Updated Chapter Two Nora Blackwell

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 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 as I said earlier, I will cut her off just like Linda did. She is no longer my mother. She is dead to me.

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? It felt like forever had passed this way.

“Are you hungry?” One of them took off his mask, looking at me with more concern than my own mother.

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

“We can’t tell you that,” he replied.

“I see,” I replied, my voice seemed broken, and I felt tears sting my eyes. Why did my mom do this to me? Sending me off into the unknown.

“Will you try to fight us if we uncuff you?” he asked, leaning forward.

“There’s no reason to,” I replied, and I could hear the brokenness in my voice, which I tried to hide. The guy switched on the light, moved to my back, uncuffed me, then sat back down and motioned me to sit beside him, which I did. In the light, I saw he had beautiful green eyes before I sat down, and he turned off the light.

“We’re going to the castle?” the green-eyed guy smiled as if that was a comfort.

“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 him fall silent. We didn’t speak again. He passed me a bottle of water and some fruit bars, which I thanked him for, but he just smiled. I tried to eat in silence, but the wrapper wouldn’t let me, and it didn’t stop me. I didn’t eat lunch because of everything that had happened. I push the unpleasant thoughts away so I wouldn’t cry, at least not yet. I have to be strong.

The ride seemed to take forever, but I rested my head against the van’s side and fell asleep.

“Miss. Blackwell, we arrived.” A soothing voice said, gently shaking me awake.  I stretched and yawned as I started to move, telling them a sleepy "good morning." They laughed at me, replying, “Good morning.”

The green-eyed guy opened the door, stepped out, held out his hand out for me, and I paused before I took it; he helped me out.

I was 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.

“What’s your name?” I asked, looking at the green-eyed man.

“It’s not important,” he smiled.

“Please.”

“Oliver.” He sighed with a small smile. I thanked him, then 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 and holding out her hand as if pointing. 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 for something to do. I was around a thousand when a girl 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 banged 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, but became stiff.

“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 alive 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 again. 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 but polite voice that made me wonder if that was his normal voice or a 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,” Greg explained, which made my mind start racing. Was I about to start living the good life or survive on slop? It didn’t matter; I would survive.

“Sounds like we are moving to the next part,” the maid said with a few others beside her who looked like they were copied and pasted. 

Some kids saw that the door was open and ran. None of the maids or Greg moved to stop them. A few moments later, the hall was filled with screams and growls. I stood up, unsure of whether I should run or go help them, but one of the maids caught my eye and shook their head no, so I froze.

“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 don’t listen will pay the price.” Greg stated, making everyone fall silent for a moment before chaos broke out. Some started screaming, arguing with the maids and Greg, while others broke down, begging to leave. The rest of us, including me, who were about three or so, stayed silent. I was wondering if they were stuck like me.

“Stop!” Greg scream growled making everyone fall silent. A boy screamed at him that he wanted to leave, and the nearest maid slit his throat, causing everyone to go rigid or back away.

“Anyone else?” the maid asked, looking from face to face, and when no one objected, she continued, “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.”