Settling In

Cassiel learns her duties and more about her new home and others within it...

 

"Cassiel…”

She ignored the voice; desperately trying to open the door, Cassiel yelled, “Help! Help me! I-is anyone out there?!”

Quiet, determined footsteps echoed through the hall, their owner pausing and changing direction at Cassiel’s hopeless scream. She jiggled the doorknob harder, praying, pleading with the powers that some miracle would appear, and shuddered with terror as the footsteps moved closer.

With an abrupt click, then a swift movement, the door opened and spilled Cassiel out into the sunlit garden. Her joy-filled movements, welcoming the warm air and light to chase away the darkness, soon toned to terrified, primal gestures as cold hands snatched her from the ground. Unable to keep the sound inside, Cassiel opened her mouth to scream.

“H-hey, miss, please…” The hesitant, young voice didn’t belong in this nightmare; Cassiel blinked up, the second time in as many days, into a pair of bewildered brown eyes. Blinking again, she struggled to sit up. Her companion hesitantly watched her, and whispered, "Miss...we have to go report for our work assignments..."

Cassiel quietly looked around her small room; without acknowledging what he said, she carefully moved off the bed and to her feet. He silently stayed by her side, and the two strode out into the lit hallway, joining a throng of slaves clogging the small passageway.

Near the end of the hall, the slowly moving cloud of bodies parted into two lines, each line filing past a little scene. Cassiel didn't turn her head to look, but she observed it with a sideways glance.

A young human girl stood within a group of angry men; the men spat on her down turned face and called her names, each in his own language. The girl, though crying, remained silent, and stoically withstood their abuse, even when the men began shoving her around the group. The twin lines of working vampires silently tread on, oblivious to the abuse, and Cassiel quietly followed their lead.

Both lines eventually terminated in a large, ancient gathering room. Dark, cracked panels covered the walls, and the floors, also wooden, were beaten, warped, and dented in places from decades of use. The gathering of workers quietly stood in place; when a man climbed onto a table in the middle of the room, all eyes turned to his face.

He glanced around at the crowd below, then cleared his throat and began speaking, his voice strong and clear. "For those of you the master bought yesterday, these are the rules. Number one! Never question the master's authority." The man's eyes lighted on a few workers' faces; he then continued. "Number two, you've all been divided into groups. Your group will be assigned a task, and if you finish the task before nightfall, you'll be allowed to live as normal. If you don't finish, you'll be punished. Number three..."

Cassiel silently listened to him, gazing in his general direction but not seeing anything. The man spoke for a long while, lecturing the group on rules, punishments for breaking the rules, and repeating that one should never cross the master. Finally, he ended his speech and began dividing the crowd into groups, Cassiel being among the kitchen group's members. Their leader silently led them out, one by one, into the hallway and through countless doors until they all arrived at their destination.

The dimly lit kitchen smelled old, the scent that which one might expect from an old cabin, and a faint whiff of blood accompanied the smells. All of the appliances, most out-dated and unused for years, stood silently with filth and dust clinging to their formerly shined surfaces. Each slave silently found a place to work and, with buckets, rags, and used brushes, quietly went to work.

Working on a row of ovens, Cassiel startled when her perpetual shadow appeared beside her and began helping her. Quietly scrubbing an oven's front, she watched him out of the corner of her eye. Aside from the squishes and squeaks from his rag's contact with the oven, he didn't make a sound. She quietly poured somewhat fresh water into their bucket and finished washing her current stovetop. Why is he helping me..?

The pair eventually finished Cassiel's assignment. She looked again at her companion to find him watching her with an odd look. He smiled uncertainly and said, "Since we're done, we can do whatever we want until curfew...right?"

Cassiel merely shrugged and looked to see where the other workers were putting their buckets and rags. The man silently helped her carry the tools outside, and as they dumped the buckets out, he asked, "Would...you like to see something, then?" She glanced uncertainly at him and shrugged again. "I guess..."

Her companion looked around, and then motioned for her to follow him as he loped off away from the mansion. Cassiel followed at a slower pace, feeling unsure of what she was supposed to do. None of the other slaves seemed to notice her and the man's departure, so she continued quietly following.

The pair soon found themselves at a small pond. Surrounded by lush, green grass and bushes, the body of water glistened in the fading sunlight. Cassiel paused by a bush and watched her companion for some sign of what he planned to do. The answer came quickly; plopping down on the bank, he hurriedly slipped his shoes off and stuck his feet in the water. His expression at feeling the cool water against his feet made Cassiel smile to herself.

The man looked up at her, his eyes inviting. "Do you want to sit down?" he asked politely. Cassiel nodded and silently sat on the bank near him, but didn't remove her shoes.

Her companion looked away and watched the sun dip a little lower in the horizon, his expression indicating he felt some level of contented peace. Cassiel silently watched him, blinking when he turned his head to look back at her.

"...what's your name?" His quiet, oddly gentle question caught Cassiel a little off-guard. Forcing herself to ignore his gentle voice, she quietly replied, "Cassiel..." He nodded, a little smile on his lips. "The name of an angel...I'm Jeremy..."

Cassiel nodded slightly and looked out over the water to the west. She felt Jeremy lie beside her on the grass and heard him sigh a weary sigh. The sun slowly made its way down behind the forest in the distance, its light dimming and turning the air blue. Cassiel watched the water as it changed color with the sky, eventually turning black.

Jeremy sat up and looked at her. "It's almost time for curfew." Cassiel nodded and quietly got back up to her feet, her companion following close behind. He gathered his shoes and led the way back to the mansion, and she quietly followed.

The pair silently made their way back to the slaves' dormitory. Jeremy paused outside Cassiel's door and looked at her. She opened the door and silently began to walk in. "Um...Cassiel?" She paused and looked at him. Jeremy smiled at her, his eyes uncertain. "Sleep well..." She nodded quietly and walked into her room, closing the door after herself.

Cassiel walked over to her cot and discovered a small, pink nightgown. Too weary to question anything, she stripped and pulled the gown on over her head, then slipped between the covers of her cot. A familiar, masculine scent tickling her nose, Cassiel drifted off to sleep.

Trying to keep a grip on her groceries for just a moment longer, she relaxed upon seeing the familiar street sign. "Almost there," Cassiel breathed in relief, hoisting the bags up a little more and quickening her speed. Before she could reach the sign, however, something snatched at her arm and pulled her toward a dark alley. She clung to her bags through the incident, surprised and scared at the abrupt change but unwilling to release her only foodthings for the week.

A man pressed her against a wall, his hand still clutching her arm. "Relax, miss," he murmured softly, his voice far gentler than she'd anticipated. "Can you tell me where you live?"

Cassiel tried to not look at him, but despite her precarious situation, the man's voice sounded inviting. Giving in, she peeked up to see him, but the shadows and his height advantage hid his features. "1...2843...Elm Street..."

Before she could gather her wits enough to ask why he wanted to know or to defend herself, the man gave a slight nod and lowered his mouth to her neck. She tensed, her eyes widening, as twin points of pain materialized on her neck. The pains disappeared after mere seconds, leaving her with a drowsy, pleased feeling; closing her eyes, Cassiel slipped into blackness, the man's cologne tickling her nose...

"Cassiel?"

Drowsily, the girl stirred and blinked awake. As with the morning before, Jeremy stood by her cot, ready to shake her awake if required. He had changed, and now wore a bland beige tunic and pants; the tunic bore a detailed symbol across the chest and its sleeves were cut short and flared at his elbows.

Seeing her look and faint expression of confusion, Jeremy explained, "It's our...uniform." He held up a bundle in his arms, and Cassiel realized he held a similar outfit. "This is yours," he added simply. Laying the outfit on the cot beside Cassiel, he left the room and closed the door.

Cassiel quietly got up and blinked down at the gown she wore. Quietly but with quick movements, she changed out of the silky sleep garment and into the drab uniform. It was cut and sewn in the exact same style as Jeremy's, but fit her body perfectly. Trying to not wonder why it fit so well, she focused on walking out and to the kitchen, Jeremy right behind her.

Their work went much the same as it had the day before, with Cassiel cleaning the ovens and Jeremy insistent on helping, even after he finished his own chores. They soon finished; their tasks were easier, as this time they only had to clean the grime accumulated from a single day's worth. Jeremy once again invited Cassiel to go outside with him, and she, once again, accepted.

This time, the pair sat on a raised bank overlooking a small creek that fed into the pond. Jeremy took his shoes off and lay back against the bank, his relief evident with a released breath. "It's kinda nice out here," he observed, eying the sun's slow descent. Cassiel simply nodded, her thoughts elsewhere. I bet he would've liked this...where is he now..?

After the sun sank behind the forest, they finally rose to their feet, Jeremy with his shoes in hand, and walked back to the kitchen. The head over the slaves was walking the room, inspecting everything, when the pair walked in; he shot a quick glare in their direction, and then resumed his inspection.

Finally, the man nodded to himself and groused, "It looks good, but don't slack off." Straightening to his full height, he continued, "The master wants me to tell you all a few more rules. Abide by them, and you'll have nothing to fear."

With a small cough, he pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and read. "Number one: never venture into the forest. There are...creatures there that dislike others not of their kind. Number two: never attempt to access any part of the mansion that you're not already permitted into. That leads me to the third rule..." He looked around the group, staring several slaves in the eye and making them flinch. "Under no circumstance are you to go to or into the far tower."

 

Though she tried to stifle it, Cassiel's curiosity immediately went on high alert. The forest and the far tower...I wonder what they're hiding...what are the creatures..?

 

The head slave dismissed them, and most of the group headed toward the exit leading to the dorms; Cassiel lingered behind with a few of the other, younger slaves and helped them gather their cleaning tools. They murmured among themselves, echoing her thoughts about the rules and musing about the tower and forest.

 

One slave whispered, "The far tower is haunted." At his comrades' incredulous looks, he grinned and continued, "I've seen figures lighting lamps and walking past the windows...even when the master and his advisers were sealed in their rooms."

 

The slaves continued throwing out suggestions, each idea crazier and more unlikely than the last, but the idea of the tower being haunted stuck with Cassiel. Dumping buckets of dirty, soapy water out the door, she absently mused about the idea. Before she finished helping the others, she had decided to find out for herself. Where is the tower, anyway..?

 

When she finally returned to the dorms, Jeremy stood outside her bedroom door. Cassiel silently moved to step past him, but as with the night before, he stopped her with a single word. “Cassiel?”

 

She looked at him, giving him the chance to continue. “I, uh…why were you listening to them?” Cassiel simply stared at him, and Jeremy shifted, obviously uncomfortable. “What I meant was…are you going to do something?”

 

Starting to deny it, she paused and nodded instead. For some reason, she felt she could let this man in on her plan. He watched her curiously and asked, “What’re you going to do?”

 

She looked around, her gaze secretive and suspicious, then simply murmured, “I’m going to the tower.”

 

Jeremy’s eyes widened slightly in shock. “When? Tonight?” She nodded again, and he lowered his gaze slightly, his expression turning from shock to thoughtfulness. “…then I’ll go with you.” When Cassiel blinked at him, he simply nodded and walked toward his room. “See you outside…”

 

Cassiel watched him go, then walked into her room and closed the door. The fain, musty cologne she had smelled the night before dominated the room even stronger this night, reminding her of her dream. Quietly, she sat on her cot and waited for the main hall light to be turned off, trying to ignore the memory of her turning.

 

Eventually, after what seemed to be forever, the main hall’s lights went out; rising from the cot, Cassiel crossed to the door and tentatively peeked out. No one was around, and she heard nothing move, so she carefully and quietly made her way to the slave entrance and outside.

 

Jeremy met her outside the door, stepping out from the shadows when she looked around. “The tower’s over there,” he whispered, pointing in the distance. Cassiel looked toward where he pointed; the tower gleamed bright white in the full moon’s light, its shadow stretching back toward the mansion.

 

The pair silently walked together toward the building, the moon guiding their path. The night was quiet and still; as they neared a door set in the side of the block walls, though, a loud, anguished howl erupted from the forest beyond. Cassiel resisted the urge to jump at the sound; somehow, Jeremy didn’t seem at all affected by the sound. He simply set about trying to open the door.

 

To both his and her surprise, the door clicked open with little effort, no locks apparent. Jeremy glanced uneasily at her, and then started ahead of her into the unlit building. Cassiel followed him closely, unable to prevent a shudder as another howl sounded...

Author's Note

Ah...I realize this chapter is freaky long...please forgive me...

Reviews

[Jester]

Dun Dun Dun! I liked this chapter, and the fact that it's really long doesn't bother me, and I love how you used your descriptions and her dreams to set out the past. Finally it is revealed that a man changed her, and apparently he might be close by! Keep writing because this was freaking awesome!

[*Kantola*]

It's okay that the chapter's long! It was a very good story! Now write more before i make you eat your own spine >:3
lol i stole that from Kelsey. Good job! I think i saw a typo in there... you said eying instead of eyeing, but i'm not sure which is/isn't write... might just be the way the word looks >< whoooooooooooooooooooooo spell checker! I await for the next chapter of... ADVENTURES OF CASSIEL AND JEREMY! WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! *un*patiently waits*

[Elemiah]

Yay new chapter~

Anyway, good job as always. It's true this chapter is a bit longer than the others, but I don't think anyone's going to complain. After all, it's fun to read, and an interesting concept.

I'm also liking the foreshadowing in this chapter. And you have to wonder what's in the tower that there's a rule not to go in it. They are so going to get in trouble for this later. Gotta wonder what kinds of punishment they have for rule breaking...

And one last thing: Jeremy liiikes her...she doesn't really seem to care that much, though.