In the elevator, Romola tried to remember all of Bukky's instructions.

Blank. That was the colour of her mind.

She leaned against the cool steel wall of the elevator. Her reflection's weave-on sprouted little tykes of hair. The sweetheart neckline of her dress was much lower. Perspiration marred a large part of her make up. She frowned. Had she been in another body, she would have sworn that the person who stared back at her was not Romola.

"Oh god." She whispered.

Her hands shook as she she brought them to her face, staring at them as though they were not hers. As if she wasn't really in her own skin. She wrapped her hand across her shoulders but that did not stop her chattering teeth. The chill was not from the cold air. It grew from somewhere inside her and stole air fro her nostrils.

The elevator stopped on the next floor. She stepped out and tried to regain her breath. She held the wall beside her, panting. She had to move but, while she shook like a catfish out of water, she could not move on such unstable legs. She leaned against the wall and half limped towards the end of the hallway. Her hand began to trace the swirly patterns on the wallpaper as she neared the room. She stopped at the large brass door, her eyes pinned to the number above the silver knocker. Was she at the right room? 306 or 406? What had the receptionist said? She would go back and ask.

The door opened and a tall bearded man appeared. She took a step backwards. Relief washed over her at the sight of his face. He was not one of the old lizards.

"Sorry, wrong room."

"Oh, no problem." He revealed his gapped tooth.

He stepped aside and a smallish woman peeked out. The woman's eyes travelled the length of Romola's body. It was the same look Olumide had in his eyes, but less furious.

"Daniel, who is this?"

"She lost her way."

The woman's eyes slit towards Romola's. "You cannot find your customer?"

"I'm not looking for a customer. I lost my way."

"Indeed." The woman hissed. "I don't know why you women think it's okay to be knocking on people's door to snatch people's boyfriends."

"I'm not-" Romola cut herself short. Nothing she said would convince the woman otherwise. She smiled at the man. Maybe the woman deserved to be irritated. "Thank you very much Daniel."

She scrambled back to the elevator, pressing the buttons and hoping the elevator would arrive before the woman stopped arguing with Daniel and dived at her throat. The elevator door opened and she stumble in, pressing the button to the next floor consistently. The doors shut then she threw herself to the elevator floor.

Did the woman really think she was a prostitute? A cheap lying prostitute, like Olumide had said. Did they even care to know her side of the story? Her teeth clamped shut as she closed her eyes. She could avoid seeing her reflection but she could not wipe away Olumide's accusation or the woman judgement.

"No. no. no!" she screamed, pushing herself to her feet as the elevator slowed to a stop. The door opened and she stumbled out, nearly knocking over a little girl. The girl backed away from her.

"I'm so sorry." Romola reached for the girl's arm but stopped, before she would infect the girl.

The girl twisted away and pain slashed her heart into small chunks. Children used to adore her. The children at the dance group had treated her like she was an angel but this child stared at her like she was the very devil.

"I'm sorry," Romola muttered, head bent. She hit her hips against the elevator door and swore before hurrying towards room 406.

Her legs seemed to be in a better mood to cooperate but all of Bukky's lessons were muddled in with the thoughts that had plagued her since she saw Olumide. She was not the girl in the photos. She was not a prostitute. She was nothing like Bukky. But did she really believe these things? She was about to do the very thing that her mother warned against but it was to protect the one thing her mother wanted. She stopped at room 406 and tried to swallow her sobs but her tears streamed down her skin. She could not wipe them away fast enough. Her shivering worsened. she couldn't even clench her hands to knock on the door.

"Where is this stupid girl?" She heard one of the men groan from inside. His voice struck fear to the depth of her being

"She will come. Soon."

"When? Shouldn't we just call one of the other girls?"

"No." The third man barked. "Those girls don't fear us any more. This one has something to lose."

Fear. That was it.

She feared these men. She feared what she was about to do to her body. She couldn't go in as a bumbling mess. They wouldn't look at her. She bit her lips to stop a cry. The metallic taste of blood sipped unto her tongue.

She stuck her hand into her cleavage and pulled out the pill. It was just one drug. And it would make everything easier. it would help separate her mind from her body. It couldn't be that bad.

She brought the pill to her mouth.