Chapter 28

May's POV

Marlow hasn't changed since I left. The stiff atmosphere of people living day to day and nothing interesting happened lingered everywhere you go.

As I was carted through town people recognized me, throwing fruits and rocks at me for 'deceiving' them.

We arrived at the town square and Giovanni threw something into my cage.

It was a traditional dancing outfit, coins and all.

"Your old one is too small so I had a new one made" he said as he threw a large cloth over the cage "Now get changed, you're on first" he added before the sounds of his footsteps grew quieter.

I unwrapped the clothes and my eye twitched.

My old dancing outfit was a one piece dress that was suitable for a child, this one though, it's a two piece. The top was basically a bra and the pants were a pair of short shorts with see through fabric that would become baggy when worn.

If I had any say in it I wouldn't be caught dead in something so revealing… but since it's wear this of be publically flogged with nothing on, this was a better choice.

After getting dressed I was taken to Butch, he was in charge of trinkets and was told to give me a sash for my waist, tied up with a fake gold broach, accompanied with bracelets, a gold choker, and several necklaces.

"Take those out" he demanded, pointing at the earrings my mother left me "I think I already have enough jewellery" I commented as he tilted his head "What is it about those earrings that makes you want to hang on to them so badly?" he asked as I slightly covered my ears.

He sighed "Giovanni wants you to wear long dangling earrings… the only way you'll be able to keep those ones on is if I pierce your ears again" he said as I thought about it.

When I was first brought here Butch pierced my ears so my earrings wouldn't be taken from me, it's not like he was really helping me out but it was a kind gesture.

I sighed and took them out, clenching my hands before giving him a serious look "Do it" I said as he looked at me surprised.

"Whatever happened to that shy little girl that cowered before me asking for me to pierce her ears?" he asked with a slight chuckle and ruffled my hair "You're all grown up now" he said before taking out the equipment to pierce my ears.

I clenched my fists and awaited the red hot needle that he would jab through my earlobe, it hurt at first but the second one was much easier since I was already use to the burning feeling.

When he finished I was wearing the stupid earrings Giovanni had me wear, and just behind them were my mother's earrings.

I turned to Butch "Thank you" I said with a genuine smile.

He returned my smile and took out a head piece, tying my hair up and placing it in place and securing it with hairpins.

He was about to say something but someone suddenly grabbed my wrist "How long do you have to take?" Mars asked angrily as she dragged me over to a large cage they had set up for me.

"Hold on" she said as she grabbed a chain, attaching it to my leg "So you don't think about running off" she said before shoving me in.

I sat up and looked at the skin I had exposed, all the scars, bruises and burns that I usually covered were now on full display for all to see. All I could think about was what was taking the others so long to save me… for Drew to save me.

Drew's POV

We arrived in the woods out skirting Marlow only a few minutes ago and we were shocked to see that the town was rather lively, almost like a festival.

I myself was sitting by the carriages, watching the townsfolk run around in the distance.

"Disgusting" I heard Ash comment with pure disgust.

I looked up and saw he was glaring at the town "Its slave trading and they treat it like a celebration" he commented as I hummed in agreement before looking around at the crowd of Desolate and humans.

"Where did Dawn and Paul run off to?" I asked as Ash pointed towards a large farm with a small house in the middle "Apparently Paul has a relative that lives there" he said simply, but I could tell he was glad that the two youngest in the group had a safe place to go.

"Paul's related to Lady Parrington?" Chase asked from behind us.

Ash and I turned around to look at him with a slightly confused look "Lady who?" Ash asked as Chase looked at us with a simple look "Lady Parrington, she's the one who helped May and I escape this place a few months back" he said simply as I looked back to the farm house "So she's the one who helped" I mumbled, remembering May telling me about a kind old lady that saved her and Chase from Giovanni.

"Their starting the auction soon" Levy said in a quiet voice.

For the short time that I've known her she's been confident, loud, extremely teasing and rather funny. But her behaviour has done a complete one eighty in the past few days, now she's quiet and anti-social. It didn't take a genius to see that even hearing that we were going to Marlow has affected her, whatever happened here must have been horrible.

"So is the survey group heading our first?" I asked her as she nodded.

She and Chase aren't allowed to come into town unless a fight breaks out, the two of them would easily be recognized by the citizens.

I stood up and picked up a hat Dawn had prepared for me earlier, it was specially made to look like I had different hair by sewing a wig into it, all I have to do is tuck all my hair into it.

I grabbed my bag and slung it over my shoulder "I'll head out first" I announced as everyone continued to prepare.

"I'll come with you" Paul announced as he walked back into camp with Dawn and a woman whom I assumed was Lady Parrington.

Without giving me a chance to refuse or accept he grabbed a coat and walked ahead of me.

We walked for a few minutes before entering the town's main street "So how are you related to Lady Parrington?" I asked, trying to make conversation "She's my grandmother" he said calmly.

"Does that mean your family all got infected at the same time?" I asked curiously.

He was silent for a moment "My grandmother… was one of the first to be infected… long before the outbreak… she had my father with a human so he was born a Panther Desolate, and then he married my human mother and had me and my older brother" he said calmly "Wait… you're a third generation Desolate?" I asked a little shocked "I thought Desolate were always born a different animal to their parents" I added, slightly confused.

He sighed "Of course a prince raised by the king wouldn't know" he mumbled before speaking up "When a Desolate has a child with a human the child is born the same type as the Desolate parent, however when two Desolate have children, the children can be anything from a bird to a lizard to a dog" he informed me.

"I never knew that" I commented as I wondered how he knew this… although I suppose if you live most of your life as a Desolate you would know this stuff.

"Well of course you wouldn't know, the king raised you with little to no knowledge other than the fact that Desolate are dangerous and need to be treated as second class compared to humans, and besides, you only left the king's supervision less than a year ago so I can't blame you for not knowing" he said calmly.

We reached the town square where Giovanni had set up a bunch of cages where the Desolate he wasn't selling would perform, no doubt we'll see May in one of them.

"Drew, found her" Paul said as he pointed to a larger cage near the front.

We made our way through the crowd of people before eventually making it to the front. I looked up and went wide eyed.

May was swiftly moving around, wings spread and the light fabrics of her outfit swayed with her. But that's not what I was focusing on, all over her stomach and back were scars and old injuries… on her legs I could even spot a few new ones.

Suddenly a bright light flashed through the cage and she fell over.

I looked to the side to see that Mars girl, smiling devilishly with a few sparks jumping from her fingers.

After realising what she had done my gaze went back to May, who was rubbing her bleeding feet.

"You weren't smiling, you need to remind the customers that you're nothing but something for them to ogle at" Mars snarled as she reached into the cage and dragged May into the bars by her hair "Right… I'll do that" May wheezed out before Mars leaned in "Good, now get back to work" she said and shoved May back into the cage.

If it wasn't for Paul holding me back I would have torn that girl limb from limb, for a fifteen-year-old, Paul was strong.

May struggled to her feet, shooting a rude finger in Mar's direction before putting on a forced smile and continuing her dance.

"Mars! Get over here!" Goivanni yelled, obviously angry for what she had just done.

May's POV

Serves her right, zapping my feet like that.

I kept my forced smile and continued the dance, ignoring the eyes on me and just concentrated on my dancing.

Everything was going great; my steps were correct and none of the workers were checking on me anymore.

After a few more minutes of dancing a cloth covered my cage and the back door opened with Giovanni standing there with a bucket and a clear jar of what I could guess is ointment for my feet.

Knowing that with the small exit and the chain around my ankle would stop me from escaping I let him treat my feet.

"I apologise for what she did" he said kindly but it only succeeded in grossing me out.

"It's fine, I should have realised that this kind of thing would happen when I came back here" I said as I tried to not piss him off.

He bandaged my feet and gave me a basket of fruits "You can just sit there and eat for now, with your advanced healing you should be well enough to keep dancing in a few hours" he said as he left the gate open, all just to taunt me and remind me that I can't leave.

Figuring to get the best out of my situation, I sat comfortably and began to peel an orange.

"May?" a familiar voice asked.

My eyes went wide… it can't be.

I slowly sat up and turned to the cage opening to see a young child standing there "Max?".