than I’ve ever witnessed.”
“What?” I hiss, not sure I heard correctly.
“Hm? Oh, the taming bit? Yes, what finer specimen to test his patience than an insultingly impertinent mortal?” he cackles.
I whip my head away. Even this vampire is toying with me.
Laughter still present in his voice, he changes the subject. “Now, what should I call you? Numbers are far too bothersome.”
“…Wavorly,” I reluctantly answer as I still tread carefully along the blackened halls.
“No, no, I wasn’t asking you. It was rhetorical. Now let’s see. How about… Moron, or Cretin. Or, oh, I know! Dimwit. That’s a good one. How about I call you Dimwit from now on?” He jabs at me. And while I am surprised by his humor, I’m less than amused.
“As you may have heard back there, my name is Gemini, though it is mandatory that you address me by ‘master’ from here on out.”
“Please,” I snort. His company is proving to be a bit more bearable than other vampires that I’ve encountered. “If anything, it will be ‘Master Bloodsucking-Scumbag.’“
He chuckles. “Dimwit’s got jokes.” And after a moment he says, “Well, Wavorly, I wish you and your little friends luck. You will need it.”
He stops and opens a door to reveal a bright, full-moon lit night. Beneath the cascade of stars and milky atmosphere lies a gleaming metal ramp leading up to a huge, prestigious-looking chariot.
“Depending on how all that turns out for you, we may or may not meet again.” He leaves me with these parting words.
My eyes remain fixed on him as he motions me up the creaking slope. Then he turns to do the same for both Savvy and Katarii.
Once the three of us are inside the chariot, everything goes dark as the doors are closed and locked. There are two resounding taps on the outside of the convoy. All three of us nearly fall over from the initial force of the chariot’s take-off, although we somehow manage to remain upright by shamelessly clinging to one another like lifelines.
The chariot space is narrow, but obnoxiously long. Red-dyed velvet walls reflect golden yellow about every twelve feet by the flower-burning lanterns. Other supply units—very few altogether, and all wearing ruby red—sit on black-cushioned benches along the walls, telling me that we are on our way to Zein’s castle. They stare at us with scrutinizing eyes, but I can’t blame them. I’m pretty sure the other girls placed bets that I would end up a rejected supply unit even before my final escape attempt, so for me to be here despite my history must be quite a shock. On top of that, Savvy’s and Katarii’s amethyst dresses are like a beacon in the dead of night.
Katarii is the first to walk toward three consecutive empty spots on a bench while Savvy and I reluctantly follow. I sit for a moment, looking at nothing else but my dry hands. I analyze every crease and joint consciously, as if they are the most enthralling distractions from the molestation of gazes. My eyes lift to meet Glera’s in particular, and as I do, she quickly looks away… although the questioning tension lingers.
Glera is an exceptionally beautiful supply unit—glossy dark skin, almond eyes, and a head full of winding curls. She has always intrigued me. Unlike the other supply girls, she mainly kept to herself at Nightingale. I always assumed she had friends, but it seemed more often than not she would be at an empty table studying or staring outside of a nearby window, too busy thinking her own thoughts to care about the opinions of others. I often would wonder if she, too, saw past our cage into the open world since she didn’t originate from Saya. I’ve thought about approaching her a couple of times, but ultimately decided against it. What if she would have happily slapped me on that day, too?
I frown into my hands. I can’t help it, every time I meet a new supply unit, I ask myself the same question.
Savvy leans into me, resting her head on my shoulder and pulling me from my thoughts. She has a way of doing that at the right times. I tilt my head to rest on hers.
“I don’t know where I would be without you,” she admits.
“In that pit back there,” I say, and she giggles half-heartedly.
“What do you think will happen once we get to his castle? “They have let Katarii and I come along for now, but what do you think Lord Zein will do