Death.

Chapter 1.

It's been a long day, I just picked up my high-school diploma and I just wanted to enjoy some of my mom's soul food cooking. Dropping my bag down by the door I took a deep breath awaiting for the stomach flipping aroma to fill me with joy but, nothing my house was so unwelcoming quiet. "Ma." I called out dragging my feet along the floor while making my way to through the hallway, finally hearing some sign of life but what I heard made me lose any type of hunger that I had due to my mother's weeping coming from the living room. Those beautiful amber golden eyes crying on my father's shoulder, watching him trying to get her to calm down. "Mama. Dad?" I couldn't take the fact that the woman who raised me was breaking down before my eyes. As if they were waiting for me she just cried harder getting up from my father's embrace. "Christopher, this is your mess you tell her." Each word seemed like a knife to my mama's chest, looking to my father only for him to avoid those hazel eyes from my stare. "What's going on, someone just tell me." I begged, sitting in-between them with worry on my face. Thinking maybe someone in our family died, or maybe he forgot to pay the light bill again. "Amandla," a strong hand matching my father's deep sepia color, take a hold of mine making me look over at him slowly taking in his form- from his locs that my mother still twists for him every Sunday, to the stress lines that are now projected. I knew he was about to tell me something bad, I felt my heart sink to my stomach."Amandla, I've been in really bad debt. It's so bad that everything is going to be snatched away from us if we don't-" he started to say before my mom cut him off with snap. "No. Don't you dare involve me Christopher." I watched her pull her thick coils into a full bun before running off into the kitchen to go cook her stress away. I was so confused I looked back to my father with tears filling my deep walnut eyes. "Amandla, I have to sell you..you have to think about your little brothers and sisters. It's either I sell you and get rid of the debt and get money to take care of the family or we all will perish." As soon as he was finished I ran up to my bedroom, slamming the door behind me just as I broke down. I was his oldest daughter how could he do this to me.

I stopped crying a while ago, now I'm just curled on top of my bed not even caring that mom was sitting at the end of my bed with a plate of food. "Manda, you're leaving tonight so please eat..who knows when you'll get home cooked meal again. Please think about the family, think about your younger siblings." Setting the food down she kissed my head making the water works start all over again. "Mama, I love you." I hiccupped sitting up wiping at my eyes as she played with one of my box braids with a sad smile."I love you too, my first born. I didn't ever think it would come to this. Please eat and then pack. Okay?" I nodded and she left the room to go cry in my father's embrace for comfort.

It was time to leave, I was only permitted to take two things with me so I settled for my bonnet and my stuffed animal - a black and gray kitten that I named SamDean. "Say goodbye to your family girl." The gruff voice of the man who came - by his large form and purple tinted eyes I confirmed my fate or therefore lack of - to collect me said in annoyance, hugging my family I told them each I loved them and gave them a kiss on the cheek. Watching my father get a large sum of money made my heart ache a bit."Here's the money, and your debt is cleared." One of the other men took my forearm and yanked me out the house and to the place where I would go an be sold into the supernatural black market.

-

"Get up, we're here." I was yanked away, the man pulling me out of the van by my arm making me whine a bit holding my stuffed animal close to my body while he dragged me to the building in front of us. It looked somewhat normal, I knew weren't in America seeing as when we left it was dark and it was morning wherever we are, I'm going to assume we are in the black market realm. Letting out a sigh as we finally got into the building yanking my arm away from him rubbing my sore arm, this just made the man laugh muttering humans under his stank breath. Grabbing me once more he lead me to a room, looked like a medical room. " Get undressed, do it yourself or I swear I'll do it for you." Pushing me away from him I quickly nodded my head, the last thing I wanted was for him to undress me. Leaving me alone I took a deep breath, I unbuttoned my jeans pulling them off and folding them before doing the same with the rest of my clothes. Leaving my bonnet on I made sure all my braids were inside waiting covering myself with my hands.

Soon a creepy looking gremlin dude stepped inside with a camera making me cringe as I felt his beady little doll eyes roam my body. "Stand still, arms at your side. I'm gonna take a few pictures then you will go to your cage until you are bought. Take that weird shit off your head, can't have that in the pictures." I didn't nod I didn't even answer him I just shakily put my hands to my side, after taking my bonnet letting my thick box braids fall down the curve of my back. I wanted to hide behind my hair like a blanket but I knew that would most likely make him angry. He took pictures, so many pictures of my body and I hated how up close he got to me."Fuck, let's just hope someone likes that bush you got going on." I wanted to light each individual hair on fire after he said that, I felt disgusting. He called the same man inside the room, "Take her to her cage Jaime." Stank breath man grabbed my arm just as I was putting my bonnet back on, quickly grabbing SamDean I followed behind him wishing he allowed me to put my clothes back on. It didn't take long for him to push me into this cell like cage, I let out a breath seeing that it did have a bed and somewhere to use the bathroom. Sitting on the bed I watched Stank Breath- Jaime walk away after locking the door. Curling up into the firm bed I held the stuff cat close to my body and did my best to drift off to think about being anywhere but here.
-
It's been a few days since i've been here, all the feed us is top ramen noodles or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a glass of milk. I was just grateful that this place actually feeds the people the sell, since I heard of the many horror stories about human pet shops. Sitting on my bed with my knees pulled up to my chest I slowly ate my sandwich while rocking back and forth slowly. The only thing I have to do is watch people leave their cells if they are being bought and new people being brought in. I was starting to get so anxious, I just wanted to get this over with, I just hoped whoever bought me wasn't cruel and evil to me. Maybe I could just be someone maids, but who was I kidding. I was so lost in my thoughts I didn't notice Jaime step into the room holding what seemed like a pink collar and a leash, my eyes widen while he walked to towards me."It's your unlucky day, you've been bought." I couldn't say anything as he closed the collar around my neck."Get your shit and let's go." He basically barked in my face, damn stank breath you're angry. Grabbing the only two things I had I followed him out the cage my head down the whole time thinking about who could have bought me. Once we made it to an office that I assumed belonged to the gremlin I looked up peaking through my eyelashes at the cloaked man in front of me, the only thing I could see was a pair of soft pink lips that was turned up into a smirk. The very tall man took the leash from Jaime and gently yet firmly yanked me to his side cause a gasp to leave my lips. "Come on kitty, were going home." He patted my head with a chuckle that warmed my insides, nodding my head I let out a breath cause maybe, just maybe this won't be terrible.