'Cause now that they're gone, all i hear are the words that i needed to say'

                                 ~lewis capaldi

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•     Present day     •
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I squinted my eyes, trying to adjust to striking brightness that was seeping into the small room through the shattered window. Rubbing my eyes, I took in the surrounding, searching for familiarity.

My bed was missing, and so was my dishevelled table...and my broken closet.

Instead, my eyes landed on a handful of women, scattered around the corners. Where the fuck am I?

I tried to recollect the ingredients of last night. That's when all the memories rampaged like a movie reel, swirled back into my head. I could feel my heart lurching to my throat, my lips quivered as I whispered hastily, 'The file...Mr Scott...h-he sh-shot..Kali...' I trailed, an unknown feeling of longingness rushed over me.

"Kali!" calling at the top of my lungs. I frantically stood, keeping aside all the flooding emotions and began to search for just one particular face. The women in the room whimpered, covering themselves, unable to meet my eyes. "Kali!!" I yelled again, looking for a familiar pair of warm brown eyes.

Even if she would've been here, it was hard to believe, she would never sit here shivering in corners, she's too brave for that. But where is she? Is she..is s-she really dead?

"No. She can't be." I shook my head. But an insightful part of me still voiced for the opposite. Discounting the terrible thought, I roamed around the room, "Kali! Where a-" my screaming was trimmed off abruptly, as the door slammed open. A man bumpy man with a brown jacket in his mid 50's stromed inside.

"What's appenin' ere? Ye bloody, why ye shoutin', eh?" 1 he growled, shooting a furious glare at me. I might have made a slight correction in his behaviour, but right now is not the time.

"Where is she? Where did you kept her?" I asked, glowering my gaze at him.

He shot me a puzzled look. "Ey women, what are ye splittin'?" he spoke with a low chuckle and pointed at the rest of the women around, "I ain't kept any of em' for myself! Now ye sit ere' till the master calls, we ain't ave' any time." What master?

My eyes narrowing at him as I asked, raising my voice, "Who the fuck is this master?"

"Ey gal, ye ain't get to yell, I will- "

"I will do whatever it takes to find Kali, you better tell me wh- "

"Are you talking about that brunette, huh?" Slamming the door open, a teenage boy about my age, with a nasty smirk came into view. He walked closer with the two bulldozers of men sauntering behind him.

"Yes...that brunette is my best friend, and if I'm going right..you know where she is, don't you?" I asked out, raising a brow while resting my hands over my waist.

The smirk grew on face as he flipped his thumb, jestingly. In a blink, the men behind him sprung on either sides of me, taking hold of my wrists.

"Hey! What are you doing? Keep your paws off of me..." they clutched me harder as I tried to wriggle away. "Leave me you pig! urghh..."

The boy stepped forward, his eyes looked oddly familiar, like I've seen it somewhere before. "Now now, Miss" his expression dropped, revealing a cunning monstrous side which was yearning to come out behind a hoax facade, "you didn't get to know anything but, being a gentlemen, I'm going to tell where you're going to be in the next 2 hours. Actually wait..." he took a step, butting into my personal space, "how about showing you."

Grabbing my hair hard, he yanked them down, making me look in his eyes. I let out a sharp cry.

C'mon Thunder, you're stronger than this. This is not a time to feel weak.

I gulped, as flashes of Kali's whimpering figure whirled in front of my eyes. No. I need to find her and I will find her. Because hope, is a one hell of a bitch.

The boy doubled his forced, tugging my hair harder as I bowled over the floor. "Oh! and one more thing..." he turned, meeting my gaze, his eyes promising millions of misery for life as he spoke, "...she was, your best friend."

My breath hitched, the feeling, the metallic truth that my mind was trying so hard to ignore all this time, felt like a lightning.

I wanted him to be wrong, badly, but deep deep down I knew the visibly minimalistic chance of her survival. I could feel my stiffness as if the I was feverish, as if my blood turned into ice leaving my body frozen. My brain was smitten with anguished truth, but my heart, who was fighting all this while - convincing me that she is still alive - had lost the battle.

The men hauled me to a dull room, the only source of light was the striking tungsten halogen hanging on the ceiling. I could feel them forcing me to a creaking bed, tying my arms and legs, capturing them tight to either side of the bed. My brain was thudding, warning me, screaming to fight but my body was too numbed to comprehend.

I felt a ringing sting on my abdomen, a rubbered hand patting on spot. As if my subconscious slowly started to register rational thoughts, I contrived my eyes to open, steadily following the origin of the hand.

My brows knotted as a woman came into view, maroon red hair and raven tattoo embroidered all over her neck.

Sensing my bewilderment, she divulged the truth. "Depo shot" when I still didn't get, she explained further, "this is to make sure you don't get pregnant."

My eyes widens to the size of jupiter. Realisation hit me like a hard blow as I discerned her words, uninvited fluid slowly pooling in my eyes.

Oh really! what were you thinking then, tied up in bed for an aromatic massage?

I tried to slithered out, but the hold was too tight. She stretched her arm, holding a tube like instrument against my shoulder blade, laser light emitting out of it. Desperation rose in my chest, I could feel my body shivering despite of the sweat trickling down as my gaze boring into hers entreatingly, beseeching in front of her.

"Stay still." she commanded without any hint of disquiet. The woman jabbed the tube in and I winched as an electrifying pain shot through my veins.

This place is sick, I need to get out of here now.

Collecting my intangible strength, I managed to voice out but a clothed hand emerged, covering my nose, filling in the chloroform and drifting me into the inky darkness.

I squirmed, trying vanish into thin air as the light focuses on the stage. Fearing the perturbation, my eyes remain glued on the floor, not wanting to face the living monsters among the audience, 'the whole audience' I believe. Instead I shifted my gaze to the handful of girls standing beside me, I vaguely remembered a couple of them from the morning.

Their faces reciprocated my expressions, perhaps even worse as few were uncontrollably sobbing. Some of them covering themselves in spite of being dressed. Reluctantly, I stole glance from the audience. Well, that was quiet explainable as the demonic eyes raking their bodies with pure hungry lust.

The bidding started as the microphonic screeching of the anchor filled the hall. "Ladies and my lovely gentlemen, welcome to the 17th season of Bellaqueo!" the audience applaud with shrieking excitement as she added further, sequeling, "You all are present here, so I'm assuming you already know the rules, it's simple as making ramen" she continued, smirking mischievously as she gave a push to the first girl in the line, "Here goes the first belle, golden hair and blue eyes, perfect eye candy. Thirty five thousand US dollar, feel free to raise up!"

I could feel the heat of utter shame and disgust brimming in my eyes, how unaware I was with this unknown part of world. I wanted to laugh, the word belle means beauty, but here it clearly shows how people describes beauty.

Once a noble man said that 'an era will arrive, where human will sell his own specimen for profit' I think that has finally started.

"Thirty six!" a bulky man grunted from the first row.

"Forty"

"Forty five!" another shouted.

"Fifffttyy!" a man in his 60s yelled above his lungs.

After few seconds passed with silence, the same microphonic voice chimed, "Anyone? Okay, fifty it is then!" she spoke without a slight uneasiness, forcing the girl - who was ready to faint - in the arms of the smirking wrinkly old man.

My mind became clogged as countless thoughts passed in it, overcrowding my brain but nothing seems to register as I witness the sight in front of me.

This is no nightmare, Thunder and soon, you'll not be just witnessing but bargained.

My sweaty palms clutched the fabric tighter, creasing the blue dress that I was forced in. My mind became blurred as the bidding continued, the devilry ambience echoing in the room.

The terror amplifies as the number of girls on the stage slowly reduced.

"Now presenting our last belle, black hair honey eyes, forty thousand USD, men and women, raise up!"

Anxiety started flowing through my veins, there was hustling and whispering among the audience. Few seconds passed and I almost wanted to sing. A hopeful part of me wondering that if no one bid on me,will I be free then?

Yes Thunder, you'll be, because no one choose to waste their money on you, that's how much unwanted you are. You'll be left alone, like always.

Well, good thing then, isn't it?

"Forty one!" a man in his 40s spoke up, grinning vexatiously.

I shivered at the mere thought being with this man, my heart was beating rapidly and I could feel the loud thudding in my whole body. This will be my death.

"Forty five"

I looked up only to see a women smirking at me. What really? Not that I've anything against it, but the thought of woman degrading another woman was really harrowing.

"Fifty"

"Fifty five!"

A dreadful feeling engulfed me as more of the voices raised with the number of bidding. My heart was wrenching painfully, leaving my body heavy and numbed.

"Sixty five!"

"Seventy"

"Eighty!"

My eyes welled up as I held back my tears, tears of utter humiliation. The numbers were no more increasing in quinary, it was spiraling up in ten fold, promising a decade of blues, just like the dress.

"Ninety nine."

Oh why bother stopping at ninety nine? You could've completed a century.

Furrowing my brows, I gandered up to meet the dark onyx eyes which were offbeat to the rough green hair. Green is officially the creepiest color to me from now on.

He raised an eyebrow at my direction, a smirk playing on his pierced lips and the urge to wipe that off was extremely strong. The knots in my stomach grew tighter, almost physically painful.

After a deafening silence, a now disgustingly familiar voice boomed over the microphone. "Well would you look at that...anyone?"

Just give me a hammer and I'll make sure that this woman will not be able show her teeth again.

"Okay, so I'm guessing this is it then, in ninety nine thousand USD to Mr..."

"Yastrzhevsky. Dean Yastrzhevsky."

"Yeah, that. Congratulations!" she chirped, clapping her hands enthusiastically at my direction.

If I somehow managed to get out this shit, the first thing I'm gonna do is cut her into ninety nine pieces and sell it in the fucking zoo.

She vivaciously turned towards me and whispered while eagerly pushing me forward, "You're the highest bidding of the six weeks, isn't it great?"

Just give me the bloody hammer.

Taking hold of my wrist, she began to hurriedly tying a...is that bracelet? Maybe, she is not that evil, quiet impressive way of bidding farewell.

The green haired man forge ahead, ready to grab his winning. His eyes were smirking, giving a synopsis of all his devious plans swirling inside his rotted mind.

I shifted my gaze away, looking anxiously at the bracelet, hoping to find an endearing sentiment in that. The direness multiplied and the hall echoed with huge applause as I kept staring at the word written on the bracelet.

'SOLD.'

Yeah..let's clap for being sold.

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Heyyaaa!

Kill me please for updating so late ;))) but I swear I'll be updating more often now. The loads of assignments will never get overrr;) entry of the antagonist.

And Ik guys, the story maybe get a little cringy for some of you but this the truth, these kinds of acts actually happens to women or maybe even worse. So please bear with the storyyyy<3

Hugs to all the constant readers who have been supporting me since the starting, I would never be able do this without you, seriously. You all have no idea how much your thoughts meanss to me, they never fail to bring a smile on my face *hugs all of you cuz you're freaking amaaazinggg yay* <3

Stayyyy tuned!

Lovexyou. ❤️

*Curtsy*