CHAPTER FIVE: A DANGEROUS SITUATION

I groaned as I opened my eye, 'Where am I?' was my first thought as I was greeted by a darkened room. I could feel moisture beneath me as I rolled onto my back, my skin grazed against what felt like concrete.

My eyes fluttered close as pain racked through my body, it traveled from my skull down the back of my neck and spread across my entire being. My eyes felt heavy as I tried to open them again, my skin felt taut and filthy, like I had been rolling around in the dirt for hours.

Groaning as waves of pain assaulted my body, I struggled to push myself into a sitting position. My ears twitched as it picked up what felt like chains being dragged against concrete. Looking around in the very dim room, I could make out that around each of my ankles they were metal restraints. Instinctively I moved to touch the restraints only to realize that around my wrist there were restraints as well.

What The Actual Hell

Where was I? How did I get here? Who brought me here? These thoughts swirled around my head all at once. I could feel my heart rate picking up as panic begun to assault my senses. All I could remember was the gala and what a mess I made. Was this how nobility punished those who wronged them?

Closing my eyes I tried to focus my mind, tried to shift through my brain to remember the last person I saw or the last thing I did.

I basically stomped to the maid's quarters all the time muttering under my breath at how stupid I am. It was as if I didn't need the damn job, as if I didn't have bills to pay.

Throwing the door open, I marched towards my locker. Angrily kicking the stupid and highly uncomfortable flats off before discarding my apron on the nearby bench; "stupid rich people and their stupid egos" I snapped to the empty room.

I all but ripped my shirt open and threw it in the nearby clothing basket when I heard someone clearing their throat behind me

I groaned as pain engulfed my skull. My eyes blurred and then my vision darkened. I could feel bile rising up at the back of my throat as the urge to vomit become strong.

How could this be happening to me? Who would kidnap me?

*Flashback*

Spinning around I saw the man from earlier who stood up for me against the Lord of whatever bloody province he governed. He stood tall and proud in a dark grey tailor-made suit that fitted him like a second skin. Thick brown hair fell into his face, a small beautiful smile graced his beautifully sculpted face.

"What are you doing back here?" I asked as he stepped into the room.

He looked at me with those mesmerizing eyes of his. There was something about him that was simply breathtaking, maybe it was the way he moved, with so much grace, it would appear as though he was floating and not walking. Or maybe it was the way he simply took command of the room, his presence demanded attention and obedience.

"Is it legal for me to check on a stranger?" he said. I turned from him and grabbed my jeans pulling them up before pulling my t-shirt and then my sweater over her head. I pushed my feet into my worn-out shoes. Some would ask why I wasn't bothered by his presence. I supposed most persons wouldn't casually dress in front of a stranger. However, I knew that telling him to leave would fall on deaf ears, and besides, I changed in front of men on a daily; we shared one locker room here and at the restaurant.

"This is the maid's quarters" I said "It is off-limits to guest sir and quite frankly it's highly inappropriate for you to be here"

He chuckled, his deep and husky voice making it sound much sexier than it actually was. Or maybe it was her dry spell acting up at a completely inappropriate time. "You will find that nowhere is prohibited to me Bellissima"

I scoffed, of course. The rich and powerful didn't understand the meaning of the word boundary. It was not in their vocabulary. They took whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted.

"I personally felt like your employer was wrong for dismissing you over such a small infraction"

I looked at him, his face showed signs of tenderness, his eyes held warmth. It would seem like he meant what he just said but I couldn't be sure. Besides what did it matter, his thoughts on my situation were irrelevant to me. "Why do you care about how your peers treat people like me?"

He stepped further into the room. Bending he picked up the trousers that I had hastily deposited on the bench and threw them into the laundry basket. "It would seem that you already have an impression of me" he said as he turned to look down at me "I think it's inaccurate"

Tired of him and just about ready to take a long pity nap I snapped "What do you want?"

"I do not know" he replied

I sighed, grabbed my bag, and made for the door "well I want to be as far away from this place as possible, preferably in my bed with the covers wrapped around me. Tonight will be the sleep that I have had in years and I do mean years" I was in the doorway now "If you don't mind I will be going. I trust that you can find your way back to the party"

"It's dark out and quite dangerous" he said moving towards me "Let me send you home"

"Dude I don't know what type of guilt or feelings you are in but I don't want or need your help, okay?" With that, I left him there in the room.

The night was cold, so cold that I regret not wearing my other, much thicker coat. The bus that took me from Crestville to Pamonia was not working according to the digital schedule at the bus stop, so instead, I was forced to take the B28 that took me to Mishovia.

It was eleven at night, the streets were cleared. Only a few persons were walking along the sideways. A few delis very still open, so I stopped and bought myself a turkey sub and a bottle of Dr.Pepper

The bus stop was deserted by the time I got there. Not a soul could be seen. The schedule said that the G56 was ten minutes away, so I sat on the bench and ate my sub whiles sipping on my Dr.Pepper.

A few minutes later I heard a vehicle coming, thinking that it was the bus I stood and walked closer to the curb. A sleek, matte black SUV pulled up along me, before I could take a step back or before it registered in my brain that this was strange and I could run back into the bus stop and pull the emergency lockdown switch, the heavily tinted windows were rolled down and a white powder was blown into my face.

My vision blurred as I felt myself stumble, it took minutes, no seconds for me to lose balance as darkness engulfed me.