"I want to thank every guest for coming to my home for the next seven days. It is nice having so much activity inside this beautiful estate. We are your hosts for the evening. Feel free to eat and drink, but make sure you dance. We have some entertainment planned for this evening, but first, my husband would like to say a few words," came a southern lady's accent over the speakers as she stood on a stage talking into a microphone. Her bright red gown flowing like a princess dress from children's tales. Her mask the same color hiding most of her face. I recognized it as Anastasia quickly and her husband next to her. For her voice was unmistakable.
"Everyone has been shown to their rooms for the week. Each of you has your personnel please be respectful to them. My security doesn't want to remove anyone for disrespect. With that being announced I am going to hand this back over to my gorgeous wife," I heard Derek's voice go over the speakers.
"There is an open buffet on the south wall and several tables over there to sit and eat. Remember everyone must dance at least once with everyone else except for the children under five and their accompanying mothers. Mothers, you do have to dance at least once before eight tonight. The real fun starts at nine. Anyway, I have a live band that's going to blow you away. Let's get started!" Anastasia shouted causing hollers from the crowd and claps as the band began playing music. I watched as most people started parading around the ballroom. I spotted my parents dancing together and my aunt dancing with my little brother. A tap on my shoulder made me jump and whip my head around to see who touched me.
"May I have this dance?" came a male voice as he held out his hand. I took it and was swept away to the dance floor. I couldn't keep track of how many people I danced with on the dance floor before I finally escaped to get some of the available punch. I felt my heart pounding in my chest from the hours I was stuck on the dance floor with different people. I sucked down my first cup then quickly poured a second. I walked to a table away from everyone else who found themselves also sitting down. I sat down feeling my feet beginning to ache and my breathing still raggedy.
"I couldn't cut in as much as I kept trying," Vladimir's voice came to my ear. I looked up and smiled at those green eyes I know all too well.
"We can dance later. I need a break," I spoke still slightly out of breath. He smiled as he set down a plate of fruit in front of me and sat down next to me. We sat in silence for a while drinking and eating the food provided. I watched the people still dancing until the music suddenly stopped.
"All mothers with children under five please make your way to the exit with your children. Your butler is waiting for you. I am also sending some helpers around to tell each of you how many more people each one of you still has to dance with," Derek spoke clearly over the speakers as soon as he stopped the music started back and a butler appeared next to our table.
"Sir, you have one more person to dance with. That person is the lady next to you. Ma'am, likewise for you," the butler spoke plainly before disappearing into the crowd of people.
"Can I have this dance, Lexi?" Vladimir asked staring into my eyes. I nodded and took his hand as he lead me to the dance floor. The electromagnetic shock that went through my body at his touch put me under a foreign trance. I felt the heat radiating off of him as we began dancing with each other. His scent was intoxicating. I looked up into his green eyes getting enchanted by them as my body responded to his every move as he lead us across the dance floor, his eyes never leaving mine. I could feel emotions in his eyes as they soften looking into my own. I knew we have always had a connection as kids, but it seems to keep getting more and more intense the longer we know each other.
"It is now nine o'clock. Time for some fun!" Derek's voice broke out over the music.
Startling Bats and I out of our enchantment. We let go of each other quickly and focused on the stage with everyone else. The band stood behind Anastasia and Derek awaiting them to be finished. I felt a hazy fog begin to settle around me as I watched the stage awaiting what was next. I saw a mist of smoke at my feet. I saw people starting to fall to the ground. I felt Vladimir pull me close to him as we both lost our balance and fell to the ground with the others. I realized I couldn't move or speak. I could only look and listen. I was terrified and noticed mostly everyone else was fast asleep.
I watched as men in hazmat suits went to each person and took blood from them. I watched as they added something to each vial that they had. Some of the contents turned black and they injected some kind of liquid into them. Those people started screaming in pain and thrashing about on the ground.
The others kept red vials and they moved all of those people to one area behind guards. I saw them move Vladimir to that area.
I felt the prick of a needle on my arm and the fuzzy feeling of my blood rushing into a vial. I saw the hazmat suit inject something into my blood and it stayed red. I was curious as to what was being injected into those people. I felt my arm getting pulled as I was dragged to the pile of other people.
I watched in horror as those people who had been injected with something begin mutating forming into something else. Their skin melting off their limbs. The hazmat suits put collars around those people's necks as they transformed into monsters. They shed their skin giving way to fur. You could see their bones transforming and the screams as to it being painful. I watched in horror as they turned into werewolves. Each one becoming a gaint wolverine form. As each one finished mutating and went to tear the hazmat suits apart, the collars began shocking them. It stopped them from continuing what they wanted to do.
"Well, aren't you folks lucky. Those of you that haven't been turned into Werewolves live to see another day. You guys are special and can be used for something else. However, the ones that did become werewolves belong to me now. Put them to sleep and take them to their rooms," Derek announced. The werewolves still sitting in the middle of the floor growling and whining. I saw as each armed guard took a syringe and stuck it into the neck of the people around me. They then put that person on their shoulder carrying them out of the room. I felt the prick of a needle in my neck and fought to stay awake. My eyelids started becoming extra heavy and I felt myself getting thrown over the shoulder of a muscular man. I felt his arm wrap around my torso and I couldn't see anything anymore. Everything was blurry and the lights made me squint. I fought with all of my might to stay conscious until I lost the internal battle. I felt myself getting thrown onto a bed viciously before everything went black.