So i'm kinda dissappointed in you guys... I got three people to comment. but Nyoko commented like 3 times so i felt guilty and decided to post this up anyway. Was 5 people commenting too big of a goal for you guys? thats just sad...

ON TO THE COMMENT REPLIES!:

Again in chronological order.

@nyokopuppet: nope sorry ^^ wrong on both parts. but I appreciate the effort.
@Kwonnieskitty: lol You don't have to worry about good comments! Yours usually are good. I'm glad you like Anna but she won't be around often. She might pop in for a minute or two sometimes but no promises. Also, sorry about a tiny bit of dream crushing. lol Still shipping Laeseob? I'm good with that, but don't get too attached. And I'm trying to incorporate more PoVs.
@nyokopuppet: 0.0 is you's be psychic? Yes, I know how horrible of a sentence that was lol. but I talk like that sometimes. Anyway, all three of your questions were to be addressed in this chapter, so lucky you!
@bookworm58: I already talked to you. And I've already told you that you're prohibited from guessing anything! but the fact that you still messed them up amuses me.
@nyokopuppet: You're half right. And now Kwonnie should know which half of her question from last chapter she got right. lol

ON TO THE WORDS~!

"So you guys want to know about our house?" Anna asked calmly even as she felt you shift closer to her.

"Yes."

"Of course."

"Well, I'll try to start at the beginning, but no promises. It has been a while. I had been at the house for about a year before Lae got there." Anna relaxed into her seat, and her voice grew dreamy as she slipped into her memories. Yoseob had arrived and pulled a chair up to the table. "Our master chose slaves on strictly one category: looks. He would only buy girls and only the ones with pretty faces. He didn't care so much about build, but you had to have a perfect face. That made new girls few and far between.

"We hadn't had a new girl join us in a while, so naturally, we were all curious when Lae showed up. At first, we all thought she was shy because she didn't introduce herself. We left her alone. She would just sit by herself and watch all of us. We didn't find out she was a mute until Rachel decided it would be fun to scare her. She snuck up behind her while she was walking and held a dull knife to ." You felt Anna flinch. You patted her hand, and she in a shaky breath.

"She didn't make a sound, but her face contorted in a scream. We were all shocked. Rachel asked if she could talk. She was shaking and shook her head. It was hard for some girls to believe she really was mute. They would poke at her and pull her hair until she started crying. Eventually, Sarah got fed up with it and told them all to buzz off. Sarah was the only one that every last one of us respected. She could keep us in line with a simple glance. She knew everyone's name and, if we knew, our birthdays too. She made time for each of us and made all of us feel welcome. We could tell her anything, and she would listen. When she jumped to Laeri's defense, we all ceased our taunting. Then, Lae would sit with Hana and Sarah in the corner. Sarah already knew Morse Code from all the time she spent around Hana, so they just sat there, tapping.

"That's when I come in. I was part of a clique that was made up of the best dancers. Oh, I suppose I skipped a bit. At our house, our master pretty well left us alone. He made us all eat together at dinner in our fan outfits, but we rarely talked to him. We also had to perform a fan dance for him once a week or sometimes more. The better you could dance, the more often you had to perform for him. If he liked your dance, you could escape with a simple peck on the cheek. If you didn't perform up to par, well, it depended on his mood. A bruise here or there wasn't uncommon. Neither was a whip mark or handprint. He was always very careful to not break a bone or permanently damage our faces. But I digress.

"Our clique was made up of the best fan dancers. We would sometimes get picked to perform everyday. It was the attention that got us. We got the most performance time because he loved us the most, or that's what we thought. After being trapped in this world of slavery, a break from the neglect and a chance to feel loved was unbelievably amazing. But we weren't fair players. We sabotaged the other girls, so we could stay on top. We ripped outfits, purposely kept the other girls up all night if they had to perform, and put herbs in their food to make them sick. We never caused any tremendous damage, but I'm still not proud of our actions.

"If you haven't noticed yet, I'm not entirely stable mentally or emotionally. But back then it wasn't just a small emotional shift for a few minutes. I would completely change personalities for days at a time. On those days, the girls in our clique would kick me out of the group and leave me to fend for myself. They said I was a danger to their reputation when I wasn't at full capacity. When I was kicked out, I didn't have anywhere to go. None of the other girls liked me because I helped sabotage them. I ended up just sitting by myself like a sniveling child, wallowing in my despair. After Lae got there, and even after all we put her through, she came over and sat with me. I didn't even know how to react. Here was this girl who I had been nothing but mean to, and she was trying to comfort me when I had been ostracized by my peers. Hana followed her over at some point, and that's when they taught me morse code. I found out that they were much better friends than my former clique, and they loved each other more than the master had ever loved us. That day, I joined their group of oddballs, and I changed for the better.

"Things got complicated on the day that Laeri was given her costume and had to perform for the first time. We weren't allowed to help anyone on their first time, so we had a feeling similar to sending her into the lion's den with a dead gazelle on her shoulders. We didn't think she would escape with anything less than a slap across the face. But she came back perfectly fine; she even had a rose. The master only gave roses for flawless performances. And then she did the unthinkable.

"She gave her rose away to someone else."

You smiled slightly.

"She gave her rose to Hana. Hana was more surprised, herself, than all the rest of us combined. She wasn't a very good dancer. She usually came back thoroughly black and blue. Sarah would have to take care of her then. No one else made time for her. Hana had started crying before almost tackling Lae with a hug. My entire ex-clique was practically seething with anger. Anytime one of them got a rose, they would gloat for days and show it off. They wouldn't let anyone touch it or even breathe near it. It was like their own personal drug. For a girl outside their group to get a rose, and then to give it away, was an outrage. But because she demonstrated enormous skill, of course they wanted her in.

"Rachel was the one to approach her. She acted all sweet and innocent trying to win Riri's favor; it was disgusting. Her little ploy didn't work, though, because Laeri was too attached to Hana and Sarah, and she wouldn't leave them. That did not please the others, especially when Lae brought back a rose the next week when she was called to perform again. No one had brought back two roses in a row. And she gave the rose away again, this time to a girl named Lizzy. She was brand new, hadn't even had her first performance yet. Laeri kept bringing back roses every week, and that made the rest of us confused and the clique jealous.

"One day, Hana came back from her performance with one eye swollen shut. Sarah," You tensed and squeezed Anna's hand hard in your distress. "Wasn't there anymore, so Lae took care of her. Then, she asked what happened. Hana explained that she isn't very coordinated, so she often would mess up her routines and lose her place causing her to just become a mess. For the next few nights everyday, Laeri worked with Hana in our practice room where we're allowed to listen to our songs and go over our routines. She taught Hana how to use easy moves that she could do in ways that made the dance look more difficult than it actually was. The next week, Hana came back without a scratch.

"Lae became a celebrity then. She would stay up and pull all-nighters to help one of us make up a routine for our song or perfect a certain move to put it in for effect. She was an insomniac, so she didn't mind the late nights. She even helped Rachel get a rose, and that's what made the clique dissolve into nothing. By that time, everyone knew morse code. We would pass messages along during dinner and have our own secret conversations without our master being any the wiser. We grew closer together than any family. But it wasn't all good times and sugar plum princesses.

"The master had grown quite fond of Laeri's dancing as was obvious by the fact that she brought home a lovely rose every time she performed. She never kept a single one for herself, instead choosing to pass around the lovely red, pink, white, and yellow flowers. It got to the point where she was being called to perform everyday. Every few weeks the master would buy her a brand new outfit. The Madame of the house started to notice.

"She did not take to well to the attention her husband was paying to a household slave girl. She threatened that she would hurt Laeri if she didn't start outrightly defying the master of the house. Laeri wouldn't defy him, though. She respected him and would get punished either way, so she continued to listen to him over the madame. Madame witch would not have any of that of course. Lae would start coming back from chores with bruises, scratch marks, and one time, a limp. Then one morning, we all woke up and she was just gone. We tried to hold it together, but without her or Sarah we fell apart. If we hadn't been liberated a few weeks later, we might have all ended up committing suicide. I didn't find out until recently from Mary, one of our rescuers, that Laeri's disappearance was all the madame's doing. She sold her off to one of their wealthy friends to get her out of the house. I think her husband knew she did it too, because we could hear them fighting constantly after the incident.

"As for what happened after Laeri was sold, that's for her to decide if she wants to tell. That story is all hers, and I don't know any of it anyway." Anna sat back and breathed out a huff of air. You tentatively sipped the last bit of your hot chocolate before using your spoon to fetch out the cherry that you had been purposefully ignoring to save it for the end. The three boys were stuck in shock after absorbing all the information that had been upon them.

"So she was like a mentor to you. A hero," Dongwoon said with awe in his voice.

"No she was more than that," Anna whispered. "She was like a mother, a sister, and a best friend all rolled into one. To some of us she was the only thing that made us keep holding on. After what she went through with Sarah, we couldn't put her through that again."

"So you were an insomniac?" Gikwang asked while looking at you. You looked down at the table and nodded. "Nightmares?" You glanced up and nodded again. "Do you still have them?" You froze and found that you could not answer. "I understand," he said, not pressing the issue. You glanced at him and saw the dark look that had overtaken his face. Dongwoon and you both looked at him curiously.

"If you don't mind my asking, how long has it been since you've seen Laeri?" Yoseob asked Anna tentatively.

Anna looked at you for a minute thoughtfully. You had to think for a moment as well. "Two years and a couple months I believe," she said resolutely. You nodded in agreement.

The blondes eyes widened. "How long have you been in the slave trade?" he asked you.

You took another moment to think.

Ten years.

You were rounding, but you didn't know by how much. In truth, it was probably much more than ten, but time passes weirdly here. Biologically, you only looked like you'd aged about two years.

"How old were you when you were kidnapped?" Yoseob asked quietly.

Fifteen or sixteen. I believe I am around eighteen biologically.

"You were so young," he said with hushed awe. His eyes were wide and shining with sadness. "On Earth, you would be twenty-five already."

You nodded easily. You were quite resigned to your situation at this point. You mourned the loss of your young adult years in the past. The past should stay where it belongs, however hard it may try to haunt you.

You heard a buzzing sound, and you looked at Anna. She pulled a cell phone out of her pocket and checked the screen. "Well, that's my five minute warning to stop flirting with whichever sap I pulled off the street today. No offense meant to you of course."

Gikwang merely smirked and shrugged. "Not a problem. It was... interesting. I wouldn't mind playing with you again sometime." You smiled slightly with relief that both players had come out unscathed from this battle of the flirts.

"Hey Laeri, wanna come see me off? I don't know how long it will be til I get to see you again." You nodded and stood up to follow her out. Then, you froze and looked at the blonde who was watching you amusedly. You looked between him and Anna a couple of times. Eventually, Yoseob noticed what you were doing and gave a short laugh while waving you off.

"Go ahead. We'll be along shortly. Go have your tearful little goodbye party." You signed 'thank you' and scurried off after Anna.

When you had just passed the doors, she turned to you. "Do you remember when I told you about Justin?" she asked. You nodded. He was the one Anna had been completely infatuated with before she was captured. "I got to see him." Her voice caught. When you looked at her, you could see her eyes shimmering with tears. "I just had to know, you know? My master took me to the Human Realm, so I could see him." She agitatedly swept a hand through her hair. She smiled sadly as she said, "He's married now, to a high school sweetheart he started dating about a month after his breakup with his long-term girlfriend of three years." She laughed wryly. "She was the one he broke up with her for. But you know what scares me the most?" You watched as she tried to stabilize her emotional state. "I don't care that he's married. I'm not a bit jealous knowing that he was never going to fall in love with me. He has a daughter, Lae. A baby girl with her mother's eyes, but she looks just like her father. He's twenty-eight. How old do you think I am Riri? How old would I be there?" She sighed. A small smile graced her features. "Doesn't matter really. That's all in the past. I realized a while ago that I outgrew Justin. My new master, I really like him Lae. And I think he might like me!" Anna was all smiles now, the memories of lost love forgone to the past. "I'm so happy Laeri. It's almost indescribable. I never felt even half as much of this towards Justin, never!" She went all dreamy-eyed, and you knew you had lost her. "Oh, here come your handlers," she said suddenly, jerking back to attention. Sure enough, your three masters were bounding toward you. "Do you guys want to meet my master and exchange info and such?" Anna asked suddenly politely. You felt her grab your hand and start tapping.

Look to your left, ten o'clock. Tallish guy with the shoulder length dark blue/indigo hair. That's him.

You swiveled your eyes to the left and found the strange hair-colored man who was walking towards you and Anna. Anna must really like him if she's willing to forgo her usual attitude to try to impress him. He was tall. Very tall. At least six and a half feet tall. His eyes were dark as obsidian, and he had accented them with a thin, clean line of black liner. He was so skinny that his frame bordered on bony, but there was a kind of lean muscular sense about him as well. A pair of black leathery wings stretched out behind him. He tossed his head to swing his bangs out of his eyes, and you noticed two small horns or ears on the top of his head.

"Hello. Everyone, this is Tristan. Tristan this is my old friend Laeri and her handlers," Anna said pleasantly, still continuing her ploy of politeness.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Yoseob," the blonde said eagerly. He held out his hand which Tristan shook immediately before looking to the other two.

Gikwang introduced himself next with a simple, "Gikwang."

"Hi. I'm Dongwoon, and you're really tall. What kind of demon are you?" the maknae asked innocently enough. It still didn't change the fact that he was being tactless.

"He's a bat demon. And he doesn't like to talk much," Anna said pleasantly.

"Anna, I can answer for myself." You actually audibly gasped. His deep voice had seemingly resonated through your entire body, echoing around your head. Anna laughed at your reaction.

"Yeah I did that, too. It has something to do with echolocation. Makes his voice bounce around in your brain." She smiled brightly at her master who didn't seem understand what was so weird about his voice.

"So... Tristan, that's an oddly human name," Gikwang interjected into the slowly increasingly awkward silence.

You were more prepared for the echoing this time, but you still lost your train of thought when he started speaking. "It's not my actual name. It's a nickname a couple of my girls started using because they didn't like trying to say my given name. My actual name's Kuronue."

"How did they get Tristan from that?" Dongwoon asked in confusion.

"I don't know. Now, they all do it. I just go with it. It's easier that way. She yours?" he asked as he nodded his head toward you.

"Yep. And apparently she knew Anna from an old owner," Yoseob answered.

"You knew Anna?" His attention swiveled to you, and you nodded. You noticed his eyes never settled on you. Before you could stop yourself, your hands were moving.

Are you blind?

Yoseob translated for you before you could take back your question. "She did, and she wants to know if you're blind." Tristan swung his head back towards Yoseob with a confused look stuck on his face. "She mute, so she speaks with sign language. Or morse code apparently."

"Oh. No, I'm not blind, I just don't see very well in daylight. Everything looks kind of fuzzy. When people talk, they stand out against the fog, and I can see them clearer. It also helps when I talk in their direction. You know, echolocation and all that." You had to focus very hard on what he was saying due to the vibrations of sound shaking your body. You nodded absentmindedly. Acting on a sudden idea, you brought your hands up and clapped in front of your face. Tristan started, and his eyes faceted on your face. "There you are. That was smart thinking." You snapped your fingers in front of your face to make sure he could still find you, and then you signed thank you.

"She says thank you. Would you mind giving us your contact information? That way Anna and Laeri can keep in touch," Yoseob said politely.

"Sure." The two took out cellphones and walked away a bit.

"Well, it was awesome to see you again Lae. Hopefully, it won't take me two years to track you down again." She hugged you tight before leaning down to whisper in your ear. "I know at least half of what you've gone through, so I know this won't mean much. But please try to trust your new masters. It won't be easy, but try. I know you don't believe anything will be different, but it will be. You don't have to cut yourself all the way open all at once, but let them in. As slowly as it takes, but work at it. You won't regret it. If you won't trust them, at least trust me. You're in good hands now." She let you go and smiled at you. Then, she ran over to where Tristan was waiting patiently for her. She turned to wave over her shoulder at you before she disappeared out the door under Tristan's arm.

"Oh! I forgot to ask him something! Gikwang go ahead and go with Dongwoon and Laeri to the car. I'll catch up in a bit." Yoseob dashed out after Tristan and Anna as Gikwang grabbed your hand and started pulling you to the other doors and out to the car.



Third person's PoV

Yoseob hurried after the two recent departees. "Anna!" he called as he approached them. The girl turned suddenly. "Tristan, would you mind if I talk to Anna alone for a minute?" The bluenette shook his head and walked over to a black car before climbing in.

"Yoseob? What is it?" the girl asked in confusion.

The blonde straightened up and sighed nervously. "Has... Laeri always been mute?"

The girl nodded. "She told me once that she can't remember a time when she could talk, but she doesn't really remember much before her capture. Actually, most of her memories are repressed. I think that's why she's still standing. She doesn't think about the past, not even for a second. But she does have episodes where something will trigger a memory, and she breaks down. Those times are the worst. Sometimes, it takes her a while to pull out of it. If you haven't seen it yet, count yourself lucky. When it happens, her eyes can make you feel guilty as hell that you can't help her. That's what makes it so horrible." A frown wormed its way onto Anna's face.

The blonde sighed again, but this time it was more anxious. "I have another question. Do you know," he squirmed uncomfortably," was Laeri... Did anyone ever... Did she ever tell you if she was, um, ?" He flinched at the sheer awkwardness of the question.

Anna stared seriously at the squeamish blonde for a moment before answering. "She hadn't been when she was with us. But that's only assuming she wasn't lying to us. I doubt she was, but she didn't like to talk much about herself. Besides that, a lot can happen in two years."

"Yes. Well, thank you for answering my questions," the blonde said grimly.

"No problem. And keep in mind, if any of you ever hurt her, and I will know, I will personally destroy you with my bare hands and see to it that you burn in the deepest layer of Hell for the rest of your life," Anna said just as grimly.

So there it is. And just so you guys know, I'm gonna try to show where i anticipated all the chapters falling.

Chapter-       What the chapter should have been numbered

Chapter 1-   Chapter 1
Chapter 2-   Chapter 2
Chapter 3-   Chapter 3
Chapter 4-   Chapter 4
Chapter 5-   Chapter 5
Chapter 6-   Bonus Chapter (These were originally gonna be put elsewhere)
Chapter 7-   Chapter 6
Chapter 8-  
Chapter 9-   Chapter 7 (After the part where she fell asleep)
Chapter 10- Bonus Chapter
Chapter 11-  Chapter 7
Chapter 12-  Chapter 8
Chapter 13-
Chapter 14-
Chapter 15-  Chapter 9
Chapter 16-  Chapter 10
Chapter 17-

So as you can see... my writing gets out of control sometimes....but thats ok! cause that means you guys get more to read ^^!

yay!

And in case you were wondering, Laeri's been with them for 3 days. roughly. I'm rounding. lol. nothing has happened! 17 chapters for 3 days! I is ashamed! *pouts*

ASL of the Day! (Day is being used extremely loosely)

So how to say "I feel ____"  I'm in a time crunch right now so no explanations. and no french. oh well! maybe next time.

Same goal as last time but tweeked slightly. I will take subscribers in place of comments. That should make it easier. Til next time! I'm off to Zumba!
Bye bye!