The Council Of Equipoise

Part 2

The girl walked past Pyro cautiously, afraid he might grab her and snap her in between the two large fingers he used to open the door. She stood and blinked rapidly, adjusting to the brightness of the flickering white lights. As her eyes adapted, Pyro nudged her along, pushing her with more force than necessary and making her fall to the damp floor. She examined her surroundings and saw the long hallway ahead of her with a set of stairs at the end that led to the floor above. She pulled herself up and trembled with every step down the cold hall. They passed more intimidating metal doors as they continued along. Four, six, ten, fourteen... Once they reached the end of the hall, the girl counted about thirty doors that were replicas of the one she came out of. She stopped before the stairs and saw that there were also hallways to her left and right just like the hall she walked down. Her eyes widened in terror as she heard noises of what sounded like other girls and boys calling out for help, a mixture of hoarse and last-effort whispers and stronger voices of those who were most likely fresh prey. 

"Move along, Pretty." Thundered Pyro.

The girl looked down at her dirty feet, saddened that there was nothing she could do for the others that were trapped here. How long had they been here? How many boys and girls were going through the same torture she had endured? Would they have a better chance of being saved than she did? Tears welled up in her big brown eyes as she replayed the horrible things the tall, thin man did to her before they brought her to this prison. How old were the others that he had taken? She herself was Seventeen but she knew that the others could be much younger than that and they may not be as strong as she had been. She shut her eyes tightly and reopened them, tears now gone. If she ever made it out of this place, she would be sure all of the captives were saved. Their poor souls did not deserve the torture she was put through.

"I said Move It!"

Pyro grabbed her by the back of her shirt and threw her up the stone stairs. Her legs and arms collided painfully against the edges of the steps and she gritted her teeth, refusing to let him hear her cry out in pain. She pulled herself to her feet and trudged up the cement steps. Once they reached the top of the stairs, Pyro grabbed her arm to move her away from the door but she yanked out of his grip quickly and moved aside before he could say anything. She was met with a side glare as he pulled out a large ring of keys from his left chest pocket and selected the largest of them to insert into the door's lock. It clicked loudly as he twisted the key. Pyro tugged the door open, exited, and waited impatiently for the girl.

She glanced behind her at the stairs and the hallways beyond, promising she would save every boy and girl here if it was the last thing she did, then stepped past the heavy door that Pyro closed and locked behind her.

"Follow me. Don't think of running. You wouldn't make it out alive even if you tricked me, Pretty." Pyro smirked and gave a deep throaty laugh.

He turned to the left and made his way down the hall. This hallway looked more regal than what she had been exposed to in the cell and throughout her life. The floors were cappuccino colored marble, the walls had matching regal wallpaper with blood red designs and gold flakes, and candelabras stood in wall indentations every two feet to ensure the hall was well lit. On a normal day, this decor would have made her stand in awe and she wouldn't be able to contain a smile. Instead, she looked behind her, horrified as she left behind footprints of dirt and blood that she wasn't sure was just hers. She thought about where she could possibly be. Was this a part of a mansion? It certainly looked fancy enough to be and if so, who was the owner? The cruel owner who found joy in kidnapping boys and girls, torturing them until they had no fight left in their soul then auctioning them off and giving them away to the highest bidder as if we were their objects to be given away. That was what she assumed was going to happen to her at least. She hoped she and the others wouldn't be subjected to something sicker for the owner's entertainment.

After a few minutes of walking, Pyro came to a stop at a set of red double doors. They were beautifully designed with gold swirls that covered the door panels and a single gold handle on the right side. Pyro reached into his right chest pocket and pulled out a single blood red key with golden designs, perfectly matching the designs of the door. As he started to unlock the door, you could hear shuffling on the other side, then something falling over and hitting the ground. As Pyro opened the door, the girl attempted to sneak a look under his legs and could only make out a pair of feet dressed in beautiful golden three-inch heels.

"Zosime," Pyro sung scornfully as he bent down, swinging his head under the top of the door frame then his right shoulder and leg, and the rest of his body, finally entering the room fully after a few moments of work. "Luca brought you a new friend." He reached behind him, nearly knocking the girl in the face and grabbed the collar of her ragged shirt, dragging her into the room and tossing her in front of him. He then grabbed the tiny gold handle to the door and swung it shut behind him.

The woman named Zosime gasped and quickly made her way from where she was standing over to the shattered girl. "Who.. Wh-Why do you people continue to do this..?" She hovered protectively over the girl.

"Just do your job." Huffed Pyro as he began to exit the room.

"Wait!! When will I see them? When do I get to see them again?!" She lifted herself off the girl and ran to the door as Pyro slammed it shut and locked it.

The girl slowly sat up and watched as the woman leaned her head against the door, shoulders slumped with defeat. The woman wore a beautiful blue dress that went to her elbows and stopped right under her knees. There was golden trimming along the ends of the dress that matched her Victorian style heels and her golden yellow locks were pulled into a muss of a bun, it looked as if she had been running her hands through her hair all day.

Zosime took a deep breath and waited another moment before turning towards the girl, revealing golden glasses that sat upon her nose, complimenting her bright blue eyes. She smiled lightly and slowly approached the girl as if moving too fast may scare her away. "Hello dear child, my name is Zosime. I'm here to...." She looked away, thinking of how to word the sentence, "I'm here to get you cleaned up and take care of any wounds you may have.." She sat on her knees in front of the girl, examining what work needed to be done. "I promise I will not harm you in any way. You are safe with me." She smiled kindly and stood, walking towards another door. She opened the door to a bathing room and switched on several gas lamps before returning to the room the girl was in. Zosime then picked up the fallen golden chair she must've been sitting in before Pyro barged in and pulled it into the bathroom.

"Come now, dear. You can walk, I assume?" Zosime called from the bathroom. The girl could hear shuffling from the room Zosime was in, she stood and walked to the bathing room. Zosime had started preparing bandaging, alcohol, and other first aid supplies she may need as well as soap, wash clothes, and towels. As the girl entered the room, the woman smiled and gently touched the girl's cheek, trying to move aside the black hair that was matted to her face. "Let me run you a nice hot bath so we can see just how beautiful that face and hair is." She made her way to the large white tub and twisted the knobs, feeling the water to ensure it was just the right temperature.

"Zosime.. Is that your name?" The girl asked.

Surprised, the woman stopped what she was doing and met the girl's gaze, "Yes, child, that is my name.." She continued testing the water's temperature.

"How long have you been here? How many children do they have?" The girl asked but Zosime continued with her work and stayed silent. She watched as the woman stayed at the tub until it was full and then she shut off the water.

"Please remove your garments and step into the tub. I will be right back with new clothing." Zosime said quietly.