I'm going to die.
"We'll start with the first set. We have Medidas," said the slow droning voice.
I opened my eyes to see a gray face, lined with stress and sadness. His gray slick hair and a perfectly trimmed gray mustache. Why is he sad?
My thought was interrupted when I heard a voice from his side of the room say, "Aye, vouched."
I heard a sigh of relief a few feet next to me.
Vouched?
"They may be moved," said the gray face breezily.
I heard some feet shuffle; I didn't dare move my head to see. Our row was still, struck with fear.
"We have Gravens," continued the voice. He sounded so bored.
There was a silence.
I felt a panic come through the row. What does that mean? Does no one vouch? Does that mean-
I heard a gunshot and a thud.
I choked back a scream and my eyes teared up. This is it. I don't know anyone here. I don't belong here and I'm fucked because this isn't my world.
"He didn't pay up and was caught at the border," a man's voice said in the crowd.
The gray face glanced up. "Very well. Family?"
"Yes, they've been informed and they have a contract written up."
"Excellent. Update the pages." The gray face cleared his voice and looked back down at his book. "Let's see… Sorenesta."
I froze. That's Frank's last name.
"Vouched," rang a voice from the crowd.
"Wait… Sorenesta… where's Frank? Is this Frank? His son is in the back already." The gray face seemed perplexed and annoyed.
"He's here with me, Moon," said the voice.
I scanned the crowd but I couldn't pinpoint the voices' face. Christopher was somewhere in the back? And Frank is here? Maybe he can vouch me! I felt relieved. Maybe this was a mistake?
The named Moon whispered to another man next to him and pointed at the pages in the book in front of him. The man seemed to agree and turned around and disappeared in the crowd behind Moon.
Moon looked back to us and cleared his throat. "Let's continue."
He looked back at his book.
"Vaunderhilt."
Silence.
Moon pursed his lips and then nodded curtly.
I closed my eyes; I knew what was going to happen. I heard the gunshot clearly in my head and the thud right next to me. My ears were ringing.
I opened my eyes slowly to see a blonde woman lying face down, arms bound behind her back. The blood started pooling around her. I blinked back tears. That could be me if Frank doesn't save me.
"Murak." droned Moon.
I froze. That's me.
"Murak…" I heard Moon mutter.
"Vouched." I finally heard a voice sing from the crowd but it didn't sound like Frank's.
I felt my skin explode. I'm saved, I cried in my head. Maybe I'll see Christopher again. I don't know who that was that 'vouched' for me, but I was saved!
I felt the man behind me move. He grabbed me by the shoulders and forced me to stand up.
I staggered but stood up tall. It hadn't been long since he had restrained me, but I already felt like I could win this fight for freedom.
"Let's go," he said gruffly, pushing me back into him and he swung me around. I was able to glimpse at the row and I gasped in horror.
Men. Women… children. All waiting in line to hear their verdict.
The man grabbed my head to face forward. "Don't worry about them," he whispered angrily. "You're not part of it anymore."
I winced in pain and staggered along the hallway to another room.
I saw the man from before that was vouched for.
The burly man had me stand next to him. I shivered in my spot.
We waited in silence, not daring to say a word in case they changed their mind about vouching for us and putting us back in death row.
—
The room filled in slowly over the next couple of hours. There was still a silence over the room with an occasional cough here and there. Some of us even sat down on the floor.
I started dozing off while standing up when I heard footsteps shuffle in.
I looked up. There were tall and clean cut men in suits, chatting away with each other. None of them looked familiar.
My eyes fell on a little boy, hanging on to a man in a white suit. I looked at him curiously. Was that his son? Why would he bring him to something so gruesome like this?
My mind wandered off to where Christopher could be. He wasn't in the room with us. But the man named Moon said he was in the back room.
My heart hurt at the thought of Christopher. I wanted him to be safe and I had no idea where he was.
"Vouchers, you can grab your winnings."
I snapped out of my thoughts. Did I hear that right?
"Let's go," I heard the gruff man who's been assigned to me since the beginning. He pushed me towards the man in the white suit I saw earlier.
I looked at the man in the white suit fearfully. I didn't know him, he didn't look familiar. He was looking coldly off into the distance. I tried to dig my heels into the floor, and I ended up tripping and fell into the man face first.
He felt hard and ice cold. I looked up slowly, afraid that even touching him would make him get rid of me. His hard hazel eyes locked into mine.
I gasped softly and I felt myself heat up.
I straightened up. "I'm sorry," I stammered, looking down at his white matching sleek shoes.
I heard him click his tongue. "Maji, bring the rest to meet her."
I looked up frantically. The rest?
The little boy peeked out from behind him. "I like her."
He looked down at him and patted his head. "She will be a great addition." He smiled softly at the little boy. His brown tousled hair fell over his eyes gently that seemed to soften at the little boy.
The tall burly man Maji left promptly.
"Rift. I found you." I heard a familiar voice behind me say breathlessly.
The man looked up curtly. "Frank."
"Oh, we're doing pleasantries now?" I heard Frank say exasperatedly. I turned around quickly.
"Frank!" I flung my arms around Frank. I cried into his chest. "What is going on? Who is this? Where am I? Where's Christopher?"
I felt myself sob without a second thought.
I felt a cold hand on my shoulder push me back. I felt my body bump into the white suit man's body once again.
"Rift… don't tell me…this is the exchange." Frank's face fell as he looked at me and back at the white suit man named Rift.
"Frank. You signed already. The pages will be updated tonight," Rift's voice sang above my head.
My eyes opened as wide as they could in horror. Exchange? What does he mean exchange? I couldn't breath and I felt my heart pick up it's pace.
Frank looked at Rift pleadingly. "I wanted to be free but not at the cost of her. She has never been involved with us. She doesn't belong here."
Rift twirled me around to face him and grabbed my chin to look up at him. I closed my eyes but I could feel his hazel eyes bore into me.
"You will be mine after tonight," I felt him breathe into my ear.
What?
I felt the world spin and I saw black.
—
"Vylet!" Frank roared and lunged toward her as he saw her crumple in Rift's arms.
Rift caught her around her waist. "Fragile, isn't she? Maybe she'll make it with me."
Frank dropped his arms. He felt numb.
"Riften."
Frank looked at Maji. He brought back two teenagers, a woman, and a man. "They're here."
Riften turned his back to Frank to face his guests. "Let's get her back home. She's going to be in shock. Maide, can you make sure she's set up in my room?" He carried Vylet over to Maji.
The woman nodded quickly.
"Daddy, is she going to sleep with us?" The little boy seemed excited to have Vylet around.
"No, she's for daddy," the teenage girl said, rolling her eyes at the boys question, tapping away on her cellphone.
Riften chuckled. "You need a motherly figure. Frank here has been hiding her from me," he said patting the little boy on his head. "We should say thank you to him for bringing her to us."
The girl looked up from her her phone, puzzled at Frank. "Who are you?" she asked, a little disgusted.
Frank took a step back. "I… I don't belong here," he whispered to himself. This… these people, they seemed different. Frank sensed something wrong with them but he couldn't pinpoint what it was.
Rift took a step to Frank. "This is my family, Frank," he said a bit darkly, staring deeply into Frank. "I saved them all. Just like I saved you."
Frank shook his head, stepping further back. He didn't want to be saved. He just wanted his old life back, he had only wanted to save Emily. This isn't right! He thought. These people already had families! Why take them away from them?
Rift laughed softly. "Yes, yes… they already had families. Families that owed us money. They wanted out; they just couldn't handle the financial burden when it came to paying us back. I took them out and took one of there's back with me."
Frank's eyes opened wide. Christopher!
Rift cackled. "No, I wouldn't dare take Christopher! No… I am not that cruel. You can keep him. But she… She seemed to suffice; you kept her hidden, so she surely means something to you, correct?"
Frank's mouth was wide open. How did he…?
"We've known each other for over 25 years… did you ever notice? That I knew what people were wanting to say?" Rift grinned wickedly.
Frank was frozen in his spot. He couldn't comprehend what was going on. Who… no, what was he?
Rift flashed a smile, canines sharp.