curiosity // feat. evan peters and calum hood

one

"How good is the pay?"

My mother sighed a breath of relief and she laughed.

"Depends on your dancing, but the average pay is, like, $30 an hour." I coughed. "But, of course, if you outshine everyone, you could make more." I nodded.

This wasn't so bad; maybe if I tell myself that enough, I can convince myself that it's true. At least I was doing something with myself instead of sitting in my room alone for the rest of my life.

"When do I start?"

"Tonight, if possible. Thank you so much, baby." She pulled me in a hug and I hugged her back; not out of love, but out of pity. I know that she doesn't want to send her daughter into the world alone, half-naked and dancing for strangers, but she has to if she wants me to have a shelter. Being homeless isn't an option. "I don't know how I could ever repay you, my love." I didn't reply because I wasn't sure how to. Being this close with her made me slightly uncomfortable.

I sat in my bed mentally preparing myself until the sun went down, and then I realized that I should probably physically prepare myself, too. I checked the time and it was 9:07.

"What time do I have to be down there?" I shout to my mom.

"Eleven at the latest. You take the later shifts!" Cool. Enough time to calm my nerves. I go into the bathroom and shower, scrubbing my scalp and using some nice smelling body wash. When I got out, I still inevitably felt dirty -- like there was something that needed to be scrubbed off of me and disappear into the water pipes.

I looked at myself in the mirror. What am I thinking? I am not beautiful enough to show myself in this way. I can't even attract a boy my age, let alone men with loads of money to blow on women? I already feel tired and I haven't even gotten there yet. This will be a long night.

"Here, honey." I jumped at the words, and I grasp the hot tea that my mother was handing to me. "A little warmth to calm your nerves."

"Thanks." I sip at the tea, trying not to burn myself and being unsuccessful at that. "Am I walking?"

"It's a few blocks away, my love-"

"It's going to be eleven o'clock." She sighed.

"You're right. I'll call a cab." I nod my head and start to fear as the situation becomes more real the more we talk about it.

The time read 10:27, and I was surprised at how insanely quick the time passed. I quickly grabbed my coat, purse, and stepped into whatever shoes I could find. I wanted to get there early so that I could learn my duties. Reaching for the door handle, my mother's hand grabs my shoulder and pulls me into a hug.

"I'm so sorry." Her face is full of tears.

"Mom, it's fine, I'll see you when I get home-," she sobbed harder. Why is she being this way? "I need to go, I'll see you later. Get some rest." She nodded, but was still sobbing just as hard. She didn't look at me when she closed the door on me.

I turned around and there was no cab. Just a slick, black Range Rover sitting on the curb of my apartment complex with two men standing outside of the car with their eyes on me. They looked at each other, and then they looked at me with wide smiles on their faces.

"She's here," one shouted at a man in the car.

"Reel her in," the man in the car said in a voice as smooth as my skin after a bath. I felt something in my stomach twist and I knew that this was wrong. All of my senses went into panic mode, and I started shaking but I couldn't move. They weren't chasing me, just watching me suffer. "Alright, well, what are we waiting for?! Let's get a move on!" They walked toward me, and with each step, my mind wanted my body to run and scream, but my body just couldn't. I felt like a fawn just learning how to walk.

Finally, a shriek filled everyone's ears, but the only movement I could give was involuntary shaking. I stopped screaming but closed my eyes, and I don't know what I was wishing for because I knew that I was doomed.

All at once, they grabbed me and threw me in the backseat of the car. I hit my head on something on the way in. Something wet trickled down my temple, but I didn't care if I was bleeding. I wanted to get out of here.

"Why are you kidnapping me?" I whispered as they drove away. Nobody looked at me, but the one in the passenger's seat that never got out of the car replied.

"We aren't kidnapping you, your mother gave us the go ahead." What?

"My mother would never do this-,"

"We are the Blue Angels, love." My heart dropped. What?

"I-I don't understand, I-,"

"You're our dancer until we feel that we don't need you anymore. All funds go to your mother's bank account." His voice held no emotion or remorse.

"But, I'm not her property anymore, I'm nineteen-,"

"We don't care-,"

"Stop cutting me off! Christ, you kidnap me and don't even let me talk?"

He turned around in his seat to face me but I still couldn't see him. He held a gun in his hand, and I wondered why he wasn't waving it in my face. He was just looking at me. I looked down because I felt awkward, and because he was scaring me.

"You are so...," he stopped himself. "You have blood on your head." I remembered the dull thud on my head.

"Yeah, I know."

"Boys, I told you to not hurt my clients!" He pointed the gun at the man sitting next to me and the man put his hands up. "What if I hurt you?" He pulled back the hammer of the gun, and I flinched and covered my ears and squeezed my eyes. I heard him sigh and put the gun away, and I could finally breathe. "You don't fucking hurt women. Ever." I furrowed my eyebrows but I didn't ask. In fact, I was glad.

We drove past the Blue Angels club, and this was when I started panicking again.

"Where are we going?!"

"This isn't the right location for you at all. We're taking you to the one downtown, where you'll stay."

"Downtown?!"

"That's what I said, wasn't it?"

"I've never been downtown." The car fell silent. "I don't have anything with me."

"That will be supplied." I almost said thank you.

"What's your name?"

"My name is Calum, but all of my clients call me Sir."

"Calum. I've never met someone with such a name."

"It's Sir to you, Hannah."
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boi if u don't! sorry this took a long time to post, I was having a hard time getting the ball rolling but now I've got it and I'm so excited ! yay ok I love u guys