Megan faded in and out of consciousness. When she finally came to, she realized that she was in a barred cart, riding down a bumpy road. She was the only one in her cage, but there were other carts in the train, connected, at the front, to a team of horses.

The surroundings were unfamiliar. Where was she? The last thing she remembered was getting hit over the head.

A stranger rode next to the train on a black horse. Noticing that she was awake, he galloped to the front of the procession.
He returned with the man from earlier - the leader.

The tall man ordered the train to stop and approached Megan's cage. "So, you're finally awake." He smirked. "You must have quite a bit of gall to attack us like that."

Megan glared at him.

"Where are my manners?" The man bowed mockingly. "The name's Ansel. I'm your new master. At least until we find a buyer."

Megan clenched her fists. Slave traders. She definitely wasn't on Ramon's preserve anymore.

Her wrist stung and it was then that she noticed the mark on it. She didn't know what it meant, but she figured that it had something to do with the fact that now she was a slave.
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The next couple of days passed in a blur. They traveled on unkept roads for miles then circled up the wagons at night.

Megan lay against the bars, staring at the sky. She had no idea where she was and she didn't want to give Ansel the satisfaction of answering her questions. She'd rather be oblivious.

The sky changed every night - new constellations, new stars, a varying number of moons. It was enthralling and a little terrifying. What kind of universe changed each day? At least she wasn't bored.

She tried to talk to the other prisoners - kids really, but they were tight-lipped. Ansel obviously scared them.

One day, a strange woman approached Megan's cage and stared at her intensely for a while. Then, she thrust her wrinkly arm through the bars and snatched Megan's hand.

Megan tried to pull away, but the woman was deceptively strong. Eventually, she managed to wrench her hand free. The woman's fingers left bruises on Megan's wrist.

The woman turned to Ansel, who stood behind her. "It's weak, but it's there." She pulled him aside where she thought Megan couldn't hear them. "There is something strange about her - something unnatural."

Ansel nodded. "I'll keep a close eye on her."

The woman shook her head. "I don't like it. If I were you, I'd get rid of her as soon as possible."

Ansel looked at Megan, who was leaning against the bars, subtly eavesdropping.
Slowly, he nodded. "We'll dump her on Jones. He's always looking for fresh meat."

The woman nodded her agreement. "I'll send a message." With that, they walked away.

Megan slumped heavily against the bars. Who was this Jones? What was so dangerous about him? And more importantly, how would she get out of this?