The girls lined up back to back. Agradecida was at the front of the line and she carried 17 other children. Tommi still stood as the only male child with a wig on. "My feet fucking hurt."
"I'm hungry." Across the sidewalk on Etherstone Avenue. The trees were cut down and graves planted on either side. Agradecida looked at the car following, trudging and aiming a rifle at each child. A man yelled through a megaphone, "Do not runaway." he ordered. "We will shoot you little niggas."
"What if we do?" questioned a girl in the way back. She didn't want to be here. She was Thankful, like she was the real Thankful. She was a princess in Mexico. Her parents sat with the court—her parents also sold people and her.
Nevermind.
The only one in the group that didn't bitch was perfect Valentina. "You guys, my father is the mayor of Virginia. He can get us out of this and shut down the black market--"
"He's also a white man." told Tommi.
"Being white isn't wrong." shouted Valentina.
"Did you know during slavery that the chinese were bought and beat. Every face in the government is white. Did you know that Frida Kahlo had a painting of her but they destroyed it because they thought she was mocking the Mona Lisa? Why are you white?" fumed Agradecida.
"Because my dad is white?" she growled, "fuck you! You guys are racist assholes. And Mexicans should be grateful." Valentina turned her nose to the sky. "We let you guys back in America."
Agradecida holted, "What?"
"Technically, Mexicans come from a whole other country. You guys kept trying to take over America because your country is a shit feast." Exhorted Valentina.
"Will you shut the fuck up!" begged Dayshia in the middle.
"It's true, my dad told me. Mexicans can't live without money."
"Hey! Keep walking!" yelled the man in the car. "Why are we walking. And he answered with the megaphone, "We don't have room in the car. And it's funny."
Agradecida continued but a fire burned in her chest. Where does she get her thinking from? "also my daddy told me that Mexicans don't actually exist. They just don't want to be called niggers. He said they niggers with accents."
"Oh my God!" cried Tommi in the back.
"Can y'all shoot her?" Proposed Dayshia.
Jacqueline shook her head. She pulled her wrist to her lips and nipped at her skin. "What the fuck is your problem!" raged Nokomis. "It's true." Valentina shook her head approving of her father's word.
"I'm sorry you get raped a lot Val or Poppy or whatever." sighed Agradecida. "La Dama told me my name. It's Valentina Summers Growden."
"You're a growing bitch!" exploded Tommi. "Monica is so annoying."
"Who is Monica?" challenged a girl named Zara. She wore her hair in a ponytail and kept a blue bracelet on her right wrist. "That girl in the back."
"I'M A FUCKING BOY!"
"Why do you hang out with girls? Obviously, its girl's only." gloated Valentina. Tommi gritted his teeth, "I hope you die! I hope you eat shit and die!"
"I fucking hate you Valentina!" yelled Nokomis. "You're evil, vile, and ugly!"
"Agreed," said Agradecida under her breath.
"You guys are mad because I'm white, and it not my fault. But I will never be ashamed of being white. I didn't enslave your ancestors, they sold themselves."
"I'm fucking white!" asserted Tommi.
A round of a bullet was launched in the air. "Hey brats. Don't day anything until we make it to the depot."
The children shuddered, another little boy in front of Tommi named Willis but they called him Thankful Leah. "why does she call you a girl?" asked Willis. "you got your dick cut off? My dad did."
"What?" puzzled Tommi.
"Like some vampires broke into our house and cut his dick off."
"Why?" he blurted. "For nutrients."
Tommi's face contorted in disgust. "A vampire had sex with my dog."
"Ok..." he mumbled.
"So, the vampires were horny and they bit my grandma, her name is Willow. My name is Willis, what's yours?"
Dare he tell the truth? "Cassandra. My mom... wanted a girl but she didn't feel like changing names."
"Poor you. Hey, I named my dick Luke. You think that's cool?"
"Dude!"
"Lil' Luke Collins. I might make that my singer's name."
"You're naming yourself after your dick?"
"I guess..." shrugged Willis. "So, I was thinking, my ass needs a name--"
"Stop fucking talking to me!"
A girl behind Agradecida looked back. Her lips twisted in curiosity. "Hey." she called.
"What?" Agradecida said without looking. "What's your name?" she asked. "Thankful." she sighed. "do you know where we're going?"
"The auction."
"Auction?" she started to blink rapidly. An idea came to her, "How old are you?"
"Nine now."
"I'm seven. My name's Scarlett."
Agradecida wiggled her toes in her shoes. She looked at the car. For a moment, she thought of running into the darkness. She would carry everyone on a journey to freedom. Thankful! A freedom fighter. She would be like Frida or Harriet. What was stopping her? "Hey!" the megaphone blasted. "Quit scheming."
"Which one?" asked the driver.
"The daughter. Like the real one."
"Hold on," they grabbed the gun and sent a bullet into Agradecida's leg. Valentina screamed, "Don't shoot me!" she tugged at the chain connecting them as if trying to run. She took off pulling the rest of the children with her into the nothingness.
All around them was barren land and concrete. Tommi and Willis were dragged by Valentina. Dayshia's feet skipped across the land Nokomis pulled her chain in the opposite direction with a few others. "what the fuck!"
"How is she dragging us!" squealed Willis. Valentina trudged forward; they barely kept her back. "I don't wanna die!"
Agradecida dragged across the dirt. She tried to get to her feet but toppled forward. Dirt washed her face, "It must be magic!"
"she's white and human!" yelled Tommi. A bullet flew into the air. Pass Valentina's ear, she screamed and ran. "Oh my God!" Dayshia hit her nose in the dirt. What kind of magic was this. "Shoot the damn white girl!"
"I can't..." said the shooter. "She's worth like a thousand."
"Fuck all that. That's Growden's seed, shoot that bitch!"
Another bullet struck Valentina in the back of the head. The line stopped; the children took a moment to catch their breath. "What the hell was that?"
The shippers in the car drove onto the dirt. "Can we shoot them?"
"Nah, we took one. Tie them to the car and let's go. Before fat ass Dama starts screeching."