Ezra

2. Who are you?

Vanessa felt like shit. She was awake in a carriage but that was all she could tell. Her body was sore all around and there was a cloth bag over her head.

She couldn't see anything except for light beams that pierced its way in through the seams of the dirty cloth. Her hands were bound and she tried to wriggle her way out of the ropes.

She immediately regretted it when the gritty cloth gently grazed a spot near her eye. She winced in pain and moved her head, flailed or did whatever else she could think of to get the cloth away from her eye.

It was where the eris had hit her. It all came back to her. She had woken up more than a few times after that, but each time the eris or one of his men knocked her unconcious again. All in the same spot.

The reality of her situation came on her all at once. What were they gonna do to her?

How did everything go so wrong? Maybe if she just sucked up to everyone like a little princess then maybe she wouldn't be in this situation.

The light that seeped through the bag seemed to grow somehow and she could hear footsteps. Someone was here.

"Aww, look who's awake again. Y'know, I'd knock your ass out again, but our employer may deduct our pay if he learns about how we've been treating you."

'Employer? Who do they mean?'

"Now," the eris continued. "how about I take this bag off. I'll even cut those ropes. But only if you promise not to pull another stunt like you did before. Or I can't promise things are gonna go well for you if you do. And even if you do, we'll just catch you again. A weak princess who can't even take care of herself is nothing out here."

Vanessa winced at his words. Not because it was harsh, but because it was true.

"You would've had my respect if you had fought back for your life." he said, taking the bag off.

"You had no idea what was gonna happen to you. We could have raped you, killed you, tortured you; but you didn't fight back. You didn't do everything within your power to fight for yourself, or even have the guts to go down fighting. Die with some dignity y'know? All of us did when you humans came here. We fought even when you killed us without mercy. But instead you ran. You knew it was pointless, that I'd catch you but you still did it anyway. You had no desire to fight till your last breath. No reason to fight for your life. You saw us kill the driver, but you ducked inside like a coward."

She listened to his words and lowered her head. Tears flowed from her eyes with every word he spoke. She felt awful.

"Do you wanna know why? It's because you're weak! Fighting 'til your last breath would've been better than being some rich asshole's plaything! So here." He gestured to her.

He held in his hand the dagger that she stabbed him with before and he offered it to her with a blank look on his face.

"Go on, take it. Just kill me and you can go free. No joke, no trick, even the guys outside know about this. Kill me and go."

Vanessa looked at the knife through her fears and slumped further down than she was before.

She shook her head.

"Really?" he said with a sadistic laugh. "You do know who's responsible for all you pain and suffering right?"

She shook her head again.

"I-I don't want to kill you." she forced out with a sob.

"Even though I'm the one causing your suffering? You really are pathetic!"he spat.