Chapter 2 I Was Being Sold to The Monster

Eden's POV

My head hurt as I woke up. A chemical smell filled my nose. The concrete floor felt cold against my face. Where was I? I remembered walking home with my birthday cake. Then nothing.

I tried to sit up. My body felt heavy. I was in a basement with concrete walls and no windows. Just a metal door.

The door opened. Two men in suits walked in with a woman holding a clipboard. She wore a white coat and looked cold.

"Subject 18 is awake," she said without looking at me. "Process her."

The men grabbed my arms and pulled me up. I couldn't fight back.

"Where am I? What do you want?" My voice came out scratchy and weak.

No one answered. They dragged me through bright hallways. I heard crying from behind some doors.

We entered a fancy locker room with marble counters. Other girls and boys my age stood there. Some had no clothes. All looked scared.

"Strip," the woman ordered.

I stood still, hugging myself.

"I said strip." She snapped her fingers. The men moved toward me.

"No, please." I backed up against the wall. "Don't touch me."

They ignored me. They grabbed my arms and took off my clothes. I tried to cover myself. Tears ran down my face.

"Room three," the woman said.

The men pushed me into a glass shower. The door locked. Cold water poured over me. I gasped. The water smelled like chemicals.

Through the glass, I saw workers with masks. They carried silver syringes filled with shiny liquid.

A girl screamed when they injected her. Her body shook. Her skin turned red. Her eyes flashed red. This couldn't be real.

The shower stopped. The door opened. Hands pulled me out, still wet and cold. They took me to a station where a worker waited with a syringe.

"Hold still," he said. He grabbed my arm.

"Please don't. What is that?"

He stuck the needle in my arm. I waited for the shaking and red eyes.

Nothing happened.

The worker frowned. He grabbed another syringe and stuck me again.

Still nothing.

"Get the supervisor," he called out, holding my arm tight.

A tall man in a suit came over. He looked at my eyes closely.

"Interesting," he said. He smelled my neck. "She's a halfblood."

The workers whispered around me. I heard words like "purity" and "bloodlines." The supervisor smiled in a way I didn't like.

"Rich buyers will pay top dollar for her," he said. "A rare halfblood. Our star tonight."

Halfblood? What did that mean?

"Premium showcase," the supervisor said. "Full treatment. Silver collar. Number 18."

They took me to another room. Women dried my hair. They put makeup on my face. They rubbed oils on my skin.

"Please," I whispered to one woman. "What's happening? What's a halfblood?"

She wouldn't look at me. "Don't ask questions."

They put me in a thin silk dress. They locked a silver collar around my neck. It had blue stones that glowed.

"Perfect," the supervisor said. "The bidding will be high tonight."

They put me in a small cage. The room had many cages. Each held a person with a price tag. Some stared blankly. Others cried.

My cage was tiny. I could only sit with my knees to my chest. The metal felt cold against my legs.

A woman stopped at my cage. "Number 18. Premium showcase, third item." She looked at me. "The good ones go to collectors. The others go to worse places."

That didn't sound lucky.

Later, they blindfolded me. They put a gag in my mouth. They lifted my cage onto a stage. I heard high heels on marble. I heard champagne glasses and rich voices.

"Ladies and gentlemen," a smooth voice said. "Welcome to tonight's showcase."

The auctioneer presented the first two items. People bid more and more money.

Then my cage opened.

"Our third item is special," the auctioneer said. "A female halfblood, newly discovered."

Hands pulled me from the cage. My legs shook. I could barely stand.

"Excellent compatibility for a special companion."

Companion? That sounded bad.

"We'll start the bidding at one hundred thousand."

The amount shocked me. Who would pay that much for a person?

"One hundred thousand from number fifteen," the auctioneer said. "Do I hear one-fifty?"

"One-fifty from number twenty-two!"

The bids went up fast, voices calling out from different directions. My heart pounded as the price kept climbing.

"Four hundred thousand from number thirty-three!"

"Four-fifty from number twenty-two!"

I never thought anyone would value me—a nobody orphan with weird eyes—at such huge amounts.

"Six hundred thousand from number thirty-three!"

"Six-fifty from number twenty-two!"

The bidding was down to just two buyers now—numbers thirty-three and twenty-two. Everyone else had gone quiet, watching them battle it out.

"Seven hundred thousand from number twenty-two!"

The room got cold. I heard a deep growl no human could make. It filled the room.

The crowd gasped. The growl got louder. I felt it in the floor.

"Seven-fifty from thirty-three!" The auctioneer's voice shook.

I heard fabric tear. Then a deep voice said, "Raise your paddle again, and I'll rip your throat out."

My knees gave out. Only the hands holding me kept me up. The room went silent.

"S-sold to number thirty-three for seven hundred and fifty thousand."

I'd been sold to a monster.

Strong hands took me. I was lifted easily. My new "owner" carried me from the room. Someone walked beside us.

Would they kill me now?

I was carried into a quiet room and placed carefully on something soft—a bed. That only made me more scared.

I curled up small, though I knew it wouldn't help. I tried to listen for what was happening. I heard footsteps, ice in a glass, and liquid being poured.

The waiting was awful. Why weren't they doing anything? What were they waiting for?

Finally, a deep voice broke the silence. "Would you like to take off the blindfold?"

The question surprised me. Despite being scared, I wanted to see what was happening. Slowly, I nodded.

Gentle fingers untied my blindfold. I blinked in the soft light. Then I saw them.

I couldn't breathe.

Standing in front of me were two of the most handsome men I had ever seen. They were identical twins with strong jaws, high cheekbones, straight noses, and ice-blue eyes. Both had thick blonde hair, neatly combed back.

They were very tall with broad shoulders and strong bodies that even their expensive suits couldn't hide. Though they looked the same, their faces showed different feelings—one looked serious and cold, while the other had a playful smile and mischievous eyes.

The serious one reached forward and gently removed my gag. I took a deep breath, my throat dry and sore.

As I calmed down a little, I noticed something strange happening inside me. My heart was beating faster than normal, and something inside me seemed to want to break free and reach toward them.

Feeling this weird pull and scared by how strong it felt, I made myself speak.

"Who are you? What are your intentions towards me?"