Stalk Me Mr Stalker

19) Prey in a predatory jungle

They called it the Phantom Order; a national assassin organization rooted deeply in Eclipse Valley. A state that was usually described by many as a place that was cloaked in perpetual light where shadows danced and secrets lurked in the darkness.

It had a population of over fifteen million, yet kept most of its business within it, politics and all.
And that state many people admired for its unique beauty and attractive mountains, was where I had been dumped.
"This is the hall where all agents gather for meals. We sit according to ranks and divisions, with the top agents occupying the longer tables and the low ranks using the short tables. We all pay for our foods except-" Judith eyed me oddly, "-your rank."

"You mean pets?" I asked flatly. There was no need to try and put a cap on reality. I had spotted other girls and boys with these chokers throughout the estate, or as they were calling it, the headquarters. Other than red and blue(only me), there was green and purple. From Judith's explanation, each color represented a leader of the four divisions of the organization.

I didn't need many details to make me realize that the beginning of the rest of my fucked up life had just begun. All hope of being rescued died when Judith said that this organization had government ties. Not just in America, but the world. It was mostly hired to take out notorious criminals and dirty politicians, and if paid enough, they could eliminate presidents as long as his or her records were dirty.
This made me feel horribly insignificant. What was a mere celebrity compared to a country's president?

Was accepting my fate all there was?

"I must warn you, Luna-"

"Rora," I corrected.

"Your previous name doesn't matter. Once you walk in here, your past self is dead literally. As we speak, your death must have already been announced to your family and friends. It's just-"

"What?!" I squeaked halting as my heart gave loud thumps. This...this wasn't how my story was supposed to end.

Judith sighed turning to face me. She smiled warmly, as if to comfort me but I was already in denial. "No. They can't do this to me! Why would they-"

"Luna!" Judith punched my arm. "Get it together. It's not as bad as you think. It's just a new beginning. Plus, your rank is special, you won't deal with much shit as the low ranks agents."

"What?!"

"Sit here." She walked to the nearest table and pulled back a chair for me. "I guess you didn't join the organization willingly."

I shook my head moving to sit down.
Judith took the seat opposite mine before leaning forward at me. "I'm not supposed to say this, but your rank gets all the special attention from the bosses. You're cared for really well, so everyone envies you. Unlike the middle and low ranks who sleep in dorms, your kind and the higher ranks get to own bedrooms. But yours is special since you live with the bosses.

"What I'm trying to say is that, be careful when you come down here for your meals. Most of the agents despise people like you."

"You mean I'll be bullied?"

She nodded straightening. "Since the bosses don't pay much attention to petty fights, the agents like to pick on your type and intimate them."

"If 'we' are that favored by these bosses, why don't they do anything? Why let those bastards walk all over them?"

Judith shrugged. "I don't know for sure. Maybe it's because even though you're given all the perks, you don't really mean much to the bosses. But don't worry, they won't physically hurt you."

I crossed my arms beneath my chest mumbling, "That doesn't make it any better."

"By the way." She whipped her eyes around the almost empty hall before leaning to me once more. "I really liked your music. Such a shame that you had to leave that life. I honestly hope you'll find your footing in this jungle."

I placed my elbows on the table to get closer to her as well. "If it's so harsh in here, why do you sound this nice? Shouldn't you be bullying me?"

She laughed nervously, scratching her arm. "Um... that's because I'm a low-ranking agent, and you're way above me."

I sighed moving my eyes from the ecstatic female to fix them on the green view outside. The front of the estate looked so normal, like a warm home to hundreds of workers. But once you peeled the facade and saw the training grounds, the weapons carried by these agents moving up and down the whole place, you'd think twice before setting foot in this place.

I hadn't even seen the armory and other buildings on the estate. Judith had only shown me the areas I'd need as a 'pet'. Apparently, pets weren't allowed to learn any combat or any skills related to the four divisions. Our work was to simply take care of the bosses with whatever needs they had, from sexual, to just warming their beds and doing their laundry.

Was that what Alpha had meant by 'taking' care of them?
I cringed just the thought of it.

Losing myself in the stare, someone knocked on the table, eager to draw my attention to them.

I turned my head slowly, catching Judith's panicked expression along the way.
Standing at the shorter edge of the table, three girls in black uniforms like most of the agents I had seen, glared down at me. Their hairs were held up in high ponytails, outlining their facial features.

"You, scram!"
The one standing in front of the other two ordered scowling at Judith.
From the tag on her chest that read 'B-34', I understood that she was a B rank.

There were three ranks in the organization, A, B, and C. Pets had no real ranks. Our chokers were our identity, with the crystals acting as the real ID.

"Bu-but, I was asked to complete the tour by-"

One of the two girls standing behind B34 stepped forward and grabbed Judith by the neck of her black t-shirt before yanking her off her seat and throwing her to the floor. "That's better," she sighed, moving away from Judith, who was now groaning, obviously in pain from the violence.

Now it made a little sense why the triplets were prone to cruelty. To be among the top bosses of such a brutal organization, one needed loose screws in the head.

B34 occupied the seat Judith was sitting on half a minute ago, a proud smirk on her pink lips.
"Mmm...not bad. Average looking, short, long hair. You truly have no special features, so why..." She reached out to touch my hair but I moved away. Chuckling B34 instead brought forward her hair and began twirling a few strands around her finger. "Why did they choose you? What's so special about you? Tell me, pet. Why did they bring you here?"

"Why don't you go up and ask them? Oh wait, you don't have access to their quarters," I taunted, giving back the same energy she was giving me.

The pissed veil dawning on her face looked good on her ugly ass.
She ceased playing with her hair to scowl at me. "Don't act smug just yet. You've just got here."
She looked up at her companions and they shared a grin. "Let me warn you, pet, don't show that spoiled attitude of yours to the A ranks; you might go back up there with a broken nose or fingers. Those fuckers don't play with pieces of shit like you."

I scoffed. "Are you warning me? What are you, Saint of goodwill?"

She just laughed getting up. "I only came here to see for myself the first pet the Trio brought home. I must say, I'm a little disappointed."

I bit my teeth watching them leave. There was nothing I could say or do to them.
This place would turn out as Judith had said...a jungle.