Sold To A Monster

slowly as the bla

ous iron gates decorated with strange, twisted designs. Beyond them

wood

pri

ale lights illuminating its stone walls. There were no neighbo

e had deliberatel

t to become pa

ed in front o

door handle, the driver ste

wood Manor, Miss,

clutching my

er side of the car, adjusti

't look

upstairs," he inst

s,

e enormous entrance doors, t

or was bre

light across the polished marble floor. Paintings lined the

g looked

ng looke

e felt stran

No flowers on the tables. No cheer

, but it didn't

ace where people

Black

m the hallway. She wore a dark dress and

e, then quickly

has arrive

a guest, Mr

s expressi

ourse

his jacket and

edroom. Make sure she h

s,

ed walki

ai

but didn't

y fingers aro

ppens to

mor

re for a year. What exact

ally t

thi

row

thi

thing, and whatever else you r

n exch

settled o

ge, you'll

red a

t's

r n

those last two words tha

w?" I r

ession remain

ight, I

fore I could ask

ar through a door at

ed toward M

lways li

oked s

what,

e entire world

I thought sh

oward the door Adrian

od is a comp

ne way to

ered he

ou want to make your stay he

ed an

e hit p

yes w

od heav

are you a

ooked at me fo

raise their hands to m

d, she turned and beg

orridor decorated with dark p

oors before reachin

ur room," s

ened t

inside a

's house. A king-sized bed stood in the center, covered in white sheets. T

even a wal

is m

, de

ed tow

he give me

ins looke

ouldn'

dn't come her

ession s

you d

e arriving, I felt a sm

She didn't look at me with disgust or treat me

u," I sai

no

ought up shortly. Dinner

ard the door,

thing, Mis

ked a

es

at night, please

aveled dow

do you

swal

d. The walls make stra

you looking at

dn't a

ft and quietly

e in the eno

seconds, I c

o the window an

dark forest. Farther away, I could see another section of the m

east

distance, it lo

e dark, and thick vines

d Adrian's

ter the

hat he was h

a maid came to esc

air into a ponytail. I refused to dress up for a man

g room wa

center, surrounded by more

ne place h

of the table, reading

up when

're

ed at t

exactly

ou're o

the chair o

ays speak i

le ask unnecess

at

mediately, placing a plat

ut I forced myself

inued readi

e became u

sk you s

N

lin

N

I simply mig

d my fo

you cho

me, he stopped w

ha

have taken my father's house, his company, or every exp

t his pho

ther off

oat ti

ou acc

es

even me

ew en

tled me more tha

oes tha

back in

I have known about each ot

e of bu

as brief, but

stl

stl

ur dinner,

red a

t? You can ke

d my pl

s eyes

be ch

ll me wha

he wall looked as though s

wly folded

hat defiance will chan

that money gives you the

ften

t m

d me for

pectedly,

unfamiliar, as though he rare

nd me of

row

ho

ement di

on

tood

You may use the swimming pool, the gardens, and th

ed an

gener

red my

ember th

d toward

ria

sto

me I had called him

ure why I

d to see whethe

rned

ha

sita

know my

second, something

that I might h

expressio

ld you a

t, he looked terrified. And you looked like

said

in my family ever talks about her death. Whenever I ask m

s jaw t

er is dead

w she'

ed through th

should stop asking

seconds, he

le and leaned down until h

her's death is not somethin

began p

hy

ths are more dang

allo

threate

N

ted toward th

arning

tened and

I didn't ca

fter he had left, replayi

knew something

was determined to keep

sleep refu

ng about my father, my mother's death, and

fter midnight,

metall

in

in

in

at

rom somewhere ou

ned car

it was

in

in

sil

ed at t

47

ing, I pulled the blanket over

been right abo

ard somet

an's

allowed by the distance

eas

fr

ce came

... let

ed out

so loudly that I coul

e bedroom door an

ridor w

glowed at

ped ou

" I whi

ans

ve returned

ew t

t the woman's voic

orridor, past the staircase, an

ew colder

narrow passage I hadn't noticed earlier.

east

top

ured the doors f

caught in

side came a s

eas

ed cl

's t

ying s

onds, there was

omething that made the b

abe

bled b

she know

wer, a hand clampe

cre

ELL ARE YOU

ri

face transformed by an a

inful, but his eye

ng!" I gasped. "There

ression

nt, I saw somethin

e

t disa

k to yo

ut

OW

rd anyone speak

ned a

slammed the door shut and locked it, leaning

bled where he

't what frigh

ice behind th

had know

re deep inside my memory, I realized

t used to sing me to slee

her's

th to stop mysel

her wa

een her

was locked insi

ackwood looked terrif