Meredith was one of those who frequently left the hostel before everyone else, because her provisions were always finished at exam time. It wasn't like her house was overflowing with food, but she knew there would be something, no matter how little she ate every day. She wouldn't go hungry with her mother at home… her little business of selling baby clothes could supply them with plenty to eat, and she might gain a few pounds before returning to school. She gazed down at her slender hands as she waited for the bus to halt in front of her house.
She sat there, her gorgeous face fixed on the road, wondering what would happen to Irene. What has become of the so-called Mercy? She hadn't even waited to find out what had happened to Irene before leaving early in the morning. She almost forgot to get off the bus because her mind was preoccupied with these ideas until the bus conductor announced her stop. Meredith quickly gathered herself and jumped off the bus, dragging her school luggage.
Their bustling street on the impoverished side of Paradise Road greeted her. She often chuckled when she remembered her street was named Paradise because they lived on the street's ugliest and poorest side. She promised herself she wouldn't think about how poor her family was right now as she pulled her bag down the dusty road created by the dry Harmattan that regularly occurred at the end of the year.
Zara, her younger sister, leaped on her and held her for a long period as soon as she came in front of the door. When she returned home, Zara was always happy, but give her two weeks and she would become the most annoying person she had ever seen. They were their widowed mother's only two daughters, and they looked exactly like her, except she was chubby and they were both skinny.
"It's time for you to tell me everything that happened at school." "And, of course, no more doing all the housework by myself," Zara exclaimed happily.
Her sister tugged her playfully into their clean home, which had a worn-out chair and an old wooden table in the center that was undoubtedly termite-infested, and she felt the weight of their bad condition fall on her shoulders. Her sister's smile, on the other hand, reminded her of why she enjoyed going home… the love at home. Zara, who was only two years her junior, and her were inseparable.
"But, where is Mum?"
"Meredith, my dear," her mother murmured warmly, and Meredith noticed her tired face and worn-out home clothes, and she knew she had been working.
They both hugged, and Meredith knew it would soon be time for her mother to vent to her, as she often did every year she came back from school. It was no news they were very poor and for a moment she wished she had stayed back in school.
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The room he was shoved into was cold and gloomy, but not too dark, and a man sat behind a seat, puffing out smoke from his lips. The cigarette was enormous, of the luxury variety designed for wealthy men such as the man he had been asked to meet. He sat down in front of the man, whose face was obscured from the light as he swirled around in his seat, with panic written across his face. They could have used force if they had chosen to, but the two big men had simply taken him gradually from his business building to meet their master without harming him. He had followed them because he knew he owed the man a lot of money, and his body shivered in anxiety as he sat there watching the man smoke.
What had he gotten himself into by financing his wife's lavish lifestyle? Mr Gib swallowed hard as he considered what words to use to explain himself to the dreadful guy behind the chair, but there were none. He was in big trouble, with no money and no one to save him from the Lords of Douglas City.
When the man dropped a knife on the big mahogany table, Mr Gib shivered as he saw the keen edge glittering in the darkness. Was the knife meant for him? Of course he was, sweat ran down his brow. He heard the man call out to a man, and a hefty-looking man stepped out from behind the door, gripped him tightly on the chair, and dragged his hands to the front of the table.
"Which of your fingers do you want me to keep, Mr. Gib?" He heard a calm, casual but menacing voice say
"None, please… it doesn't have to get to that point" Mr Gib replied.
But as he replied, the man drew one of his fingers forward and placed his knife on it. He sobbed, begged and promising anything to avoid being wounded.
"You cry like a little girl," the man joked as he moved his knife away from Mr Gib's fat gingers. "Does it have to get to that point?" You idiot! How long have you and your wife been living the lavish lives that my money has afforded you? "How long have you taken money from me without repaying it?"
"I…I," Mr Gib's murmured.
"Are you unable to speak anymore?" "Can you?" The man yelled and stuck the knife between Mr. Gib's fingers. He screamed, fearing his fingers had been chopped off. When he felt no pain, he opened his eyes to see the man staring at him with the most dreadful eyes he had ever seen.
"We both know you can't pay me back what you owe. So I'll give you an opportunity to make amends. I do not need your money. There are various options for repaying your debt."
He hurled a card at Mr. Gib's and he cautiously grabbed for it. He read the card's name, which said The Siren Home for Exclusive Members Only. He knew what it was about, but he had no notion what the man expected him to do with it
"These days, I've been attempting to keep my business low-key… and I haven't had enough girls to fill one of my homes. I'm sure you understand what I mean. You're not new to Douglas City, and you know what would happen if you told anyone what I'm telling you. You must find a means to supply two or three ladies to my home before you can consider your due paid."
"What?" Mr Gib's yelled in his thoughts, but he could not show his astonishment or doubts. How would he locate consenting girls to join this so-called home?
"And I don't want any kind of girl." I'm looking for young, virginal gals. Now, if you bring me anything else, I'll have all your fingers and possibly your beautiful wife's as well."
With that threat hanging in the air, the man dismissed him and escorted him out of the massive building, completely baffled as to how he was going to find any girl, let alone an innocent one. The only girls he knew who fit that description were his late brother's two daughters. He couldn't do it, he battled with these thoughts as he was shoved into a car and drove silently to his home. But after staring at his fingers while his heart pounded, he knew he had no choice but to devise a means to bring his brother's daughters to this so-called home.