[b]Cassandra[/b]

They hadn't come quietly. 

Cassie hadn't been long in bed. Sleep didn't come to her the way it used to, especially at night. She found she lay awake in the dark just staring at the ceiling for hours until the sun rose. Then, she would draw her curtains and close her eyes. She wasn't sure if sleep ever found her but she often felt better once she'd opened them again. She never dreamed. Not anymore. Tonight was no different. She had laid down in her bed, ignoring the burning desire in her throat - that almost insatiable thirst. She didn't wish to feed tonight. Her last taste of blood had been two evenings previous and she had almost killed him. She wondered if he were dead now? After all, he had no home and nothing to keep him warm or fed. Perhaps they all died when she'd fed from them. Perhaps it would have been kinder to snap their necks while they slept. 

She'd heard commotion coming from outside. Her senses were heightened in this new form and she sat up to listen. She couldn't pick out the words but she did not recognize the voices. She should have gone to rouse her parents then. She shouldn't have presumed it was only the staff. It wasn't until the screams started that she realized something was horribly wrong. She didn't have long to react, either. Soon the door of her bedchambers was thrown open and three men entered. Terror clutched Cassie and she rose to her feet in a hurry. It felt odd to be so frightened and to have no movement in her chest. Her heart remained still inside her rib cage but dread pooled low in her stomach, making her feel ill. She could smell the sweat and salt on their skin and beyond that, the scent of their blood; rich and inviting. Their hearts beat, but not with fear. Something else...excitement? Lust? Hatred?

Before she'd had time to react, to try and fight them off, there was a sack thrown over her head. She struggled as their rough hands grabbed her body and they seemed surprised by her strength. One called out for others to help while she screamed, thrashing about in an attempt to free herself from their grip. She wished she were strong enough to escape them but it had been days since she'd last fed and fear made it hard to think. This version of herself was still so new, she didn't know how best to use it.

They half dragged her, half carried her out of the house. The cool night air didn't affect her the way it once had but she was very aware of it. She focused on the sounds and smells around her, trying to make sense of the direction they were moving should she manage to escape. Cassie screamed for help, begged anyone to come to her aid but her pleads were only met by laughter. One kept calling her 'Princess'. She felt his hand on her head and then his lips. She could smell the rum on his breath even through the sack and she struggled, shaking her head in an attempt to escape his touch. She screamed again, louder, desperately. What would they do to her once they had her aboard? What could they possibly want from her? She didn't like to think of the answer and her struggles increased until something hard connected with her ribs and she cried out in pain. 

The air was knocked from her lungs and Cassie gasped in an attempt to get it back. Her muscles hurt and she fell silent. They were near the water now. She could hear it and taste it in the air. Nobody would save her now. She imagined they would dare attempt to. Not with a ship full of pirates to go against. This realization was more frightening than anything else and she cried softly. She was dropped to the floor - wooden - and realized that she was on deck. Not having her sight was disorientating and frightening and she wanted nothing more than to rip the sack from her head. Someone caught her wrists and bound them, then her feet. It was eerily quiet and she wondered why? What could be coming that required this silence?

Suddenly Cassie was heaved off the ground and carried somewhere else. The one who called her 'Princess' was back and she felt something connect with her bottom. She blushed furiously with shame and anger. She wanted to see his face, the man that was treating her this way. She would have her revenge, eventually. They had made a mistake choosing her to bring on board. She'd kill every last one of them if she had to.

Suddenly the hands released her and Cassie cried out again as she passed through air and then hit the wooden floors abruptly and painfully. She whimpered in pain, the wind knocked from her lungs once more and she remained still. She had no energy or will to move just yet and she listened as a door was locked somewhere behind her. There was someone still here, though. She could hear his heartbeat, smell his blood. Fear struck her at the thought that he was locked in this room [i]with[/i] her. What would he do?

Moments passed and there was no further movement. Cassie struggled to sit up but it took her a number of minutes. She leaned against the wall closest to her and pulled with all of her strength against the rope around her wrists. It didn't tear like she had hoped but she was creating a little more room. She was stronger now than she had been as a human and suddenly she was incredibly grateful for this curse. Perhaps it would help her to survive a little longer.

Now that she had more room within the bindings on her wrists, Cassie worked on pulling her hands from them. It was difficult, whatever way they had tied the knots was complicated, but eventually she managed to free one hand and pulled the sack from over her head. She inhaled deeply, resting her head back against the wooden wall behind her as she took in the room. It was very dark and there was little to look at, either way. A wooden cot was pushed against one wall with a very thin mattress on top of it. There was a wooden chair, too, and a bucket that she imagined was used in place of a chamber pot. Cassie cried again as she looked around the dark room, pulling at the rope around her ankles. There was someone outside of the door still. She could hear him breathing. 

"You'll regret this," she swore, her voice thick with fear and tears. "All of you. You'll regret bringing me aboard this ship. Please, just let me go. I'll give you whatever you want," she reasoned. She wondered if her family were alive or if they'd been killed while she'd been taken? If she was to be used as ransom they would have been spared, surely?