WARHAVEN

Seven

There was a very beautiful, lean woman seated at the desk. She eyed me for a moment, not making eye contact, only assessing the situation. She did not smile. She was beautiful though. She had long blonde hair that was pinned behind her ears cascading down her back. It was pinned straight. She was wearing a form fitting dress that hugged her wide hips and clung to her perky breasts. The deep purple fabric looked too harsh against her pale skin and soft features. I have no idea how she dressed that way and survived in a place like this. Her eyes glowed a deep red, and it was very unsettling to see.

Bored, she looked down at her paperwork and spoke, not to me, of course. "Gentlemen, you almost missed the deadline. Who does she belong to?" What was her job? I was confused as to why she thought this was a normal situation.

"Lord Simon St. James. She's in need of cleaning up before the auction." I became frozen with panic. The auction? I was being sold again? Fear crept over me and I almost succumbed to it. I was being sold again. Like cattle.

The woman eyed me closely, and sighed deeply. "You must tell Simon that I don't appreciate the lateness. We're nearly done with everyone else." She grabbed a form and started scribbling things down on it. I could not tell what was on it. She stood, her heels, clicking on the marble floor, softening as she stepped onto the ornate rug. She approached me and grabbed my chin harshly. She examined my face and my bloody lip. Between clenched teeth she said, "Also be sure to inform him that the injured ones commonly go for much less. Leave her. Gerald,"

They released me at once and I almost fell to the floor in despair and fear. The man who stood in the corner, approached me and gripped my bicep firmly, dragging me towards the door. He was just as big as the two guards who had me before, although he looked like he was experienced in combat. Scars littered his dark skin, his hands, his face. He was so stoic and unbothered, like I could never possibly be a threat to him.

I almost fought him, but I was not stupid. I couldn't even begin to fathom what stood behind that door. Let alone, the sick person who thought it'd be appropriate to purchase me and the horrors I might face. I spotted some purple Iris' on the woman's desk and I took myself back to the flowers.  I closed my eyes and remembered how they smelled, how they felt between my fingertips.

Someone spoke then, one of Simon's guards. "Will do, Victoria. Oh, and he wanted to let me know that he purchased the premium package. He wants the ultimate clean up, maximize profit."

The woman looked at him blankly and blinked. "Whatever, if she's late, and the witch is gone, it's not my fault. Gerald, take her to the examination room." And with that I was dragged over the threshold.

--

I was pulled into a long  white hallway. There were doors scattered on either side. The doors were a light cream and they looked darker because of the marble floors and the white textured wallpaper. I was taken into the first door and in the room there was an exam table, 2 chairs, and nothing on the white walls. This was going to be hell, I thought to myself as I saw the large exam light hanging from the ceiling.

Gerald, the guard, grabbed a metal bin about the size of a hat box, and handed it to me. "Undress. Everything. Jewelry, hair ribbons, underwear. Leave nothing but skin." I grabbed the bin gingerly and just stared at it. My solemn reflection staring back. I almost jumped when Gerald spoke again, "Now. We haven't time. We've got a lot of preparations to attend to. The event starts in two hours. Be swift."

"No." I sat the bowl back down and crossed my arms. I backed up against the wall and made direct eye contact with the man. "I refuse. I will fight. He does not get to do this to me, he has tormented me enough. I am not participating in this. Let me go." I made sure to keep my voice even, to avoid the common stigma that women were emotional basket cases.

His eyebrows shot up at my refusal. "I wouldn't suggest it. You will do this whether you do it yourself, or we remove them for you, and honestly that never ends well." He was strikingly stern. He held my eye contact for a few moments as he moved to the corner.

He sat in the chair and averted his eyes. I sat there, debating. If I just comply, I will be sold and forced into slave labor for the rest of my life. Or, I could resist, they would probably drug me with vampire blood and do everything anyway. I decided being compliant was probably the smarter choice in this situation. I never want to be under the influence of their sickly blood ever again.

I could tell he didn't want to look, that, or he was so non-phased by nakedness that he didn't even care.

I pulled my clothes off slowly, keeping an eye on Gerald. He never once peeked. I removed my damaged tan dress, my undergarments, my holy socks and worn shoes. They fit perfectly in the bin. I wondered if this was the last time I'd see my tan dress. I set it on the crinkly paper on the metal exam table and stood there, trying my best to cover up. I let my braid cover my left breast and used my left arm to cover my pelvis, the right to cover my right breast. "Done." I whispered.

Without looking at me, he spoke again, "The braid." I hadn't realized. I turned my back to him and undid my messy brown braid. My thick hair fell around my waist, only slightly affected by the braid, leaving very subtle waves.