Wild and Free

Chapter Nine

Samantha's POV:

I woke up to my alarm blaring. It was Sunday. I sat up and swung my feet over the side of the bed, nearly hitting Erika. She was kneeling by the side of my bed and looking at the floor. I reached over to grab my phone to let her up, then got up to get ready. I went to my closet first and picked out my clothes, a black and white DKNY sweatshirt and the matching sweatpants. Meanwhile, Erika began to change into her Grey dress and heels silently behind me. I had left Silent Mode on, which was shown by a small green light from her collar.

I put on my clothes and then a pair of black sneakers. I checked the weather quickly then grabbed up the now grey leash, handing it to Erika. She wordlessly clipped it to her collar and handed me the end. I could tell she didn't like this, her eyes were once again blue flames.

"Today we'll have a chill day. Hang out with Megan and her pet Juliet. Be good today and you can earn a reward" I said. She perked up when she heard that, curiously looking at me. Probably trying to figure our what it was. I smiled, then reached for my phone and went into the collar app, disabling Silent Mode. The green light clicked off and she sighed in relief.

"You're still a brat" She snapped suddenly, I stopped and looked at her. Mom said I had to punish her immediately for anything I didn't like or she'd think she can get away with anything. So I gave her a level three shock. She winced, biting her lip hard. Satisfied I pulled her out of my room, nearly running into Mother. She was leaning against the wall, staring out the window. She always did that. I frowned at the collar around her neck.

"Mother what did you do?" I asked. She turned to look at me, a similar frown on her face. She straightened up and smoothed her dress out.

"According to your Mom I forgot my place. Not that I ever had one here" She mumbled. She turned on her heel and walked off further down the hall, disappearing into the Guest room. Probably to sleep. I pushed Mother from my mind and went to have breakfast, fixing up two plates for me and Erika. She knelt down obediently and stared out the window at the ocean as I ate.

I pulled out my phone and approved her to eat, handing her plate over. She ate fast, probably starving. I never understood why she was always so hungry, Mom said pets adapt to the whole eating schedule thing quick. I still hear Erika's stomach growl during lunch time. We finished breakfast and I had her put the plates in the sink before heading to the elevator. She pressed the lobby button cautiously, glancing at me to see if I'd say anything. I shook my head and she took a step back as the elevator began to descend.

Now to think about that reward.

(Time Skip)

Erika's POV:

Be good today and you can earn a reward

I snorted as I climbed out of the limo with Samantha. Looking at the building, I wasn't too surprised that it looked exactly like Carmen's building, just pure white.

"Now Megan treats her pet..differently. She's very strict. So expect Juliet to be very shy. She doesn't do anything unless she's told to" She explained to me. I completely ignored what she just said and pulled open the door, walking into the lobby. She rolled her eyes, but didn't punish me. She just followed me to the elevator and let me push the button.

When the door slid open I was greeted by the sight of a teenage girl sitting in an armchair lazily holding the white leash which was connected to her pet's collar. She had strawberry blonde hair and ocean blue eyes. Her pet had similar features, though her hair wasn't as light and her eyes were a bit on the blue-green side. Juliet wore one of those high tech collars and bracelets, which was white to match her outfit. Megan was wearing a white and pink sweatsuit while she wore a white dress and white heels. The house itself was spotless. And mostly white.

Holy shit they have a crazy obsession with white.

"Hey Sammy!" Megan said, jumping up. Juliet stayed kneeling, opting to just turn her head to face us. Samantha dropped my leash and hugged her friend, pulling away to talk. I just stood there, unsure what to do. I glanced over when I felt my leash being tugged.

"And this must be Erika. I've heard you're a bit of a troublemaker" She said, brushing my hair away from my face. "Her hair is so red, I've never seen someone with blue eyes and red hair". Her and Samantha sat on the couch that was near the large windows to talk. Juliet still hadn't moved.

"Oh you can talk to my pet Erika, she's just holding her position for now. I'll let her up" Megan called. She snapped her fingers at her pet, who scrambled to her feet and hurried over to her. She gestured to me then pushed her back. Juliet gave me a shy smile. We decided to sit on the floor and talk.

"Hi, I'm Juliet" She said softly, avoiding my gaze. I said my name, despite them saying it countless times already. We began to talk about nearly everything, from what our favorite food was to what board games we liked. I frowned when the conversation shifted to collars. Juliet saw her collar as a way to "improve". I saw mine as a prison.

Suddenly Megan stood up and walked between us to get past, grabbing Juliet's leash on the way. She immediately stopped talking and got up from the floor to follow, giving me a look of sadness before facing front again. I felt my own leash being tugged and I got up to follow Samantha to the elevator. She pressed the button, then began to talk.

"So how did you like Megan and Juliet" She asked. I thought for a moment.

"Weird, I couldn't feel the brat vibes. Too faint but definitely there. And definitely not as much as you have radiating off of you 24/7" I said smoothly. She rolled her eyes and gave me a level three shock. I bit my lip to bare the pain.

"Why can't you just stay good. What's so hard about that? I offered to give you a reward if you were good, yet you still insult me!" She snapped. She sounded like she was going to cry or implode on the spot.

"Unless your 'reward' is getting me the first plane back home to Arkansas, I don't want it." I snapped back, turning away. Suddenly my collar became immensely tight and I choked as I was spun around and dragged closer to her.

"You know what happens to pets who don't get bought by anyone?" She spat, slamming me against the wall. "They get taken to a different part of the warehouse, and they either become the owners toy or die. Being the owners toy isn't something you would want, not many girls survive that. Dying isn't so quick and easy either. The poison takes a while. He'll give you this lavish meal, which is really just poisoned, and make you eat it all. Then he'll lock the door and wait for you and a bunch of others to die."

My eyes were wide and it took me a couple seconds to realize I was shaking a bit. These people were cruel, sadistic, murderers. And I had avoided that. She let me go and shoved me away, stomping into the elevator.

"Be happy I got you. A couple more days of driving people away and you'd be having an awful time in the back. And if you hate me so much, I can always sell you back for nearly double of what I paid for you. I heard he publicly whips returned ones" She growled. I was shaking so badly I could barely stand. She yanked my leash too get me into the elevator then pressed the down button.

She's gonna get me killed! I just want to go home. I can't be here anymore. It's messing with my sanity. I'll go crazy here. I don't want to die.