Trafficked

Loss

*Emily pov*

I wake up in the morning, turning to my left and seeing that Nyx is already wide awake.

"Would it be easier to die?" She asks, seeing that I'm awake.

I stare at her for a moment, shocked. The same thoughts had run through my head a couple of times but even so, I wasn't actually thinking of going through with it. I thought Nyx was a fighter. Was she really going to give up this easily? "Well," I carefully think out my reply, "Yes, it would be easier. I'm not telling you to give up though! Think of your family. When we get out of here, won't they be glad to see you again? Think of how worried they must be!"

She shakes her head, "You don't understand."

"What don't I understand?"

"My parents never wanted me. I-I was abused." She shivers, as if recalling painful memories, "My father would come home drunk every night and beat my mother and I. I used to smoke and drink to chase my troubles away. I stole from jewelry stores and shoplifted, until the day I stopped and asked myself; Why? Why live this worthless life? So I decided to end it, to put myself out of my misery. The day Eric and his dad picked me up, I was actually standing on the bridge, about to jump. So what's the use in living to see my parents? They don't even love me. They never cared. I have no friends... Except for you." She pauses for a moment, "Emily, stop kidding yourself. We will never go home. There's no point in suffering through this."

"You don't really believe that, do you?"

"I do."

We sat in silence for a full minute until I whispered, "What about me, Nyx? Huh? Are you really so selfish that you don't care about my feelings? If you let them kill you... I wouldn't be able to live with myself! And when we escape, you can come live with me. Please-"

She cuts me off, her eyes brimming with tears, "Fine. I won't do it."

I smile, for the first time in days, "Ok."

Just as we finish our little chat, the man in charge drags a limp body over to us. The number 238 is branded onto her left shoulder. As I study her face, I realize that given a bath, she could be beautiful. Her wavy, medium length brown hair is tangled and matted. Her fair skin is coated in dirt. She can't be more than twelve years old.

After a while, she comes to, and stares right at me. Her ice blue eyes seem to penetrate my soul.

"Hi." She says weakly, "I'm Sophia"

"Emily."

"Nyx."

Sophia speaks again, "This is quite a pickle we've gotten ourselves into." She giggles.

"No," I laugh, "more like we've been dragged into it."

I like this Sophia girl.

Nyx rolls her eyes and looks away, clearly uncomfortable with the joking.

The man in charge comes back in and, just like he did yesterday, ushers the first ten girls out into the selling room. And, just as he did yesterday, works his way around the room, ten at a time.

Finally, it's us. Numbers 231 through 238. We shuffle into the selling room and stand in a line. The crowd of old men goes wild, trying to buy Sophia.

"You can't seriously expect to rent me like this!" She yells out to them.

The crowd goes silent as the man in charge scampers towards her. "What did you just say? Two thirty eight?"

"You're calling me by a number now?"

"Why I 'outta," he pulls back a hand to strike her.

Nyx pushes past me and shoves him, "Don't touch her!"

"So that's the way you want to play it?" He pulls out a knife and lunges at her.

Nyx tries to dodge, but he is too quick for her, and sinks the sharp blade into her stomach.

She flops down to the ground like a fish out of water.

"Nyx!" My piercing scream fills the room.

"I'm sorry," she gurgles, I can see the life draining out of her, "I tried."

"No. No. No. No. No. No." I repeat over and over, I can't kneel beside her, for fear of being shot. All I can do is stand there, watching the blood seep from her lifeless body.

Silent tears stream down my face. I glance at Sophia. She doesn't move a muscle, petrified in fear. That's when I notice the bloodstains on the floor.

None of us were sold today, except for Sophia, who was sold to a group of men.

The rest of us are brought back to the gray room.

When Sophia returns, I can tell by the look on her face that she had been stripped of her innocence.

Today was a bad day for everyone.

I find my sharp stone again and put another tally on the wall. "Day two."

Then, I mutter something, meant for Nyx to hear, wherever she is now, "Nyx, if- no when I get out of here, I promise- no, I swear I will avenge your death. I swear on my life, I will make every last one of these perverts suffer, suffer like they made you suffer, and I will fulfill your dying wish, by protecting Sophia. I give you my word."

I fall asleep with the spot next to me empty.

Goodbye, number two thirty six.

A/N

Thanks for reading! Such a sad chapter, I know. Today I am going to go through and add pictures in.

Stay beautiful

-4nonymous