Taken in Lies

2

Chapter 2

Bang.

I shoot awake, the cell door quickly swinging open. My eyes dart to the side, to the entrance, and are met with a guard standing there. They're dressed in all black, face completely covered, and hold rusty keys in their right hand. They slowly walk towards me and Zyair. I lift my chin and stare them dead in the eye. They don't say anything, simply grabbing my wrists and inserting the key into the cuffs.

Sweet relief passes over me when the click of the lock opens. I rub my raw and red wrists, careful not to wake Zyair. For the next few moments, I stare the guard down. They seem to be waiting.

"His cuffs are already off bozo, what do you want?" They don't respond, tilting their head in the direction of Zyair. I finally understand, reluctantly turning over and gently prodding Zyair awake. He rubs his eyes and looks around, immediately noticing the guard. He stiffens. I place my hand on his shoulder; the tension doesn't leave, but I can tell he's just a little more relaxed.

"You are to report to the main room for sorting and training." The guard states, nodding their head and leaving the room.

Zyair and I stare at each other for a few seconds before deciding to follow them. We stand and brush off our pants with shaky hands. Dirt and hay fall to the ground and cover my feet in dust. Disgruntled, I fling my feet into the air one at a time to try and get the dust off - a cloud of brown follows my wake. Zyair huffs a laugh and gestures for me to follow, walking out of the dungeon. I follow close behind, carefully scanning every detail. The walls and floor is a dark grey made of cut stone. Dirt cakes the floor like frosting and every step picks up more and more of it. The hallway is lit with torches and sunlight from small windows. Up ahead a staircase awaits our arrival, ascending up into the ceiling and disappearing. I turn to Zyair with a nervous look, he returns it but just as soon turns back towards the stairs. I gulp and walk in front of him, and as I lay my bare feet against the cold metal, a shiver runs down my spine.

"Omega? Are you alright?" Zyair probes, concerned. He must have noticed my hesitance.

"I'm, I'm fine. Just a little scared, but we'll get through this." I breathe out.

He doesn't respond, waiting for me to continue up. I know that I can't stay, so I slowly place one foot in front of the other. I tiptoe up the stairs, each step mixing with the sound of my heartbeat. Zyair is right behind me.

We both reach the top at near the same time, scanning our surroundings as our faces meet sunlight. I look around and my mouth drops in awe. A beautiful mansion stands in front of us; we must have been in the cellar. The whole building seems to be illuminated.

"Woah, this is gorgeous." Zyair gapes.

I nod in shell-shocked agreement. The columns of pristine white are covered in dark green ivy spiraling around them and reaching the ground. A deep brown door and crystal clear windows cover the front. I feel my anxiety melt at this sight, this purely radiating home, until the door is pulled open and all my fantasies are squashed.

A woman with fiery red hair and freckles dusted around her skin steps out with eight other kids around the age of sixteen. She has an hourglass figure and perky breasts, and if I was into women and not in peril she would be my type. Her eyes snap to me and Zyair and I instantly tense and wait for command. She steps forward and opens her mouth to speak.

"Children, gather around." We do as we are told. "I am Harlow-Targaryen, your leader. You will do as I say and when I say it. Do you understand?" We all nod.

"Yes ma'am."

"Good, now everyone follow me to your bunks." She turns and speeds away. We all form a line behind her and walk in absolute silence, nobody daring to access their vocal chords lest they be ripped out.