'Oh, this is nice' I thought I was in a pitch-black room but I felt weightless. The long-awaited silence was calming. I never once had such a peaceful dream where there existed no father or sister to abuse me, just pure silence. It felt like a calmness that I had yearned for since I was four when everything went wrong and the abuse started. If I could stay here forever how nice would that be? I had this thought as I peacefully spent my time in that wonderful stillness devoid of any pain.
I forgot how long I went on like this, but when I finally opened my eyes a blinding light made my eyes throb so I resorted to squinting.
My body felt immensely weak like it was run over by a boulder. I groaned and licked my dry chapped lips, I weakly held up my hand and stared at it, 'I was alive?' That one action drained all my strength and my hand once again fell limply on the soft bed beneath me.
"I see you are awake," I didn't have to look to know that it was that woman, but I didn't have the strength to grind my teeth in hatred or throw curses like I would have "Someone, help her up and give her some oatmeal to drink,"
I didn't move, I just stared at the ceiling accepting my misfortune. A maid came and helped me sit up while another brought a spoon to my mouth. I didn't open my mouth and stared at the spoon in front of me.
"Open your mouth, eat it," The woman's voice rang in my ears, 'her voice is so irritating, I'm tired of hearing it' I had this silent thought. I opened my mouth and allowed the spoon to enter my mouth with no resistance. I swallowed the tasteless food spoon after spoon until I emptied the bowl.
"Obedient girl," The woman smiled, I remained silent and stared off into space "What are those marks on your body?"
"Cigars," I replied robotically
"Gosh, how could you get your body tarnished? That damn fool Barnes fooled me. Lily bring that medicine and put it on her." I perked my ears up when she said Barnes, but somehow I didn't bite my lip in anger, which surprised me. Lily came back over with a small tub of a lotion-like substance and slathered it over all my red circular bruises.
"Who did it?"
"Father,"
"I see, this medicine will remove all the marks, I'm not doing this for you, I'm doing this because your value will lower if you have so many marks, understand?"
"Yes,"
"Are these whip marks also from your father,"
"And family, sister, especially,"
"Ok, I'll train you personally until you're ready to serve men, understand?"
"Yes,"
"Good, get some rest, in a few years the scars will fade," Saying so, she left the room, shutting and locking the door behind her, leaving the maid called Lily behind.
Days, weeks and months passed by me sleeping and eating and maids working on my beauty care. They would apply a cream, bathe me, give me occasional massages. They washed my hair and combed it every day. I showed no resistance, but I also didn't feel any comfort, I just let them do as they wished while I lay there limp.
Over the months I gained more weight, and I filled out in all the right areas. My complexion had turned a rosy pink. My hair was silky soft and my skin was softer and suppler, my long nails had a light rosy sheen. My jewelled eyes shone a deep blue, but deep inside they had lost their life.
Apart from the daily grooming, I did regular exercises. The woman would come and teach me proper etiquette of a woman and on the female and male anatomy and I was told how to please men and techniques. The days melded together, and I felt just like a puppet; living yet, not living. Just like that, in a blur, five years had passed, and I was sixteen.
I was sitting looking out a window and Lily was behind me brushing my long silky smooth hair that lightly grazed the wooden floor. The door clicked open and I could tell it was the woman who walked in. Her footsteps were light, but she walked with a limp. Over the time in that cellar my sense of hearing, sight, touch, smell and even taste became more sensitive and acute, it was probably because my sight was rendered useless in that cellar, that was until my eyes got used to the darkness and I could make out foggy shapes until I could see clearly in the dark.
"You'll be serving your first customers tonight, it would do you good if you acted more enthusiastically," I didn't reply and just stared at the blackbird perched on the pear tree outside.
"If you don't rack in a lot of money, I'll make your life a living hell,"
"I understand," I muttered blandly, I didn't look back to see her face merely gazing with a dead look at the bird.
"Sleep until it's time to get ready,"
"Yes,"
I walked to my bed and laid down, closing my eyes to sleep. When night fell Lily gave me a bath scrubbing me thoroughly from top to bottom. Lily left my hair open, allowing it to flow freely to the ground. She then put me in a thin flowing red dress that flowed down to my knees, there were two slits that ran up either side of my legs to just below my hips leaving the rest to the imagination. The dress had a V-neck, but it was just low enough that it only revealed a small portion of my cleavage.
Knowing that woman she wished to entice men by using the element of imagination. Lily placed a thin red veil over my face. She adorned me with gold bangles that jingled at each movement, similarly; I had on soleless golden shoes with red and blue jewels on them.
Satisfied by my appearance, Lily led me out and downstairs in the reception area. There were many prostitutes who were mingling, dragging various men to their respective rooms. I thought she would send me there, but Lily led me to a pure white couch and indicated for me to sit down, so I did. Dissatisfied at the way I was sitting Lily told me to sit in a more seductive position so I threw my legs on the couch and laid on my side holding my head up with my hand. The slits on my dress fell to the side, revealing more of my long slender legs.
I sat on the white couch quietly and didn't say a word, I noticed the rest of the prostitutes glaring at me hatefully but I ignored them I wasn't interested in jealous bitches, if they wanted to take my position I would gladly hand it over and run away as far as possible, they only look at the surface and didn't truly understand the price for the 'pampering' they so desired.
Many men came to take a prostitute, paying at the front desk and proceeding to a room. Some men came in groups sharing one woman or multiple women, and some men took multiple women to enjoy by themselves.
I saw a few men walk over to me trying to grab me and pull me away with them, but Lily stopped them.
"I'm sorry men, but if you want to enjoy this lady here, auction on her, the highest bidder will get an hour," Lily stated loudly enough for the whole Prostitution house to hear which was quite a feat to achieve. Hearing the commotion more and more people came to see what all the excitement was about.
"What! Only an hour!!" A man dressed in white angrily shouted.
"Yes, I agree an hour is too short also who's to say you aren't trying to rip us off when you won't even reveal her face!" another man retorted angrily
'Hmm, these drunkards have some sense,' I thought, looking at my nails as I listened to their dispute.