Ophelia: A Life in Shadows

A Familiar Nightmare - Intro

"Shadows watch, but we don't know what they know about us."

         __________◇♤♧♤◇__________

As Ophelia descended the stairs, her mother's sweet tone called out to her, but she couldn't shake off the eerie feeling creeping up her spine. The scene before her was all too familiar - her parents sitting with a stranger, their faces masked with deceit.
"Come darling, come here," her mother cooed, her voice dripping with insincerity. Ophelia's father's words cut deeper: "Ophie, meet him." She knew exactly what this meant.
Her parents' greed had always driven them to punish her for even the smallest mistakes, and now she realized she was about to pay the ultimate price. She was being sold. Again.
A disturbing flashback threatened to surface, remnants of the traumatic day she was first sold - a day her mind refused to fully recall, but whose shadows still haunted her.
"You sold me again, right?" Ophelia accused, her voice trembling with rage and betrayal. Her parents exchanged a guilty glance.
"How could you?" she demanded, her voice cracking with rage. "After everything I've been through, you're doing it again? You're really going to sell me to a new monster?"
The stranger's gaze locked onto hers, his eyes piercing and unsettling. Ophelia felt a shiver run down her spine.
She took a step closer, her fists clenched. "How much did you get this time? Was it worth sacrificing your daughter's life... again?"
Her father's expression twisted into a mixture of guilt and defiance. "Enough, Ophelia," he growled.
But she wouldn't back down. "No, I won't be quiet. Not this time. You'll tell me the truth." Her heart pounded in her chest.
Her mother's hands fluttered, as if searching for words. "Ophie, please-"
"No, you please," Ophelia snapped. "Don't even try to pretend you care! You've never loved me, only the money I can bring you."
Her father's expression turned defensive. "We did it for your own good, Ophie."
"My own good?" she repeated, incredulous. "You've said that before, and look what happened!"
Her mind racing with memories of the darkness she endured.
"You call being sold to strangers, being abused and exploited, my own good?"
"You're worse than the person who bought me before. At least he didn't pretend to be my family."
"Explain how you could do this to me again. Explain how you could live with yourselves after ruining my life."
Her father's face reddened, but she pressed on.
"How old was I the first time?" she demanded, her voice cracking.
Her mother's eyes darted away, but her father's expression remained unyielding. "You were just a child," he muttered. Ophelia's vision began to blur, flashes of her traumatic past resurfacing. She felt herself being pulled back into that nightmare.
"You're not my parents," she hissed. "You're my traffickers."
The room fell silent, the weight of her words crushing them. Her mother's tears flowed freely now, but Ophelia felt no pity.
Their eyes dropped, unable to meet hers.
And that's when she saw it - the guilt, the shame, the knowledge of their unforgivable sin.
But it was too late. The damage was done.
Her parents exchanged a nervous glance, their faces pale.
Suddenly, the stranger stood, his movements fluid and menacing. "Enough," he growled, his voice low and commanding.
Ophelia's parents cowered, and for a moment, she wondered if she'd found an unlikely ally. But then, the stranger's gaze turned to her, his eyes burning with an intensity that made her skin crawl.
"You're coming with me, Ophelia," he said, his voice dripping with possession.
Ophelia's heart sank.
Was she trading one hell for another?
But just as the stranger took a step closer, Ophelia's parents sprang to life.
"Wait!" her father pleaded, his eyes wide with remorse. "We can't do this. We can't sell our daughter." Her mother's face contorted in anguish. "We were wrong to consider it. We're so sorry, Ophie."
Ophelia's shock turned to confusion as her parents rushed to her side, embracing her tightly.
"We were blinded by greed," her father whispered. "Forgive us, Ophie."
Her mother handed her a glass of water, her hands shaking. "Drink this, sweetie. You must be parched."
Ophelia hesitated, unsure of their sudden change of heart.
As she sipped the water, Ophelia felt a subtle numbness spreading through her body. At first, she thought it was relief, but soon her limbs began to heavy, her vision blurring.
Her mother's voice seemed distant, "Ophie, honey, are you okay?"
Ophelia tried to respond, but her words slurred. Her legs wobbled, and she stumbled.
"I'm sorry, sir," her father said, turning to the stranger. "We had to make her unconscious. She would have fought back otherwise."
"Yes, it was necessary," her mother added.
Her father's voice, cold and detached, cut through the haze. "She's yours now. Please, take her. And make sure she never returns...like before." Her mother's response sent ice down her spine. "Yes, take her."
The stranger's grip closed around her wrist like a vice. "Don't worry, I'll ensure she never escapes."
Ophelia's world went dark, she realized her parents' apology was just a ruse. She was being sold again.
"Let's go," he growled, pulling Ophelia's limp body toward him.

And then, everything went black.

         __________◇♤♧♤◇__________