The Killjoy Life Vol. 1

Chapter 1

I woke up, breathing heavily.

A nightmare again. I look around the dark room. The curtains are still drawn but I can see a dim light coming through. I'm guessing it's around 4:30 am. Soon I'll have to get up to go train.

I don't dare to move around in my bed to not give away any clues to my keepers. If they suspect that I'm awake they will drag me out of my room like they always do. I close my eyes trying to remain calm for the time being. Being nervous and anxious won't be any help. I need to survive this and get out of here. We all need.

I hear a soft cracking coming from the room from the left of mine. It's Nadia's room, the youngest of the sisters. I close my eyes shut tight in hopes that our keepers didn't hear anything. But deep down I knew that if I heard any noise, they heard it too. A few seconds later, the sound of big leather boots could be heard coming up the stairs, my heart is beating faster and the feeling of guilt and sadness drown me.

There's nothing I could do about it, only listen. So I did.

I hear the boots coming down the hallway, I stopped myself from panicking and started to focus on the steps, three.. no four. They were four of them. One was fast, probably up front of the cortege. Paul. Since he is Nadia's master keeper.

One of the other footsteps was slower than the rest, probably Oliver since he is Lisa's keeper, Nadia's older sister. I couldn't figure out the other footsteps so I brace myself that one of them might be my keeper. Coming to get me. I looked at the light that was coming from under my bedroom door, trying to keep my breath at a "normal" rate.

The sounds of the footstep were all I could here, my mind is vacant from any other thoughts. Only anticipating what could be coming to me and for all of us.

Then, gradually, the footsteps all came to a stop. And all I could see, was two round shadows coming from the hallway in front of my bedroom door. Signalling me that my master keeper is here, and that it will be a rough morning for me, yet again.

Just as I'm taking another breath the door slam open, same as four other bedroom doors in the hallway.

"Come on, get the fuck up! You know the drill, come on!" My master keeper yell at me. Right then, all you could hear in the mansion was yelling from the keepers and screaming coming from Nadia's room.

I got up from my bed and got to me dresser as fast as I could without running, they didn't like it when you were in panic, so I learned to hide it.

I got dress in black leggings and in a sport bra, knowing that I could take my shower after the rough training that is waiting for four of us this morning.

My master keeper is still standing in the hallway, preventing me from going into Nadia's room.

Fuck, I wish I could.

All we could hear now is her screaming and the sound of flesh being hit. She's begging Paul to stop, that she wouldn't do it again.

As I tied my shoes, I hear movement coming from Lisa's room. I froze, I stop anything that I was doing.

"If you think about doing anything, just don't" My keeper says, his voice low and strict.

I look up at him for the first time this morning, his black hair was slick on the right side, he probably didn't have the time to style his hair like he usually does.

He grabs me by my right arm before shoving me in the hallway, dragging me along his side, it's then I realised I did a mistake and that I would probably regret it.

As we were walking past the other bedrooms, I took a chance and looked into each room. In Nadia's room, I could see her laying on the floor, her hand raised as she tries to protect herself. Paul was standing above her, his hand raising in a movement to hit her, again. Then in Lisa's room, I could see her trying to rush to her sister's room, but Oli is blocking the doorway and he pushed her back so that she bounced back on the wall opposite to the door.

Isis's bedroom door is closed along with Ruby's one. The other one is Akira's. Flake was standing in the doorway, silent, hands on his hips. A whip ready to be use in one hand. Akira is getting ready for the training too.

As we start to walk down the stairs, my keeper still has a strong grip on my arm, I have difficulty keeping up with him since he is taller than me and he's practically lifting me off the ground. On the staircase, at the third of the whole stack of stairs, he pushes my left side to the wall, keeping his grip on my right arm.

"Quit your smart-ass behaviour right now Mary. I'm not in the mood for that." He whispered in my hear, his body pressed on my right side giving me some warmth. His tone is bitter but slightly pleading, like if he was tired of doing this. But I pushed that thought at the corner of my mind.

I look in his blue eyes for a moment, before nodding. We start to go down the stairs again and he slowly let go of my arm. I held my head high, following him to the gym that the keepers had install in the mansion.

I entered the gym along with him, and I waited his instructions. He named me some exercises that I had to do; it was a routine to get the muscles tired before doing combat training. I did as I am told. Always. This was a survival skill that I had to master. In this place, you have to learn fast to live. You don't think, you only act as you are told.

As I'm doing my exercise with the supervision of my master keeper, I could hear the other girls enter in different rooms around us. I looked at the mirror that I was facing, trying to look through the door frame to know where the other girls were. This is again a survival behavior, to always know where the others were, so in case of emergency, you know where your opponents are and where your allies are.

In a quick glance, I tried to see, using the reflection of the mirror, who was passing by. But he was slitghly faster. I hear him sigh loudly before he turned around to close the door. I look in the mirror, trying to pretend like I was looking at myself, anything else but the door.

It didn't work, he is smarter than this.

He approaches me, his feet pounding on the shinning wood floor. He stopped as his chest is facing my back, giving me enough space to continue my movements.

"What's wrong with you this morning, usually you're more understandable" He says, his blue eyes looking in my hazel one through the mirror, trying to figure me out.

I put on a nervous look. Giving this away was my only chance to hide what I'm really thinking and feeling.

I frown my brows and pushed my lips together as if I'm trying to contain my emotions.

"I don't know why, I'm sorry" I said looking at the floor, trying to give off a pity look. I cannot over do it, he'll start to suspect something and that could be the end of me, of us.

I bend down on the floor, standing on my toes and my forearms, keeping my eyes focus on the black mat below me.

"Yeah, if you don't win the challenge than I'll give you something to be sorry for" He spat at me from his standing position.

I know he isn't mad at me, but at the situation. I have enough chance to have a master keeper that is loose and even gentle with me, sometimes. The other girls did not have that luck.