Chapter 2...........The Cullen Boys
A/N: Wow, I can't believe how many people added this to the favorites list after ONE chapter! This one's doing a ton better than my other one. The song I had in mind for this chapter, particularly the bond between Esme and her sisters, was "Hands" by Jewel.
The car came to a stop in front of a large circular building. As they were pulled out of the car, Esme held Bella's and Alice's hands tightly so that they wouldn't be separated. The vampires acted bored as if they'd seen this type of behavior millions of times. Some of the other vampires were heckling the humans, but these only seemed interested in the money.
If I could tell the world just one thing
it would be we're all okay
and not to worry
cause worry is wasteful
and useless in times like these...
"Where are we?" Esme asked.
The female vampire steered them through a revolving door.
"Human Trade Center," she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
From the looks of it, the Trade Center resembled a mall very closely. There were several long, wide hallways with shops lining them. A fountain stood in the center, its cheerful splashing seeming out of place amongst the terrified screams. They passed a clothing shop, a human food store, then a large caged area. Different vampires were escorting the humans into cages. If one of them acted out too much, a large, painful-looking syringe was injected into their arm and they would fall asleep in a few seconds. Esme shuddered; she hated needles.
"Esme?"
Alice sounded scared. She knew exactly what Alice was asking.
I won't be made useless
I won't be idled with despair
I'll gather myself around my faith
that lights the darkness most feared...
"Not now," she whispered, "if we fight, we're only going to make life harder on ourselves. Mother always did say that everything happens for a reason."
"I don't want to be a slave!" Bella snapped.
My hands are small, I know
but they're not yours
they are my own...
but they're not yours,
they are my own and
I am never broken....
"Bella, hush. Don't give them a reason to start on us," Esme whispered.
Bella's eyes were burning with dark fury and Esme didn't blame her in the slightest. The vampires steered her towards one carrying a clipboard.
She stared down her nose at them.
"Hmmm. Names?"
When they didn't answer right away, another vampire brandished one of the evil-looking syringes with a sinister grin.
"Esme," she choked out, "and this is Bella and Alice."
Bella glared at Esme, but didn't say anything.
"Ages?"
"Seventeen, fourteen, and thirteen."
She wrote those down.
"Take them over there for a health check," she told their escorts.
They were shuffled into a back room away from the prying eyes of the crowd.
"Been a while since someone's had a bath," one of the vampires commented. They hoisted Alice onto a table and stripped away the patched dress and underwear she wore. She cringed, small and frightened.
Esme stepped forward.
"Please, sir, would it be okay if we did this by ourselves?"
The vampire stared at her for a moment.
"What are you up to?" he asked, crossing his arms. Alice tucked her arms in close to her body, shivering violently.
"Nothing," Esme said truthfully, "she's just not used to-"
The vampire thumped a bottle of soap down beside Alice.
"Fine. But try anything and you're my next meal."
Poverty
stole your golden shoes
it did not steal your laughter...
heartache came to visit me
but I knew it wasn't ever after...
He didn't leave the room, but at least he would not be able to touch Alice. Shielding her from his gaze as much as she could, Esme helped her sister wash. It didn't help at all that the water was cold. The gooseflesh was so thick on her skin that it felt like Braille. When Alice was totally rinsed off, their captor tossed them a towel. It was rough as sandpaper, so Alice was as gentle as she could be. When Alice was clean, she was given a sky-blue linen dress. It was a simple garment that was sleeveless and reached mid-calf. Another vampire hauled her into a chair and cut most of her hair off. The long dark strands lay on the floor like fallen flower petals.
We'll fight, not out of spite
for someone must stand up for what's right
where there's a man who has no voice
there ours shall go on singing....
Bella bathed next, then Esme. Both of them were forced to get their hair cut as well. All three of them had on the sky-blue dresses. After that was over, they were dragged back outside. The stone floor was freezing under their bare feet.
"New ones," another girl sighed, "how long did you survive underground before being caught?"
Esme pulled Bella and Alice closer, trying to keep them as warm as she could. This place was very drafty.
"A long time," Esme admitted. She noticed that most of the girls wore darker blue dresses. Men wore varying shades of green.
"What do the colors mean?" she asked.
"Light blue, like what you're wearing, means never been captured and never been...pregnant. Dark blue means they've had previous owners, but they're still in good shape. The ones that are less...capable and banged up are over there."
She gestured to a group of older slaves that looked to be between twenty-five and thirty-five. They were wearing purple clothes.
"The ones that are old and wearing out are over there."
That group was wearing yellow.
"Our group is the only one that separates men from women. The best households want only the most attractive slaves," she explained, "separating them out gives the younger vampires an easier time finding what they're looking for."
"I can only imagine why," Bella muttered.
Esme would have scolded her, but she knew in her heart that Bella was right.
My hands are small, I know
but they're not yours,
they are my own
and they're not yours,
they are my own and...
I am never broken...
Right about then, trouble came walking down the hallway. Bella was the first to sense it. But Alice was suddenly ecstatic.
"Esme! That's him! The boy from my dreams!"
She pointed to a tall, blonde vampire who was speaking to an auburn-haired one. When they stepped into the light coming from the skylight above, they glittered brightly, throwing rainbow sparkles everywhere. Behind them, there was another blonde that looked older. Instead of red eyes, they had golden eyes. It was certainly...unusual.
They ventured closer, examining all the people in the cages. The older blonde was talking to the vampire with the clipboard. After a few moments, she walked over to the cage. Esme, Bella, and Alice were huddled in the back, trying not to draw attention to themselves.
"These are our newest ones," she said, gesturing to them, "we just got them this morning. They haven't had their check-ups yet, but they're clean."
The one with red-brown hair grinned. He looked to be about fifteen or sixteen.
"I like that one," he said, pointing at Bella. Bella scowled at him and he laughed.
Alice peered at the other one from around Esme's shoulder. He seemed troubled somehow, as if questioning what they were about to do.
"They're family," he whispered to the other blonde vampire, "I can sense it."
In the end...
only kindness matters...in the end...
"We don't need all three of them, do we?"
I will get down on my knees...
and I will pray...
I will get down on my knees...
and I will pray...
The discussion went on for a moment.
"Father's not going to be happy about this, but frankly, I don't give a damn," the oldest one said.
He talked to the one with a clipboard again. She removed a large key from her belt and opened the cage. Two burly vampires held the other humans back while Esme, Alice, and Bella were dragged out.
"Good luck!" the girl who had explained the colors called.
"We'll just take them in the back for their check-ups right quick," another vampire said. The three "buyers" came in with them.
Bella was taken in for her checkup first. She felt humiliated, like an animal, as they looked at her eyes, in her ears, in her mouth, and checked her "nether regions" for any signs of female problems. Then, they gave her some sort of shot. She was told later that it was a vaccination. Another vampire placed a heavy metal bracelet around her wrist and engraved the word "CULLEN" on it. Shaking with rage, she yelled at all of them, but they merely laughed. She was dragged back out into the waiting room.
The same things happened to Alice and Bella. Before they could leave, however, they were made to drink a viscous red substance.
"It's for your own good," the nurse said, bored with their disgusted faces, "your blood will replenish much faster that way and you won't be as easily killed."
"Will you be requiring the birth-control shots?" she asked the three vampires in the waiting room.
"I don't think that will be necessary," the oldest one said, "we don't have any male slaves."
"All right then. They're all ready to go."
Each vampire pulled their hands behind their backs and escorted one out. They learned that their vampires' names were Edward, Jasper, and Carlisle.
"Don't touch me!" Bella snarled at Edward.
Edward just laughed.
"You're lucky, little one. We could have split the three of you up very easily. You're just lucky that my brothers are a soft touch."
Esme sent Bella a warning look not to keep on. She let out a resigned sigh.
They came to a black Mercedes, or at least that's what Esme thought it was. She wasn't terribly familiar with cars.
"Get in the back," Jasper told them, "it's going to be a little crowded. We weren't counting on three."
Alice sat in the middle, Bella sat on the right, and Esme sat on the left behind Carlisle. The three vampires talked as if they weren't even there. But in the short ride, the three of them had caught a few tidbits of information.
The oldest blonde, Carlisle, was a doctor that treated both humans and vampires. Jasper, the other blonde, was currently in college working on a psychology degree. The youngest, Edward, was still in high school but only had a year left. They had another sibling, Rosalie, that had just been married to another high-status vampire named Emmett. They had a father and two uncles that weren't around much, but made a few visits now and then to check on things. Apparently, the Cullen household was running low on slaves due to a little situation that they wouldn't say very much about. Esme guessed that there had been some sort of protest where their humans had been taken hostage and not returned.
Esme nearly fainted when they pulled up to the gates. She'd never lived in a place that so much as had a wooden fence. The heavy wrought-iron gate swung open after Carlisle punched in the code. They drove up another path, then came to a huge mansion.
"Good Lord..." Esme commented breathlessly.
"All right, out of the car," Edward said boredly. They did as they were told.
"The servant's quarters are next to the kitchen," Carlisle said, "as well as the bathrooms. We reload the pantries there every month. Other than that, you'll be responsible for feeding yourselves. Our blood is in the refrigerator. Each day, we'll leave a list of what needs to be done. If we ask anything further, we'll let you know. It might be best to decide which one of you will come to which one of us..."
Bella crossed her arms and gave Edward a dark glare when he pulled her forward. Jasper chose Alice.
"Can you read and write?" Carlisle asked Esme. She nodded.
"Some," she admitted, "I had to quit school when I was twelve."
"It's better than nothing. Follow me."
Esme sent an apologetic look to Alice and Bella, but at least the three girls could meet up later.
My hands are small I know,
but they're not yours,
they are my own...
but they're not yours
they are my own...and...
I am never broken....
we are never broken....