Chapter 18

-5 years after kidnapping-

The house I am sent to is large and dust coated, a mansion from an age long forgotten. My master refers to it as his home but as long as we've been traveling, this is the first I will have seen of it. I am one of three entertainment slaves his coven keeps with them at all times, two high ranking sex slaves remain with the coven. They are inhuman, and that is one of the few times I've seen vampiric or shape shifting women being reduced to slaves. I have seen much in my time in slavery, but meeting them reminded me of something I had grossly lost sight of- exactly how big this business is. I am only a human, I am in the human division. They reminded me that this isn't just about humans being lesser...it's anyone who opposes their beleifs. I learned a little history from them, rather it's true or not, I don't think I'll ever know. This whole thing started from a shapeshifting clan, they were once great protectors agianst the vampires, they were gifted in human women, money, goods by the men whome they protected. The shapeshifter clan, over centuries of this treatment, began to see it is as fitting. They began to see themselves as the supiror race. As time went on humans moved away from these traditions, from even beleiving in the shapeshifters. The clan now desperate to keep thier luxury and beautiful slaves began enslaving their own women and stealing human women. The clan women did not take this well and often attempted to revolt, The clan began seeking ways to force submissiveness. The clan had begun to beleive that humanity did not deserve the protection they gave without paying a price. Other clans would try to stand against them and I hear war had broken out many times in the past, leaving many packs small or forced to go into hiding. Some time along the way, the clan and a vampire coven reached a peace through buisness. The buisness has had to go relitively underground since the Volturi took over and although, they would never go against the wolves, they would punish the vampires involved. I'm not convinced this is out of mortallity, but more of a demonstration of power and control. Other shapeshifting clans began to grow and fight those who strayed into their territory. Thus leading to an odd tension between older clans and vampires, this also led to the secrecy of the slave trade. Neither the volturi nor the clan can afford to break their ancient peace and both must turn a blind eye to the actions going on outside the trade between the two species. That leads us to the present, to me and those vampiric girls and this house filled with different kinds of slaves. These slaves work under a slaver, the worst kind of slave. A slaver is a slave who unholds the will of his master. In my experience slavers can be just as ruthless as the master, many of them are men who were slaves and are in the process of being retaught. Males have special chances in the industry because they were not supposed to be their at all, it was punishment for showing mercy and weakness. They are always supposed to be reconditioned by their time as a slave, only to become a slaver and then released from slavery as a perfectly reconditioned master who follows their beleifs. This is common of creators to do to train their new vampire in their ways. Other ways men are put in slavery is if they are requested, born in slavery or never reconditioned. We have a fair amount of men in the trade now, many are sex slaves or laborers, few are entertainers. This house has it all, slaves of all age, race, species and gender.

As I had entered, master was greeted by lines of slaves who bowed in uniform. It was my first time seeing such a collaborated slave house. Most of my masters, being that I am an entertainer, only kept a handful of us around and we rarely see or serve at their houses. My master had decided to break away from his coven for a few months, some kind of internal matter. It was't odd of him to take an enteritainer slave with him since we are still useful as a house slave, but it is rare for them to stay in one firmiliar place for so long. The interior was spotless. Master dismissed me and declared I would perform house duties while I was here. There was an odd buzz around the servants, they all seemed happier...or more hopeful at least than anywhere else I had been. The slaver was an intense vampire, he was starved but compeltely composed. He had been here a long time, In fact he was turned here. He was a slave boy who never learned so he was turned and became an eternal slave.

New technologies were always being implimented throughout this trades history. Each of us tracked and abilities were nullified. I was tracked from the begining so to be this wasn't abnormal and I had seen the chips that degrade the superhuman abilities in other species since I was first taken. This slaver was vampire but just barely, as all the supernatural slaves were, they had the absolute basics. Vampires had their thirst, their cold skin, they could not be killed by desease. They could be harmed, they could be scarred. They couldn't use their strength, speed, intesified senses unless it were activated remotely by the Master. They were just as enslaved and tourtured as I was.

He appeared frightening and aweful, his thirst often made him seem slightly unhinged and he acted perfectly as slaver in exchange for his meals. It seems to me, he was once extremely rebellious, likely tried to escape more than once before his thirst was weaponized. The other slaves did not appear to be afraid of him though. I noticed one slave specifically, a girl a bit younger than myself consistantly pestering him. Although he was tortured and annoyed, he never told the girl to leave his presence as he would the others. While the Master was away to visit a friend, I descovered the rumors of this place. They talked of a rebellion somewhere in the world, said they were liberating slavehouses like this one, giving what blows they could to the trade industry. I discovered also their slavers change in attitude seemed to make this rumor of theirs have merit- at least to them. He was apparently always a bit leinient, though only secretly. He watched out for himself but wasn't particularly rude, cruel or mean to the others. This was a unique trait slavers do not often possess. At first I truly didn't beleive it. Slavers tend to fall into their role as the bad guy quite well, they enjoyed the little power they had and would do anything to avoid losing it. This slaver did not act this way. He wasn't afraid of his master, he was simply done disobeying. He had no reason to be or act as a villian and bassically allowed the houseslaves to do as they wish as long as they maintian their duties. This amount of freedom is relitively unheard of. I didn't beleive it becuase they stated this slaver was not afraid of his master, of death. I hadn't beleived it until I saw what they meant.

Master had come home and was furious at something, he went to take it out on the girl the slaver spent so much time around. The slaver stood in the way, he literally stood between the girl and her punishment. This made the man even angrier, he killed the slaver in front of everyone and yet I was the only one who seemed startled. He did punish the girl, he kicked and beat on her, her resiliance astounded me, I kept waiting for her body to go limp but it never did. The slavers body, severed and broken, began to literally peice itself back together again before my eyes. He couldn't be killed. That is what they meant, that he could not fear death because it truly would never come for him. Every sliver of his body came back to form him, I'm not sure buring him would even work. Master stopped beating the girl to punish him for his disobediance. He died over and over again. The girl was dragged to another room, likely to recover. Once Master was through breaking him, he left for his study and the rest of us went back to work while our slaver repaired himself. I had never seen anything like it, one of the slaves told me that some of the supernaturals have abilities that even the nuetralizing chip can't erase. They ae both rare and dangerous. This slaver had been here since his creation so this is all he's ever known, the girl affected him somehow and his display was clearly a first of its kind here. He hasn't disobeyed for centuries, according to another who has been here for some time. He did it for that girl, whom I found out was particulary expensive. She appeared human to me but her price was far above most supernaturals and she had an oddness to her that made you feel you were underestimating her. The other girls were unsure of this as well, though few assumed she was once part of the rebellion that was rumored about.

I had heard silly rumors of salvation and safety but I beleived in none of them. Most of those who preached such things would wind up dead. Some preached about God as a savior, other made things up, some people would drivel on about something they saw during a dillusion as a sign. I've heard a lot of there wild and desperate theories, yet a part of me wanted to beleive this one. I wanted to think that girl and that slaver were actually our rescuers, seeing how he put himself out there for her was an inspiration that I had to crush. I couldn't allow myself to wind up dead like all the others who beleived in conspiriances.

Later that night, Master and I departed. Once we returned to our coven, I performed a song and dance for the group. I felt oddly that night but danced regardless. The next morning, my master left in a hurry, apparently their was something going on at his home. Master never returned to the coven and ownership of me was given to the coven leader who did not mourn their friend at all while I wondered about the strangers I heard so much of and what had become of them.

* End of Trigger Warning*

I wake up to the coolness of Jaspers hand on my mine, speaking to me in a low resasurring tone. The darkness surrounds us and I feel the heat of the present swarm me, his gentle touch keeps me from the brink of tears, these memories burning holes in my mind and being painted on the shadows on the wall. His face, illumiated by the moonlight, sparkling slightly, concerned and composed is the only light that keeps me in this moment. I touch my face and find the wetness crawling down towards my chin. I look at Jasper, almost for conformation that this is happening, that it is over and he is here. it is now that i actually hear his words, "It's over, it's okay, I'm here now, I'm here now." He mumbles this just quietly enough for me to make it out. He soothes me as the memories release their hold on my chest and mind and allow me to sit here in the present with Jasper.