She drags me across town through our sandy streets. People don't look around in wonder or bother to question. But in the back of their heads, they feel sorry for me. It's a nightmare being enslaved to a Poldano. Some find it so bad that the suicide rate and physician-assisted suicide rating has skyrocketed in the last year. Creatures are dropping left and right and it's not just because of the economy. The townspeople of La Bobo Cree not only feel sorry for me but wonder if they'll ever see me again. It's amazing how one of the things I'm fighting against, is a trap I've got myself tangled up in. Now I'm going to experience the Councils mistake first hand.

My legs are numb I can hardly stand. My feet bruised and red. The heat cooking my skin faster than eggs on a sidewalk. Beads of sweat dripping from my forehead. We must have walked at least 10 miles. Mouth dry and bitter with a slight taste of sand. Not offered the tiniest bit of water. Does she treat all of her slaves like this? Doesn't she at least want her slaves to survive?

“We are almost there, don't worry.” says Tocra.

Minutes later we stop in the middle of the sandy desert. She looks around. No, she couldn't be. Is she lost? She better not be lost. Has she just been walking aimlessly this entire time? Was she just saying that? I mean we are almost where? It's literally the middle of nowhere. There isn't a building in sight! What could she possibly be looking for? Calm down Audrey, I'm sure she knows where she's going. She wouldn't walk all this way for nothing. You're getting yourself worked up over nothing. Don't give up now.

“It's this way.” she says through her thick Poldano accent; though it sounds like she's been around plenty of Russian humans.

Ms. Tocra, my owner, turns and approaches me. She starts unwrapping her tight whip from my arms. It feels pleasant because it's not cutting off my blood circulation any longer. It's no longer digging into my skin like a cat with sharp claws. She looks down at me with a look of confusion.

“Come on.” she says blankly.

I follow her until she randomly stops. She stares at the ground below her. I'm so confused and I can't imagine what's running through her mind. Are we just gonna sleep here for tonight on the hot sand? So many unanswered questions. I'd ask her but Poldano's are creatures who don't like being questioned and demand respect. More importantly, I don't want to be hit with her whip.

She starts to slide around the hot sand with her foot. Revealing a wooden door with a black handle on the right side. She bends down and grabs the handle and opens the door. She reaches into her pocket and throws a ratty old purple rag at me. I catch it just barely before it hits the floor. It's my turn to give her a look of confusion.

“It's a blindfold. Wrap it around your head.”

I follow her instructions. Wrapping the rag around my face I notice this powerful smell of lavender. Why does it need to smell like lavender? I choose not to make a comment and just go with it. No need to clutter my brain with trivial details. Moving forward.

“Okay, I'm finished. Now what?”

She grabs my arms once again and we descend down a staircase. She quickly latches the door shut at the last minute. I may not know where I am, but I feel goosebumps begin to rise throughout my body. It's freezing down here. Where are we? It's like the inside of a freezer. What is the A/C on?

“Don't talk. Don't make a sound.”

We begin walking across a flat landscape. But we end up making a lot of turns. I'm more than happy I didn't run into anything or stub my toe.

“OK, we go upstairs now. Up.”

When we reach the top of the stairs we come to a sudden stop. From what my ears can tell she lifts a wooden bar and opens a door. She leads me into the unknown room. She is close behind me. The door creaks and shuts with a thud of its own.

“You can take your blindfold off now.”

I slowly remove the blindfold revealing a bedroom. A small cozy and cramped bedroom. It has about 6 bunk beds. Only 2 are empty, I assume that I'm here to fill one and she has the other.

“You sleep over there now. We start work at 9 tomorrow morning.”