Doreese walked slowly towards Nathan Roulan's private rooms, where she had been ordered…no, more than ordered, mentally commanded, to wait for him. She couldn't stop her body from going there and doing as she was told, and this made her angry beyond belief. Even Dr. Robert and Mrs. White in their many abuses of her person had never overpowered her mind the way Roulan had, and so effortlessly that it frightened her.

She fought off that fear, ignored it, concentrated on the anger. She was still naked, carrying her clothing, and walking as slowly as she could force herself to do. This was all the rebellion she could muster under his power, but it made her feel better. She had to fight him.

She wished, at times, that she could simply have stuck to her guns, allowed them to kill her rather than enslave her, but she wanted to live far too much. Even after two years of slavery she still hoped that someday she would be able to escape, or at least barter her freedom. At first she had thought she might be able to cut a deal with Dr. Robert, but he was far too insane, and Mrs. White, though also insane in her own cheerful way, was far too devoted to Roulan.

She would do whatever she must to remain alive, even allowing him to rape her if that was what he wanted. She knew he was the one to be afraid of, and it probably was a huge achievement that she had managed not to catch his attention for the past two years…though he had been obsessed with the boy, Julian. Doreese wondered what had happened to Julian. Had Roulan killed his favorite? She thought not -- after all she had heard whispers that he had bought the boy a house, among other things. All the household had been torn apart when Julian had been kidnapped. Mrs. White had been a wreck.

She supposed in truth none of that mattered now, and she had to steel herself to whatever Nathan wished to do to her. She didn't think he was going to beat her, as he had sent her out of the punishment. Rape then. Or maybe he was just going to drink her blood, kill her, and eat her. Some of the "farm-grown" maids were naïve about the whole situation, but she wasn't. She knew what was going on, knew better than to eat any leftovers in the private kitchens, or any of Mrs. White's special pies. It was disgusting, revolting, shocking…but she had almost grown used to it. Sometimes she helped Mrs. White with the children in the larder, which she genuinely liked to do, and if she thought about it too much, it made her cry. They were all so sweet and well-behaved and innocent.

Doreese wouldn't let herself cry. But it wasn't Doreese any more now, was it? Aida, he had named her. She would have to answer to that now, and she felt angry again when she thought about that, though honestly she wasn't sure anyone knew her name was Doreese at all. She had told it to Mrs. White once, when she had first arrived, but she and Dr. Robert had never addressed her by it. She didn't have any friends among the other staff. Everybody was just quiet and did what they were told. It amazed her that they couldn't band together and try to escape, but she had learned the hard way that no one was willing to go against the vampires. They were either brainwashed or had seen too many die. Many of them even seemed happy to accept their assigned roles, but Doreese had never been able to fully submit, even though it made her life harder.

She didn't hate the name Aida, or what it implied. In fact, it surprised her. It made her wonder if she hadn't misread Roulan. He didn't seem so much like a tyrant. In fact, she had to admit that had she met him…before…she might have found him charming. Maybe it was him she ought to try to cut a deal with, to be allowed to be free…even if it meant going back to the gutters. Her life had been no bowl of cherries before she had wound up in that orphanage when the latest raping step-daddy had shot her mama. At least here she was well fed, and the punishments she had borne were far more seldom than she had back home…and here, if she behaved, there were none at all.

It was just so hard to behave. The work wasn't bad. She had done harder work before. In truth, she enjoyed some of it. She helped in the childrens' kitchen (the one for feeding them, not for cooking them, thank god) and sometimes with their baths and schoolwork (though why they had to do schoolwork when they were all going to die at Roulan's hands was beyond her.) She did light cleaning, and with all the latest equipment it was a snap. It kept both her mind and body busy. The food was good, and her clothes were always cleaned. She got eight hours of sleep every night. And she hadn't been raped…yet. But she was a slave! And she hated it.

Aida, the princess of Nubia who had been enslaved. Was Roulan being ironic? Did he fancy himself her Radames, think she would fall in love with him? No, she despised him. She would kill him if she could.

Could she? To save her own life, and the lives of countless others who he would kill in the future, monster that he was? He wasn't human. It was no crime. She would kill him and Dr. Robert and Mrs. White if she could. Those two monsters had drunk her blood several times -- small amounts, and once or twice Mrs. White had made her get drunk first…her own way of being able to enjoy alcohol. Kill them all. But how?

Best not to think on it, because Roulan did hold her life in his hands, and despite his obvious attraction to her, at a whim he could snuff her out without consequence, without remorse, without pity. No, killing him was probably impossible. Best to try to work out a deal.

Aida opened the door to Nathan Roulan's private rooms and stepped inside, the door closing behind her with a resounding finality. She stopped in the small den area and began to redress. He hadn't told her she had to wait naked, or stopped her from taking her clothing with her. She felt more normal now. She looked around the room. After all, she had the run of the place for the moment.

The den contained three plush black leather couches, a coffee table with a few books and magazines neatly ordered on the top of it, and a bookshelf that ran floor to ceiling. She went to it and pulled out an ancient volume, leafing through it with appreciation. At least if he took his time, she wouldn't be bored. It had been so long since she had read a book. She'd always been smart, couldn't get enough school. She envied the children in the larder their lessons at times.

Aida put the book back. It would wait, while she checked out the rest of the place. There was a large antique desk with a computer and various file folders on it. It was tempting to look through the folders, so she picked up the one on the top of the stack and flipped it open. Inside was a snapshot of a blond boy, and a brief description -- name, age, height, weight, where he had been acquired. Ugh, he probably had a folder on her as well. She glanced at the child's name -- Henry Bierk, then tossed the folder back down. She didn't want to know any more. Ignorance was bliss around here.

She opened the door to the second room, which she knew to be Nathan's bedroom.

A small shock went through her as she realized that someone was sleeping in Nathan's massive king bed. At first she thought it was Julian. The boy was young, blond, as beautiful as a tv star. But despite the resemblance, it wasn't Julian, she could see that now. Pity flooded her. Surely this boy's fate was as terrible as her own, if not worse. He was of an age with the kids Nathan kept in the larder. It took a moment for her to figure it out, but then she knew…this was Henry Bierk.

You're so ill at ease...
A whisper in the trees...