Posted two chapters, say what?
I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!! xD

'This pain is part of being human. The fact that you can feel pain like this is your greatest strength.'

Chapter 3
River's POV

The floor beneath me shook, it's movement awakening me with a start. At first, I forgot where I was. The cream-colored canopy around me merely knitted my brows together. My eyes ran over the men and women around me, each appearing as solemn as the next as ropes tied around their ankles and wrists binded them together. It was only then that my harsh reality hit me.

Oh Goddess, it wasn't a dream.

Reality began to sink in along with many foreign feelings that I couldn't quite decipher. I didn't know how I was supposed to feel in this situation.

Angry? Sad? Perhaps, both?

I hated this feeling. I hated feeling angry. It was the one emotion I always tried to black out whenever it would try to wiggle its way into me. I usually won, but not this time. This time, the feeling coursed through me so strongly that my body shook, tangibly feeling the horrid emotion corse through me.

That monster, disgusting, vile creature, how dare he! To his own son!

'Son?! I never viewed you as such. You were nothing but a slave, the irony is now you actually are.' His horrid laughter rang through my head like a pesky pigeon.

The one person that was supposed to love me, no matter what, didn't. If even someone related to me through blood couldn't love me, how could someone completely unrelated to me love me?

Am I bound to a life of agony?

Suddenly, the wagon stopped, causing all of us to slide across the contained space into one another. I whimpered as I felt a stinging pain on the right side of my cheek as a man three times my size hovered over me.

I felt a prickle on my shoulder as a wave of fatigue hit me and darkness engulfed my vision.

.........

Where am I?

My body shook as I awoke. My teeth chattered as what felt like, air close to twenty degrees below zero engulfed me. The room I was shoved into looked like something straight out of a horror novel.

An entirely metal encased room with blood stains in more places than none. Chains hung leisurely from every corner connecting to a nearly dead looking person in rags. Every man and woman alike had a look of complete despair in their eyes as if they were waiting for death to come and take them away.

Oh my Goddess.

An old woman looked up at me from the corner closest to me.

"Water...please..." she struggled out through a gravelly voice.

Tears began to well in my eyes, "I'm s-so s-sorry."

She smiled fondly at me, momentarily, before collapsing like a heap of wood onto the cold, metal floor.

Silence encased the room as everyone's eyes stared in her general direction. Some had a look of sadness on their faces while the rest looked jealous, almost as if they wished they could take her place, to be as dead and lifeless as her, and the idea chilled me to the bone.

Is this what I'm going to be subjected to for the rest of my life? To pain and starvation? Sadness and despair? Only to wait for death himself to one day sweep me away?

I covered my mouth as hot tears ran down my face.

No, no, no, no....I can't.

"She was such a kind old lady," a voice said beside to me.

I turned, facing a blond, hazel-eyed young woman who looked to be no older than her mid-twenties.

"She didn't deserve this," she continued, "none of us do."

I nodded in agreement as she sent me a small, pained smile, "you're a new face. What's your name?"

"River."

"A beautiful name for a beautiful boy," She smiled, "I'm Alice."

I went to shake her hand but was stopped by the metal chain binding me to the wall behind me.

"That keeps us from killing one another," I looked up from my chains to her, "it's only long enough for you to be able to reach your food, that's it."

"K-kill e-each other?"

She gave a sad smile, "sometimes this place gets so bad that some will be tempted to ask another to kill them. Dead bodies don't sell."

"If they want to die so badly that they'd resort to asking another, can't they just kill themselves?"

"You'd be surprised how many want to die, yet can't resort to doing it themselves."

She's speaking as if from experience.

A banging from across the room turned my attention from Alice.

What's that sound?

A large metal door swung open revealing three muscular men each holding a tray of bread and water. They walked around the room, placing a piece of bread and a small bowl of water by each chained person. Some dug into the food immediately, others spit at the men as they walked passed them, earning them a harsh kick to the gut.

One of the three men bent down and placed a piece of bread and some water in front of me, eyeing me as he bent down.

Why's he giving me such a weird look?

As if I were the food and not the so-called one he was placing in front of me.

He smirked as he stood up, peering down at me with a creepy stare, "pretty one ain't' cha."

Pretty? Me? Oh God is he one of those creeps I hear about in the marketplace with strange tastes in women, is he?

Wait, but I'm a guy.

"Hey Tim, Wayne." Two men looked from what they were doing to face my general direction.

"What is it, Dane?" They both called.

"Look what I found." He moved his hands toward me.

They both whistled and smirked at me, "Quite a looker," one of them said.

"Is it a girl or guy?" The other asked, scratching his chin and tilting his head to the side.

"Umm," Dane gazed down at me, "you a guy or girl?"

"G-guy."

"Hmm," he looked up at the two guys, "watcha guys think?"

"I don't do guys." The guy, who was previously scratching his chin, commented.

"Yeah, me either." The other of the two said.

"Hmm, dunno with someone as pretty as him I might be able to," Dane said peering down at me with another crooked smirk.

My eyes widened as I began to break out in a nervous sweat. I knew where this conversation was going to lead.

"Ew, gross, man." One of the two commented.

"I didn't ask your opinion, Tim." Dane growled as he walked back to where he came from, the other two following him out, "till next time, sweetheart." He winked as he closed the door behind him.

I let out a gust of air I didn't realize I was holding as I fell back against the cold, hard wall behind me. I looked up at the mold infested ceiling.

How long am I going to be stuck here?

What if the guy, Dane, from earlier tries to...No, I can't even think about it.

I shivered at the thought.

Happy thoughts, happy thoughts.

I wonder what my mate's doing right now.

I went off into my own train of thought, thinking up little scenarios of what my mate could be doing: horseback riding, picking flowers, laughing with friends and family.

Being happy.

Tears began to prickle against my eyes. I lifted a single finger, brushing against my lids before they could fall.

My mate, I wonder if he's thinking about me like I'm thinking of him. I wonder if he cares for me as I care for him.

Even without meeting him I knew that I already loved him. Even if he might never come to love me. I wondered if we would ever meet. If I would die before getting to hear him utter my name, even if in rejection.

I only hoped for my mate to be a male. After all, I had never been atracted to any other but males. The Goddess would never be so crule as to force me to live my life with one I wasn't attracted to.

In class when all the boys would be looking at the girls, I would be looking at them. When all the boys would be looking up the girls' skirts I would be watching them from the sidelines, not having an interest in what could possibly be underneath all the silk and threads. Rather, I'd be looking forward to recess when the boys would be taking off their shirts while playing ball outside.

I always wondered if that was one of the reasons why my father hated me. If he'd realized without my knowledge of my preference.

I guess I'll never know now.

I let out a humorless laugh as I peered down at my untouched food. I could see bits of mold crawling up the edges of the bread.

Did they expect us to eat this?

I looked around and saw no remains of the previously given out food.

I guess that answers that question.

"If you take off the ends it's semi-edible," I turned to a smiling Alice.

How can she smile in a place like this?

As if reading my mind she said, "being upset and sad about the situation we were all put into won't make the situation any better. You have to find the silver lining in everything."

"What's the silver lining in this?" I asked incredulously.

"Well," she said motioning to the food in front of me, "we have food-"

"Inedible food." I interrupted her.

"No, not inedible," she motioned her hand to me and I handed her the bread. She took off the ends and handed it back to me with a smile. I looked up at her baffled, "See not inedible." she said with a smirk.

"What else?" I asked eagerly.

"Well, we have water to drink, a place to sleep," I arched a brow, "I never said a nice place to sleep," she laughed lightly, "and we have each other."

"Each other," I repeated.

Her eyes brightned as she smiled warmly at me.

I smiled back, though with less comfort. I wasn't quite used to using such muscles.

"You're much prettier when you smile." She said.

"I'm not pretty."

She raised her eyebrow, "Oh, and who said that?"

"Everyone."

"Who's everyone?"

"The boys in school, neighbors, father..."

"They said that to your face?"

"No, they told father."

"Sounds like your father made it all up." She grumbled while crossing her arms.

I shook my head, "No, I've seen my own reflection I'm aware of what I look like." I said with a sad smile.

"Apparently not, because you," she pointed at me, "are gorgeous."

I shook my head.

She's just trying to be nice.

"I'm serious, when I first saw you I thought you were a girl until you opened your mouth and realized your voice was far too deep to be that of a girl's."

I shook my head again.

"I'm serious, River, look at the water."

The water?

She motioned to the bowl in front of me.

I looked down, coming face to face with myself. I know what I look like, looking at myself wasn't going to change my opinion of myself. My skin was far too pale, competing with even the ghosts present in the room. My hair far too light and my eyes...

Blue. How strange. I can't remember the last time they weren't a dull gray.

"Do you see now?" Alice asked with crossed arms.

"What I see is a boy whose skin is too pale to call alive, hair too light to be considered blond, and eyes too pale to be considered a color," I replied monotonously, "I'm aware of what I look like."

"No, you don't because do you know what I see?" I shook my head, "I see a boy with gorgeous, light blond hair, sparkling sky blue eyes, and skin so fair you appear like a porcelain doll."

A porcelain doll? They make dolls out of porcelain? Isn't that too...breakable?

"Well?"

"Hmm?"

"What are you thinking?"

"That your taste in beauty is deranged."

She slapped her hand against her head, "I don't understand you."

"The feeling's mutual," I laughed lightly, cupping my mouth.

She burst out laughing, causing me to jump, "I like you." she said with a wide smile.

"I-I l-like you too." I stuttered back shyly. I felt a blush make its way across my face as she smiled warmly at me.

This place may not be so bad after all.