Chapter Three: Sojournation

"Ahh... She's from the warehouse, isn't she?" The man inquired while they stayed silent and as the quietness grows deeper Silla hears her own steady rhythm from within.

The silence of the room and anticipation made her blood as cold as the winter wind that crept in from outside. Even with the ruckus outside there was no yelling, noise of any kind or rustling in the room.

It was as if everyone had conspired to keep her in the dark, not daring to whisper the reassurance she craved; especially from Declan.

Then the slightest movement from man with tattoos brought her heart racing as fast as a gunshot. Her head snapped in an instant from gazing down at the floor with unfocused eyes to him in front of her when he started speaking again.

"You know... She could fetch a high price in the upper ring." The man suggested in contemplation as Declan only nodded with an almost proud smirk on his face. He was too busy entertaining lovely thoughts of her to even notice how distressed she was.

To him it was a great compliment to receive; his first slave was like finding gold in an a pile of holostacks. With his high breeding and prominent background, she would be deemed rather fitting for him.

Pride always did that, it blinds you to your own demise...

Silla felt panic begin like a cluster of spark plugs in her abdomen. Tension, growing in her face and limbs, her mind replaying the events leading up to this. Silla's breathing becoming more rapid, and shallow preparing to go into a full fledged panic attack.

Was Declan going to sell her to some dirty old man in the upper ring and get rid of her like dirty laundry? Is that why he took her out of the warehouse and treated her so nicely? So he could sell her for a higher price than what he bought her with?

"I could just take her and sell her for you... But she's yours; you bought her and it up to you what you do with her," the short man said snapping her out of her thoughts. He angered her unknowingly as he spoke as if she was an object rather than a real, breathing, human being. Him simply waving them off in an uncaring motion. Yet he also scared her.

Did Declan think of her the same way? He had said nothing... Was she just a mere object to him? She let herself be vulnerable with him; she had never done that with anyone before. She felt that he understood her; that he too knew what it was like to be alone.

But most of all she felt betrayed...

Maybe she was just overreacting, but she couldn't help but think she was just a nuisance to him. He would be better off without her; maybe she should just make things easier for him.

"Is she chipped?" He suddenly asked while Silla felt herself become even more anxious. She had no idea what it meant besides that it was for slaves and probably wasn't good.

"Come here," the man demanded of her and she stood stock still.

"I SAID GET OVER HERE NOW!" He yelled violently causing her to shake. He didn't like the fact that she had disobeyed a direct order.

She somehow managed to move her legs close enough to be within arms distance of the man and he wasted no time grabbing her by the neck causing a strangled cry to escape her throat.

She knew she wouldn't be able to free herself so she stayed still; it was best not to anger him.

He pulled out what seemed to be some sort of gun. But it held a long sharp needle a the end. It was an impact gun. It was a popular method for deploying a microchip from a needle into a living being. The chip at the end was used to track slaves in case they ran away and held the owners information.

She closer he eyes as pulled the trigger and a sharp unbearable pain in her neck made a scream escape from her mouth. Blood ran down her neck from the small yet painful wound.

She couldn't will herself to look at Declan after that. He let something like that happen to her; he even watched as it happened.

"She isn't very tame is she?" He spoke as his laughing seemed to echo in her head forever.

Thankfully, just as she felt hot tears threaten to run down her face, Del practically dragged her out of the room.

As they walked out, she could practically feel Declan's gaze burning holes into her soul, so to lessen the awkwardness she turned around and pretended to be immensely pre-occupied with zipping her jacket until he forcefully grabbed her and turned her around to face him. "I'm so sorry that happened to you." He spoke sensing that she was extremely distressed and shaken.

"W-Why did you let that happen? What was that a-about? W-What's going on?" She asked Declan pleading him to answer her.

"...."

Seeming, to be deep in thought, he stared at her with unreadable eyes. Where did his innocent and playful personality go? Was his whole sweet personality just an act? What if he's planning on getting rid of her now because she knew his plans of selling her. It was like he suddenly showed no emotion.

"I v'ork for him and if I rejected he probably would have stole you and sold you without my consent," Declan spoke under his breath.

"W-why?" She asked him confused. Why would he work for someone so dangerous?

"I also need his protection. When he sees someone has a weakness he exploits it and he would love to have a grip on me." He spoke dimly. What he said made sense but he could just be acting to get her trust back.

He was from the upper ring which meant he likely came from a prominent family and that likely meant lots of people had it out for him; he would be a competitor once he became an adult.

Most of the people living in poverty in the lower ring knew about the viciousness aristocrats in the upper ring.

It only enhanced the saying more money more problems; the kind of people in the upper ring were the most cutthroat and dangerous you could find; though they never got their hands dirty themselves.

They were the kind of people you don't mess with unless you want to end up with your throat slit in a ditch. Declan was born and spent most of his life there. It was likely he shared a lot of their aspects. It worried her what might happen if he suddenly decides he doesn't want her company anymore. Would it be her with her throat slit?

She barely knew him and only met him a day ago; not to mention he nearly beat some hobo to death for touching her; his investment. Though she didn't blame him for beating the guy up because he totally deserved it.

As despicable as abandoning her and selling her would be she still liked Declan and found her time with him enjoyable. But she wouldn't just let him sell her...

While Declan was distracted by the two men fighting in the ring, Silla silently slipped through the crowd. Quickly, losing him into the horde of people.

Though solemnly she couldn't help but look back one last time on her friend. As she reached the tunnel that led to the exit she turned back to see Del in the midst of the crowd looking around frantically. The more he looked for her the more panicked he became.

The image of his frantic face made her heart throb painfully. She really didn't want to leave him but for her own self preservation she had to.

Eventually after getting lost in thought Silla was caught.

Declan had spotted her form standing at the entrance of the tunnel. Almost instantaneously relief and confusion flooded his features.

Though, immediately she froze upon getting caught.

What now? The plan was to leave while he wasn't watching. Could she follow through on leaving him if he was desperately calling her and painfully chasing after her?

Snapping out of her tearful state she painfully and slowly turned around so she wouldn't have to see his face any longer. She clenched her fists as she hesitantly took each step in the opposite direction.

She noticed her feet tremble. Her legs twitched, fighting the impulse to whirl around and sprint down right back to him. The tears burst forth like water from a dam, spilling down her face. She felt the muscles of my chin tremble like how any small child's would and she looked towards the end of the tunnel, as if the light at the end could soothe her.

She could hear her own sounds, a distressed child, raw from the inside; echoing and reverberating along the tunnel walls.

It took something out of her she didn't know she had left to give.

Tripping but regaining herself, she continued to get away. Running, down the pitch black tunnel in hopes to get out of here as soon as possible and end the pain she felt.

"Sil, please stop running from me," he desperately calls from behind her only urging her to go faster. He practically ran toward her at inhuman speed still a good distance from her.

But just as he was a foot away from catching her; she clumsily manages to slip and fall. Though before she can get up he grabs her by the ankles and pins her legs down.

"DON'T RUN!" He yells in anger as she scrambles into the wall. His furious face and dark tone making cold shivers go down her back. She had never heard him yell like that before and in such fury directed at her; it scared her.

She felt the sweat drench her skin, the throbbing of her own eyes, the ringing of her own screams vibrating in her ears and the thumping of her heart against her chest.

Silla's fingers curled into a fist, nails digging into her palm. She couldn't hear her rapid breathing, but she could feel the oxygen flooding in and out of her lungs. Everything she heard was a blur and she only heard a muffled voice.

Hesitantly, her eyes looked at the boy before me, his bright animalistic green eyes.

Fear tortured her gut, churning her stomach in tense cramps. Fear engulfed Silla's conscience, knocking all other thoughts aside. Fear overwhelms her body, making it drastically exhausted. However, most of all, the fear is making her calm and that is what scares her the most. How incredibly calm she was...

He was acting crazy and more furious than she had ever seen. Was he going to her hurt her in a fit of rage like her father did?

"W-why? Why m-me? Why are you doing this to me?" She questioned him lips quivering. The tears pouring down her face and pure fear flashing in her eyes.

"Please just... don't go," he begs his voice softening making it so she wasn't shaking anymore. Why was he begging her? He could just do whatever he wanted to her.

"Stay here v'ith me." His childlike begging surprised her, especially after having him be so hostile. But due to the lack of lighting Silla didn't notice him approaching closer to me until it was too late. 

Her face abruptly squished into his chest. He held her still with one hand while he calmly brushed her hair with the other. He had tricked her into not running any further by making his voice softer.

"Why?" She spoke again softly; afraid to anger him.

"Because," he said blatantly. Even if she tried again at this exact moment to persuade him into letting her leave... She didn't think he would.

"V'hy did you run from me in first place?" He started to ask. He wanted to know why she dared to leave.

"It's n-nothing," She mumbled as she fiddle with her hands nervously.

"It's not nothing; you are frightened. Tell me what is wrong?" Declan insists, and she finally gives in to what he wants knowing he would not stop if she didn't.

"I-I'm s-scared... T-That man said you could sell me. A-Are you going to s-sell me. " She asked him nervously. The face she made was like a kicked puppy.

He let out a long sigh as he gave her a soft reassuring smile. "Nothing is going to happen as long as your v'ith me. I v'ould never sell you," he spoke while embracing the living shit out of the young girl; his head resting on one of her shoulder.

Could she really believe him? Was he truly being sincere? He did chase after her however he could easily lie.

As a young child she felt she had no other choice but to trust him; children did tend to trust their peers much easer but he had been so nice to her during their time together.

No one had even looked at her so kindly in her entire life.

She wanted to stick next to her new friend for as long as she could. It was when he hugged her; she felt the most comforted she had ever been.

To Be Continued...