The house

Everywhere that was cold was dark and everywhere that was dark was cold.

I went back to square one.

Back to complete and utter darkness and despair. I had no family, no friend, I had no one. Time again abandoned me as I sat in the darkness, it was so dark I could hold it. Unlike my previous cell where I knew exactly where the door was, everything here felt the same. A never-ending box going in circles. I scolded my self from ever crying. I had to give up this childish behaviour at some point. I can’t cry for everything, especially when I feel helpless. I had to be strong, I had to find a way to get out of the hell hole. Every time I thought things would get better, fate kicked me in the ass and proved me wrong.

Belle was my last chance; my only hope and she was dead now. Someone killed her and it wouldn’t be too much of a surprise if the asshole I’d seen earlier did it. He was the incarnation of evil.

My cheeks still hurt from where he gripped me. I made no attempt to talk after fearing my jaw would fall from my mouth. There was no consideration in his eyes for the female kind, he seemed to treat everyone the same or rather those who weren’t his companions. Something warm grazed against my skin and I shrugged it away, hoping it wasn’t a damn slug or something. I hated those vermin with a passion. They didn’t need to exist. Just slimy and disgusting.

It touched me again this time tentacles bracing against my back, I jumped to my feet quickly even though I wasn’t up for it trying to run away. I was fed up with this damn place. Everything was just freaking creepy!

“Hey wait!” Shouted an unfamiliar voice similar to tha of a boy. “It’s just me. ”

I frowned. I was certain I hadn't the faintest clue of the fellow. “Me who? I don’t know you. ”

“Well, yeah, but I just wanted you to know you weren’t alone in here.”

“Really?” I replied sarcastically. “Now you want to let me know you’re here?”

“Better late than never,” he reponds laughing. Someone was cheerful about being in the dark. “I’m Harry by the way. I’d extend my hand but ah, you wouldn’t see it. ”

He was still laughing as he slid back next to the wall sitting down. Oddly knowing that I wasn’t alone in this place made things a little easier.

“You’re new here aren’t you?” He enquires curiously when he finally stabilized.

“Why do you ask that?”

“Well because you just sat there without complaint or mumbling. Most people would be screaming to get out. ”

“I’m used to it, ” I replied feeling no sense of humanity towards what he said. It was like yesterday when I had screamed by throat dry for someone to have pity and release me from my prison. No one came. Sometimes I didn’t know how to react the proper way to anyone. I was drugged and taken here, I was locked away by my own family, they caught my one and only friend. What use would there be to scream? They already made it clear I had no rights. “Why does it matter anyway?”

I felt him shrug beside me. “You’re here for punishment for defying them aren’t you?”

I nodded. “Yeah. ”

“Let me guess. If you’re new and here then it's Hayden. ”

“Hayden?” I repeated.

“You know, he sits around the desk with a book, long hair. ” Harry attempts yo describe in detail.

“Oh yeah, it was him. He’s Hayden?” I questioned hesitantly.

Was he someone I should avoid?

“Yeah, you really don’t want to mess with him. ”

Too late for that, I’ve got the pain to prove it. I sighed. I have to survive this.

“Is he the head of the house?”

“No, he’s the one that takes care of everything, nothing passes through this house without his consent or knowledge. ”

Sounds much like my father.

I slumped forward. I needed to leave this place, I needed to find Thomas, I just hope those they caught weren’t going to be killed. I hoped the idiot could do without pissing people off and staying quiet.

“If you’re worried about him, you don’t really have to. As long as we do what he says were fine. ”

Fine he says. My guess is he wasn't hauled off to a new place like I was, or he's been here long enough to be brainwashed or given up hope of escape.

“What do you do here? Are you slaves? Do they cook people? What’s going to happen to us!”

“Calm down. No, we aren’t slaves. Actually, the head master’s aesthetics are reasonable. We’re fed and clothed and we help with the day to day activities of the estate. Some are cooks, other’s gardener, there’s a musician here that plays every time they have a party and he’s really good” he explained. “Between both of us I’m sure he makes a lot of money. ”

In other words glorified slaves.

That didn’t sound like anything I expected to hear, Harry seemed almost cheerful.

Why was this so wrong?

“I don’t understand you make things seem good to have them own us”

Harry went silent for a while, leaving me battling with my own thoughts. I knew that things weren’t lovely, people were dying outside these walls just because they didn’t want to be subjects of these people. They were violating basic human rights and he was sitting here making everything seem as if we lived in a eutopia.

“Listen, I’m not gonna act as if I’m naïve to the things that happen outside. Personally, I know for a fact it’s their fault”

“How could you say that? My house got burnt, my family killed and so have other people!”

“They all deserve it, ” Harry replied lowly and I almost fainted. “Hades only wanted us to coexist, to bring both our races together, he gave everyone a chance. People refused because they preferred to listen to stories than face the facts. You will live here so you’ll understand. You’re not a slave here, I can’t say for the other places but not here. ”

I scoffed. “Yet you’re here in the dark being punished. ”

“I am” he replied. “I get annoyed with how Hayden can be at times. And here isn’t so bad. They like the darkness, and the way I see it, sleeping for a few hours will run the time down to when they plan to get me. ”

“Something is wrong with you Harry. There’s nothing pleasant about being in the dark. ”

“And what two races are you talking about? Who is Hades?”

I could tell even in the dark that he was looking at me weird.

“where have you been all this time?” I could hear the curious unbelief laced in his question.

I know my ignorance would sound impossible to anyone's ears, after all, I've been around people and witnessed their weird looks. If I hadnt know of a surety about my life, I wouldn't believe me too.

“Locked up” I confessed for the second time since I left home.

“They're Vampires, and Hades is the head of the lot of them. ”

Vampires? Vampires?

“Is this a joke?” I ask incredously.

People could blow up an entire senario so badly that I didnt know whonto trust. Or maybe it could be the truth, but this, this was way off the mark.

Vampires weren't real. They didn't exist. They couldn't. Everyone knows that. They were only wild stories told to children to keep them in at nights.

I was expecting him to laugh and push my shoulder, but he didn’t. Harry sat there listening to me musing to myself about the impossibility of our situation.

There’s no way vampires were real.

Then it dawned.

Then it all made sense.

His eyes did change colour

His strength was beyond human.

“I can’t stay here!” I exclaimed scrambling up, walking around searching for some sort of escape route. I was going to die if I stayed here. My hands trembled making it hard for me to grip anything. “I have to get out of here. Vampires! were living with vampires and now the devil is the head! ”

Harry grabbed me pulling me close to him. “Calm down before you have a nervous breakdown. ”

I was way past having a nervous breakdown. None of my limps function, why couldn’t he see that the situation was hopeless? Did they brain wash him?

"I’m going to die, I’m going to die. ” I repeated, arms flailing around and breath failing.

“You’re not gonna die. If you’re here you’ll be okay and like I said, once you do what Hayden asks, you’ll be fine likewise. ”

“And Hades, what about Hades?”

He was another impossible task at hand. Ididnt even know what he looked like. Months. I've been out of prison for months and my ignorance hasn't once helped my situation. If only everyone would tell me things like Harry did and not treat me like some porcelain glass to protect from everything. I wouldn't be in this situation then.

“He’s not here at the moment and he doesn’t care too much for the affairs of the house” He expands, pulling me back to sit.

I couldn'th hide my sigh of relief. Danger averted for now until I can amass some level of working knowledge for myself on how to survive this haunted house. Harry hugged my shaking form remining me of Thomas and I sobbed missing him just a little more. He’d know what to do, he’d figure things out.

“You’ll be with us, so you won’t have to worry about interacting with him. ”

“What about Hayden’s brother? ”

“That’s Hades. Aiden actually. ”

I didn't understand. They were the same person? So then why did they call him Hades?

I bounced both names around in my head. Aiden, Hayden.

“Are they twins?” I asked feeling my heart rate returning to normal.

We had been in here quite a while, it was odd that both of us were used to the darkness and suddenly I realised everything didn’t feel as cold anymore.

“No. why?”

“Because I was assigned to him. ”

Harry tensed for a moment and he shifted around.

“Is something wrong?” I enquired, feeling the studden shift of calmness around my newly acquired acquaintance.

“Just remember this, never look up at him. ”

My back stiffened immediately upon his words. What bed of destruction had I fallen into this time?

Harry left me, going off to sleep, his snoring bouncing around the room while I remained wide awake. I kept counting in my head, keeping myself from my mumbling thoughts, yet reasoning that I had to somehow survive this. I would survive this.

Seven years.

Seven years I had spent in that hell that my father left me in, without friends, sometimes without food and I was still alive. Harry will find a way to rescue me. I'm positive he will come, otherwise I'm completely hopeless.

Another hell without windows, another world without time. Fate has a ridiculous humor to put one through this. It would have been better there had been issuing geysers, withstand everlasting furnace. Would have been better if I was being punished for not claiming peace.

But I was in a hell not of my own doing. What have we done to being this monstrosity upon ourselves. Rather what has my family done to anger them this much that they would be teeming to take my life once they found out that I was his blood?