The Human Stain

I sit there frozen afraid to move and I feel as if I’m processing everything in slow motion. The man behind me lifts me to my feet and I wince slightly at the pain in my back and legs, and Andrew leaves to room to apparently get me clothes. I stand shakily on my feet and my Master approaches me.

“It’s so good to see you again!” He says embracing me in a hug although being conscious of my wounds on my back, “It’s been so long. You remember me right?”

“I’m sorry…” I finally manage to reply albeit in a whisper, “I don’t know who you are…”

The man sighs, “I was afraid of that. You were so young when you were taken from us, but no matter I’ll help you remember.”

Andrew walks silently back into the room and the Dom turns his head letting me out of his embrace, “Andrew will show you to your room.” He said with a slight smile and I nod; still apprehensive about the whole situation.

I blindly follow Andrew up two flights of stairs--trying not to fall behind but not doing a very good job about it. I hear him sigh and he picks me up gently and carries me up another flight of stairs and to a door. He opens the door and I stare at the beautiful room inside attempting to take everything in at once. The walls are a rich cream color with gold colored wood trimming around the edges. There’s a four poster bed with a light blue coverlet with white accents and a gauzy flowing white canopy. On the other side of the room there is a vanity with different cosmetics and a engraved mirror, and directly next to it is a dresser and closet area which is filled with…dresses. I can’t help it I let out a tiny little “wow” and I feel Andrew chuckle and he sets me down.

“Will you need assistance getting dressed Master Gerard?” He questions a small smile on his face.

“I, uh, Master?” I question him, “I’m still not quite sure what is going on I’m afraid…”

“That’s fine.” He replies, “But you are Master Michael’s older brother so you are my Master by relation to him.”

I bite my lip still trying to wrap my head around all of this, but failing rather miserably.
“I think I’ll be alright getting dressed.” I say cautiously but honestly I’m not sure my legs can keep holding me up anymore.

“Sir…” Andrew trails off, “Are you sure?”

“I…no.” I answer blushing madly embarrassed by the fact that I’m having trouble standing on my own.

“Alright then Master I will draw up a bath for you, and you can pick out what you wish to wear from the wardrobe over there, although I would suggest a night dress?” He phrases it like a question obviously looking for my approval so I nod and he leaves the room to the adjoining bathroom that I missed on my first look around the room.

I take slow baby steps over to the wardrobe and slowly pull it open. I’m afraid that if I move to fast that this will all disappear and I’ll wake up in a dungeon somewhere. I let out a little gasp of pleasure as I look at all the dresses before me, they’re all so beautiful! There are stunning ball gowns adorned in jewels, simple day dresses that look anything but simple, night gowns that look like they were spun from starlight, and lacy little undergarments that make me blush just looking at them. I select the plainest looking night dress and lay it on the bed. It is a dark gray color with white embroidery of the moon and stars on the hem and below the bust area.

I look up as the bathroom door opens and walk, stumbling is a more appropriate word actually, toward Andrew. Andrew strips me down quickly and efficiently and I can’t stop the blood from rushing to my cheeks in embarrassment. No one’s ever actually seen me naked before except for myself. He carefully lowers me into the bath, warning me that the water will irritate my wounds and I hiss as I feel the heat touch them. Andrew washes the blood off me using a washcloth, and apologizes every time I whimper from how tender they are. By the time we are finished the water is a pinkish red around me.

I’m left in the bath a moment by myself as Andrew goes to retrieve a towel and the night dress I picked out. I let out a shaky breath that seems so loud into the quietness of the bathroom. The sound seems to echo off the tiles getting louder and louder with each. I can’t believe this. What’s going on.? Is this some form of sadistic torture?! Give the worthless servant beautiful and amazing clothes and room and who knows what else, and then take it away. Is that what’s going to happen? Will the clothes be ripped right off my back and I publicly humiliated in the street. I don’t know anymore, everything I’ve ever known seems to be a lie.

Andrew returns and dries me off and helps me put on the night dress.

“Master Michael has requested that you meet him in his chambers, are you ready?”

“Oh um yes.” I manage to stutter out, God I sound like an idiot.

I’m lead to a door three doors down from my own and am left by myself to stand in front of it. I never thought I could be terrified of a door. I never thought an inanimate object could hold so much power over me. If I knock then my whole life will change, and if I don’t I’ll never know who I’m supposed to be. I’ve already been shocked by so many revelations today, can I take one more. I guess I’ll find out. I knock, quick three taps. The door opens and I’m greeted with a smiling Michael. A man who is apparently my brother.

“Hello Gerard,” His eyes rake over me, “This suits you so much better than those rags you were wearing. Come, come and sit.” I following him into the room and sit across from him in one of the armchairs.

“I’m guessing you have a lot of questions no doubt and they will all be answered in due time, but first coffee?” He offers me it in a steaming tea cup.

“Yes please.” I say meekly accepting the brew and sipping it politely. I missed coffee.

Michael sighs, “I guess I’ll start with how you came to be at the Grievence’s, or at least how we think you came to be there.”

“When you were five years old you were stolen from your crib. Our family looked everywhere for you, but you were nowhere to be found. We searched for years and years and eventually when I turned ten all hope was lost. Are you following me?”

“Yes…I think so.”

“Good, now as I grew up I was constantly told stories of you, anything anyone could remember. The color of your eyes, what toys you liked, what your favorite food was, how you held me when I was born. All sorts of things. I vowed that one day I would find you, no matter what, and now I’ve found you.”

“Recently,” Michael continued, “We discovered that a group of smugglers were the ones who had taken you. A ruthless group who would steal young vampire Fertiles and pass them off as human. The only took Fertiles because the Dom’s would have been too assertive to be human. I’m guessing they assigned you to some human family and then sold you with them, which is how you arrived at the Grievences.”

I bit my lip in thought, “I have so many questions…”

“I know and all will be answered in due time, but for now lets catch up on the eighteen years you’ve been gone.”

I stayed up for most of the night conversing with Mikey as he asked me to call him, Michael was just to formal apparently, about anything and everything. I found out he is three years younger with me being 23 and him 20 and he bought me because there was something familiar about me. He has not found his mate yet, but he hopes he will soon. He for the most part lives alone with only a few servants, and he enjoys going out to parties and different occasions. I also found out that he wants to announce me as his brother at the next party of the Season, which is very nerve wracking. I missed a lot in the eighteen years I've been gone. Soon I began to grow tired and he suggested that I go to bed. I rose unsteadily to my feet and he escorted me to my room. Before I went inside though he kisses me on the forehead,

“I’m so glad you’re home Gerard.”

Notes

I really liked this chapter, it's the longest I've written yet. I had a lot to fit in there and I hope it makes sense. Song of the chapter: Lisztomania by Phoenix.