Her heart raced as she heard the door to the bedroom open and closed. Thoughts were running through her head like water under the bridge. She wasn't sure what to do. Her nostrils were filled with the fragrance of his cologne, which was increasing until she felt the hairs on her arms rise.
"Your aunt said you didn't go to the store today. Did you forget what I said about your disobedience?"
"Uncle, I..." She started, but then took a deep breath.
He gripped her arms. A tremor ran through her body as her eyes narrowed with pain and fear. He pulled her with strength, causing her to stumble against him. She knew what he was going to do to her.
"Please, uncle. I'm sorry." Her voice was soft, her eyes pleading.
"No, you're not. I'll make sure I teach you a lesson you won't forget for a long time." The end of his sentence was hard and cruel, a coldness in his tone as if he were going to crush her in a few seconds.
The next moment she was sobbing uncontrollably, the tears pouring down her cheeks. He had lost his hand on her face and it hurt like hell, she was sure of it. She stared up at him, her face in her hands, begging for mercy, but his eyes glowed with fury. She felt her body grow numb as she lay there on the floor, breathing slowly and shallowly. Her leg throbbed, but she could not move it and she did not know if it was broken or if he had broken it. Her heart began to pound harder and harder as she sat there. She closed her eyes for a moment to think, but her mind refused to cooperate. Finally, he was done and he began to drag her from the room as they passed through the doorway that led to the familiar dark room. The bright light from the flashlight blinded her as she stumbled across the floor. The pain from her leg sent sharp waves of agony through her body. He pushed her in and slammed the door.
"This time, you won't be coming out until morning!" He yelled at her through the door, causing her to almost sit up and scream through her broken jaw.
Then he spun around on his heels and stomped off.
"Please... don't leave me here. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, uncle. Someone please help me!" Weeping, she crawled across the wet floor trying to reach the door but it was too far away to grab. It was nearly an hour later that Lilian lost consciousness.
That night, Lilian awoke to the sound of heavy steps. She groaned and attempted to open her eyes but was too weak and exhausted to do it. The footsteps became louder and eventually entered the room. With weak eyesight, she attempted to look up but when she looked up she saw several men dressed in black suits. One grabbed her and pulled her up off the floor. She became more aware of the searing pain in her arms and legs.
"Where are you taking me?" Lilian cried out in shock and fear.
With clenched teeth, she pleaded, but no one responded. A sudden burst of light shot over the tops of the closed doors, like the rage of an angry sun but was more blinding than warm. When it faded, she felt her body being dragged through the doors.
"Aunt?" She looked up at the men who were taking her away. Her aunt was standing on the steps.
"Get into the car, Lilian." She ordered.
"Where are we going, aunt? I'm in pain." Lilian felt like she was sinking into a warm bath of coldness.
"Get in there and stop questioning me!"
One of the hefty men in a black suit pulled Lilian into the back seat of the limo. They sat in silence the entire ride. When they arrived at their destination, an exotic club in the city, Liliana began to fear that she would be forced to do something she didn't want to. She closed her eyes and prayed to herself to remain calm. Once she opened her eyes she watched the blurry club's lights. She was ordered to drink a shot of liquor. Her throat was so dry she could barely breathe. Another man shoved her up against the wall, she felt his heat. But another stopped him from assaulting her. Her aunt just stood in one corner and watched.
"The boss will see you now."
A tall man dressed in a uniform escorted Lilian and her aunt to a fancy elevator. He punched in a button for a floor number but never opened the doors. Instead, he punched in another button and the elevator began to move, which took them to a different floor to get cleaned up. Her aunt began to strip her off her clothes, not minding the pain Lilian was in at that moment.
"This is for your uncle. Make sure you behave yourself and do everything he asks you to do. If you don't, well, we both know you won't see daylight again."
"I don't understand, aunt."
"What don't you understand, huh?" She fumed. "Are you a baby? When you get to the man's room, you'll have sex with him, and we'll get the money for your uncle's operation." She was uncaring in how she said it.
Her expression was harsh, but Lilian supposed that was normal. A cold truth settled in her mind.
"No, aunt, I don't want to, please. I'm just too young to be doing such things with a man, please don't make me do such things. Aunt please..."
With tears streaming down Lilian's eyes, she pleaded, her voice cracking in horror and fear, but sadly, her aunt never noticed.
"Please, aunt, please, I don't want to go in there. I can't do this with a man now, and he's even a stranger."
"Then you want your uncle to die, and his business that feeds you to crumble? Is that what you want?" With these words, a wave of great anger infused her every word, and she lashed out with both arms, thrusting at Lilian.
