The rain pored down on the metal shutters outside my window. I laid on my bed, my breathing calm, and for a moment I was content. But my contentment was abruptly cut short by a load bang on my door. "Heather! Heather wake up your gonna be late for work... AGAIN!!" My roommate shouted from the other side of the door. I sighed to myself and said, "Okay! Okay! I'm up". I looked over at the clock, 6pm, pulled myself out of bed and into the bathroom. I took a quick cold shower and brushed my teeth. I went back into my room and stood in front of my closet for what seemed like hours staring at what degrading outfit I was going to wear today. I settled for a pair of leather jeans with a read belt, a strapless cropped top with a zipper down the middle, and a pair of black stiletto high heels with black spikes down the back. Once I changed into my clothes I went back into the bathroom to do my hair and makeup. I straightened my hair and divided it in half tying the top half into a bun. I quickly put on my make up, but as I was putting on my mascara I looked deep into my own two colored eyes. I quickly bushed the thought away and grabbed my purse and jacket, before heading out to the city bus. I took the 313 to Woody Ave. and walked a block to the strip bar I work at as a bartender. While on my shift I had talked to many different men, each one more perverted than the last. But at about midnight I brought a drink to this father and his two sons. I was trained to play nice so when they hit me up for a conversation I didn't refuse. They asked me a lot of questions about myself. Like where was I from, how old was I, if my eye color(s) were real, and ultimately why I was working there. I did my best to give them as vague an answer as possible. For the next hour they talked to a few more girls before leaving. The bar closed at 2am and I was walking back to the bus stop when an old 92' blue Buick pulled up behind me. It was the man and his two sons. "Hey there, do you need a ride?" The older man asked me. "Uh no thanks I'm just going to the bus stop" I said. I started to walk away, but the passenger door open, the guy pushed the seat forward to allow access to the backseat. "Please a pretty girl like you shouldn't be walking alone at night," he said stepping aside from the door. "Honestly, it's fine... thanks," I said and continued to walk towards the bus stop. He began to fallow me and I started walking faster, I could feel things weren't right so I ran, but my heels left me at a disadvantage. I tripped and he got on top of me, I tried to scream, but he put his hand over my mouth and stuck a needle in my neck. My vision blurred, my body became limp, and I blacked out. He scooped me up off the ground and stuffed me in the trunk. When I finally came too I was laying in the backseat with my hands and feet bound and a towel stuffed in my mouth. I began to toss and turn, and I caught their attention. "Morning sleepy head," one of the boys said. "Your gonna love your new home, everyone is so excited to meet you," he continued. I tried to make sense of what was happening in my head, but I felt like a lost puppy they just picked up off the street. We drove for what seemed like an eternity, but when we finally stopped my heart dropped into my stomach. The three men got out and the oldest of the two boys pulled me out of the car. He carried me bridal style into this old farm house out in the middle of no where. "Lucy, we're home!" an older woman hurried from the kitchen and said, "Oh look at my little man all grown up ready to start a family of his own!" She looked over to me with kind eyes "come one Bryce, she's in the house you can untie her," she said. He set me on my feet and untied me, then he slowly removed the towel. Tears fell from my eyes as I spoke, "where am I"? The woman smiled at me and said, "home". Tears continued to roll down my cheeks. "Son, you've successfully completed your hunt, you can now cressen your prize. He pulled a necklace out of his pocket, it had a gold chain and a small plain gold cross. "You are now and forever will be my Sarah," he said as he placed the necklace around my neck. He turned me to look at him and said, "perfect". "Bryce, why don't you show Sarah to your new home" said the old man. "Yes dad," Bryce replied. He took me by the hand and dragged me outside. There were two smaller houses on the back half of the property along with a barn and what seemed to be chicken coops. He pulled me over to the house closest to the main one. "Here we are," he said as he pulled a chain with a key off his neck. He unlocked the door and forced me inside. "This is where we will live, this is where mother will teach you our ways, this is where we shall lay together as husband and wife until you bare me a child. Then we will move to another farm and begin a family of our very own," he said. He seemed almost cheerful, I couldn't understand how he could be apart of this. I was locked in the house with Bryce for hours he walked me around the house and explained my role in the house and all his furniture plans for us. When Lucy called us for dinner I thought to myself "these people are delusional, but if I have any chance of getting out of here alive I have to play along... if they trust me they'll let their guard down and I can escape..." Bryce walked me into the kitchen and there were four men already standing at the table. The dad, the other boy that way with them, and two older men I hadn't seen before. There was a woman standing to the left of each man except for what seemed to be the youngest. Bryce stood at his chair and I didn't know what to do so I stood to his left. "Rule # 1 we always pull the chairs out for the men, we women sit last because we bring out the food," said Lucy. I nodded and when the dad rang his bell I copied what the other women did. Once the men were sat at the table Lucy guided me into the kitchen with the others. She handed me to bowls of food and in order we carried them to the table. "Rule #2 The men always eat first. When the head of the table says it's okay then we eat," Lucy said to me. All I could do was nod. The men at the table filled their plates and I just sat and stared. I was starving, I couldn't remember the last time I ate and it felt like my stomach was eating itself. Finally the head of the table nodded and the women carefully put food on their plates watching to make sure they didn't put too much. I slowly filled my plate I noticed that even thought they didn't take large portions they took some of everything so I copied. I need them to like me to trust me so they'd let their guard down. "I think introductions are in order, don't you Bryce?" The dad spoke. "Mm yes! You're right," Bryce replied. "Dad, Jake, Charlie, Evan this is my Sarah," he announced. They all nodded towards me and thinking I was being polite I stuck my hand out to shake one of their hands. They all just stared at me. Lucy spoke in a soft tone almost a whisper, "Rule #3 a woman is not permitted to touch another man that is not her husband or her son or she will be severely punished". "Son," the father said motioning towards me. Bryce nodded he stood up from his chair and pulled me out of mine by my arm, he drug me into the kitchen and said, "if you brake a rule you must be punished or you'll never learn the rules". He smacked me across the face so hard it nocked me to the ground. Tears filled my eyes and I placed my hand over my cheek, I was bleeding from my lip. He handed me a towel to wipe my lip and we walked back inside. I pulled the chair out for him again and when the head of the table nodded I sat back in my seat. I sat at the table quietly and ate slowly, but as I was sitting there I noticed that Bryce only
Introduced me to the men at the table not the women. After dinner the men went to the barn and the women stayed behind to clean. I was bringing in some dishes when Lucy stopped me and introduced me to the other women in the kitchen. "Sarah this is Anne, Jakes wife, and this is Lilly, Charlie's wife," she said with a calm smile. I hesitated for a moment before Anne stuck her hand out for mine. I shook both their hands and I asked them, "what are you real names"? "I don't know that your talking about," said Lilly. "It's an honor to be given a name, don't take that for granted," Anne replied. "But my name isn't Sarah it's Heat-" but before I could get out my name Lilly covered my mouth and said, "how dare you question the name that was blessed upon you. You should be ashamed". I was so confused didn't these girls remember the lives outside this family, didn't they remember who they used to be? Once the dishes were done the two older brothers went back to their farm homes and Bryce dragged me back to that little house in the back. He guided me into the bathroom and started the shower, he walked out for a moment and came back with a clean towel and a light blue night gown. "Take a shower and change into your night wear, tomorrow mother will show you all the rules of the house," he said. I sat in the shower for as long as I could before Bryce started banging on the door. "That's enough your waisting water, don't make me punish you," he said angered. I quickly turned the shower off and spoke,"I'm sorry I didn't realize... it won't happen again". "See that it doesn't. Now get dressed we both have to be up early tomorrow," he said then walked away from the door. I slid the night gown on, but it was too big. I slowly walked out into the bedroom. "Hm, mother was right it is to big, but no biggie soon you'll be making your own," he said kissing my forehead. He guided me to the bed and we both got in, I was sure he was going to try and have sex with me, but he simply rolled over and turned out the light.
