ULTIMATE DISCLAIMER IN PROFILE AND CHAPTER 1!

ULTIMATE WARNING IN PROFILE AND CHAPTER 1!

AU, OOC.

Hey, guys! Here's the next chapter.

I'm warning you now, that I tend to use same actors in different stories. This is going for Mark and Alex. Mark is like Kyle from the story Jade (picture in profile), and Alex is like Dan Radcliffe. Hope you don't mind! I just don't know too much young and handsome actors to use.

Finally, hope you like my new characters. Alright, have fun!

Enjoy!

Chapter 3: Welcome To Your New Life

Days slowly, but surely passed the institution. Sam could witness one of the auctions that took place just next to his cage, considerately avoiding eye-contact, of course; he didn't want to get into trouble. However, exhibitions were organized more often. Clients came from all around the United States to look at and browse from the slaves. Sam could only watch the event, though; he hadn't been exhibited yet.

The guards gave them three meals a day: smaller breakfasts and dinners, bigger lunches. Sylvia told him that the exhibitions usually take place in the afternoon and they need to be well-fed for it, that's why they gave them more food for lunch. At first Sam had a little trouble with eating, because his hands were still strapped together, but he quickly learned the trick.

To Sam's utter relief the bulky guy, Burt haven't returned yet from where he was escorted and it turned out that Dirk was a considerably good company. He would tell him and Sylvia various stories, making them laugh. Despite the good treatment, Sam couldn't help but think about what will happen to him. Because of his constant fear of the unknown and the bad thoughts that assaulted his mind, his shaking became continuous.

And then after two weeks since he was captured, he was called into the next exhibition.

The time of the event was a weekday, so not many people attended it. So far everyone just took a look at him then stepped away, not finding in him what they looked for. He was standing there unmoving, frozen in place except his shaking, waiting for someone to approach him and trying not to have a panic attack. It felt like hours have passed, when Graven's voice reached his ears:

"Ah, Ramon! What a pleasure to see you here! Your Master wants to buy a new slave?"

"Yes, Mr. Graven" answered a deep voice. Sam looked at the source out of the corner of his eyes. The man, Ramon was Latin-American from his looks: black, curly hair framing his oval-shaped face, his skin golden-brown, his eyes the deepest brown pools Sam have ever seen.

"Well, look around, boy!" Graven exclaimed proudly. That Master must be a really good client, Sam thought. He was silently waiting for something to happen, when all of a sudden Ramon stepped in front of him.

"Mr. Graven" the man called out. Graven immediately appeared beside him. "Who is he?"

"Well, Ramon" Graven started, "he's one of the newbies. He got here two weeks ago, his father was hiding him."

"Can I have a name?" Ramon's voice held a bit of annoyance, which was meant to be hidden, but not from Sam's ears. The boy agreed with the man; in exhibitions the usually kind-hearted Graven turned into a typical salesman.

"Samuel Singer."

"Strong name" Ramon murmured to himself. "His build is, too. And not a bad catch. His skills?"

"Just cleaning" Graven answered. "He's from the upper-classes. He's well-educated, though, and extremely polite. A few days ago he started to thank the guards for the food they gave him. And he's always catching up quite fast."

Sam felt Ramon's fingers grasp his jaw and tilt his head up, so he quickly closed his eyes to avoid looking in the other's gaze. Ramon turned the boy's head to both sides then released it.

"Does he have any illness?"

"Gathered from his medical records, no" the answer caused Ramon to slightly narrow his eyes.

"What color is your eye, Samuel?" the man asked. Sam was surprised by the question, but answered dutifully:

"H-Hazel-green, sir."

Sam caught that Ramon turned his head towards the entrance, but he didn't see a man standing there, reciprocating the look as he sent a sign to his servant by brushing some dust from the pocket of his jacket.

"Alright, Mr. Graven" Ramon spoke up. "I decided. My Master wants him. How much does he cost?"

"Since he's young and a little inexperienced" Mr. Graven started, "I think, he's worth 5,000 dollars."

Sam noticed that Ramon stretched his lowered hand into a five and he frowned at that. What could he be doing?

"4,500 dollars and no more or the deal is off" Ramon replied firmly. Maybe he was signing to his Master?

"That's quite good" Mr. Graven agreed and shook Ramon's head. "Deal."

A guard clasped the leash onto the leather strap on Sam's wrists and gave the other end to Ramon.

"It's always a pleasure doing business with you, Ramon" Mr. Graven said happily.

"The feeling is mutual" Ramon nodded his goodbye and gently tugged on the leash, getting Sam to move. The boy obediently followed the man who led him out of the room. Ramon stopped at the reception desk and took the collar off of Sam's neck, handing it to the officer at the desk.

"Please, sign this!" the officer gave a paper to Ramon, who signed it with elegant letters. "Have a good day!"

"You too, officer!" with that Ramon left the building, with Sam in tow.

The man led the boy to a freshly-polished, sleek, black car and sat him in the backseat. Shutting the door Ramon turned towards the entrance to wait for his master. Sam bit his lip shyly then making a decision he knocked on the window.

"E-Excuse me, sir" he spoke as the door opened, not once raising his gaze.

"Yes?"

"C-Can I sleep here, until w-we get to the residence?" Sam didn't know what was wrong with him. Why is he shaking all the time?

"Of course, you can" Ramon answered. "Just lay down."

"T-Thank you, sir." When the door shut closed, Sam stretched out on the backseat and closed his eyes. Before he fell asleep, the driver side's door opened and closed, followed by the passenger's side.

"Is he okay?" a new voice asked quietly. He must be the Master! Sam's shaking increased a tiny bit.

"He asked me if he could sleep, sir" Ramon whispered. "I hope you don't mind it, sir."

"No, of course not." As the engine was revved into life, Sam slowly drifted away into dreamland.

"Hey, wake up!"

Sam jumped at Ramon's voice and looked up. The sky had already bled into night, but the little amount of stars indicated that it wasn't that late in the evening.

"It's okay" Ramon hushed him. "We've just arrived."

Sam scrubbed at his eyes with trembling hands and got out of the car with Ramon's help. The boy needed a few minutes to realize that his hands were moving freely. He crossed his wrists and threaded his fingers in a sign of submission, when Ramon started to lead him towards the mansion. Sam carefully looked up to glance around.

The house was huge; Sam felt a wave of nostalgia wash over him, as he remembered his old home. The walls were pure white, on the top of the stairs the roof was held up by smaller Doric columns. The entrance door was beautifully carved from oak tree, decorated with black, iron design; the French windows' frames were as white as the walls. The stairs were white as well, the few steps leading to a perfectly floored parquet porch.

Before Sam could go up the stairs, Ramon stopped him at the bottom, next to a bucket of water. The man rinsed one of the clothes in the water and carefully lifted up the boy's feet. Sam quickly grasped the man's shoulder, willing his heart to slow down some from the scared staccatos it was beating. Ramon attentively dried his feet and placed them on the first step.

"You will get your own slippers in the morning" Ramon explained. "The Master doesn't like it if the parquet is dirty. You have to use the slippers outside."

"Y-Yes, sir."

"Call me Ramon" the man commented. "I'm not your superior."

"A-Alright."

The two of them went into the house; Sam's jaw fell open at the sight. The entrance hall was lit by candles, lighting up the cream-colored walls. The orange balls of the flames were dancing happily, reflected by the white Italian tiles. The grand staircase led up and to the sides to the next story, light-brown rug decorating the white steps; the railings were made from iron, painted in gold. Two doors led from here: a two-winged, cream-colored door to the left and a plain cream-colored door to the right.

"That one" Ramon pointed to the bigger door, "is the Great Ballroom. The Master organizes the bigger events there, such as a meeting or an official banquette. Sometimes there are parties, too, but they became rare. His meals are always served in the Dining Room next to it. But you will be shown around tomorrow morning."

With that they made their way to the smaller door.

"This leads to the Servant's Quarters" Ramon continued. "Here's the kitchen, the cellar, our sleeping quarter and a smaller bathroom just for us."

They stepped through the door and stopped at a closet. Ramon took a T-shirt out of it and handed it to Sam, who put it on.

"This closet has our personal belongings, which are mostly just clothes. The Master already arranged it, so that your clothes could be here before you arrived."

"E-Excuse me, s-sir!" Sam interrupted softly.

"Yes?"

"Y-You said 'our' a f-few times. Are there others h-here?" the boy asked, gazing at the floor.

"Yes" Ramon nodded. He started to get worried by the stutters. "Let me introduce them to you. I'm in charge of the servants here, but you don't have to call me sir."

The two of them made their way into the kitchen in the back of the house, where two servants stood, waiting for their arrival.

"Samuel" Ramon spoke up, waving one slave over. "This is Alex." Alex was a young man in the middle of his twenties, although that wasn't visible in his size. He had messy, ebony locks and azure eyes. "He is the head of the cooking department, alias the kitchen." Sam flashed a shy smile at the joke, while the others chuckled.

"Nice to meet you, Sam" he greeted the boy. His British accent was more pronounced than Mr. Graven's was. His slightly deep voice had a soothing affect on Sam's mind, but not on his nerves. He shook the outstretched hand with his own trembling one.

"G-Good evening" Sam whispered scared. Alex's brow furrowed from worry and confusion, but he stayed silent.

"And this is Mark" Ramon waved over the second young man. "He's working in the garden and helps me sometimes in the maintenance of the mansion.

"Hi" Mark was definitely American, with a slight twang of an accent, but Sam couldn't put his finger on which one. He had golden-blond hair and sky-blue eyes. He was a head taller than Alex and had a sun-kissed tan unlike Alex's pale skin. He was younger than Alex by a few months.

"G-Good evening" Sam shook Mark's hand, too.

"Why don't we wrap this day up and go to bed?" Ramon asked, catching the barely visible sway in Sam's posture. The others agreed and showed Sam his bed: a simple bed with a warm blanket, a fresh sheet and big, soft pillows. All of them slept in one room; Sam could hear the quiet snores and the inhales and exhales. But the calmness of the situation couldn't help him into sleep. It was in the wee hours of the morning when exhaustion finally destroyed the fort of his nerves, causing his shaking to increase in waves for a few minutes.

TBC

So, how was it? Did you like the others?

Hope you like the mansion! It was a pain to describe it. In the next chapter you will see the interior of the building.

Okay, see you soon!