Vessel of the Gods- Chosen

Chapter 1

If I had known I was going to be kidnapped, I would have picked something more comfortable to wear. I had finished my job bartending and was on my way home when two hands roughly pulled me into a car. A bag was swiftly placed on my head. After struggling for a while, they bound my hands but remained silent. I tried to stay calm, going into shock wouldn't help me. I breathed deeply and tried thinking about anything that happened before this. My day began normally enough. I woke, ate quickly, and headed out the door for a run. I took my usual route around my apartment and through the park. I paused, there was something strange. I recalled a man hanging outside near my door. At the time I thought nothing of it, but now I could recall his gaze on me. He may have been the same man that was at the bar as I worked the night shift. How did I not realize it? I heard the car come to a screeching halt and people started speaking in a language I couldn't understand. I was picked up roughly and carried into a building. After a door shut, the bag was slipped off my head. A woman sat across from me. Poised in her stillness, she was older, but at an age, I couldn't place. Her long silver hair was tied in a sleek low bun and she was wearing a suit of neutral colors. "Why am I here?" I demanded. She looked at me, her eyes shining bright behind the lenses of her glasses. "I'm sure you have questions" her voice was deeper than I expected, but filled with gravitas. "You have been selected to be a vessel," she said simply like I was meant to know what it meant. "A what?" my wrists felt raw as they pulled against the rope that bound them. She sighed as if my kidnapping caused her some annoyance. "You have been brought here to become the next vessel of a goddess, it's an extreme honor to be chosen". I'm sure my face must have paled. She continued "you will have until the next full moon to discover your name, your true name. That of the goddess you represent". "And if I don't?" I manage to sputter. "If you guess wrong or refuse to guess, then you die" she said simply. 

I felt my jaw drop. "Die? What sick, twisted game are you playing at?" She stood up and walked towards me. She placed her hand under my chin and leaned in. "It wasn't me who selected you, it was the Fates. If you guess wrong you die, it's true. But if you guess right you will be venerated as a goddess among our rank". "There are others?" I ask, my mind racing. What is the crazy old woman talking about? Gods and goddesses? Next thing I know she'll be telling me about monsters. "Of course, there are others, foolish girl. Now, someone will be here shortly to take you to get ready," she said heading to the door. "Wait" I screamed, struggling against my bonds. "Ready for what?" beads of sweat began to form on my brow. She paused, one hand on the door, "for the party". She said no more, and exited the room, swiftly shutting the door behind her. A party? I was definitely not in the mood to celebrate my kidnapping with a party. 

I looked up at the sound of the door opening again. A young woman dressed in a long white robe walked in. "Help me, please!" I shout. She comes up behind me and slips a knife out from her pocket. I stiffen, eyeing the blade over my shoulder. "I'm cutting the rope, calm down" her voice was melodic, I nodded. She cut the ropes and I rubbed my sore wrists. "Follow me this way" she led me down a dark hallway and through an open courtyard. I surveyed my surroundings, looking for an escape. "You won't find one," she tells me. "How did you know what I was thinking," I say in shock. Is she a mind reader? If there are gods, then mind-readers couldn't be out of the question. She shakes her head "don't worry, I'm not a mind reader either". "That's exactly what a mind reader would say" I retort. A laugh escapes her lips. Smiling, she looks over her shoulder at me "I thought the same things you did when I first was brought here. I looked for an escape, but was told that after two weeks if I didn't guess I would be dead. No matter where I ran" she finished. "So are you a goddess then?" I ask, looking at her closer. She did not appear to be a god, not that I would know what they looked like. She was tall and slim, her auburn hair bound by a ribbon in a high ponytail. Her robes fluttered behind her as she walked. "Not exactly, but I'm forbidden to tell you. One of the rules is that no one can reveal their true identity to a vessel. The rest of us already know each other's true identities, but it's something you have to earn". I didn't understand anything, but my thoughts halted when we arrived to my room. The stranger pushed open the doors. "This room is larger than my whole apartment" I said taking in the massive room. A large, four poster bed dominated most of the room, on the other side a small fireplace with chairs waited for someone to occupy them. "The bathroom is over there" she said pointing to a door to my left. "The closet is over there" she nodded to another door. "Go and take a shower, I'll find something for you to wear". I started walking over to the bathroom and I stopped. "What should I call you? If I can't know your true name?" I ask. She smiled, "you can call me by my old name, Elise. The others will give you their old names as well" she warned. I nodded and headed into the bathroom.

I found the bathroom to be almost as large as the bedroom. A huge tub was in the middle, off to the side was a shower. I guessed I didn't have much time and opted for the shower. Peeling off my cocktail dress and kicking off my heels, I stepped into the scalding hot shower. Hoping to wake up from this strange nightmare, I let the water scald my skin. I used the soaps and shampoo available and scrubbed myself until I felt raw. Stepping out of the shower, I faced the mirror. I pushed my wet blonde hair off my shoulder until it hung down my back. I slipped my hand up my chest and in between my breasts. Meeting my own blue-eyed stare, I thought, could I really become a goddess? I found a brush and started managing the tangles. After I finished I stepped back out into the bedroom naked. Elise had put out a few items of clothing on the bed. I walked over and examined the pieces. Picking up the underwear, I noticed they were high-quality lingerie pieces. Why would I need these? I shrugged and slid on the black panties, stockings, and garter. Next, I slipped on the sheer lace strapless bra before picking up the dress. As I stepped into it, I realized everything fit me perfectly. How did they know what size I was? Or did these kidnappers just have dresses in every size for all of their victims. I zipped up the back and strode over to the mirror. The dress was gorgeous. I admired my bare shoulders and the lace sleeves. My breasts were pushed up because of the boning in the corset. I slipped on a pair of black stilettos and stepped a leg out through the slit in the dress. I had never been kidnapped before, but if I got to keep the clothes, I might consider doing it more often. I used my fingers to comb out the soft waves that formed in my hair as it fell loose down my back. I managed to find some mascara and a soft pink lipstick in one of the drawers, oddly stocked with brand new makeup. After applying some blush, I gave myself one final look in the mirror. My full lips, painted a soft pink, eyelashes framing my dark blue eyes. I was no makeup artist but I think I did a good job. If I have to go out, I'd at least be presentable. 

Elise opened the door to the room, "you look great" she said after giving me a once-over. "Are you ready?". "I guess," I said walking towards her. "Come" she said holding a hand out to me, "everyone is waiting". I swallowed nervously and followed her out of the room.