The Cunning

8

Madison stared at the plain walls. After hearing about Annabelle, she swallowed her pride. Getting a slap was one thing, having a drug habit forced on her was another. It settled in that she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, and if she wanted to keep out of harm's way, she would need to keep her head down until she had a solid plan.

This was real. It was happening, and it was happening to her. Her life as she knew it was falling apart and all she could do was stare at the wall. She didn't even turn to see who walked in an hour later.

"Hey, Madison, right?" An unfamiliar girl perched on the edge of the bed. She was vibrant and cheerful. Vibrant because no one was filling her veins with brown fluids and cheerful because she was there of her own accord. Her cheeks glowed, and her perfume was sweet. A little too sweet. Madison narrowed her eyes.

"Who are you?" she asked.

The stranger unloaded a collection of eyeshadow palettes, mascaras and lip glosses from a Louis Vuitton handbag.

"I'm Lily. The guys usually get me to come by and see the new girls and give them the rundown on how things work here. It takes a weight off their shoulders and it's nice for you to be able to talk to another girl."

She was so blasé as if they were newcomers at a summer camp rather than a brothel. The nonchalance stunned Madison into silence. Lily didn't seem to notice and carried on.

"I know the situation is scary," she lowered her voice to come across as sincere. Madison wanted to slap her because of it. If she had any idea, she wouldn't be so fucking bubbly. "I am sorry that you're in this awful predicament, but I'm here for you. You can talk to me about anything-"

Madison recovered from her silence at the sheer audacity.

"Predicament? I haven't missed the last fucking train. I'm being held here against my will," she snapped. "If you were any sort of woman, you'd see this place was burnt to the ground with those boys in it. Do you know what they plan to do with me? What they do to the other girls here?" Annabelle flashed through her mind's eye. That poor girl.

Lily pursed her lips. She had been on the receiving end of the girls lashing out more than once. This is what she was there for, to get it out of their system so the boys didn't have to. Patience was her best option.

Madison sneered, repulsed by Lily's presence. "You are not my friend. Don't come in here and act like any of this is okay."

Lily had seen plenty of faces come and go through the years, it never got any easier. Madison was by far the youngest. Hope and rage poured out of her in waves. She needed a new tactic.

"Okay, I'll cut the shit," Lily said, her chirpiness gone, "You think because I'm here and not being forced to sell my body means everything going on under this roof sits well with me? Well, it doesn't. But unfortunately, I'm Adam's sister, and if you're not part of it, incriminating yourself, you're a loose end. I'm sure you can imagine what they do to them." Madison didn't respond. "I am sorry-"

"No, you're not. If you were, you would have gone to the police or something-"

Lily interjected, shaking her head. "It's not that simple. I have a daughter to protect. As another woman, I'm sure you'll understand having to do things we don't want to do to survive. If I were to grass, his sister or not, it would be game over for me." Madison's shoulders sank, and years of desensitisation for Lily cracked.

But she wasn't there to feel sorry for them, as Jase liked to remind her regularly or convince them the house was something it wasn't. She didn't waste time telling Madison it wasn't that bad and she'd be cared for because it wasn't the truth.

Madison swallowed the lump swelling in her throat.

"Why me?" The question came out as a strangled croak. Lily embraced her and surprisingly, Madison didn't fight it.

"The only advice I can offer is keep your head down and mouth shut."

Madison allowed herself to melt into the hug. Lily was right, she would have to do whatever she needed to survive. Crying would not get her out of there, and answers to 'why me?' questions didn't matter. She needed to pull herself together.

A final hollow sob shuddered from her lips at the realisation that Lily's hug may be the last affectionate touch she would ever experience and then she stopped.

Lily sat back and dried Madison's eyes, applying cream to reduce the swelling.

"The men don't like to see the girls sad. It fucks with their conscience," she said softly. Madison nodded, deciding it would be wise to listen to her for now. To learn the ins and outs of the house and the people that resided there. If she ever wanted to get out, she had to come to terms with the sacrifices she would have to make and gather information.

As Lily applied Madison's make-up and twisted her hair into a bun, she listed the house rules. The girls weren't allowed to swear, drink too much or smoke because it was all seen as unattractive.

"They force the girls to take drugs. That doesn't make sense?" Madison said, her lashes skyward getting yet another layer of mascara.

"Does any of this make sense?" Lily replied, leaning back to admire her handiwork. "Half the time, they pick and choose when they enforce the rules anyway. It's whatever suits them." She sighed, chucking the mascara back in her bag where the rest of her make-up was lying loose at the bottom, "They're men; we're puppets. They dress us up and sell us off."

Madison didn't appreciate how she was saying 'us', as if Lily couldn't simply go home once she was done applying lip gloss.

"Remember," Lily carried on, pouting at Madison, encouraging her to mirror the expression. She did, scrunching her nose at the sticky feeling of the gloss being painted on. "Bottom line is, don't talk back and stay out of their way. Don't give them a reason to pay attention to you."

They finished up in silence. Madison stared at herself in the mirror, unsettled by the reflection in the outfit Lily had picked- a form-fitting black dress revealing both her cleavage and legs. She'd also spritzed her with an unnecessary amount of cheap perfume, the same one Jase hated.

Lily stopped at the door, looking over her shoulder. "It was nice to meet you, Madison."

The feeling wasn't mutual.

"I hope your daughter never gets wrapped up in a place like this," she deadpanned, entering a dissociative state. Lily nibbled her lip and decided the conversation was best left there.

*

How do we feel about Lily? Do you feel sorry for her having a brother like Adam or do you think she's just as bad as the rest of them? Spam me and let me know x