Chapter Two of Nora Blackwell Dead Walker

I could hear Mom talking to them, telling them about how I was on drugs, drinking, and meeting up with strange men at night for money. How could she believe this? She has tracking on my phone and texts me every hour that I’m out, and if I don’t respond, she will call back to back until I answer. The guy just seemed to listen to be nice.

I wanted to scream at her that someone played her, but like I said earlier, I will cut her off just like Linda did. She is no longer my mother.

Mom finally stopped whining to the guy about how they failed as parents, and we were on our way. I stared at the windshield for any clues about where we were going. No lights were shining in, and no cars were passing us. It felt as if we had fallen off the face of the earth. Where were we going?

“Are you hungry?” One of the guys asked after a while. 

“Where are we going?” I asked my voice, which was a bit scratchy from being dry.

“Will you try to fight us if we uncuff you?” another one asked.

“There’s no reason to,” I replied, and I could hear the brokenness in my voice. The guy got up and uncuffed me, then sat back down, motioning me to sit beside him, which I did.

“We’re going to the castle?” the first guy responded while another handed me a bottle of water and some bars.

“What’s that?” I asked, genuinely curious since I had never heard of it before.

“You will find out when you arrive,” the driver answered, which made all the other fall silent. We sat in silence for a long moment. I was thankful for the water and the fruit bars the guys gave me. I tried to eat in silence, but the wrapper wouldn’t let me. I didn’t really eat lunch because of everything that had happened. I push the unpleasant thoughts away so I wouldn’t cry, at least not yet.

“Your name is strong, so you will be fine,” the driver assured, breaking the silence.

“Thank you.” I smiled even though I knew he couldn't see, and I didn't know what he meant, but it felt kind of comforting.

“You should get some sleep,” the first guy suggested, pulling a blanket and pillow out from under his chair. I nodded, taking them and lying on the floor toward the back.  I curled up into a ball and begged sleep to take me.

“Miss. Blackwell, we arrived.” A soothing voice said, gently shaking me away.  I stretched and yawned as I started to move, telling them a sleepy "good morning." They laughed at me, replying good morning. One of the guys opened the back door so I could step out that way since I was still wrapped in the blanket.

I wiggled and worked my way out of the van, refusing to let go of the blanket because of the cold, standing in front of a castle that looked like something from a movie. It had towers and a stone wall surrounding the castle courtyard, even a drop bridge, and I wondered if it had an actual moat.

“Welcome, Miss. Nora Blackwell.” A woman wearing a black dress with long sleeves, with her brown hair in a bun.

“Hello,” I replied, still a bit sleepy, while wondering if I was actually awake.

“Miss. Nora Blackwell, please follow me,” she smiled, walking away. I quickly folded up the blanket to hand it back to the guys, but they told me to keep it. I thanked them, wishing them well as I followed the lady, but I could hear them laughing. I wondered what was so funny as I re-wrapped myself in the blanket.

I followed the lady through the large wooden doors and down the hall, taking in the tapestries, suits of armor, and other old decorations. The tapestries and paintings appeared to have been painted with great care, but they were strangely off. Some showed people shifting into a werewolf, and others showed elves and mermaids eating at the water’s edge together.

“In here, Miss. Nora Blackwell,” the lady said, opening a door. I thanked her and headed into the room with her, shutting the door behind me. The room was filled with rows of chairs all facing a stage with a red curtain drawn, where you couldn’t see the backstage area. Other people were sitting in the chairs, looking nervous as they chatted quietly; some glanced at me, but none spoke. They all looked around my age, but I wasn’t in the mood to talk, so I took a seat at the very back. 

I tried to listen to what they were saying, but none of them was speaking loud enough for me to make out what was being said. I sat in silence, counting the number of bricks on the wall in front of me. I was around a thousand when a girl around my age with black hair down to her chest and brown eyes sat down. We made eye contact as she sat down right next to me, nodding to say hello to one another.

She didn’t make me feel awkward with us sitting close and not saying anything. I went back to my counting of bricks, starting all over, since I lost my spot looking at this girl. I don’t know how long it was, probably around thirty minutes or so, when a hairy man jumped out on stage with realistic growling. People near the front screamed, running for the door, but it was locked. They even tried banging on the door, screaming for help.

“Sit down!” the wolf guy demanded, sending them rushing back to their seats while others plopped down where they were in fear. I wondered why they were scared. It was a costume, I mean, he was on a stage. The girl beside me wasn’t freaking out.

“I will be one of your advisers. My name is Greg, and that is what you all shall call me. Today is your first day at the Castle. For those who don’t know, the Castle is a dangerous place that will kill you if you don't follow the rules that have been set and followed for hundreds of years,” he growled.

“I would like to leave.” A girl stood up in the front row, shaking so badly that she might vibrate right through the floor. She was one of the ones who ran for the door. Greg laughed, which made all of us jump because it was a mix between a dog’s yelp and a human’s laugh. I almost applauded for going the extra mile, but something stopped me.

“The only way to leave is to graduate in four to six years, depending on what path you choose.”

“I didn’t know it was like this!” she screamed, giving others the strength to stand up to argue with Greg.

“It isn’t negotiable!” his voice boomed, making a few cower. The ones that didn’t kept going back and forth with Greg. I looked at him closely, but he didn’t seem to be wearing a costume. He didn’t have a rubber-looking mouth, and he didn’t look like he was looking through a mask. Was all of this real? I took a deep breath and raised my hand, which seemed to shock everyone into silence.

“Yes?” Greg asked in a raspy voice that made me wonder if that was his normal voice nice voice.

“Since we’re trapped here for the next few years, does that mean we have a place to stay?” I asked, wondering where I would live and how I would survive.

“Every human will get their own room and bath,” Greg answered, seeming a little put off by my calmness.

“Are we starting school today, or can we rest?” I asked, which made everyone stare at me as if I were crazy.

“You will sign papers today and go through the rules, then you will start on Monday,” Greg explained.

“What about food?” I asked as my stomach growled a little, which made Greg grin, I think.

“There is a cafeteria where food is made ready to order,” Greg explained, which made my mind start racing. Was I about to start living the good life or survive on slop?

“Sounds like we are moving to the next part,” the maid said with a few others beside her.

Some kids saw that the door was open and ran for it. No one tried to stop them, and a few moments later, the hall was filled with screams and growls. I stood up, wondering if I should go help them, but one of the maids caught my eye and shook their head no, so I sat back down, trying not to hyperventilate.

“What happened?” a girl screamed, backing away from the door as if something was about to grab her.

“There are rules in place for your safety. We told each and every one of you that you are not allowed to leave, and those who didn’t listen paid the price.” Greg stated, making everyone fall silent. Some started screaming and breaking down, begging to leave. The rest of us, including me, understood that we were stuck. 

“Now the maids will line up against the wall, and when we call your name, the maid will raise their hand, and you will line up in front of them so we can get to the next part of this process,” the maid explained with a wicked grin on her face.