The Donor House: Ethan: One Careful Owner (part 2)

[k_a_webb]

Part 1

“Your owner died?” They looked at each other. “How did she die?”

Ethan looked at Chloe. “Do I really need to answer that? I would have thought it was obvious how she died.” He shrugged. “Look, I know it’s unusual for something like this to happen, but it has and now we’re going to have to work out how we live together.”

Silence filled the room. It was tenser than he was comfortable with, even though he could understand why, and that was why he didn’t break it. They needed to, because he was one of the invaders, it had been their space to begin with, so the last thing he wanted to do was make things harder for anyone. Kyle obviously had no understanding of how his humans would react to the arrival of someone new and four someones… Ethan couldn’t help wondering if they’d be able to work things out in such a way that made the grimy room a place they could think of as being safe.

“Okay,” the girl said, almost smiling. “I’m sure you understand Kyle isn’t anything like the person he took you from. We’re barely ever permitted to leave this room and the en-suite isn’t exactly clean. He doesn’t care about us. To him we’re food, nothing more, so it’s not unusual for people to disappear. Every month, at least, he comes back with someone new, but never anyone like you.”

“I don’t think he knows. Ziva, she kept herself to herself most of the time, and she never talked about her vampire family. They, somehow, seem to have found out about us, because if they hadn’t…”

Nodding, she studied him. “You wouldn’t be here. Kyle never said anything in advance, but he doesn’t normally. We just have to get used to whoever’s arrived and sometimes that’s harder than others. You understand, though.”

“Before Ziva bought me I was in a place like this. I know it isn’t easy, especially when you’ve been there for a while.”

“Even though I have no idea how I’ve managed to survive Kyle, and his friends, for a year and a half. Others have been sold on after a month or two, but for some reason he hasn’t become bored of me, no matter how hard I’ve wished for him too.” She shrugged. “I know part of the reason is because I haven’t become an addict, so I’m easier to deal with.”

“We don’t know why she hasn’t,” the boy said, “although we have heard rumours that some people can’t. It’s unusual but it does happen.” He nibbled his bottom lip. “They took me because of my sister. She’s never become an addict, so they thought it might be genetic, and so far… I’ve been here six months with no problems, well, other than being trapped in a room most of the time before being taken out to be shared by Kyle and his mates. I’m more likely to die because they have no idea when to stop than I am to become an addict now.”

Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.