Set In Stone Chapter 1

Laying naked on a metal table, I shivered against the chill that rested on my skin, causing another tremor to erupt. I wanted nothing more than to curl into myself and fight against the cold, but I couldn't. I was stretched out and imprisoned. My body was bound to the metal examination table. A strap across my throat restrained my head from moving, another strap across my chest, hips, thighs, and calves. Struggling was pointless. My arms were stretched out, giving me the appearance of being crucified. My arms were subdued across my bicep and another across my forearm.

Why you may wonder am I restrained, I'm being bled. My wrists, elbows, knees, and ankles have all been cut. Allowing bood, to leave, in large amounts, in little time. This was my masters wish. His choice, he made for me. As my blood flowed from my body leaving me cold, and weak, my reality drifted farther and farther from me, as my memories played out in my mind. The room in front of me faded, and changed, bringing back my past, every action, every choice, every mistake that led me here played out before my very eyes..............

My name is Rein Lynn Harris. I'm was ordinary girl. No, not ordinary. No ordinary girl could have gone through what I went through,of being sold by my parents.

My mother and father, the people who were responsible for my birth, sold me for drugs. It's funny how, thinking back, it seems so far away. The distance in my mind makes it feel so much longer than it truly was, but only a year ago, I was living in a one-room apartment with my parents and younger sister.

Dad was injured working, and mom was depressed. One thing led to another and the prescription drugs my dad took weren't enough to keep the pain away, so dad moved onto something harder, and decided to share with mom, next thing you know all our money was being spent on drugs.

I began working three jobs to keep my sister in school and give her a home, while mom and dad spent their days passed out in their own vomit in the bathroom.

I'm not telling you my sob story to make you feel bad for me. Thousands of people have the same story I do, but they don't all have the same ending mine does.

You see, my parents didn't just sell my body to some random drug lord; they didn't sell me to some pimp. They sold me to a vampire, to be his familiar. My heart, body, soul, and mind all belong to him. My parents came to him offering him their daughters in agreement for: well, I don't know what they got out of the deal other than a quick fix. See, I was waitressing at one of my jobs when I was called home from work by my parents saying it was an emergency, and like a fool, I raced home.

The moment I entered the door I was grabbed by two large men, shoved back out the door and into a black car where I was bound and gagged. The only good thing that came from that was I could see my younger sister, bound and gagged on the other side of the seat as well. I tried to reach her, but every time I moved to her the guy in the front seat turned around and pushed me away.

After several minutes of struggling against my restraints, the car pulled up in front of what looked like an office building. The two men got out, opened the back door, grabbed my sister, and slammed the door, ignoring both of our muffled protests. That was the last time I saw her. Had I known that I would never see her again, I would have struggled harder. I would have never let her leave my sight. I would have taken her and ran, but I didn't. I held onto the hope that I could save my family. Twenty years old, I was a dreamer, convinced that through love and hard work I could restore my family, restore my parents and be whisked off into the sunset by my white knight.

I didn't fight as hard as I should have. I know that now, but at the time I had no clue, because for being kidnapped, we were handled gently. Restrained, but not to the point of pain or injury. Even when they removed my sister, they did it quickly, efficiently, but not roughly.

Minutes passed before a single man entered back into the car and started up moving towards an unknown destination. I cried, I remember that much, but like most memories, the details have become fuzzier and changed over time. I do remember, with vivid detail, meeting my master as the agreement that was made.

I watched out the window as the sun began to descend, the yellows and oranges streaking across the sky melded into soft pinks. I was distracted momentarily, by the beauty of the sunset, but was quickly brought out of my brief moment of peace by the slight squeak of the cars breaks. I looked forward to catch the sight of the house that appeared in view, taking dominance over everything else in the immediate area.

It appeared to be a church, grey stones rising from the ground and reaching up to a second story. Several large stained glass windows spread across the front, but instead of giving the feeling of safety and sanctuary, it gave off an ominous sensation. The stained glass windows looked as if they were holding dark secrets from spilling out into the world. The dark shingles covering the roof laid a pathway to the rising peak which held a single cross. For a moment I wasn't sure if the cross was expunging all evil from the place, or holding the evil in. I swallowed the large lump of fear growing in me. The yard was dead and ill kept. The area surrounding the house was overgrown and neglected. I half expected to look to the side and see a graveyard, fenced off in broken iron, but I didn't. I did, however, see to the front of the house a never ending forest of trunks and limbs. Any growth that would bring life to the woods was gone with the season, leaving only the dead and decaying that always appears each winter. The back of the house still remained a mystery to me, and personally, I wanted to keep it that way.

The driver of the car seemed to pay no attention to the house in front or to the dark feelings that surrounded it. He simply got out, reached in the back of the car, and pulled me out. I didn't struggle, which I should have. I didn't fight, which I should have. I simply let myself be led into the house, escaping the last few rays of the day's light.

Entering into a small wooden door on the far side of the house, I was surprised to say the least that kitchen was so updated and well kept. However, it still managed to fit in with the dark and aged feeling the outside of the house exuded. Pushed onto a low stool in front of the, well, burning fire that blazed in the kitchen I was released from my binds and gag. Still, I made no effort to escape or to fight. I sat and waited. For what, I wasn't sure, but it was of utmost importance that I found out what I was up against. I didn't wait long.

Soon a man strode into the kitchen. He gave no acknowledgement to the man who brought me there, but the driver turned and left the house. For a moment I stared at the door he had exited and wondered if I should have pleaded for him to save me, but at a second thought, I realized it would have been pointless. I turned my gaze back to the second man as he took a seat on the stool across the fire from me.

We stared at each other, simply taking the other person in front of us in for several moments. The only sound within the room was the crackling of the fire and the beating of my heart as it thundered in my ears. He wore a simple black suit. His skin was pale but slightly olive. I'm sure at one point his skin would have been a beautiful tan, but like the rest of the world around the house, it seemed to have been drained of color. He had a strong jaw that jutted sharply from his face, as if it could be used as a weapon. His cheekbones were high and sharp, his nose perfectly straight before ending at a sharp point. I wish I could say his lips were the focal point of his face, but they weren't. They were drawn into such a small thin line that it almost appeared he had no lips. His large, almond shaped eyes were the worst part of his being. Sharp like the rest of him, they moved with every single movement, like a cat watching its prey. It wasn't just the way his eyes moved that gave the feeling of being prey; it was the off-putting color, a golden tan. They could be seen as gold, but the color was muted and drained, like everything I had seen here so far. His eyebrows were the only feature showing any emotion. As I took in the sight of him, his dark black eyebrows were drawn in to the point of almost touching, and for a moment I got the sense he was disappointed. He had his long, black hair neatly trimmed and slicked back. It was longer than most men wore, but not long enough to pull back into a ponytail. The firelight dancing off the shine of his hair made it look almost like oil; smooth, thick, and inky.

I finally trailed my eyes back to his face, taking in his eyes once again, before dropping my gaze to my hands that rested in my lap.

"Do you know why you're here?" He broke the silence. His voice cracked as if it hadn't had any use recently. I shook my head, not trusting myself to talk. I had this crazy thought that the simple cracking of my voice would cause the rest of me to fall apart as well. He cleared his throat at the lack of response. "I made a deal with your parents. I-" He paused and looked at me as if searching for the right words. "I gave your parents something they wanted very much, and they gave me you and your sister in return." He stopped and waited as if to let it all sink in.

"Where is she?" I managed to whisper, holding back the wave of anger and hate that suddenly struck me at the mention of my parents' selfishness.

"I had no use for her, so I made other arrangements, but that brings me to my… what's the word? My.....let's go with agreement with you." He stopped and waited. When I said nothing in return, he continued on.

"I need someone to work for me. In return, your sister gets a comfortable life with some... friends." "So you kidnapped me to clean your house?" I heard my voice rise at the insanity of the idea. "No, I was given you. I'm merely offering you an alternative." I didn't answer. What do you say to that? "You see, you obey me, and do the things I need, and in return I provide for you and your sister. I''ll give her a life she wouldn't have otherwise." He concluded his little speech and for a second I wasn't sure if I should slap him or laugh.

"What do you want me to do? I'm no one's to give away, so why should I listen? What do you plan to do with my sister?" A million questions rushed forward.

"I want nothing more than... an assistant, although a little more would be entailed. Your sister can live life simply thinking she is with a foster family, but if you choose not to agree, I'll make other arrangements for you and your sister will take your place." The way that he said other arrangements made my throat dry and my breathing hitch. It was a subtle underlying threat.

Our eyes met; mine trying to figure out if he was fully capable of the threat and his trying to figure out what choice I had made.

"I'll agree," I whispered, feeling the heat from the room suddenly disappear. "Follow me." He demanded as he rose and strode from the room.

I followed as best I could through the dark house. No light from outside came through any of the windows. No air moved through the house. It was stale and cold, and I wasn't shocked to find the rest of the house was a void of color as the outside. Rushing through double doors, pushing them open as he walked, he stopped behind a large cherry wood desk. I didn't notice much in my hurry through the house, but I did notice a reoccurring theme: dark and old. The office fit the theme perfectly. Before him was a scroll of parchment, with large and small script written across it. I tried to read it, but the swirls from one letter melded into the swirls of another, the English was old, and the whole thing was very off putting.

"Sign this. It states you will pledge your life, your mind, your body and your soul to me and only me until I see fit to release you. In return I provide for you and offer your sister a real life, but know this. If you enter into this contract, you do so willingly. It is unbreakable." He motioned towards the parchment and for a moment I hesitated, but the thought of "other arrangements" quickly had me nodding my head in agreement. A heavy iron pen quickly found its way into my hand. I hurriedly signed my name on the parchment and stepped away.

"Not yet, little one" He said wrapping his hand around my arm and pulling me back to the parchment.

"It has to be signed and sealed in blood" Before I could reply or back out, my hand was pulled open and a small penknife was dragged across my palm. I quickly closed my hand as the pain spread, but he held my wrist over the parchment letting the drops of blood that escaped my fingers drip onto the signatures. He quickly released my hand before cutting his own and letting the drops of his blood mingle with my own.

As I held my bleeding hand to my chest, I began to doubt the wisdom of what I had done.

His hand gripped my arm once more and I was taken aback by the strength of his hand. I lifted my eyes to meet his face, and I gasped as I pulled my arm free of his grip. The sharp angular face that had been there only seconds ago was replaced by a twisted grin composed of elongated, sharpened teeth. The golden almond eyes had been replaced with a yellowed glowing stare. His features twisted into more animal, more hunter, more demon, than human.

"You're all mine," He said as he advanced towards me.