Beauty and The Beast (erisol eridan Ampora Sollux captor)

9 years ago

-Solluxs POV-
I walked onto the stage and stood beside the children that were also chosen for The Picking.
At the age of five I already knew the way of life for people of my status. We were treated like dirt and kicked around. To higherclass-men, we aren't even human. Just objects to be used. Not even good objects. We're like used stinky items you find at a crappy thrift store.
And that's why I'm here now, in a barn full of kids. Once a new Prince and Princess becomes of age they will pick out a slave that will serve them until one of them dies.
Out of about fourty kids one will be picked, and from what I hear, life around royalty isn't as bad as the life we have now.
Life might be different around the new Prince and Princess though. Everyone's different, I guess.
Even though being chosen might be better I don't want to be picked. I have to take care of my family, even though they're as young as I am.

You see, I'm a special case, I don't have parents and niether do my friends. All of our parents were executed for the same reason. But I don't really know that reason, nobody will tell me. But from rumors I heard they were revolutionary, and preached for a new way of life.
I would really like that way of life, whatever it was. Anything but this.

My friends on the other hand are great, there's Karkat, Kanaya, and Nepeta.
Karkats the yeller. He's the leader of our group and does a great job. It's probably in his blood. People say he's Jegus's child.
Kanaya is kind of introverted. She's pretty quiet and a bit of the mother figure of our group. She's not really exciting so there's not much to say about her. But she is very smart.
Nepeta is extremely energetic and is in charge getting food for our group. She's literally a furry and has a blue tail. I think she also has a thing for Karkat?? She seems to talk to him a lot.
And then there's me, I guess I'm like co-leader because Kanaya and Nep look up to me. I also have this really weird thing that people call psionics. This weird stuff that's blue and red can come out of me and I can control it. It's like colored lightening.
I'm not the only weird one that has a gift. Some other kids my age have stuff too, but only a few are very powerful.
That's why I'm the one that defends our group and goods. I can pretty much knock someone out without barely lifting a finger, If I'm angry enough that is.
Kanaya's the one that makes sure we're clean and she also takes care of our wounds. Like I said, she's motherly.
I'm more likely to be picked as a servant than most of the kids because of my power. The ones with powers are more useful and therefore are usually picked.
I would pretend I don't have a power but word gets around quickly about stuff like that. And my talent only runs in my family and no one else's. My big brother died in the last war a few years ago. He got severe brain damage from using the psionics too much.

I watched as kids were pushed down to the Prince and Princess, the Prince would swipe his hand to the side if they're to be considered, if he found them irrelevant he'd tell the kid to leave.

So far two of twenty kids are being considered. One has serious strength and the other can control minds.
If they have powers they're supposed to show them off. A guard is used as a dummy. The strong one threw him and the other almost made him slit his throat. The mind controller girl is feisty.
Karkat was called down. but for some reason the Prince just glanced at him and told him to leave.
After another few kids Nepeta was called and was considered due to her strange feline anatomy.
Eventually I finally got pushed down off the stage.
I looked up at the Prince and studied his features. His hair was dyed purple down the middle and he had fin-like ears. Like he was some fish. He almost looked sad, but in a deadly way.
It looked like he didn't know how to smile.
He leaned closer to me and looked at my eyes. He's taking an interest in the oddness of them. My eye colors are bright red and dark blue. Suddenly he stood up and pointed at the gaurd. My new toy.
I looked at him and watched as my psionics raced to him and lifted him in the air, then throwing him against the barn wall. The wood shuddered from the force.
The princess squealed in excitement and praised me. While the Prince just sighed and moved me to the considered section.
Kanaya was the last one called down. In short she was put beside me because she's very fast and has a really weird mini chainsaw transformer. Where the fuck did she get that?
Next we would be even more narrowed down, we'd be faced with an advanced gaurd attacking us.
The strong kid was too slow and got hit in the arm. He left. Oh yeah the advanced gaurd is using wood weapons to be safer.
The mind girl kept him from hitting her, she got to stay.
The guard tripped Nep, she was doing well but had to leave.
I kept the guard from hitting me as well and managed to make him fall. I got to stay.
Kanaya sadly also tripped on her own feet while running. She's always clumsy. We know she had to go.

(Think of The Picking as a elimination game. Whoever's the best serves the royalty.)

Now it was just me and the Mind girl. I was scared.
We have to go against eachother in battle if it comes down to two people.
I plan to let her win so I can go, it's been my plan all along. But she's vicious, I feel intimidated.
I was caught off gaurd as the royalty motioned us to start. The girl didn't waste a second. I felt my body move towards her but it wasn't me that was moving my legs. I felt like I couldn't move a muscle. It was as if someone unplugged my body from my brain and then they plugged it back into another's brain.
The feeling of having no control was terrifying.
I tried to use my psionics but they didn't work. I was helpless. I felt tears roll down my cheeks. Her smile was only widening, her pointy teeth showed more and more as I walked closer and closer.
"Do you forfit?" Said the Princess in a squeaky voice as the girl grasped my neck tightly, her nails dug into my skin and I'm sure it drew blood.
I felt my mouth open. No no no I don't freaking forfit if someone messes with me like this I'm not giving in.
"Yes"  I said.
No I don't forfit, this isn't over. I'm going to kill you.
((Yes I realize they're young. Actually 8 years old. But growing up in a lower class pretty much teaches them they have to survive through violence and stealing. To them, hurting someone fatally is normal.))
I felt her control over me leave. Anger quickly replaced it. My vision began to blur red and blue as I started to yell loudly.
No one touches me like that.
Nobody will touch me like that for such a trivial reason. Not unless it was serious. No one will use me as a pawn in their stupid game.
I felt my body shake and release its power through my eyes. I aimed for the girl who had probably backed off by now.
I heard several screams. Good. They all deserve it. Treat me worse than the trash I already am? You're FUCKING DEAD.
After a minute my vision came back. The first thing I saw were blackish bones infront of me.
I think I incinerated her.
I pGuess I got a little too angry..
I looked around and saw everyone behind me with horrified expressions on their faces.
What have I done? The killing part I didn't mind but...
I'm the only participant left in The Picking.
If only I had just given up I could go back.
I started to cry again. This isn't what I wanted. I never wanted to do this. It was obvious the person I killed would've been happier taking my new position.
I walked over to her charred bones and kneeled before them.
"Maybe in another world you got what you wanted." I whispered, staring at her remains.
my eyes caught something in the pile. A small black ball about the size of a few coins lay under some of the still burning ashes. I carefully picked it up and inspected it.
Nothing seemed really special about it. It was shiny and cold. I felt like there was more to it than that so I shoved it
in my pocket quickly. I didn't want anyone taking it or seeing me take it. Suddenly I felt my body being pushed over and onto the ground. I gasped as I roughly hit the floor with a thud.
I looked up to see my new owners. The people that were going to control me for now on.
Gaurds grabbed my hands and tied them tightly behind my back.
They forced my beaten up body to stand up and move. I was so exhausted, I had scraps and cuts everywhere. I cried so much that I was dehydrated. And now I was being pushed around.
I walked out of the barn with everyone else behind me. All the kids were around to see just who had been chosen.
My group was there too, staring at me. Nepeta started to cry. Karkat shed a few tears but just stared silently. Kanaya looked almost angry.
I whispered an apology as I walked past them, tears still streaming down my face while they stared.
I'm so sorry.
I must have slowed down because I was shoved foward again. Being forced to leave behind my life, having to watch it slowly drift away from me.
That was the hardest thing to do.