Chapter 2

I lie in bed, my right ankle chained to the bedpost. Unable to move, my mouth itched and hurt like hell. As dry as a desert, even my spit was non-existent. Covered in nothing but a pale, thin white sheet and ratty old socks, I gazed out the gated window. It was hardly anything to see out of, the thick silver bars had covered up what was outside, and the sun was practically out of reach.

I wanted to cry but tears wouldn’t come. The only thing that I wanted and needed was water, food…and my family. My brother. Neijiro Umemoto.

We had been separated as children, and I was taken as hostage but for some reason, unlike all the other poor children, men, and women, I was being stored inside of an actual room while the others were stuck in the wet, grimy basement. Hands chained, ankles chained, forced to endure whatever the “Big Guy” did to them…or even worse, his men.

As I began to hum a song to soothe myself, I heard a loud cranking noise and the shifted my eyes to the door. The lock twitched a bit before finally coming undone and the door creaked open.

Despite my chained ankle, I could somewhat move my upper body but my stomach hurt too much to move my lower. As I tried to crawl up the headpost of the bed, I held my hands tightly over my head like a child.

“Madame, how are you feeling?” The cold, soulless voice asked, his dark grey eyes boring into me.

I refused to speak and just sat there, shaking.

“Madame, we can not help you if you don’t speak. King Akiyo is lucky to have you as our ‘guest.’ Please, don’t be afraid. We’d never hurt someone like you.” He chuckled.

“Your brother…on the other hand?” Grinning, his sharpened incisors brightening the dark room.

“S-Sam…aru…” I spoke, doing my best to sound tough and brave.

“Get out. I-I don’t want you near me. If you get close…I-I’ll scream for Abriel.” I shivered.

He slunk closer to me, his hands at his sides.

Despite his short stature, at about 5’2, Samaru Ebeno, one of King Akiyo’s “best men,” was known for being cruel, sadistic, and favors the women and children prisoners due to how emotionally weak they are and how small they are. From hurting them to shaming them and even using them as lab rats, this was nuts. But even then, I knew not to show fear. He likes fear, and fear isn’t something a strong person such as myself would show.

“Madame madame madame…listen, if you listen, I’ll tell you.” He eventually reached the bed and hovered over me, his breath in my face, but his nose close enough to touch.

“Nobody cares. Nobody will know. It’s just us. But for now, since you asked kindly, I will let you go, not from the room but from me. But next time, I wish to see your magic in action, and I’ll do whatever I can to see it. Like a show! Or, a concert!” He laughed darkly.

“Can’t wait!” He turned and slowly left the room while shooting me a brief wink. 

As the door creaked and slammed shut, and the lock was placed back in, I couldn’t stop myself from crying. I was scared, terrified, and I wasn’t even sure if my brother was still alive. I didn’t want to meet the others, I didn’t want to know who King Akiyo was and why he took me. I just wanted out. I wanted out right now and wanted to live back home with my brother and my parents. To have my old life back.