Without warning the cart was pushed forward through the curtains, to reveal that they had been on the side of the stage. He was rolled to the center of the stage and then his cage was placed down.
Caspian was momentarily blinded by the stage lights, the flash clearing up to reveal a sea of darkness in front of him.
He couldn't see the audience because of how bright the lights were, it didn't help that several stage lights shone directly on him.
Now that he could see better, he realized that he had been worn a black wig, the strands of synthetic hair swaying in his vision.
"...with a bid starting at fifty thousand!" The auctioneer shouted enthusiastically, the resounding noise of a gavel hitting wood deafeningly.
Caspian had to turn to the auctioneer then, a robust man with a gleaming face who clearly enjoyed his job.
He hoped the shock of his current situation had made him hear wrong because there was no way anyone would buy him for fifty thousand dolla-
"Going for fifty... Sixty-five! We have a sixty-five- Seventy! Ninety! A hundred and fifty!" The auctioneer spoke rapid-fire fast, wiping his gleaming sweaty face with a rumpled handkerchief.
"Gentlemen, we have quite the competition here..." He chuckled, walking closer to the cage.
Caspian hoped his ears were bleeding, and that was why he was hearing all the wrong things, flinching away when the auctioneer reached a hand through the bars to cup his face, better showing him off to the audience.
"Big blue eyes, satin black hair... do I see two-fifty- One million dollars!" The auctioneer cut himself off, his previously smooth delivery trembling a bit.
Caspian was relieved when the auctioneer let go of his face, his conversation with Jenny popping up in his thoughts as his bid climbed higher and higher.
There was no way he would be let go of when he was bought for more than ten million dollars. But wouldn't he essentially be making a fool of the person who won the bid? By pretending to be who he wasn't?
It was rigged against him from the start, he had been kidnapped to be auctioned so he doubted anyone would care if he was killed by who bought him.
It meant that he had to try to escape no matter what. If he was going to end up dead regardless, he could at least sort of choose the way he would go out.
He barely paid attention to the auction even as the winning bid was announced vigorously by the auctioneer, already plotting his escape even as he sat in the cage on the stage.
Maybe it was because he had heard enormous sums be mentioned casually in the span of a few minutes, but Caspian was less shaken than he should be about the twenty-five million winning bid.
His cage was placed on the cart again and he was rolled through the curtains again. He wasn't taken back to the holding room where he had been before, the man that had handled the moving bringing out a bunch of keys.
The cage wasn't big enough to stand in, so he remained seated on his knees even after the door of the cage swung open, not believing he was truly allowed to leave.
"Get out," The man quietly ordered.
Caspian almost scuffed his palms on the grimy and rough floor in his haste, someone out of his sight helping him up by his arm in time.
"Mafia King Asher wouldn't be pleased if the merchandise came to him damaged," A man he hadn't seen before laid into the others.
He could see the man who had unlocked his cage shrink away, apologizing promptly before making himself scarce with the other two in tow.
The man who had helped him up and spoke for him was dressed like an average working-class man, and if it weren't for the firearms visible on the crisscross of holsters hung across his chest, he would be convinced that the Beta was in the wrong place.
Also, a lot had been happening but he was certain he didn't make up the Beta mentioning a Mafia King.
"What's your name?" The Beta asked him, looking him over intently.
Caspian was terrified of speaking, his eyes wide. This man was clearly here to take him, what would happen if the fact that he wasn't a female was found out immediately?
The man let go of his arm to slip two fingers underneath the collar around his neck, "This stopping you from speaking?"
It wasn't but Caspian didn't correct him, his life flashing before his eyes when the man brought out a knife and effortlessly sliced through the leather.
He would have preferred if the keys to his cuffs were gotten instead but in a few seconds, he was free of his bonds without a single scratch so he could hardly complain.
"Ca-Caspian," He spoke as softly and as quietly as his scratchy throat would let him.
The man frowned at that, "Odd name for a girl."
Caspian wanted the ground to open up and claim him then, how had he forgotten that little tidbit?
"You can call me Jael," The Beta went right on, ignoring his strange name. He held his arm again, his frown never lightening. "You a druggie?"
Caspian shook his head at that, having no plans to speak again with how badly it had gone the first time.
"I'll find out if you're lying." Jael let him know, the threat in his words plain to see.
Caspian could see how his claims could be unbelievable, he was railroad thin and pale, his voice raspy. He didn't exactly have a lot of points going for him.
"I've got your medical report though, and it says you aren't," Jael let go of his arm, "Come with me."
Caspian did as he was told, grateful that he was worn shorts under the dress he had on.
He didn't remember going to a doctor for a medical report, and it made him cringe at how much could have happened to him when he was out cold.