was worth so much? I was confused, but a blush crept up my cheeks at the thought of being so desired that someone would pay an outrageous fifteen million dollars just to get their hands on me.