Sold
The warm humid breeze hit my face as Daddy’s harsh words came from behind. I gripped the banister, hoping his anger would dissipate as fast as the waves receding into the sea.
Mommy came onto the patio, her eyes red. She smiled and reached a hand towards me. Sometimes I liked Mommy, other times I felt distant from her. When I wanted attention or comfort it was rarely given and my efforts usually ended with a light shove. Times like this I didn’t think twice about placing my hand into hers, a gesture I always longed for.
She led me into the villa where Daddy stood in the kitchen, his face red.
“We can’t feed them this, this food is shit,” he spat. Daddy was always yelling, it was a thing we all grew accustomed to. He looked at me once with a cold stare and then to Mommy. “Get her ready, they will soon be here.”
Mommy led me into the small washroom where a bath was already drawn. Without a word she helped me undress and bathed me.
“Mommy, why no soap? Where are my bubbles?” I whined, wanting to stay in the tub as long as I could.
She placed a finger up to her lips. “You know Daddy doesn’t like fussing.”
After bathing Mommy entered the room I shared with my sister and brother. On my bed was a white nightgown, laid out neatly.
“Where is Eeyore?”
“Tonight we are having a party and you are going to wear this dress!” Mommy held up the gown and did a little dance. I smiled, if we were having a party I wanted to dress up!
“Will sissy and brother come?”
Mommy shook her head, “It will be past their bedtime I’m afraid. They are too young to stay up for the party.”
I let Mommy dress me in the white fabric. It was loose and silky on my baby soft skin. Not long after she got my little brother and sister ready for bed, giving them a cup of tea before their tiny heads hit the pillows.
I waited in my room, watching the twins sleep as Mommy entered.
“Come to our party darling.”
I jumped out of bed. The twins weren’t invited but I was! This was a party I could go to! I couldn’t wait to play with the other kids!
We walked out into the common room where three strange men and a woman sat. Daddy talked as if they were friends.
“Ah, there she is!” Daddy stood and came to my side. He grabbed my hand and led me around the coffee table. I looked at him confused, Daddy never played with me.
“Wow, look at her eye,” a man with a slow accent said.
“Also, look at her beautiful, symmetrical face,” the woman with a thick accent, like the people around the villa, enthused.
“We don’t care about that, it’s the genetics inside,” a man responded in the same accent as the first.
Daddy told me to continue walking, he said it was some sort of parade. I kept placing one foot in front of the other, traveling around and around the furniture until I caught Mommy’s face.
“I’m hungry.”
“It’s almost time,” Daddy said.
Mommy took me to the kitchen where she had a cup of tea. I looked at the brown liquid and shook my head. Mommy pushed the cup closer and I yelled.
“You know Daddy doesn’t like fussing.”
Daddy was standing in the doorway, looking at me with stern eyes.
I swallowed my pride and took a small sip. The tea tasted stranger than usual. This time it tasted more off than it usually did.
“Drink more,” Daddy demanded.
“You must finish it.”
I looked at the cup. They never made any of us finish it. Daddy took a step towards me and I cringed. In a few gulps, I drank the tea, feeling my stomach flip.
Mommy grabbed my hand and walked me down the hallway where the guests were gathered. They watched me as I entered my room.
The twins were still asleep, unmoved. I laid in bed and watched as mommy left the door cracked.
“Door closed,” I tried to demand but felt the words die on my lips as sleep took me away.
My eyes cracked open slightly as someone moved me in bed.
“Mommy?” I wanted to ask but my voice wouldn’t amplify. A murmur came from the person moving me, a voice I didn’t recognize.
They lifted me into their arms, holding me close to their chest. The stale scent of cigarettes hit me and I knew it wasn’t Mommy or Daddy. I tried to move my legs, kick them as hard as I could, but as my voice had failed me earlier my limbs followed suite.
I could feel our walk down the stairs and through the small crack in my eyes I noticed the world blur around me as we moved.
“Open the trunk,” the voice echoed in the chest holding me close. The familiar sound hit my ears, making me uncomfortable.
They laid me in the trunk and closed the lid with a loud bang. I could feel the vibrations of the car as we moved through the town. Even though I couldn’t move or speak, I could hear a man and woman talking in the car, the same man and woman I saw earlier in the villa at our party.
The car stopped and they opened the trunk. The woman cooed over me, saying I looked like a perfect angel. Again I was placed in someone’s arms, my head bobbing as they walked. The movement stopped. A coldness hit my body as if I was on a cold, hard surface.
The voice of the second man from the party meant my ears. He said I looked dead and the other two raised their voice. The world around me became quiet as I felt their eyes on me, observing.
“See, she’s breathing.”
“Barely, we can’t sacrifice and harvest if she’s dead.”
“Better do it now.”
“What if we skip this and go to the harvesting part?”
Fingers, nice and warm, were at my throat.
“Her pulse is faint.”
I could feel their footsteps shuffle around as they moved. Someone came close, their steps vibrating through my body. They picked me up and began moving once more.
“We can do it all at the warehouse. She’s four, she won’t last much longer.”
This time the car ride was a blur. I slipped in and out of sleep as the movement and isolation of the trunk lured me. Eventually, the car came to an abrupt stop and I was yanked out of the compartment. I could tell a different person was carrying me by the way they handled my small body.
This time they let me fall to the floor. My head hit a bit too hard and the blackness of my eyelids turned white.
As I came back into consciences I heard the whimpers of other kids. There was one to my left, a boy, he was begging. A girl was behind me wailing. In front, I could hear another boy sobbing.
I was not alone.
They bled out my body, took my blood for personal use.
I was not alone.
They cut open my stomach and took my organs.
I was not alone.
They opened my eyelid and removed my eye.
I was not alone.
They cut up my limbs.
I was not alone while the other kids watched their future before their eyes.
I left my body before I could feel pain, but I didn’t cross over until they laid me to rest. I watched as they took my unassembled and uncomplete juvenile body and placed it within a container. The group drove a few hours north of my parent's villa. Ensuring there were enough weights, they dropped me into the sea.
This was when someone came to help my soul cross. The soul walker told me everything would be fine, and it was.
A boy with blue eyes looks up at me, nothing but fear showing within. I put out my hand and smile.
“Who are you?”
“I am here to lead souls like you over.”
“You-you know what happened to me?”
“Yes,” I say with a kind smile, “because the same thing happened to me.”
The boy grabs my hand and we begin our journey.
“My parents, they were paid. I saw the man give my parents money.”
“Yes, mine were paid too.”
He stops walking and looks at me. “I don’t think I can ever forgive them.”
I close my eyes, putting my hands to my heart. “I have, they live knowing the truth while telling the world a lie. In a way, it kills them a bit more each time they are alone.” I look at him, a fire burning within. “Besides, when the truth comes out I know they will pay.”
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