One

The year 1894

Awoken by the sound of rain and thunder, Sharriah woke up, the lightning became so loud she stood up and sat on the floor. She looked at the cell in which she was trapped in a cell, with a little window, which was attached to the wall. The room was enclosed by a wall of stone and a smaller window which prevents her from escaping, for the past eight years, four months, and three days.

The room has always been so congested, that she hardly breathes well sometimes, the room was both congested with the smell of rats and sweats and specks of dirt from herself and the other slaves.

She heard a noise from the other end of the building and she stood up, walking towards the Lines of the railing, she saw that one of the slaves was been dragged, maybe for one of their purposes, she shook her head wondering how she had coped for eight years and how she was going to escape, she has been trying to escape for a long time, but it never seemed to happen.

She was captured and brought here, she tried escaping the second day after witnessing the assault done on one of the slaves, she remembered the punishment they gave her, they stripped her naked, tied her back on the table, and flogged her with wires and irons, that was the worst days of her life, but it will sound foolish to say that the punishment never stopped her from trying again, instead it motivated her to leave the god damned forsaken hole.

She tried running away numerous times and was sometimes locked in the confinement room. 

Walking back to the room, she sat down on the floor which have a piece of clothing that she was lucky to get and lie down on the hard floor, sitting down she kept her head down thinking of ways to escape again.

"Thinking of a way to escape again" 

She heard a voice from the other cell say, Envaline has been a long-term cell slave neighbor and she has helped her cope through all the torture she had faced while growing up, a smile stretching out on her face.

"Don't you think is wise to leave this god damned forsaken place"

She said standing up and walking towards Envaline cell.

"I really wanna leave here you know, but you tried escaping but have been caught and tortured numerously, the only way you can try escaping is to be sold as a SLAVE who might give you a more dangerous life or a good life, but the chances of getting a good life are minimal."

She said reminding her of the stories she was been told about slaves who have been sold to their masters and were forcefully assaulted or killed if they did not oblige their orders. As she was about to talk, she heard a voice coming outside their cell room, instantly, they stopped talking.

"This Wednesday is gonna be a black market trade, and the warden has ordered that all the slaves from 18 to 22 should be taken care of"

The guards at the door whispered to themselves.

Sharriah looked up at Envaline, a smile creeping out from her face, finally, she was going to be free, either from bondage or more bondage.

"You heard them"

She asked Envaline, 

"I'm not deaf, remember I'm a witch."

 Envaline said, in a low tone, no one knew what Envaline was, likewise her, they kept their identity hidden.

"I hope we are chosen, especially by good masters."

Envaline said getting dreamy, but Sharriah pinched her quickly, quickly stopping her daydreaming imaginations.

"Do you think there are good slave masters, no sane person will come to buy human beings and use them of their own free will."

Sharriah said.....

"There are no good slave masters, if eventually I get sold, I will escape"

Sharriah said again, calculating her plan. Envaline stared at her friend, all she could see were failed escapades.

"Do you believe in a mate?"

Envaline asked, Sharriah stared at Envaline, absolutely shocked at her question. 

She thought for a moment, she wasn't sure she believed in mate.....

"Yes I believe in mate, but I don't believe that for myself, my wolf had been locked up for long, so I don't think I will find mine, since I don't have my own free, I have been sold."

Sharriah said that was pure truth.

As Envaline was about to reply, two guards open the door of their cells, quickly entering the cells, they dragged them out from their cells. 

 When they stepped outside, they saw other slave inmates, they realized that they are not less than eighteen to twenty-two years.

Sharriah closed her eyes for a moment, the words of the guards flashed through her memory, then it occurred to her that they have been called out to prepare for the slave trade.

 Lining them up in rows and columns, Envaline stood behind Sharriah, and quickly, they ordered them to be silent.

Sharriah breathed in slowly, now this was the moment she have been waiting for.

The establishment was so calm that you could hear the sound of a pin.

"An order came from the highest authority that there will be a slave trade this Wednesday, the slave trade will rank from the age of 18—22 years, so you are all required to prepare yourselves for the upcoming event, so diligently follow orders"

The warden said looking at the slaves, slowly his dark eyes made contact with Sharriah, His face looking scary with the big scars across his face, she looked down immediately, a smile creeping on her face, she remembered how he got that mark on his face when he tried taking advantage of her, remembering the experience was very sad and heartwarming at the same time. 

She felt a nudge on her back, it was Envaline

"What?"

She whispered lowly in order not to make the guards hear her.

"What are they gonna make us do, let me guess, maybe they do give us a nice bath, with a nice shampoo to wash off the dirt's from our hair, a nice massage coupled with fine linen clothes, plus a makeover."

She said getting dreamy, Sharriah could feel the spark in her eyes as she said that, and she kicked her on her leg. 

"Stop imagining, because all these things, because they are not real, your imaginations will keep hurting you all over again knowing the fact that you are now a slave, who is not meant for good things."

Sharriah said, Envaline frowned for a while, her words were awfully the pure truth but there was always hope for her.

"But what if I try to escape, when I get sold, I can leave a free life."

She whispered to Sharriah, at least to have even a tiny piece of hope, that she will leave a good life

"Do you think it is easy trying to leave and escape from being a slave, it needs a lot of planning and intelligence unless you want your body hanged in a stake, moreover, you have a mark on your body, the mark that shows that you are a slave, and no one wants to associate with a slave."

She said, she was not trying to bash her hopes, but that was the crazy truth, a slave was the lowest title in the world she leaves in, even a guard or a servant is better than a slave.

"I know, it just been eight years since we came here, well you came two months before me, but I miss my former life."

She said, Envaline was abducted by the establishment, but they were not sure it was an ordinary abduction, her parents were great and rich witches, but she knew that her parents were hated by her uncle, whom she remembered was always having a lot of misunderstandings with them, they concluded that maybe there was a chance that her uncle was the one who planned her abduction in the slave Establishment

"I know, but we will find a way out, and that is by getting sold to good Masters"

She said not knowing if she was sure herself, but she hoped for it.

"Start moving to the bathroom"

Hearing one of the guards' orders, they moved so slowly, both feeling tired and hungry, they walked to the bathroom, removing their clothes and standing naked, no one ever complained about standing naked, they were used to the harsh behavior which was mated upon them right from the start, especially standing naked with the opposite sex, it was both inhuman and human degrading, but who were they to complain, they are slaves who are about to be sold like some animals.

 The thought of being sold like an animal crossed Sharriah's brain and she bared her teeth together, it was infuriating.

They began the process of bathing, it was always a short bath but today seems to be different, they were going to make themselves pure, she looked towards the corner of the bathroom, she could see a guard standing, it was an order from the higher rank to make sure am entrances are secured by guards, there are chances slaves might cause a scene before they escape.

 Suddenly, Sharriah made a contact with a guard, who never stopped staring at her body, his eyes raked through her naked body, he licked his disgusting lips, then slowly he walked towards her.

 A smile crept out from her face, is been quite a long she took her acting skills, the establishment trained the slave on how to defend themselves, and it had been quite a long she defended herself.

She whispered to Envaline.

"You see that guard coming over here, I own him, just watch how I rip his flesh out."