Cerres

Chapter 1

Author's Notes: This was something I started a while ago and forgot to post here. I had almost given up on it when I decided to try my hand at it again. Since I've been extremely busy with work and school I thought I'd at least provide this for you my dear readers but never fear I haven't given up on any of my other stories especially Diary. It's my baby even though I'm a bit stuck with it at the moment, I'll hopefully have a new chapter for you all to read tomorrow or Wednesday. Until then I hope you enjoy this little ditty of a piece and please if you feel so inclined let me know yes? ~ Bella

"It's gonna be okay Ruby. I promise." The dirty brunette waif spoke beside her friend's ear.

Tears ran through the grime on Ruby's cheeks as she curled up tighter. They had found a good place to sleep tonight. Things were looking up for them relatively speaking. They were staying in a high office building. The windows were long since busted out and the wind whipped through the shell of the former offices but that was okay. The room they were in had no windows and there were even two couches where they could sleep. They were high up enough that they could actually get a proper night's sleep tonight.

This was the world they now lived in. In fact Regina could barely remember a time when she hadn't been hungry and cold. She was an orphan the same as Ruby. And this world didn't favor orphans. It really didn't favor anyone if you weren't of the rich upper class that ran the city of Cerres. Cerres was a beacon of hope; the light of civilization in this strange new planet. The world around it may have gone to hell but Cerres stood with its high walls and beautiful buildings on the hill that overlooked the broken parts of the city and the large thick walls that surrounded it.

When the war broke out however long ago it was, Cerres remained unaffected as the rest of the world around it died. Because of its location on a small island surrounded on all sides by water and only one bridge in, it was easy to protect. The outside world was full of monsters and cannibals or so said those that tried to leave. She had yet to meet anyone that had gone out there to stay and made it back alive. Of course there were people that left and came back. Most of the time they were paid handsomely by those on the hill for bringing back "luxury items"; things like shampoo and air fresheners and other such things that they couldn't reproduce in the walls inside the city.

"Do you remember what we promised Granny before she died?" The little brunette asked, shaking off her thoughts of what it would be like to actually have a full belly. She hadn't had one since before Granny died.

Granny, as she had affectionately been known, had taken Regina in when she was a small child. She and Ruby were almost sisters and they viewed each other in just that fashion. Her mother and father were hunters/scavengers. They were among the parties that would go out into the lands beyond Cerres to seek out supplies necessary to keep the population of the great city alive. They were killed in a raid by the monsters. Or so it had been said. Instead of letting Regina go into the streets, then, as a growing number of orphans had, Granny had taken her in. She and Ruby had been best friends since childhood. The older woman had died when they were both twelve, leaving them to fend for themselves.

"We said we'd always take care of each other." The smaller brunette finished for her friend, who refused to speak.

"I'm just so hungry Gina. We haven't eaten in two days." Ruby whimpered and Regina's heart broke for her friend.

"It'll be okay. Tomorrow we'll find food. We had to get somewhere safe otherwise we could've been caught."

At fourteen, they were both eligible for training. Training wasn't something either of them wanted to go through. You see Cerres didn't have the traditional rules of a civilized society. Because of what it was and the upper class that ran it, they were constantly looking for some form of entertainment. It was a well-known fact that young teens were often taken straight off the street and put into training camps. They were taught everything they would ever need to know to be perfect pets for the upper class. Regina had made Granny a promise on her deathbed. She would never let either of them fall into the hands of the slavers.

The higher up one stayed the less likely they were to get caught by the slavers. Ruby and Regina had learned this rule quickly and it was something that stuck with them. They would only stay here for a couple of nights though. It was dangerous to stay in a place longer than that. Every night one stayed in a place was more of a chance of getting caught because someone noticed you.

"Maybe it'd be better if we were caught." Ruby said miserably.

"Ruby, you can't mean that!" Regina's jaw dropped as her friend turned over on her couch to look at her.

"I mean it. At least we'd have a roof over our heads and food in our bellies every day."

"Granny made me promise that I wouldn't let that happen to you. I know it's hard right now but we'll make it. You'll see. Things will get better."

"They won't get better Gina. We're gonna die out here."

"We're not going to die. I promise. We're going to be okay." Regina sighed, as her own stomach released a loud growl. She ignored it. It was a pain she knew would spike and then die off.

Ruby continued to cry softly as the darkness of the city truly set in. Eventually Regina forced herself to lie down and relax drifting off to sleep. Things would be better tomorrow, she thought to herself. They had to be.

The soft strains of piano music flowed over Emma as she settled into her usual booth. The lights of the large club shone down brightly on the stage. Aurora offered her a small smile which she barely returned as she watched a pretty young boy with a scruffy face and bright blue eyes ask for her drink order before the auction began.

She ordered quickly and turned away from him, looking at her friend. "I'm surprised to see you here tonight. I thought you were rather happy with your little Asian flower."

Aurora offered her a small smile. "I am but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy the auction."

Emma snorted as she shook her head. She had yet to truly take to any pet. She'd had her fair share of them of course but every single one she broke rather quickly and they never seemed to last long after that. Maybe tonight she'd find one that would actually hold up. She snorted at the thought, shifting on the leather seat. No there would be no pet that could withstand her. Of that she was certain.

"You seem lost in thought." Aurora pointed out as she took a sip from her champagne flute. The crystal clinked on the white table as she set it down.

"Just wondering when we'll actually wise up to finding pets that actually suit our needs instead of what we want."

"Perhaps you just need one that offers you a challenge." Aurora's eyes sparkled as she spoke.

Emma studied her for a moment before offering her a wolfish smile. "Are you offering to lend me yours?"

Aurora rolled her eyes, "It's a wonder you don't have any friends but Mary Margaret and myself."

Emma laughed, turning back as the half clothed boy set her drink in front of her. She lifted the crystal to her lips taking a small sip. "Yes, well that's my little secret."

"You know Emma perhaps what you need is a challenge. These others are too broken in. Maybe you should train your own. I've heard that's what Mr. Gold did with his pet and he seems rather happy."

"Gold has many exotic pets; which one do you speak of?"

"The boy with the hook on his hand; everyone knows his wife is unhappy so why not make yourself happy?"

Emma took a breath releasing it slowly. "I don't know that I want to go through the trouble of training my own."

"But it may be what you need; to keep the boredom at bay."

Emma snorted, "I've trained one once before. I know what a pain in the ass it is."

"You shouldn't speak like a commoner. It makes you sound like one of them." She pointed to the stage where a boy and girl were being shown off to the waiting crowd.

Emma sighed, looking over at Aurora who cocked her head as though contemplating. "If one or both has caught your attention go ahead and get what you want." She stood up. "Don't hesitate on account of me."

"Take my advice Emma."

"I'll consider it."

"Ruby wake up…I hear…" Regina didn't get to finish her sentence. The door to their current safe place was blown open.

Regina gasped ducking behind the old battered desk as Ruby jerked awake and jumped up without even thinking. Regina wanted to grab her friend and pull her down but she knew what would happen. They would find them both even more quickly. She slid underneath the hole in the desk, squeezing back into a corner. She closed her eyes as she tried to keep herself from whimpering as she heard Ruby scream. She squeezed her eyes shut trying not to think about what would happen.

Flashlights were shining above them as tears began to pour down her face.

"Is that the only one?" She heard a voice speak nearby.

"Yes sir. We think there was one more but we aren't sure."

"Well keep looking. There is nowhere for it to go." She could hear the exasperation in the man's voice.

She bit her lip, trying to keep her breathing shallow so they wouldn't be able to hear. The loud sounds of the old desks being flipped made her jump. The noises got louder and she knew it would only be a matter of time now. They would find her and she and Ruby would both be turned into pets just like she had promised Granny she would never allow to happen.

"Found it." She winced as the light shining in her big brown eyes blinded her. She was pulled out from under the desk by two meaty arms. She thrashed about but it was no use. A long needle was stuck in her neck and the world went dark.

Emma glanced through the files she was handed as she walked among the cages in the large sterile room.

"So these are the ones you acquired last night?" She asked, motioning with the manila folder in hands towards the small cages. Sitting in them were boys and girls of various shapes and sizes but her cold eyes barely took them in.

"Yes ma'am. These are the ones we managed to bring to heel last night. We'll of course continue our search." The oily voice of the proprietor at her side washed over her.

She barely managed to keep a straight face as her upper lip longed to draw up in a snarl. She knew she would need a bath after dealing with this little ape in a suit.

She shook her head, her blonde braid swinging. "Of course and I'm sure you'll do Cerres proud." She offered a fake smile which was eaten up.

"For one of the nobles to choose a pet from among the stock that I've collected is quite an honor." The man was fluttering all over himself. "Especially one that hasn't been broken yet."

"Of course; I can imagine no higher honor." They stopped in front of a cage. Emma looked down at the pretty little brunette curled up in the corner. Despite the way the others cowered and cried softly this one didn't. Instead she stared the blonde right in the eyes.

She knelt down, her booted feet barely making a sound on the highly polished white tiled floor. "Well aren't you a pretty little thing." She murmured.

"Excuse me, your grace…I wouldn't get too close to that one."

"And why is that?" Emma asked with a smirk, her eyes never strayed from the pretty defiant face in front of her.

"It bites. Already bit two of my men. One of them needed ten stitches; the other fifteen."

The blonde couldn't help the laugh that escaped her lips. "Really now? This little thing did all that damage with just her mouth?" She continued to laugh. "What a little treasure you are." She spoke softly to the girl, who bared her teeth threateningly at her. She smirked, her eyes never leaving the pretty little stray in the cage. "Give me this one."

"Your grace, I don't think you understand what you are asking for. They think this one may need to be put down. They believe it's untrainable."

"Nothing is untrainable. It just needs a firm hand and the right amount of positive re-enforcement. I'll give you three times your asking price for it and you know I can afford it."

The man gulped and stuttered out a reply before moving away from her to gather the necessary paperwork she had to sign.

Emma watched him go before sitting down in front of the cage. She crossed her legs in front of her and rested her hands on her knees leaning forward so she could see every inch of the young girl.

"What's your name?" She asked.

The girl pursed her lips turning away.

"Should I call you what I will then? Is that your answer?" When no reply came, Emma couldn't keep the smile off her face. "All right let's see what should I call you? How about…Winny?" She asked.

The girl snorted but still refused to speak.

"All right maybe that's not it. What about Millicent? That's quite pretty."

Emma continued to list off names one more obnoxious then the other until the girl finally turned around.

"Will you stop?" She snapped, her brown eyes flashing angrily.

"Tell me your name and I will."

Her jaw set before she finally turned fully to look at her. "Regina. My name is Regina."

"That's a beautiful name, Regina. Suits you."

"What would you know about a name suiting a person?"

"Plenty; I've named quite a few pets in my time."

The newly named girl rolled her eyes and turned her body so that she didn't have to look at the older blonde woman anymore.

"You've got quite a set of fangs on you Regina. I think I'll enjoy you quite a bit."

"Just like those men?"

"Anything that can fuck up Sidney Glass' meatheads is all right in my books."

"I'm not an it. I'm a girl and I have a name."

"So you've said but all I see is a rabid dog and that's all they see. Prove that image wrong and you may yet get treated like a human being."

Regina growled low in her throat. She glared at the blonde woman who slid to her feet. "Now you're just proving my point little one. Perhaps work on that being more human than animal and we'll see what that gets you."

The rattling of the cage door let her know her words had angered the girl as she strode away intent to meet Sidney away from her soon to be pet.