Title: In Need of Rescue

Chapter 6: Cleaned Up

The two were yelling at each other for some time as I backed away.

She shook her head as if to say that she gave up in their fight and walked over to me, "Let me show you the bathroom now. Follow me."

I followed her as she got to these things that appeared to go up. I stared at them. She started to walk on them, making her get taller.

"Tell me you've seen stairs before." she sighed.

I shook my head.

She looked over at the Edward and said something in vampiric.

"Be nice." He seemed to warn her.

"Better have been a good deal. Just one step at a time." She said showing me what to do. She then mumbled under her breath, "I told him to go to the pet store but noooo, the ones at the farms need more help." I was sure I wasn't supposed to hear that as I tried to ignore her.

I did as she said and started to walk up the stairs behind her.

"Not so bad right?" she asked once we were at the top. She made her way to a closed door and stood in front of it. "Now for the scarier part. This is a bathroom." She opened the door and then stood to the side. I looked into the room and saw a tub and a huge sink. A bathroom? It was a lot nicer than I pictured it. The door she opened must be what they use for privacy.

"He doesn't use this often, but obviously you will." she said as she showed me around. She turned a knob on the sink making water come out. I jumped back.

"Never saw running water?" she asked laughing.

I shook my head. "No, I was told about it though."

She laughed and grabbed a white rag. "Stand still." She said as she dabbed the cloth under the water and then rung out the extra water. "Close your eyes." I did so.

I felt the wet rag touch my face as water seemed to drizzle down. It burned for some time and then it actually started to feel better.

"Open your eyes." She said.

I did so and saw a mirror that she had in front of me. I stared in awe at it. I turned my head side to side. I looked so much paler than I realized. I put my hand to my cheek and couldn't believe the difference in color. My hand was filthy. The creature looking at me wasn't what I thought I looked like at all. This creature's hair was shorter, about to her ears and very matted. I couldn't believe that this creature was me. It couldn't be me.

"I will have you looking fit to be a pet in no time." She said pushing the curtain over a huge tub. "This is a bathtub. You will keep clean by using this."

I stared at it. She flipped a few knobs as water ran out. My eyes got huge.

"Now strip out of those clothes." She said to me.

I looked over at her. I was used to wearing nothing in front of other but for some reason; to do it here didn't seem right.

"Come on." I did as she asked. She sighed and stared at me as if trying to debate about something, and then she took the collar off of me. I know he said not to have it off but it felt better off so I didn't complain. "Get in the water. It will feel better once this is done."

I got into the bathtub as it slowly filled. I watched the water turn from a clear to brown in an instant. "Such like a rescue. I told him to not look there. The pound has cleaner pets than the farms." She sighed.

I sat there as she washed my hair and skin. She had to continuously change out the water that I was in. She eventually settled with the drain unplugged and she ran the water over me repeatedly. She grabbed scissors and started to chop at my hair. I watched it fall around me.

"Sorry but your hair is unmanageable. It will be better to start from scratch." She laughed as she got the last bit off.

She turned her head toward the door obviously about to say something until I heard the front door slam. She was quiet and then it reopened a little later. The man was upstairs with a bag, not looking in but having his hand showing into the bathroom.

"Graph." She said. I knew that meant thanks. "Alright. She said looking at me. Lucky for you, I had just gone shopping and bought some new clothes. I got something for my girl, I am sure you are about the same size."

I watched as she dug through the paper bag.

She looked up at me and started to chuckle. "You can get out of the tub and at least dry yourself."

I nodded and got out grabbing the towel that was near me. I had never felt this clean before. The wet sponge they used back at the farm didn't compare to this feeling.

"You are so pale that you could pass off as a vampire." She laughed at her joke. "I am going to have to have him build a fence so that you can go out and get some exercise each day." She hand me some clothes. "Put it on." I nodded and did as she told me. I at least knew what clothes were. Much to my dismay, she put the collar back on me.

I smiled, I felt so much better. I felt like a new me. I touched my head which was currently bald. How long would it take for it to come in?

"There you go. Can't believe he would get a female as a pet and definitely from that place." I turned to her, how many times did she have to say that? "Alright, well you can get out of the bathroom now and finish whatever you were up too." She scooted me out.

The girl came downstairs and left the house then came back with a brightly colored bag. The two were in the other room talking in vampiric as I sat on the couch. I heard chairs getting pushed in and out as they seemed to be in a debated topic.

They came into the room I was in and she practically screeched at me. "Humans aren't allowed on the furniture." I must have looked scared because the man grabbed her arm.

"Calm down, that rule isn't at my house."

"You can't teach them bad manners." She said back. "You know they don't put up with bad manners."

They? Who was they?

He started to talk again in that other stupid language and she had a look of sympathy. "Fine." She said. "I have to go." I watched them say their good byes and then she left. I was still sitting on the couch when he came into the room.

"Sorry about her, for someone so small she can be a big pain." He laughed. "Do you feel cleaner? I was about to show you the bathroom so that you can get cleaned up."

I nodded.

He flickered on the television. "This is Basketball." He said as he showed me the game. "You dribble a ball up and down the court and try to shoot it in those hoops." He looked over at me to see if I got the point. "You aren't interested are you?" he asked. I looked over at him. "What's wrong?"

"What exactly is a pet?" I asked.

"You want to know what a pet is?" he sound deep in thought at how to answer that.

I nodded. I knew people used to have pets. My mom said they were dogs and cats, but not humans.

"Don't let it bother you."

"Am I a pet?" I asked.

He kept silent and closed his eyes, "Kinda." He sound defeated.

"Kinda?" I questioned.

"To everyone else you are."

"What does everyone else consider as a pet?"

"A human."

"What do they expect humans to do? I know it isn't to play fetch." I think that's what my mom said humans kept dogs around for. Fetch and companionship.

"Where did this all come from?" he asked. "Are you this upset about it?"

"What do you expect from humans? You aren't going to clean me up, feed me, and keep me around for nothing."

He looked agitated, "Vampires keep humans as pets for food okay?" he yelled at me. "They keep them and they harvest their blood for food. It's cheaper and it tastes better than having to go to the store and buy some."

I nodded, looking away now.

He lowered his voice, "You're hungry." He said getting up. As if on queue my stomach growled. "Come." He said.

I followed him into a small room with a table and one chair. He grabbed the bag the girl had brought in earlier. He opened it up and grabbed a bowl and measured something out and poured it into the bowl.

"Here. Eat up." He said tossing it down in front of me.

I looked at it then back up at him.

"Come on, I wasn't expecting to get you today. This is all I have. I wouldn't have even had this if Alice didn't come over." He practically cried out. "This is what Alice's pet eats."

"Alice?" I asked.

He smacked his hand into his face. "Ignore that, humans aren't suppose to talk to vampires by using their names. It's a rule, just don't ever say a vampire's name."

"Who is she to you?" I asked.

"Just a friend. We are like siblings. To her I am an older brother." He said. "We used to pretend we were siblings back when humans were in charge but she has to see me on a secretive basis because her husband doesn't like me too much anymore."

"Why?"

"There was a time when we had a huge family. Then when vampires took over, they had a rule where you couldn't have more than two vampires living under the roof. My family never believed in eating humans but her husband thinks it is fine now because humans aren't killed for food. We got into a few fights and Alice agrees with me on the fact that we shouldn't eat humans but we have to if we don't want to be killed. And because Alice and I agree on the same thing, he thinks I might take her away from him. It won't happen; she's way too in love with him and I can't think of her as anything more than a younger sister."

I nodded looking down at the bowl.

"Look, eat this and tomorrow I will buy soft foods for you. I will also get a fence so that you can go outside on your own."

"Alright." I said forcing myself to eat the crunchy stuff that was in the bowl.

"Thanks." He said happy to see me eat something.

That night, he brought me to a room that I assumed was an extra room. He turned on the light switch and it appeared brighter than I was used too. I had to shield my eyes.

"This is your room. You will sleep here and stay in here if I leave for the day or night"

"I don't see a sleeping mat." I said.

He pointed to a huge rectangle like structure. "This is a bed. Try it out."

I walked over to it and pressed down on it with my hand. Then I sat on it. "It's so soft." I whispered as I laid into it.

"Yes. And this is your closet and your dresser." He pointed to each thing. "I can promise you it will be filled in no time. You have to stay at home while I go out. Alice and I are going to some stores were humans aren't allowed. The night is supposed to be overcast anyways so you won't be able to see the sun anyways. I will be back in a bit though. Behave."

I nodded and he closed the door and I heard a lock. There were no windows, just bricks. I saw a vent like structure on the ceiling which was blowing cold air. It was a lot nicer than the farm. There was some of the dry food and a pitcher of water with a glass next to it. I smiled, was this the life I was missing for all those years? I jumped onto the bed and cuddled into the sheets, this was everything I could ask for. I don't think anything could change my mind right now. I fell asleep so easily.

This night easily made my best night ever!

Another chapter bites the dust! I was curious to find out if someone had noticed that I accidentally put Chapter 5 out but left it saying Chapter 4…don't lie to me either! I won't call you out in my next chapter saying who didn't notice (unless if that's what you want). Oh! And next Chapter will be in Edward's POV, perhaps more questions will be answered that way. ;)

I can't say when the next time I will post the next chapter. I'm starting a five week summer course for BioChem. Anyone who has taken college level biology or chemistry can only imagine how hard this class will be. Not to mention that it is a five credit course in five weeks…I might die.

Please review!

I will live through this course better if I can get a lot of reviews to pull me through! =P