Never Change

Chapter 27

She screamed, violently struggling in the grasp of the arms of the men that took her.

It was no use.

Why? Why!? Was it because she had an extra set of ears? Daddy and mommy didn't have an extra set of ears...

She kicked and screamed and howled her throat hoarse, watching, as mom and dad, her brother, faded away into the distance.

The doors of the van shut with a foreboding thud.

Tears began dripping from her eyes, as she begged the men to take her back.

"Shut up, brat!!" one of the men roared, violently backhanding her straight across the face. She flinched back, cowering in pain. There was a little dribble of blood from her lower lip, and she cringed away from them.

"Stop hurting the merchandise, Tim," one called out.

"Tch," another one of her captors scoffed, spitting onto the ground, "Dirty fucking faunus down here in Mantle are willing to sell their kids for cold, hard cash. Pathetic. Disgusting."

She didn't understand what they were saying, but she didn't want to be hit. Not again. So she shrunk herself, trembling.

"Parents musta been from Mistral, I reckon. Look at the features. The thing's exotic, hundred percent, man. It'll go for a high price, that's for sure," someone else commented.

"Hey, don't ya think we have to get ridda these ears, though?"

She felt a hand roughly yank her ears, and she cried out in pain, earning herself another backhand across the face. She wailed, sobbing uncontrollably, not sure where the strangers were taking her.

She felt her head be pulled backwards as something was put over her mouth, and tightened, to the point where she could wail no longer.

Instead, she only continued sobbing, tears leaking out of her eyes, even as a dark cloth was put over them.

"Yeah, we probably should. They sell better without the ears, don't they?" the voice grunted, "No one wants filthy fucking faunus around their houses and stuff, eh? Especially those rich fuckers up there in Atlas. They'd throw a fit."

Someone else in the van guffawed, "You know they'd have the police on our asses the second they found out we tried to scam them."

Another voice grunted, "You're right. We'll just let the fucker that's buying decide, then. Mosta them only buy one anyway. Even those Atlas fuckers can't afford to get caught red-handed with faunus. One is easy enough to hide away for them."

It was silent after that. She couldn't tell if it had been a few minutes or several hours when the doors finally opened, flooding light into the van.

Someone tugged her arm, and she tripped out of the van crying out. Someone nearly tugged her arm out of her socket, causing her to cry out again she was again dragged off.

She couldn't see, she couldn't see...

Quiet voices echoed all around here, relentlessly seeping into her mindscape.

Faunus, they said. Another poor child off to Atlas, more echoed sadly.

It's useless, they said.

Useless, worthless, the others agreed sadly.

Useless, Useless, Useless.

She tried to ignore all the voices that echoed inside her head.

Still, they kept whispering... and whispering, and whispering.

Worthless, useless, useless.

Useless.