Boarded Windows (Meleny)

[Jarrow]

"As promised, sir, your choices for the evening are ready." The sycophant human stood barely in the doorway of the large dark house. It was clear that he did not like being in this decaying mansion with its dark corridors, cobweb-filled corners, and dusty furniture that only an undead being would take refuge in. This human was thankful that so few vampires chose to live in Greenwich. The vast majority of vampires in the Horde stayed within Anarchist Town, preferring to be sheltered from the burning sun of the surface. But not this vampire who chose the lavish privileges of a citizen of Greenwich and the nearby Pens.

No, the Vampire Prince Jarrow would not settle to live within Anarchist Town. That hole was a reminder of everything he had lost. At least here he could have something close to what he sought: the life he lived before his change. With a wave of his hand, the distinguished looking vampire motioned for the pathetic human messenger before him to lead the way. Dressed in his high-collared long morning coat, with is midnight black hair draped long down either side of his face, Jarrow stalked behind the human like the grim reaper. It was a look he had long ago perfected for he so loved the fear his silent image would stir within his prey.

Inside the main hall of the old house stood his "selection" for the evening. Five human woman, mostly young girls in age, stood chained to the floor in the weak light cast by the lanterns on the wall. These were the only lights in the house with the boarded up windows and only lit for the sake of the guards that had brought these slaves up from the Pens. Jarrow entered the room and cast his gaze slowly upon each of the slaves before him. The guards would leave with four of them tonight, and one of them would be left in his possession to do as he desired. It was a small fortune to be afforded such a luxury and one Jarrow paid easily enough. He was hungry and satisfying his hunger was worth any price.

Jarrow's back eyes surveyed his options hungrily. Who would it be?

[Meleny Aldridge]

Meleny was one of the slaves selected from the pens. She stood uncomfortably chained to the floor. She stared morosely at her bindings and whimpered slightly from how uncomfortable she felt. Imprints of the chains started to appear on her arms. Sometimes she wondered if all this was a bad dream that she would awake from soon. But each day was more hellish than the last. Ever since she had been sent to the pens she would watch some of her fellow slaves occasionally get traded to a vampire or werewolf. Her heart ached for the other four slaves who got dragged into this mess with her and especially the slaves back in the pens. God only knows what was happening to them now. She glanced at the the other young women chained around her. Her eyes sent the message, "I hope you get out of this.. "

[Jarrow]

Pathetic. Weak. Undeserving of even the privilege to be his food. These little humans in chains before Jarrow disgusted him. The vampire prince surveyed them with mild disinterest as he walked by each one. Admittedly he enjoyed the fear of young women, enjoyed breaking them even, but these ... things, were already broken. Or were they?

Was that a hint strength he had just caught in one of their eyes? "Yes," Jarrow's voice was dark and dry, sounding as if it had come up from a dry well. The human sycophant that was presenting the girls startled at the sound, but Jarrow paid him no attention. He paid none of them any. Save for this one human before him. There was something about her, something that had survived a life in the Pens. The idea made Jarrow salivate. He would feed well tonight. "This one," he said as his black leather hand reached up to stroke the the side of her face with the back of his fingers. "I will take this one."

With a flick of the wrist to fast for the human eye, Jarrow tossed a coin purse to the sycophant. The guards approached to hand him the end of the slave's chain, but with an upraised hand he stopped them. "No," the hand came down fast and hard, shattered the iron that clamped on her wrist. His black eyes locked on the slave girls as he raised her chin so her eyes met his and his dead voice ask her, "You are not going to try anything, are you?"

[Meleny Aldridge]

Meleny's breathing became quick and hard as she watched. She was anxious to know which of the girls the vampire would select. She prayed the other slaves wouldn't have to endure whatever this vampire planned to do with one of them. "Me?"[/color]she thought when the vampire claimed she was the one he wanted. Well, at least that meant the other four wouldn't have to endure excess hell at this vampire's hands. But that also meant they would have to return to the pens. Meleny watched as he shattered the iron chains on her wrist. She stared at the imprint it made and reluctantly looked in his eyes that reminded her forcibly of death.

How could this be happening to her? She hadn't done anything wrong but here she was a slave being sold to a vampire. Yet, the masters at the pens believed she was a horrible person just for breathing and being human. Why did they do this to innocent humans? She had never hurt anyone in her life other then her sister's vampire lover Gabriel. "um...n-no, Sir"was her timid reply to the vampire's question. She decided it was best she play the good captive role to ensure she stays alive. "What is this man planning to do with me?"[/color]she thought to herself.

[Jarrow]

The tremble of his words was like a fine appetizer that begged for him to devour it. Jarrow maintained his gaze on her as the human left with the guards and rejected slave girls. The heavy door slammed shut behind them, leaving only the girl and Jarrow in the old house with the boarded up windows and dust covered floors. He remained in silence with her for many long moments.

She was frail, but that was to be expected from the pens. Her wrists were bruised and chaffed by the heavy iron that was there until moments ago. She was young, and beautiful, but that was not what Jarrow hungered for. Despite her size, her eyes had a strength in them. There was a look there as the others were taken away that puzzled Jarrow.

At last he spoke to her with his dark voice, "What is your name child?"

[Meleny Aldridge]

Meleny trembled as she stood waiting for the vampire to say something else to her. The silence was making everything else more creepy. She once again thought of her dead mother. She was kind of glad she died when she did because it meant she was at peace and no longer had to go through this torture. Christina had been lucky never to end up traded to a vampire or werewolf because she was in her forties. She couldn't help but notice that the other slaves were young in age like herself. He probably would've rejected her mother for her age if she had lived.
"M-Meleny Aldridge"she replied when he asked her name.

[Jarrow]

"Meleny," Jarrow pronouced the name slowly, as if chewing it, digesting it. With delicate precision, the vampire prince removed his black leather gloves, finger by finger, letting the minutes stretch into an eternity for her in silence. When the second glove was finally removed and tucked neatly into his coat pocket her gently took her left wrist in his cold right hand. "Black."

That was all he said as he guided the young slave toward the main staircase of the entrance hall. Jarrow did not push her or drag her, nor did he tighten his grip on the girl. Instead, he walked with her as a casual friend would take the hand of a lady. He enjoyed this approach with the young women. It was much easier to induce the fear that tasted so good to him if he could relax their guard first. "Come, m'lady," he began as the ascended the stairs. Jarrow's voice was still dark and dead even when being charming, "I have such sight to show you."

[Meleny Aldridge]

The silence was palpable to Meleny and it was driving her crazy. She had listened to him pronounce her name slowly as if he was trying to understand it and then heard its meaning spoken as he guided her toward the main staircase. It had been Christina, her mother that named her. Her father named her twin and decided Jezebel was fitting because he believed she would grow to be evil like him. Meleny was often the black sheep between her and her sister. She led a different life and lived by different morals. Jezebel, it seemed, had next to no morals.

"um...ok." she said as she allowed him to take her wrist in his cold hand and followed him up the staircase wondering what it was he had planned. She appreciated not being pushed or dragged. She was already mistreated enough at the pens; whipped for slacking off, beaten, thrown on the ground to be chained up in the courtyard. She came to a stop at the top of the stairs with his wondering what he had to show her. The uncertainty didn't make any of this better.

[Jarrow]

In her movements and stance, Jarrow guessed that the slave was beginning to relax, but still he had to ripen the fruit before he picked it. He released her wrist and stepped back from her, testing the limits of her seeming freedom. He remained silent. Jarrow loved that game too. A silent hunter created a frighten prey. How wonderful her fear would taste before the night was out. And her strength too. that was why she was here. Why he had chosen her over the other young girls. This slave possessed a strength uncommon in the pens. And strength, once broken and tamed, was a delicious meal.

With a slow gesture, making sure the movement could be caught by human eyes and so as not to frighten her. Yet. Jarrow motioned the slave down the large main hallway of the second floor of the house with the boarded up windows.

[Meleny Aldridge]

Meleny wondered why the vampire kept playing this silent game with her. It kept driving her crazy. She was also confused why he chose her for his personal entertainment. What did she have that the other slaves didn't? Not that she wanted them to get chosen but she was confused. Maybe it was good they got rejected. In her opinion, they only need to suffer one day at a time and not all at once. She followed him down the main hallway of the second floor.

[Jarrow]

As they walked down the hallway Jarrow was beginning to wonder if he was wrong about this slave. He had given her every opportunity to try to escape and yet she had not done so much as even look in the wrong direction. At the end of the hall he led her into a large dust-covered room. The darkness of the room was lit only bit the stray beams of moonlight the slipped through the boards on the windows. Were he alone, Jarrow would have left it that way. Sparks jumped out of the switch and scorch the wall when he turned on the electric light. A tanned orange glow filled the room from the chandelier that hung from the high ceiling.

Tattered drapes hung from rusted rods over the tall windows. The hard wood floor was covered in dust, dirt, and an unmistakable red stain at the door where Jarrow stood with his 'guest.' The only furniture was in the middle of the room and an obvious recent addition. The small table was dressed with a white sheet and held only a single empty crystal champagne glass. Two chairs sat around the table on the north and east side so that any occupants of them would be seated beside each other. In the furthest corner of the room stood an old privacy screen.

Jarrow placed his hand on the small of the slave's back and guided her into the room. When he spoke his dark voice filled the room. "See to yourself there, malady," the vampire prince instructed with a wave to the screen. "You are hardly dressed in a fashion fitting to be in my presence. A slave's rags are hardly fitting for the evening."

[Meleny Aldridge]

Meleny walked over to the privacy screen and stepped behind it. She took off her rags and smiled to herself. She was glad to finally be out of those raggedy clothes. "um...Thank You."she said from behind the screen as she put on the new clothes she found there. She walked out when she was done.

[Jarrow]

"You are welcome, my dear," Jarrow responded from immediately behind the screen. He could hear her breathing the tremble in her breaths on as she changed. His next sentence, only seconds later came from back at the door. "You are my guest tonight and as your host I am required to perform certain duties." Her timidness was a sign of her fear and her fear was the sweet nector her thought to fill the glass with. He could barely wait to have fill that glass for him. "As my guest is required to perform duties for her host." The door closed hard behind him with those words.

When she returned from behind the screen in the dark black gown he had laid out for her, Jarrow was seated at the table. The chair designated for her pulled out and waiting. The crystal glass, caught in the dim glow of the old light above, was also empty and waiting as well.

[Meleny Aldridge]

Meleny had to admit his charming behavior and manners was starting to win her over but she couldn't stop wondering what he had in mind. He had gone to the trouble to give her proper clothing and even pulled a chair out for her at the dinner table. She walked towards the table and took a seat in the designated chair. When she sat down her mind then went back to the last thing he said before sitting down. "um...a minute ago, you said the guest is required to perform duties for the host. What duties might those be?" she asked as she admired the dinner table. urrgh! Meleny, get ahold of yourself. He obviously wants something from you. she thought to herself. It then dawned on Meleny that she didn't even know his name. "It just occured to me that I don't know your name. After all, you did ask mine." she said.

[Jarrow]

The moment she sat down, Jarrow was out of his chair and behind hers faster than the human eyes could follow. He slid her chair in as he bent low over her, his lips inches from her ear. Even as a whisper, his voice never lost its darkness, "All guests should bring a gift for their host. It is tradition after all." Once she was settled properly at the table, Jarrow stood up at a regular speed. He walked slowly the long way around the table, never removing his eyes from her.

The shadows in the room danced along the walls and his face as several of the lights gave their last flicker and burned out, leaving behind only two of the twelve bulbs still functioning. He paid them no attention, preferring the darker atmosphere as it was. When he reached his chair he took his seat with perfect posture and poise. She had asked him his name and he had not given it to her immediately, instead choosing this long return to his seat.

"You wish to know me," it was not a question nor an answer to hers. The idea that she had just asked him who he was not out of fear but curiosity intrigued him. Were he still mortal it may have made him laugh. "Tonight, you will know me and you will call me Jarrow."