Immediately, Elena knew something was wrong. Her vision started to blur, her tongue felt fat and she couldn’t stand up. The other girls started to act weird too. They lay in a haze for the rest of the day, not able to move or do anything. Just lay there, thinking and worrying in a fog of confusion and nausea.
That was it, nothing else for the rest of the day and night and no one spoke to them.
That night, a few of the girls were grabbed while they were sleeping. All of the girls had passed out from sheer exhaustion and hunger. They woke up in the commotion and watched as three girls were dragged away. They were brought back an hour or so later. Disheveled and dirty.
They ran to the corners and cried and sobbed clutching their shirts, which were pulled up or off and in their arms, and their hair. Someone finally got out of one of them that they’d been raped by the men keeping them here.
That brought another round of hysteria from the rest of them and eventually someone came in and told them all to shut up or they’d get worse.
Elena couldn’t stop herself. She scooted over and hugged the girl close to her who’d been taken. She had a bloodied nose but otherwise wasn’t injured, well on her face anyway. She chanted over and over again that she had been a virgin. How could they do this to her? She was saving herself, it hurt, it hurt so badly, they wouldn’t stop.
Elena eventually shh’ed her and ran her hand down her hair to make her be quiet. She couldn’t listen to it anymore. The pain in her voice was choking her up and she couldn’t handle it. She rocked the girl until she fell asleep. She had to be no more than seventeen years old. She couldn’t think about the things they had done to those girls.
The next morning, Elena woke to devastating hunger pains, cotton mouth and a headache that stretched for miles. It’d been two days since she’d really eaten or drank anything. The girl from last night was laying on her, using her stomach as a pillow.
The men came back and got the same girls they’d taken last night and pulled them away screaming again. They didn’t see them again for the rest of the morning.
The biggest man she’d seen so far, whom she took to be the leader, came in and stopped in front of them. His 7/11 t-shirt had a hole ripped on the front pocket. His jeans were dirty and stained as were his scuffed boots. This must be the boss, Elena assumed, since he seemed to be the one throwing around all the orders, English and Spanish and who knew what else.
“Alright, ladies, up, up. I want you all to stand against the wall with your backs. Some gentleman are gonna come and take a look at you. Just be quiet and still, don’t try anything funny. And smile why don’t you? You never know who you might meet.” He was smiling condescendingly as he spoke and laughed as he walked out.
What was he talking about? Who would we be meeting? Why were men coming to look at us? Then Elena glanced around the room. All the girls were petite, no wedding band lines on their fingers, all seemed to be pretty enough under the circumstances. They’d gotten rid of the older ones and the ones that didn’t meet standards. Elena didn’t see herself as pretty but didn’t think she was hideous either.
Then it hit her like a ton of bricks. The answer she had been searching for since she was abducted from the bus stop. All these things combined and she’d bet anything she knew the answer. They are selling us. Human trafficking? Really? Seriously? Is this happening to me right now? Now it all made sense.
She couldn’t think, couldn’t process. She felt she might faint, then a new face stepped in to the room. This was one of them. He was choosing his prize now. It’d started already and Elena struggled to keep a grip. She hadn’t had time to prepare yet. He was eyeing all their bodies but looking none of them in the eyes.
“Her,” he finally said after what seemed like an eternity.
The clean shaved
That was it, nothing else for the rest of the day and night and no one spoke to them.
That night, a few of the girls were grabbed while they were sleeping. All of the girls had passed out from sheer exhaustion and hunger. They woke up in the commotion and watched as three girls were dragged away. They were brought back an hour or so later. Disheveled and dirty.
They ran to the corners and cried and sobbed clutching their shirts, which were pulled up or off and in their arms, and their hair. Someone finally got out of one of them that they’d been raped by the men keeping them here.
That brought another round of hysteria from the rest of them and eventually someone came in and told them all to shut up or they’d get worse.
Elena couldn’t stop herself. She scooted over and hugged the girl close to her who’d been taken. She had a bloodied nose but otherwise wasn’t injured, well on her face anyway. She chanted over and over again that she had been a virgin. How could they do this to her? She was saving herself, it hurt, it hurt so badly, they wouldn’t stop.
Elena eventually shh’ed her and ran her hand down her hair to make her be quiet. She couldn’t listen to it anymore. The pain in her voice was choking her up and she couldn’t handle it. She rocked the girl until she fell asleep. She had to be no more than seventeen years old. She couldn’t think about the things they had done to those girls.
The next morning, Elena woke to devastating hunger pains, cotton mouth and a headache that stretched for miles. It’d been two days since she’d really eaten or drank anything. The girl from last night was laying on her, using her stomach as a pillow.
The men came back and got the same girls they’d taken last night and pulled them away screaming again. They didn’t see them again for the rest of the morning.
The biggest man she’d seen so far, whom she took to be the leader, came in and stopped in front of them. His 7/11 t-shirt had a hole ripped on the front pocket. His jeans were dirty and stained as were his scuffed boots. This must be the boss, Elena assumed, since he seemed to be the one throwing around all the orders, English and Spanish and who knew what else.
“Alright, ladies, up, up. I want you all to stand against the wall with your backs. Some gentleman are gonna come and take a look at you. Just be quiet and still, don’t try anything funny. And smile why don’t you? You never know who you might meet.” He was smiling condescendingly as he spoke and laughed as he walked out.
What was he talking about? Who would we be meeting? Why were men coming to look at us? Then Elena glanced around the room. All the girls were petite, no wedding band lines on their fingers, all seemed to be pretty enough under the circumstances. They’d gotten rid of the older ones and the ones that didn’t meet standards. Elena didn’t see herself as pretty but didn’t think she was hideous either.
Then it hit her like a ton of bricks. The answer she had been searching for since she was abducted from the bus stop. All these things combined and she’d bet anything she knew the answer. They are selling us. Human trafficking? Really? Seriously? Is this happening to me right now? Now it all made sense.
She couldn’t think, couldn’t process. She felt she might faint, then a new face stepped in to the room. This was one of them. He was choosing his prize now. It’d started already and Elena struggled to keep a grip. She hadn’t had time to prepare yet. He was eyeing all their bodies but looking none of them in the eyes.
“Her,” he finally said after what seemed like an eternity.
The clean shaved