A Girl For Sale

Chapter 2

The bidding went on for an hour, my blood dried as I stood with a new shirt on. The other girls stood in a line at the back of the stage. Cigar smoke and the smell of beer hung in the damp air.

"Sold, to the man in the back!" the man yelled.

I was shoved viciously towards a trailer just outside the dark building to wait. Many other girls joined me in the smelly holding cage on wheels.

Great, the buyer would take us to yet another warehouse in the jungle and sell us again. This had happened eight times, the other ten I ran away and was caught by new men.

"What's happening?" a small voice cried.

It came from a girl of nine. She had beautiful golden hair and frightened brown eyes. Tear streaks ran down her face as she looked for an answer.

The other girls turned away from her, not wanting to give her the hopeless feeling that was etched into all of our faces. She finally reached the front of the trailer where I sat watching her.

She looked into my eyes as I wiped away the salt water from her eyes.

"What's going to happen to me?"

"I don't know, but if you stick with me I'll take care of you." I pulled her into a hug, feeling her small frame lean into mine.

"Alright, the drive is about six hours, so have a seat." The buyer slammed the back door shut, pinching a girl's hand.

I looked at the passing jungle until the old military post was out of view. I then sat down with the girl on my lap.

"What's your name?" I asked brushing a curl from her eye.

She looked up at me, still unsure, "L-Lacey."

"Well, Lacey, my name is Arabella. When did they take you?"

"Three days ago, I was home alone when they came," fresh tears came streaming down her cheeks.

"Where did you live?" If it was close enough there was a chance they'd find us. Slim, but still a chance.

"In Kansas. I just want to go home." She began to sob.

I rocked her back and forth while muttering sweet nothing's. How did they get her here so fast? From what I could tell we were in Africa somewhere. None of this made much sense.

We arrived at our destination twenty seven head bumps, and eight bruises later. I woke Lacey up and stood as the gates were thrown open.

"This will not be routine buy and sell. You will be trained and groomed until you're fit and conditioned. You will then be inspected by the top dollar customers and, if they approve you then bought and move into the next phase. If you are refused, I hope you had a nice life."

So if they didn't buy us we were killed? Well, it's not like living could be much better.

And yet, I really wanted to live.

The old men directed us into a courtyard and through a hedge maze. The entire place looked like an abandoned castle. The walls were grown over with ivy and several statues were crumbling.

"This will be your home, the showers are in there," he pointed to a small shack that stood lopsided next to the wall. It was also grown over. "Now get cleaned up."

I held Lacey's hand as we jogged over to the showers with the rest of the girls. None of us had showered in recent weeks and I was particularly eager to clean off all the dried blood on my back. There was one room lined with stalls, they came up to my neck and had old curtains draped across the doors. We were each given soap, shampoo, conditioner, razors, and a towel.

"Take your time, girls," the man said as we took our hygiene kits, "you need to look presentable."

What? Didn't they just want to make a quick buck off us? Maybe they sold more girls this way. I don't know.

"Arabella?" Lacey called, frightened.

"Yes?"

"H-how do you use this?" She held up the razor, unsure of how to hold it.

Crap, she probably hadn't ever learned how to use one because she was so young. Some girls did, but not all.

"Here, watch this," I pulled up my pant leg and quickly showed her how to use it. "Be careful though, try not to cut yourself."

She nodded and stepped into a stall with a blue polka dotted curtain. I stepped into my own stall with a solid pink curtain. I tried to gently peel off my shirt, but still cried as the fabric pulled off the scabs that had formed.

Fighting through the pain of hot water, yes hot water, on the deep cuts the whip had left I managed to finish with many of the other girls. I waited for Lacey to finish and stood, wrapped in a fluffy towel, with everyone else.

After the last girl finished a voice can on an intercom, "You will now go through the medical center for treatment of any injuries you may have received. After that you will receive your clothes and then be assigned to a room."

We exited the shower room opposite the door we came in and were each taken to a doctor and examined. We were quickly treated and moved on. We now stood in a waiting room and sat for ten minutes on cheap couches before the lady came in.

"You will each get a chance to come in one-on-one with me, during which I will examine you and decide your wardrobe. So," she grinned, "shall we get started?"

-------------------------

Ok, this wasn't very long but what did you think? Did you like it? Hate it? Don't judge by one person's update, the next will be done by another member of this account so, what happens to a girl for sale?

_-A-_