Chapter 1- The Fall

Dreams were like distant fantasies of the heart, or this was what she liked to believe as deep pools of blue looked outside the window at the scenery that passed them by quickly. The sounds of the world were drowned out by sweet melodies in her ears, letting her thoughts drift along with those dreams she spent her days living in. The sun was starting to set in the horizon and all she could think of was a world that she would never see past the horizon.

The world suddenly gave a violent shake as the school bus she was sitting in went over a large bump upon the road and pulled her out of her thoughts and back to the crashing reality that surrounded her. Even as the music filled her ears those eyes took in the scene of chatting and noisy teenagers around her. Multiple classes had come on this trip but she hadn't had the luck of scoring a seat on a bus with any of the few friendly faces she knew.

Instead it was mostly the popular crowd with their name brand clothing and expensive accessories. Sitting in the far back she seemed to sit in on herself with that ever well known doubled edged sword that was her invisibility. Her skin was fair and pale, paler by contrast to the layers of black that she seemed to be wearing that kept most of her hidden from the world.

Sitting with her legs under her to give her added height it was clear by her form and stature she was naturally a small person even at this age of eighteen. She couldn't stand more then 4'10" and from how baggy the black hoodie she seemed to wear sat upon her body her form must have been petite underneath it. The black cargo pants she wore almost swallowing the black and purple sneakers that rested under her.

Ashley had never quite fit in with her peers, she wasn't that blond blue eyed beauty with a cold hearted personality people had come to expect from her generation with a name such as her own. Her hair was black and though blue, her eyes were dark as if it was the depths of the ocean itself that lay within them. Despite the level of cold one might expect from the ocean though there was a sense of warmth that lay within.

Looking down out of habit despite not visibly seeing the mp3 that lay hidden beneath the cloth of the hoodie she wore she ran her fingers over the buttons. It took but a moment for her to move on to the next song, that pause of silence allowing the sounds of chatter around her to bleed forward. Catching quick snippets of chatter that came from the seat ahead of her.

"Did you see how she just sat there next to Kevin and didn't even pay attention to him?" Came a feminine voice from the brunette ahead of her. Jemma was the name of the girl, she knew her well as it wasn't too often when she didn't have to ignore cruel words that came from the girl in her own direction on a daily basis. The girl was spoiled, she had managed to see that simply by the way she treated everyone as if they were there for her own amusement. As cruel as she figured the thought was, Ashley didn't see the girl making it anywhere in life unless it was by laying on her back or being on her knees with a man when reality finally caught up to her. Until then the girl seemed to get all that she wanted.

"You'd think she'd have at least thanked him for allowing her to sit by him when he could've done so much better." Came the other girls retort. "I should've been up there, if that nerd Jeremy hadn't gotten in my way…." The voice was filled with such disgust at the fact that she apparently hadn't managed to score the beloved seat next to Kevin. Emma, the up and coming model, or at least that was what she made sure everyone knew about her. Ashley just shook her head at what she felt was complete idiocy before again she was back in the sounds of melodies and listening to one of her favorite bands 'Poets of the Fall'.

Ashley was well aware that they were speaking about her and she really didn't care. Her eyes moved from the back of their heads towards the front of the bus where one of the male teens was half standing and poking fun it seemed at one of his buddies. Letterman jacket on to show he was part of the high school's football team. Kevin was one of the most popular guys and though a jock she had to be fair, she didn't have any negative opinions of the guy.

She had taken notice she had ended up next to him when they were sitting during the IMAX video at Sea World where they were currently driving back from. She had simply taken a seat towards the back and the next thing she knew he was there as well. Outside of casual greeting though they hadn't spoken to each other. Her eyes were taken by the screen as she let herself drift off in dreams once again, that was the closest to a romance she knew she would ever achieve after all.

Yet from the sounds of those two girls she might have been well trying to steal him away for herself, it was ridiculous as she looked from Kevin and noticed they had looked back at her with dirty looks. Locking eyes with them for just a moment before she looked back out the window of the bus again. She wasn't going to even bother them with the pleasure of saying anything at all. Besides, as she was actually paying attention to her surroundings now she was seeing the bus wasn't on the right road anymore.

No one else seemed to take notice at all, the sun was now disappearing and only the light colors of sunset filled the sky, starting to make way for twilight. Sitting up straighter she looked at the road they were on which was no longer the highway but some back road. The land past the road which had been plains and fields of farms around them were closing in and soon it was looming trees that blocked out what little sun was left. They weren't heading back to town at all.

Pulling one of the hidden earbuds out of her ear so she could hear what others were saying she looked around at them to see if anyone was paying any attention at all. Yet the air was filled with chatter and laughter, no one seemed concerned at all. It must be some sort of detour she tried to console herself and yet she couldn't help the sense of unease that was filling her because of the sudden shift in expectations.

Soon the trees opened up but the sun was gone and only the first bits of silver moonlight could be seen shining down over the small opening they had driven into. Ahead it looked like a rather large estate was built, this was where the road led, right to this estate and there was no road leading out other than the one they were on that she could see.

"Dude where are we?" One of the males ahead of her asked his friend, she looked ahead seeing finally someone else was willing to question what was going on. She wasn't sure his name though and she saw his friend give a shrug and shake his head. "I don't know. Hey Mr. Hill, you totally took a wrong turn back there man." He called out to the driver ahead who seemed to just ignore him as he pulled up to the estate and then park the bus.

Now she saw everyone was starting to get up and peek out the windows and try and figure out what was going on. Their teacher finally got up. "Mr. Hill?" She asked as she looked at him and he just shook his head, opened the bus door and walked out before giving her a dismissive wave as if what she had to say was of no concern to him.

"Alright everyone just quiet down." The woman said as she motioned for people to sit and be quiet. "I need you to sit here and be calm. I'm sure Mr. Hill has a reasonable explanation for this detour. Let me go talk to him and we should be back on track in no time." She said and then made her way down the stairs of the bus and out, walking along the gravelled drive after Mr. Hill which could be seen under the yard lights walking towards the estate's large doors.

Ashley watched the woman for a moment, she was one of the few teachers she actually had a lot of respect for. Mrs. Granger was a woman who loved science and nature, something to which she herself could relate. She had also helped her out in managing to afford to come on this trip in the first place just because she hadn't wanted her to miss out on the opportunity. One of the reasons she was as out of place with the kids she was with as it were, all of them came from wealthy homes while she came from one that was broken.

"Isn't Mr. Hill one of the new drivers?" one of the other girls said to her friend. Ashleys eyes went to the blonde and she paused hearing that. "I bet he has dementia or something, probably forgot where he was even driving, the guy looks old as hell." someone else said with a laugh.

She shook her head at the lack of respect any of them seemed to have for others and just gave a sigh looking back out the bus window. Yet she didn't bother looking towards the estate building, her eyes went out to the open landscape. It seemed everything was kept in perfect order there even in the darkness. Yet she couldn't help a small chill as though there might be something there in the darkness looking back at her.

A small frown played across her features as it almost felt like the shadows themselves were dancing past the tree line and into the surrounding woods. A small shiver ran up her spine, an all too familiar feeling as she looked away quickly and eyes went back to the light. It was hard to see from her position way in the back but she was able to catch a glimpse of a new face that seemed to be walking back towards the bus with Mrs. Granger in the lead and Mr. Hill following behind the new form.

"Hey Mrs. Granger, we going or what?" Her eyes scanned the front and landed on one of the boys who tended to be quite chatty and a bit of a loud mouth. Class clown would be the label she figured if one was keen to such things. She had always viewed the average built male with muddy eyes and hair to be a mixed bag and a little hard to place. Some days he could seem kind and other days cruel to those he teased or joked about. "I got a killer party to go to tonight and this is taking forever.��

The rest of the bus was getting antsy and chatty again, she could still hear from the one earbud her music though the sound of voices pushed it at the back of her mind's focus. "You can come on out, it sounds like we might be here for a few." Mrs. Granger called and people immediately were getting up to come out of the bus.

A small sigh left her as people were filing out, she didn't move for a few moments, back against the seat as she was comfortable. Yet slowly as she waited for everyone else to spill out into the aisle that led out of the bus, she finally got up to take the rear. Her small hands with chipped black nailpolish upon the nails moved down into the pockets of her hoodie.

"If you could line up along the bus, Mr. Brixton would like to get a head count so he knows how many of us are here." Mrs. Granger announced and motioned for them to line up along the bus. Her eyes looked concerned at the situation but didn't seem overly alarmed. "It seems that there may be some engine troubles, Lucky for us Mr. Hill is good friends with Mr. Brixton and brought us here rather than let us break down on the road." She added and gave a light smile.

Finally Ashley made her way to the steps and descended down. Stopping right outside the door of the bus as she saw the other students were lining up. Finally she was able to take in the sight of the man who seemed to own the estate they had found themselves in, she was rather surprised to see that he seemed much younger then she would have expected of an estate owner.

Instead of a man in his 40's or more, he looked like he was in his early twenties. He seemed to stand near six feet in height, Ashley could see how he would have towered over her if she made an attempt to speak to him. His form while lean looked as though it was well built under the silky button up shirt and slacks he was wearing. Though his shirt seemed to be grey it almost looked silver with that silky shine under the street lamps that were posted along the drive.

Despite the fact that the man had a pleasant and laid back smile upon his features to put them all at ease, Ashley couldn't help but feel as though there was something else about the man before them. He gave off an energy she couldn't quite describe and though she knew no one else were of a mind to it, she couldn't help hone in on that fact and a tiny frown come to her features.

"Jemma would you be kind enough to do a head count." Mrs. Granger asked and then the woman looked to Mr. Brixton. "If you'll excuse me, I'll make a call so we can get another bus here to get them home while Mr. Hill handles the bus here." she said as she was pulling out her cell phone and looked down at it.

"Oh we don't manage to have cell service out here." Came a very calm and gentle voice from the man who stood there and was studying each of the faces that had exited the bus. "I have a landline inside you will be able to use as soon as we move indoors." he said and the tone in his voice spoke of expecting her to wait right there. There was an air of command to him as though he simply expected her to follow his lead.

The woman looked at him a bit surprised but indeed she saw there on her phone there was the 'no service' indicator. "Well ok...Thank You Mr. Brixton." she said before looking over as Jemma came up to them with a smile. Her eyes were taking in just how handsome and perfect Mr. Brixton seemed to appear, the look she gave him was almost flirtatious, here was a man who clearly had looks and money after all.

"We have eighteen total." She said with a smile as she seemed to be trying to catch the man's eye though he seemed to ignore her as he looked at the line. In fact after his first scan of all of the students he seemed to have lost his interest in them entirely. Now that they were all out of the bus his demeanor seemed to shift, no one took notice of it except Ashley who was watching the scene carefully before her.

One could say it was due to the fact that her childhood had not been the most stable that she had learned to hone in on the intentions of others. Or perhaps it was simple paranoia that caused her to feel those shifts in the air that no one else seemed to notice. However she went still as she saw that tiny shift of weight in the man and the sudden cold look that had entered his eyes despite the smile that was still there upon his features.

"Eighteen you say, are you sure?" He asked, his tone calm as finally he looked down at the girl who stood before her. "Did you forget to count yourself?" he asked, almost a little too polite and Jemma seemed to pause for a moment then she shook her head quickly.

"Oh no, I made sure I counted myself as well." She said her tone solid and firm. Though this number had brought a frown to Mrs. Granger's face and she looked at the group and went to count herself. "We should have nineteen not eighteen." The woman said as she started to point at each teen along the line and counted silently to herself.

Jemma paused for a moment looking over at her teacher. As Mrs. Granger came up with Nineteen she frowned. "There's nineteen here." she said and looked back over to Jemma. Jemma gave a mock look of surprise and she looked at the line before her eyes landed on Ashley.

"Oh I just totally overlooked you were even with us. Silly me," Jemma said with that pretend look of surprise. "I guess since I wouldn't be caught dead wearing something like that I just totally ignored you were even there. My bad." she said with a fake tone of apology and as some of the other teens laughed a bit Mrs. Granger frowned. "Jemma." she said her tone of warning and she pointed to the line. "That was completely uncalled for."

Jemma looked at Mrs. Granger but then looked towards Mr. Brixton, she was after all wanting to impress him. However seeing he was just giving her a cold look now she actually seemed to pause before headed towards the line. "Yes Mrs. Granger." she said and though she hadn't liked the look the man gave her she was completely unremorseful.

Ashley just looked at Jemma. "It's ok Mrs. Granger, You can't hold it against her, not all of us can be good at simple math." she said lightly and gave a shrug. That caused Jemma to scowl at her from the other side of the line and Ashley just gave her a simple look, not even a smile at her own comeback. Though inside she felt a small level of enjoyment at the fact she had gotten under the girls skin.

Mr. Brixton seemed to clear his throat as the students were making low comments to one another to gain their attention now. "Regardless there are nineteen here, when only eighteen were expected." he said finally and his eyes slowly went over to Mr. Hill who was actually standing a step behind and to the side of the man.

Mr. Hill was a small old man, he looked thin and frail as though he didn't eat enough to keep himself standing. When he felt the man's eyes on him and heard those words he seemed to pale just a bit. "My apologies." He said immediately and bowed his head quickly.

Mrs. Granger paused and looked over towards the two and gave a small frown. "I'm not sure I understand. Expected?" she asked as she looked at the man before her. Mr. Brixton looked at her and gave another smile, but this one was quite cold as he gave a nod.

"Oh yes. You see, I have guests that needed entertaining tonight and what better than to bring new blood to the grounds for them." He said quite casually as his eyes looked to the now confused looks upon the faces of the students. However Morty, the class clown from before seemed to take the opportunity to make assumptions. "A party? Hell yeah." he said.

Mrs. Granger gave a frown now as she wasn't sure what was going on, but now she was picking up on her own uneasy feeling. "Back on the bus." she said looking back to the students. Yet before any of them could make a move Mr. Brixton's voice caused them to hesitate.

"I suggest you start running now," he said to them and upon seeing the frozen faces staring at him in confusion he closed the short distance between himself and their teacher. Reaching up his hand gripped her by the throat suddenly taking the woman by surprise. Before she could react and try to pull away he was already pulling his hand from her and with it the front of her throat.

There was no way for her to scream at the pain as she was choking upon her own blood that was now spilling quickly down her front as her hands went up to try and stop the bleeding. Yet there was now a gaping hole where once her flesh had been whole. Eyes wide in shock, fear and panic as she was going to her knees already. A shriek on her behalf filled the air from one of the other girls at the sight of what he had just done.

"Feel free to stay here if you want to meet the same fate." Mr. Brixton said casually as he held the blood covered hand out towards Mr. Hill who quickly removed the shirt from his own back to start wiping the blood away. Paying no mind to the fact that life started to fill the students and they were running wildly towards the darkened forest for their lives.

All but Ashley who stood rooted where she was at the door of the bus, her pulse had skipped a beat in shock as she stared, the haunting gurgling sound of the woman dying on her own blood as she laid on the ground now filling her mind. It felt like time had stopped in that moment and it was ages before she suddenly caught the movement of others next to her moving.

She blinked and looked to see them all take off, some were even pushing or shoving past each other. It had become every man for themselves within an instant. She was still trying to decide if this was really the reality they were facing or instead an unwelcomed nightmare she would wake from. Regardless she couldn't bring herself to move, she wouldn't run blindly into the darkness of the night that surrounded them.

"You know I do not care for surprises." Mr. Brixton said finally as his eyes watched the running forms go across the fields in the night seeming unconcerned with the fact that they were putting more and more distance between them. Then his eyes went to Mr. Hill watching the man who was quickly cleaning the blood from his hand while avoiding his gaze.

"I did not know there would be another one. She was added at the last minute." He said quickly. "I apologize My Lord." he said, almost fumbling over his words as fear filled him. "I thought one extra was better than to not follow through." he added and finally dared to look up at the man who looked down at him with cold eyes.

"You thought did you." The man said as his form seemed to tower over the old man.. "So you felt inclined to make a decision for me. I must have been too lenient with you to give you such foolish ideals." he said with a frown as he gave the old man with narrowed eyes.

The old man looked up at him with eyes wide in shock and terror before he immediately dropped to his knees before him. "N-no My Lord. I would never presume to make decisions for My Lord. I-I was wrong. I should have called you." He said quickly. "Please forgive this wretch. I meant no disrespect." He said as tears were already forming in his eyes as he trembled at the man's feet.

Ashley had grown silent as she watched the display between the two, a chill had filled her not only from the violent death of her teacher but the air of danger she felt she was in. She had seen the others run into the darkness before she had ever so slowly and quietly started to inch along the front of the bus to get around it and out of sight.

It seemed she had been forgotten as she made it to the other side, yet she almost felt like anyone would hear the pounding of her own heart. After all she felt she might choke on her own pulse as she was quickly trying to figure out the best course of action. At the moment she was out of sight but where was there to run? It was either the darkness of the night or the light of the estate, neither was an option she didn't see leading to her own death.

Suddenly a scream filled the night air and she felt the blood drain from her face as she heard the scream, and not too soon it was followed by another. They echoed and drifted across the fields from within the darkness of the treelines. She had a feeling she didn't want to know what was happening to her fellow students if what had happened to their teacher was any indication.

She heard a sigh finally on the other side of the bus. "If I were to punish you I doubt you would survive, Take care of the bus and then return to me. Perhaps my mood will have changed and I won't feed you to the hounds." He said his tone dismissive. Why kill the old man now and then put the work of disposing of the bus on himself after all.

"Y-yes My Lord." the man said quickly as he scrambled to his feet and climbed into the bus. Ashley went still and then bent over looking down under the bus towards the two of them to try and get a feel of where the other man may be going. She heard the bus start as her eyes only found the dead green eyes of her teacher staring back at her causing a sudden wave of nausea to roll over her. Yet she didn't see another set of feet anywhere in sight on the other side causing her to start to worry where the man had gone.

Standing up straight she turned to see where she could go because once the bus started moving she was going to lose her cover. Only to see the man standing right there, towering in front of her. Her breath stopped in her throat as she stared up at him frozen now in her own moment of panic. She pressed herself back against the bus out of instinct to put distance between them.

However suddenly the bus was moving and she started to lose her balance before she felt a tight grip upon her wrist and pull her away from the moving vehicle as it pulled forward. Her eyes went from the bus to him again in alarm as she felt his grip and she immediately tried to pull away from him.

The man looked down at her, not at all bothered by the fact that she tried to pull away as his grip didn't give way, it was almost as though a statue had hold of her from how little her efforts seemed to effect his own strength. "What to do with you." he said as his other hand gripped her chin hard and forced her to look up at him instead of pay attention to trying to pry his grip from her wrist.

"You didn't run like the rest. Why?" he asked. His tone held authority and it was clear he expected an answer. That cold gaze watched her carefully as a predator studying its prey, trying to decide if it was worth the effort or not.

As she was forced to look up at him and she realized she wasn't going to break free she went still, she wasn't going to waste energy and tire herself out at a hopeless endeavor. It would be wiser to save her strength for a more opportunistic moment, if one ever came. She felt the cold energy that came off of the man and it was clear that what she did could determine if she might see the light of tomorrow or not.

"Because I didn't see the point." She said finally. Her voice shook a bit and she pulled herself together now as she tried to push past her own fear and panic of the man who held her life in his hands.

The man paused and raised an eyebrow as if surprised by the answer. He had expected her to admit she was too afraid to, or she thought she might have a better chance not running. But to say they didn't see a point almost spoke as if she held no value in her own life. Was that the case here with this girl?

"So you do not have a care for your life then." he said as his grip tightened, he held little interest in those who sought death. Pathetic creatures that would crumble at the barest of touches. Yet hearing his words her eyes widened a bit in surprise and alarm. As well as there was also just a little look of irritation that reached her eyes, a small spark of her inner fire that was rising to the surface of her emotions.

"Is that what I said?" she demanded as she looked back at him giving him a frown before she reached a hand up to try and pull his hand from her chin at the very least, but that grip there was ivory cold and solid as steel. "Whether I ran into the trees or stayed, I would be faced with monsters, I chose to deal with the ones I could see." she said finally and she seemed to gain a level of resolve as she said those words and looked at him for a moment with stubbornness. Yet there was a clear hint of uncertainty in her own actions.

His eyes watched her and he didn't move as he kept hold of her and listened to her words. Yet after granting her a few moments to see she couldn't pull away from him he actually let her go with a low chuckle now as his cold expression shifted to one of slight amusement. "So there is at least a small spark of fire there." he said as he watched her and seemed completely relaxed as he stood before her, seeming unconcerned with the idea of her suddenly running away. The bus was now gone from sight and they were left alone there in the drive of the estate, her teacher's body still there on the ground.

When he let her go she had taken an instinctive step back from him. Her wrist felt a bit sore though it was more because of her own struggles rather than his grip being too tight on her. She looked down at her wrist and hesitated stealing a glance towards her teacher then quickly looked away as she was quickly trying to figure out the next course of action.

His eyes watched her and noticed her looking at the body of her teacher then went back to her again. "Tell me why you were with this group." he said finally and though his presence held an air of authoritative danger and chilling cold there was a calm there. The dead body upon the ground could have easily been a twig and he wouldn't have cared, that was the air around the man and she found that even more chilling then what he had done in the first place.

Ashley's eyes went back to him again. "Mrs. Granger helped me afford to go, so I rode with her." she said keeping the answer simple and straight to the point. She didn't care to give the man any more information about her then necessary. She didn't know who he was, and at this moment with how strong he was and how he had killed the woman she wasn't even sure what he was. Who knew what he would do with whatever information he learned from her.

"So fate simply does not shine in your favor." he said simply as he watched her and then seemed to focus more over her body and what she was wearing. "And if you were to be allowed to leave here freely, just what would you do?" He asked as he watched her with an almost knowing smile and closed the distance between them with a simple step. "Do you think you could convince me to let you go?"

Ashley looked at him and as he stepped closer to her she went still, her eyes went up to him as she knew he was purposely trying to intimidate her now. She didn't see why, it was clear he was already terrifying and a part of her almost already regretted getting somewhat smart with him. Her own breath caught in her throat again as she heard his questions while she stood there completely unmoving.

Her first instinct was to of course assure him she wouldn't tell anyone, that she would keep these secrets to herself till her grave, but she knew that wasn't the truth. Something about the way he was watching her and waiting for an answer he would know if she lied to him or not. Of course she knew her chances at successfully lying even without that look upon his features were slim, she was horrible at it.

"I would go to the police." she said watching him. "And I don't think I will convince you to let me go at all…." she said, shaking her head slowly. "You're playing games with me." she said as she looked at the ground before she closed her hands into fists now. Finding a new resolve. Another blood chilling shriek filled the air around them before it was cut off just as quickly as it had filled the night causing a pit to form in her stomach. It was starting to hit her that her chances of getting out of there alive were zero.

The man looked down at the girl in front of her and his amusement shifted to one of contemplation it seemed. She was different from the usual boring humans he dealt with on a daily basis. Here she was in the face of what he assumed she thought was her own death and had yet to break down and beg for her life. Had yet to feed him lies in an attempt to save her own skin. She held a level of honesty to her that was rather rare in this day and age.

He reached forward and forced her to look up at him again expecting to see hopelessness there in her features, instead he again was surprised to see she had found some level of resolve and was looking at him with a new level of determination and stubbornness now. Though he raised an eyebrow in his surprise he didn't let anything else cross his features as he studied her. "You are a rather perceptive one aren't you." he asked. "As well as foolish to have the nerve to look up at me like that when I hold your life in my hands." he said as his hand moved down to trace lightly over the side of her throat, watching her carefully as he did so.

If she was going to die then she had decided she wasn't going to do it grovelling, and she wasn't going to play any games to give him the satisfaction. She'd find a way to make it as unenjoyable for him as she possibly could. Yet feeling his fingers trace over her, she felt a chill run up her spine and that determination wavered ever so slightly as her fear was brought to the surface full of life. There was no desire in her to die there that night and she half wondered if she played by his games maybe there was a hope. But she told herself that was more foolish than her giving him the look she had.

"You're going to kill me regardless. I refuse to give you the satisfaction of toying with me before you do." she said finally and then she moved her head and body away from his touch. She felt her pulse beating wildly at what she was doing. She was at death's door and tempting him to bring down the axe sooner rather than later.

Now a full laugh left the man as he watched her. "Is that so? And are you so sure that death is the only possibility for you this night?" he asked. His dark eyes looking at her clearly entertained now by her. "You are a contrary little rabbit." He said finally as she was now looking at him clearly surprised and now suddenly not sure as he seemed to be dangling hope upon a string in front of her. Now that stubborn determination was clouded by uncertainty.

"If you don't plan to kill me then what?" she asked and as she saw him study her, his eyes look over her body despite it being hidden behind the baggy clothes her eyes widened before she went a deep shade of red and a whole different level of dread and fear filled her at what that look might be.

A knowing smile came to his features as he saw the emotions play across her face as other things started to come to mind of what could be done. There was almost a look of satisfaction there before again the cold uncaring look crossed his features as he watched her, seeing how her body shifted in weight as though she might actually consider running.

He leaned closer to her and grabbed her wrist before she could finish the consideration. "If you run, I will let someone else here claim you, and you would not like that at all." he said softly in her ear his tone low and careful but the threat was clear as she felt another cold chill fall over her as she froze.

She gave a small jump at the sudden voice that broke the silence between them behind her. Her eyes went to the man as he moved to stand up straight again, his grip on her wrist unwavering as she tried to make sense of the depths of what he said by 'claim'. Yet that voice had pulled her quickly out of her thoughts and she had looked towards a man who stepped out of the darkened fields around them onto the lit gravel road.

He too was handsome though looked as though he stood an inch or so shorter then Mr. Brixton who's grip on her tightened just a little to cause her to wince as it became somewhat painful. Of course her focus wasn't on that, even as she felt the pain her eyes was at the unconscious form of one of her classmates draped casually over the man's shoulder.

"Nathaniel are you actually taking part in tonight's festivities?" The man had asked his tone full of amusement. "I have to say I expected it to be a few more centuries before we would see you participate again." He said as his eyes fell upon Ashley causing her to stare at him and go still, he had that same unnerving presence as the man in front of her and with how easily he was carrying her classmate she had a feeling he was just the same as the one who had a hold of her.

Yet he almost had a friendlier look to his features. If not for the unconscious girl on his shoulders one might have thought him a friend rather than a part of this nightmare she had found herself in. Despite all of that though instinct told her to stay silent, as well as that painful grip he had on her in this moment. Instead she took her own silence to try and figure out more about who and what it was she was dealing with.

Mr. Brixton as she had come to know him simply looked at the man with calm empty eyes. "This was an extra that wasn't meant to be included in the festivities." he said and gave a small shrug. "I'm still debating what to do with her." he said and his eyes went back down to her. She looked back at him and went still as she felt that her future could very well depend on these next few moments.

"Well if that's the case, I don't mind taking on a second. This one seems like she'll be broken within a matter of days." he said as he moved the girl from his shoulder and held her instead with both hands. Moving her body as though she weighed nothing and looked down at her in his arms. "It's a pity, it seems as the times progress the fires just die out faster in them." he said. Ashley looked to see it was Emma he was holding in his arms now.

"At least she's a bit of a beauty, even broken she should be fun to show off from time to time." He continued before his eyes fell on Ashley again then went to her captor he had called Nathaniel.

Nathaniel looked at the man and the girl in his arms with no emotion whatsoever it seemed. He held no care what happened to the girl. However when the man offered to take Ashley off his hands as a favor he found himself frowning slightly. He knew the depths of the man's depravity and while it didn't bother him, he found he had already made the decision to keep her for himself in that moment.

His dark eyes looked down at the girl in his grip for a moment. "I had not planned on taking part in festivities, however one cannot argue with the hands of fate." he said finally and looked back to the man. "Some fresh entertainment may do these old bones some good." he added and gave a very slow if not cruel smile as he looked at the girl.

The other man looked at Nathanial for a moment before he laughed. "I'll be sure to put the word out that you've found yourself a new pet. I'm sure Gretchen is going to be ever so thrilled as well." he said as a wicked smile came to his own features at the very thought of how outraged the woman would end up being at the sound of Nathanial having a new plaything.

Nathaniel looked at the man. "As if I would care what that woman has to say about what I do." he said with a dismissive wave. "Enjoy the evening Sebastian, and do let everyone know that they have until sunrise to leave with their new acquisitions. I will be ending my house hospitality early this time since it has been so long since I've filled all my pleasures." he said.

Ashley couldn't help the cold pit in her own stomach as she listened to their exchange. Speaking of her as though she wasn't standing right there listening, or as though she held no say in anything that would transpire in her own future. Seeing that wickedly knowing smile on the other man's features to what Nathanial said she was wondering if death would be a mercy now.

She saw Sebastian give a small nod before he was walking with Emma in tow towards the estate. She stood rooted in her spot watching him go before her eyes went to Nathanial who's grip finally seemed to ease now that the other man was moving on and his eyes went down to her again.

"I suppose if I am to keep you, I should give you a name." he said and gave a light sigh before he started walking. His hold on her didn't waiver, his grip wasn't painful anymore but it was still a steel trap she couldn't escape. Forced to walk quickly after him or risk him simply dragging her.

"I have a name." She said unable to help herself as she worked to keep with his pace, yet she was smaller and he had longer legs making it more difficult for her to walk a relaxed pace and instead had to walk quickly.

"Whatever name you held before does not matter. I have decided to keep you, and with it comes a name of my choosing." he said as he looked over to her as he led her down a path from the drive that was leading to what looked like a garden of some sort that lay hidden behind carefully landscaped hedges.

"I'm a person. Not an animal or some inanimate object you can own." she said unable to help a rise in panic and fear. She suddenly tried to pull her wrist from his grip and instead he stopped short now and looked at her. With his free hand he gripped the palm of her hand just by her thumb and pressed down hard.

As pain lanced through her arm she gave a sound of surprise as her own knees grew weak from it. As if to further prove his point he let go of her wrist and simply gripped her tight in her palm as he pressed against that pressure point of nerves while watching her end up on her knees.

"And are humans not actually animals?" He asked calmly as he looked at her seeming unconcerned with the pain he was causing her. "Just because you can speak and have a false notion of importance does not change the reality that you are nothing but an animal capable of more complex tricks then any of the others." he said, his voice going low as he crouched down in front of her.

He studied her carefully as she looked back at him, the pain that raced up her arm kept her from moving because when she had tried to pull away it had only made it worse. Her eyes had watered a bit from the pain but tears had yet to fall as she looked back at him with a new level of horror at how the man before her seemed to view the world.

"You will be given a new name, and you answer to it, if you do not, you will be punished." he said simply as he watched her closely before he let go of her hand finally and then stood back up straight looking down at her. "Are we clear? Or should I educate you more in the ways of pain?" He asked his voice cool and calm while he stood there.

She stayed knelt on the ground as he let go of her. Immediately rubbing the palm of her hand gingerly before she slowly looked up at him, having fallen silent. "No...I don't need to be educated." she said finally her tone rather quiet as she tried to think of how to handle this situation, she was starting to really feel death may have been a mercy. To be treated and rendered like that of an animal? She felt her teeth clench ever so slightly. "What are you?" she asked finally as she looked up at him.

The man looked down to her and her question before he paused. "The only thing you need concern yourself with is that I am now your owner, that is all you need focus on for what I am to you." he said purposefully not giving her the answer to her question. He looked down at her calmly with no intention on saying anything further. It had been quite a long time since he had danced this dance with another, and he felt she might hold enough potential to make this waltz last quite some time.

As he didn't give her an answer and instead spoke of being her owner she frowned at him. Her face flushed a bit as she still had her pride and the look she gave him was full of anger. She got up to her feet slowly. "Why are you doing this to me?" she asked finally and she couldn't help the unease and fear in her own voice as she looked at him. "I'm starting to think death would be kinder, so what did I do to make you hate me enough to do this to me?" she asked as she stared at him.

He had looked towards the garden while waiting for her to get up. Yet hearing her words he very slowly turned his gaze towards her with a look that lacked any amusement for what she said and there was a frown upon his features. She froze as she felt instant regret with what she had said and she backed up rather quickly before she could even see him move as she felt that energy around him shift suddenly.

However even though she had started to back up she didn't manage half a step before he closed the distance and his hand gripped her throat as he moved forward. Pushing her back until suddenly she was trapped between him and the wall of the estate behind her. "You think death would be kinder than allowing you to live? Is that what you would prefer then?" he asked his tone dark. "I can very easily oblige and not worry myself with breaking in an ungrateful pet." he said.

Frozen she stared at him, thinking death would be kinder and actually being faced again with the possibility of death were two very different realities and she realized how she had messed up. Though her features were naturally pale now she seemed the color of a white sheet in her panic. "N-no. I was wrong. I'm sorry." she said quickly, unable to help how shaken she sounded now as she stared at him.

Waiting for him to make a decision felt like an eternity as he simply stared at her. It was almost agonizing as she waited, unknowingly holding her breath as she waited for him to make a decision. Yet as he moved back a step and his hand moved from her throat to her arm, grabbing her then giving her a rather unkind shove to indicate she should start walking she remembered she needed to breathe again.

She didn't say a word as she moved forward and was even afraid to look back at him as she walked into the dimly lit gardens. She felt her hands were literally a bit shaky as she moved to cross her arms in front of her in a makeshift self hug as well as to hide the shake in her hands as she walked.

Her steps slowed however as she took in the gardens around her and the sounds of running water nearby. She was surrounded by beautiful flowers that she didn't even know the names of or had ever seen in her life. The sounds of water she saw was coming from a small waterfall made of rocks built along the wall of the estate near a door that led inside. There were stone benches to sit on as well as modern patio chairs with rather soft looking cushions upon them.

"Sit." Came a rather firm order from behind her and she turned looking to him as she saw him point to one of the stone benches nearby. She hesitated but seeing his eyes narrow at her she then moved and sat down. From the air around him she felt that she was treading thin ice suddenly.

As she did as she was told a look of approval crossed his features before he moved and sat down in one of the more comfortable lawn chairs and leaned back comfortably while he watched her. It didn't go unnoticed by her he insisted she sit on the uncomfortable stone rather than one of the other more comfortable chairs, she watched him as he seemed to get himself settled in his seat.

"Tell me about yourself. What is it you have been listening to all this time?" he asked as his eyes went back to her again. "If I'm to give my pet a name, it should be a fitting one after all." he added and the look he gave her dared her to argue with him on the matter. However she returned with a look of surprise at the fact he knew she had been listening to anything at all. In fact the music that had been playing in one ear had long been forgotten by her because of everything else.

As if caught doing something she shouldn't she immediately removed the earbud from her ear and let it fall alongside of the other. "It's a band named Poets of the Fall." she said carefully, she looked down for a few long moments then back at him. "I don't know what to tell you about myself, I'm seventeen…" she said slowly and despite the fact she didn't want to tell him anything about herself, she was actually being honest as well, she really didn't know what to tell him.

His eyes looked at her for a moment and an almost bored look came to his features. "So you are insecure and lack any confidence in yourself is what I am hearing." He said while he watched her. She blinked for a moment and went red as she looked at him now giving a frown as she felt he was trying to be insulting on purpose.

"No. I just don't know what something like you would care to know." she said unable to help a level of anger come to her voice and then she saw a flash of amusement cross his features now making her frown at him as she felt he was toying with her. She crossed her arms and looked away from him. "Shouldn't I instead be learning about you since you're the…..owner now?" she asked her tone rather dark but it was her attempt at changing the subject instead.

She was greeted with another chuckle as he reached his hands up and used them as a pillow almost behind his head. "Oh there is plenty of time for you to learn about me." he said simply. "I find this more entertaining at the moment however. So I suggest you figure out something to tell me otherwise I may grow bored. Then who knows where that might lead." he said looking back over to her and now gave her a rather intimate look that caused her to go bright red and her panic to rise again at the mere suggestion.

Looking away from him now completely uncomfortable with what he insinuated with his words. "Fine." she said, shaking her head as she tried to think of something that might hold some sort of interest but then came up blank because she really was a simple person. She gave a sound of frustration. "I'm not an interesting person to people." she said finally and looking flustered now as she looked at him. "I don't drink, I don't do drugs, I don't sneak into bars or do parties. I stay home and spend my time reading more than anything else if I'm not at school." she said looking at him finally.

"I don't cause or get into trouble." she said looking over at him. "I'm not like the other kids who were here…" she muttered. He watched her for a few moments and a small simple smile seemed to reach his feature, he seemed pleased to hear her words.

"Well I was already aware you were unlike the others on that bus, only reason you still have breath in you now." He said as he closed his eyes seeming rather relaxed and lazy there in his seat. She watched him and wondered why he seemed so confident that she wasn't going to try and make a run for it but hearing another scream in the distance she was reminded exactly why he may not be concerned with her running.

"So you have not tainted your body with poison." he said finally and she blinked hearing it put that way and looked at him as he asked "Why not? Last I was aware, those who dressed as you do were notorious for such things." he added. "Maybe even more so then the idiots mucking about in the woods right now."

She looked at him for a moment and hesitated before she gave a shrug. "What I wear doesn't define me." she said her voice low as she looked away. "People put too much importance in the meaning of clothing. I wear this because it's comfortable and warmer during the day." she said before she looked down at her hands and the chipped fingernail polish. "I never wanted to do it. I've seen how it ruins people's lives and I don't care for it to ruin mine." she said finally and looked at him.

There was no intention in her to continue or explain further but it was actually a deeper topic for her then most were aware. She had watched it control her mother's life, she knew there was a genetic predisposition to become addicted and she didn't want to walk that same path. She went quiet as she thought of her mother and how she may not see her again before she frowned.

She didn't notice how long the silence between them had expanded as she was lost in her thoughts on the reality of the situation she was in before she suddenly felt eyes on her. She looked up to see he had opened his eyes and was watching her in the silence. She looked back at him and then frowned. "So that's the extent of how interesting of a person I am." she said finally.

He gave a bit of a chuckle. "Oh you are so much more interesting than you even realize." he said as he sat there. "Now then do you have a boyfriend who will miss you? Have you used that body of yours to its potential?" he asked as he watched her and as he saw she went a very deep shade of red he was fairly confident he knew the answer which would make her even more attractive to his fancy.

"I don't date." she said as she looked at him uneasily. "And I don't…...do other things." she said unable to help how uncomfortable her voice was. "I'm not doing anything like that with you either." she added watching him and the tension in her body rose as she doubted he was going to take kindly to her flat out telling him no on something.

He moved as she said she wouldn't do anything with him, sitting up and letting his feet touch the ground now as he sat up and really faced her. "Is that so?" he asked as he looked at her and instead of angry or cold he simply seemed amused by her words. She looked at him unable to help the tension that filled her body as she had expected him to get angry.

Seeing him rise to his feet and make his way over to her she felt like her back had turned to stone for the tension that filled her and the rise in panic and fear as she sat there still. Yet he didn't touch her, simply moved behind her and leaned in close to her ear once again.

"You also said you wouldn't play my games, and yet here we are." he said softly, she felt just his breath upon her skin and even though she felt his presence there behind her not a bit of him touched her, yet this felt more invasive to her personal bubble then his touching her had. Somehow he made it feel like the most intimate moment she had ever experienced before and she couldn't help the fact she swallowed as her pulse raced.

Then she felt his presence move and she felt she could breathe again as she turned to look and see he was already several steps away from her looking at some of the flowers that had bloomed. She felt the heat in her face as well as the uncomfortable fear she held for him. Nothing this night had made any sense, perhaps maybe she was simply dreaming? She could only hope as she sat there watching him.