Chapter Two - I woke up to have this throbbing pain in my head. What happened? I slowly sat up to realize I had no idea where I was. I was in some kind of basement or jail. There were no windows and it smelt of must. One candle in the corner was the only light in the room. Everything was made out of stone. Walls, ceiling, floor, everything. Except for the large, wooden door that was on the other side of the room. It seemed to be the only exit. As I looked around my new surroundings, I happened to notice that my school uniform was all torn with a few blood speckles. I clutched at my head where it hurt the most. It was all moist and sticky. Blood... Forcing myself to stand up, I approached the wooden door. My head started pounding immediately and my body was extremely weak. I could barely stand by myself. I needed the support of the wall to guide me. From the crack under the door, I could see more light. Also, there was the sound of a couple of voices. Maybe they had the answer to why I was here and to why I was wounded? These voices were unfamiliar though. I neared closer to the door, leaning my right ear against the rough wood. The conversation outside the door became clearer but I didn't have time to listen. Someone whipped open the door and I went hurling back a few feet, now with a larger headache. It took me a couple of seconds to readjust my vision. My head was now beyond killing me.
"Get up, you pathetic thing..." I heard a mumble from the entrance/exit. I happened to see a quick glimpse of the figure ahead before they had walked away. He was a short, fat man with an unsightly, uneven mustache and dirty greasy hair that was insanely gelled. A lit cigar hung from the corner of his mouth. I could smell the smoke from the cigar before he even entered the room. "Are you coming or what, wench," he yelled out. I stood up with the last of my efforts. That's strange, the floor's moving... The room started to spin and my vision became heavily distorted. The last thing I remembered was the putrid smell of that vile cigar.
Again, I woke up to the sun gleaming in my eyes. I remembered vividly what happened earlier. My head still throbbed but now there was a thick bandage covering the wound. I sat up, scanning the surroundings. I was no longer in the jail-like cellar. Instead, I was put in a room with a large bay window that emitted great amounts of sunlight. Silky, white curtains draped to the floor, blending in with the off-white colored walls. To the side, there was a handcrafted, oak-colored dresser perfectly cradled in the corner. Little knickknacks and candles dressed the top of it in an orderly fashion. The candles were lit, making the room smell of sugar plums with a hint of cherry blossoms. Mmmm, my favorite. On the floor, an Oriental rug lied symmetrically to the bed. The old but vibrant colors of the rug made the room livelier. There were no blankets on the bed except for the one white sheet I was lying on. The room was so cozy and inviting. I felt safe in it.
Inhaling deeply, I swung my legs over the side of the bed. As my toes hit the ice-cold, wooden floor, it sent shivers up my legs and to my shoulders. Goosebumps covered my body. It relaxed me greatly, releasing the tension I felt. I shrugged the shivers off and stood up, making sure to be very wary. The pain still pulsated every time I moved. I exhaled and stood up slowly. Surprisingly, I could walk with ease. No dizziness or anything. It felt great. Anyways… I cautiously advanced towards the door. The handle was cool. Again, I could hear voices from the other side but they were muffled. Of course, me being me, I placed my head on the door to listen, apparently not learning my lesson the first time. I didn't care though.
"The girl will do perfectly fine…" They paused for a moment. I heard the sound of ice cubes clinging against a glass cup. "Her spirit energy is incredible." This voice was extremely deep and matured. And, again, unfamiliar. The voices stopped suddenly. I could now hear footsteps coming closer to the door. Whoever was walking had a slow, even pace. I instantaneously back away from the door, quietly, afraid to be slammed in the head once more. I stood there on the Oriental rug, waiting. The door didn't swing open though. Instead there were three steady knocks. Nobody said a word however. Not even me. I hadn't a clue what to say. My words got jumbled in my lungs. Slowly but surely, the handle to the door turned. My stomach started to flip and my throat became completely and painfully dry. Carefully, the door pushed forward. I stared at the man standing there. He was exceptionally tall and from the way his clothes hugged his skin, I could tell that this guy had some serious muscles. He wore a semi-tight, black turtleneck with dark jeans. His pecks practically tore through his shirt. It was kind of a disgusting sight. I wasn't really into those huge, muscly dudes. Enough of that… He had very distinguished face features. His lips were unusually thin and his cheek bones were set really high. The thick, jet-black hair that was on his head was gelled flawlessly. I wondered what his eyes looked like. They were covered by an expensive pair of black sunglasses. I thought it weird to be wearing sunglasses inside but I kept my mouth shut.
He didn't say a word, only stared back at me. At least I thought he was staring. I couldn't tell because of the expensive shades. I just assumed his was though. A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips as his brow furrowed.
"How is your head feeling?" He broke the silence that seemed to be endless. His voice was so bottomless. My voice was still lost but this guy didn't nag me for an answer. "Can I come in," he asked. I only nodded my head. I couldn't say no. It wasn't my room.
He entered the room, step by step. He stopped once he was about arms length from me. My heart was beating wildly in my chest. My hands began to sweat profusely. There was a diminutive stillness between us. I couldn't look at him. My eyes searched everywhere but his face. But I could still feel his gaze penetrating my flesh. It was nauseating.
"Your clothes are on the chair," he said, pointing to the corner. My cheeks flushed an apple red. I hadn't realized what I was wearing. I gawked down at my attire. I was no longer in my tattered school uniform. Dark-grey sweatpants now dressed my legs and a plain, white t-shirt covered my torso. Oh my goodness… was all I could think. This guy must have seen my naked body, how embarrassing! The color on my face was beyond red now. I could just feel the heat rise to my head. Taking in my embarrassment, he tried to divert my attention by raising his right hand to my head. My first reaction was to flinch and close my eyes. I realized that he wasn't here to hurt me. He attentively started unraveling the bandage around my booboo. I winced in pain as he pulled the bandage away from my head, the dried blood sticking to it. He dropped it to the floor purposely after. I felt the gash behind my left ear. It was fairly big.
"Don't worry about that…" He spoke softly, cupping his hand over the wound. A faded light surrounded my vision. The pain that once attacked my head was now dissipating until there was no more. As he put his hand down, I felt behind my ear. My jaw dropped in amazement. The gash had disappeared, completely gone. I looked up at him in distraught but appreciative at the same time. The smile that was on his face had utterly vanished. He stared for a moment.
"My name is Toguro, don't forget it. You will be my servant whether you like it or not." And with that, he turned around and walked out the door without another word. I gawked at him, mouth still ajar. But the whole servant thing faded away as I noticed that mystical glowing around his body. His aura was much stronger than the others though.
What is that strange glowing? So my eyes weren't playing tricks on me that day. He must be one of them. He must not be human… I stared at his back until his figure disappeared in the darkness of the corridor. And that servant thing? What the hell is he talking about? He must be crazy. I ain't gonna be no servant of his. I walked up to the door and close it awfully hard, not meaning to though. I immediately change back into my school uniform, noting that all the rips and blood stains were not there anymore. Shrugging my shoulders, I lead myself to the bay window. Outside looked very peaceful. I was maybe on the second or third floor so jumping wasn't an option. All I could see was tree after tree. The mansion was in the middle of nowhere. It was surrounded by a thick forest and a large brick fence that seemed to circle all the way around. In the horizon, clouds covered the peak of the mountain. How I wished I could just jump out and escape. Even though the ground was fairly far down, I still took the initiative to open the side window. I could now hear the beautiful songs the birds were singing and the small splashing of a water fountain. I peeked down at the ground. If I were to jump, I would land into a big bush. The fall wasn't long enough to break any bones; I'd only get a few bumps and bruises. But I was deadly afraid of heights. I took a deep breath in and held it in my lungs for a few seconds. Exhaling, I draped one leg out the window. I started to feel extremely dizzy and my head began to pound. I withdrew my leg back and sat on the bare bed, clutching my forehead. The pain was agonizing, worst then the pain that the gash put off. My mind went suddenly blank and I didn't remember who I was. Something was up and I didn't know what. I didn't know anything, actually…