Given away
1019 Words
Rain poured down, turning the sky gray. Ella and her mother walked on, sharing a small umbrella. Their shoes were soaked, and the cold bit through their clothes, but they kept going. Hand in hand, step by step.
"Mom, where are we going?" Ella asked again. This was the third time.
Can you stop asking me that, Ella!" her mother snapped. "You'll see when we get there.
Ella pouted, thinking about her late father. How gentle he had been, never raising his voice. How different he was from her mother. A small pang of longing hit her chest.
Finally, her mother stopped. "We are here," she said, glancing around the empty place before reaching for her phone. Ella could see the tension in her shoulders, the tight press of her lips.
She couldn't hear everything, but she knew it was serious.
"Yes, ma'am. We are there," her mother said into the phone. "She is with me. I hope you won't go back on your word." She hung up and looked at Ella.
"Mom... what's going on?" Ella asked softly.
Ella, Mommy has something to do. I'll leave you with someone until I come back," her mother said gently.
But Mom, why can't I go with you?" Ella clung tighter, fear knotting in her chest.
Children aren't allowed there," her mother said firmly.
Tears mixed with the rain. "I don't want to leave you! Please, Mom!"
Her mother's face twisted. "Why are you such a pest! Your father died because of you, ungrateful..." She shook her head. "Just go when I say!"
"No, Mom, please!" Ella cried, reaching out. She was pushed back. "Cooperate with them, or they'll kill you," her mother warned.
A car roared past and screeched to a stop. Two huge men stepped out, casting shadows over them. Ella's stomach churned. Her heart raced.
"Is this the girl?" the first man asked.
"Yes," her mother said. "But where is madam?"
"Madam sent us. You can call to confirm," the second man said.
"How old is she again?"
"She's ten," her mother replied quickly.
"Any health issues?"
"No, she's fine. You can check yourself. I told madam everything!" her mother snapped.
"You sound like you want to change your mind," the first man said.
Her mother hesitated. Then she forced herself: "No, no, it's okay. Madam should have given you something for me."
The second man handed her a bag. Ella's stomach dropped. She was being sold.
"Can we go?" the man asked.
"Of course," her mother said, forcing a smile.
One of the men reached for Ella. She clung to her mother. "Mom, please! I'll do anything!"
"I'm not your mother," she said through gritted teeth. "You need to go with them. You'll have a good life."
"No, I don't want that!" Ella cried.
Her mother sighed. "Take her away."
Ella was lifted into the car. She pressed her face to the window, screaming, "Mom, please don't leave me!" The rain blurred her vision as the car drove away.
"Keep quiet, or I'll cut your tongue off," one man growled. Terror took her, and sleep finally claimed her.
---
Hours later, she woke, disoriented. The car had stopped.
"Yes, ma'am, we got the girl," one of the men said into the phone. "On our way to the Raffons."
A grand mansion appeared. Mrs. Raffon greeted Ella warmly. "What's your name, little girl?"
"Ella," she whispered.
"This will be your new home," Mrs. Raffon said with a smile. Her warmth wrapped around Ella like a soft blanket.
Despite being only ten, Ella adapted. The Raffons treated her like their own. They sent her to the best school and made sure she wanted for nothing. But inside, she still missed the life she had lost.
Eight years passed peacefully until one day, on her way home from school, kidnappers struck. Handkerchiefs covered their mouths, and they were forced into a van. Screeching tires drowned out their cries.
"Where are we?" Ella groaned.
"I think we were kidnapped," one girl whispered.
The van drove to a secluded location, then onto a plane. They were taken to a foreign land and separated into dark cells. Ella met only one other girl. Their eyes locked silently, both understanding the cruel fate that awaited them.
Ella huddled in the corner, shivering despite the thin blanket they had given her. The air was thick with fear, the metallic scent of the place mingling with sweat and despair. Every scream from the other cells made her flinch, every footstep on the cold concrete floor sent her heart racing. She hugged her knees, silently praying for a miracle she didn't know would come.
"Stay quiet," the other girl whispered again, her eyes darting nervously at the heavy doors. "They're always watching. One wrong move..." She didn't finish the sentence, but Ella knew exactly what it meant.
Ella's heart raced. "What if I try to run?"
"You'll wish you hadn't," the girl said grimly.
Days turned to nights filled with meager rations, lashings, and tears. Each morning, they were forced into work, mistakes punished. Ella wept every night, her sobs echoing on the cold floor.
Finally, the dreaded auction day arrived. The sound of chains rattling echoed through the hall. The auction was about to begin. Ella's stomach twisted into knots. She had seen the other girls being paraded, and she understood the unspoken horror that awaited them. Her hands shook as she tried to steady her breathing. She thought of the Raffons, of the rare warmth of safety and care she had once known.
For the first time since her step mother's betrayal, a fire sparked within her. She didn't want to be a victim. She didn't want to disappear into this darkness.
Ella had seen other girls from previous batches being taken away-and never returning. Some of the men would try to take advantage of the girls, often telling them that if they wanted to live a good life with their master, they must always be obedient. No one knew what the girls were sold as, and the uncertainty made her stomach twist with fear.
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