"What's your name?" Alex asked, only momentarily glancing at her through the car mirror.
However, Sophia kept mute. She couldn't still get her head wrapped up around what was happening. Who was this man? And why did he spend so much money on a single slave?
These questions raced through Sophia's mind, and soon, all the memories of her experiences at the farm came flooding like a tidal wave. Suddenly, the world seemed to slow down, and Sophia kept looking left and right like she didn't understand what was going on.
That's right, she had been knocked out severally since the past few hours and still hadn't recovered from all the effects.
"Are you all right?" Alex asked, oblivious to everything going on in Sophia's head.
Sophia could only hear a faint murmur, followed by Alex's slow movements as her vision started becoming blurry. Furthermore, she shook her head, trying to snap out of it, but all to no avail.
"Can you hear me?" Alex asked again, worry etched over his voice, and soon his frustration grew.
What's wrong with this girl? She could at least answer one of my questions. Did I make a mistake buying her for all that money? She looks sick, is she fine?
These thoughts ran through Alex's mind, and he didn't know what to do. He just went through all that trouble, and the girl wouldn't even tell him her name.
Alex sighed. "I'm not gonna hurt you. Those people, they look like really bad people, and I wouldn't let them hurt you again." Alex said, his voice laced with emotions.
However, there was still no response from Sophia. She sat there in the back, shivering from the cold, and nursing the pain of her injuries.
Soon, everything seemed to return to normal, and all of Alex's questions flooded her brain like a tidal wave.
"Sophia." She said her voice barely above a whisper.
Alex raised an eyebrow. "So you can talk? Well, how convenient."
Tears streamed down Sophia's cheeks, as she watched Alex drive. Although she could tell that he was different, and had a kind aura, she still couldn't shake off the feeling that he was also going to use her to his advantage like every other master.
"I know you'll be wondering why I bought you at such an outrageous sum," Alex began, his voice gentle. "I'm not a bad person. I'm just trying to help."
Sophia's eyes lit up as she heard those words. "You'll set me free?" She asked, her voice emotional.
Alex smiled. "Free? That was quick," Alex said, "look, I just bought you for a hundred million dollars, there's no way I'd let you just run off on your own in the big city."
Sophia sighed. He was just like the others, who only cared about the money they spent to acquire the slaves, and not how the slaves felt about being sold.
"You said you were going to help me." She muttered.
Alex sighed. "Yeah, I said so, and I will. Look at the big city, there's no way I'd let you walk there alone because you don't know anyone, neither do you have a place to stay. It wouldn't be long before you get kidnapped again."
Sophia sighed. She knew Alex was right; there was no way she could last alone in the big city without having a place of her own and some money.
"Look, I need you to trust me, I'm all you've got right now," Alex said, his voice gentle.
Sophia stared at him, and all she could do was cry. Her instincts could tell her Alex was different, but she still had her doubts. Could I trust him? Would he set me free eventually?
Sophia kept asking herself questions, but she knew they were of no use. She was stuck with Alex, and whether she trusted him or not, she couldn't leave him unless he said so.
"Those people that sold you and the other girls, how do you know them?" Alex asked, parking the car by the road.
Sophia hesitated before finally speaking, "We don't; we usually just wake up there."
Alex raised an eyebrow. "Kidnap? How long have you been there?" He asked.
Sophia sighed, tears rolling down her cheeks as she recalled the traumatic event. "I've been there since I was a little girl." She replied.
Alex exhaled deeply. "I'm so sorry about that. Those people deserve to be taught a lesson for doing such horrific things to you." Alex said.
Sophia could only sob, as her memories flow through her mind. "I just want to be free." She sobbed.
"Hey hey," Alex said, his voice low and filled with emotions. "You don't have to cry; you're safe now. I wouldn't let anything or anyone hurt you ever again."
Sophia looked at him, and nodded, wiping the tears of her eyes. As they made it to the Uber that awaited them, Alex had to support Sophia because she could barely walk.
As they entered, Alex signaled for the driver to take off, and he did. "You're safe now, trust me," Alex whispered to Sophia.
"Where are we going?" Sophia asked as the environment around her seemed to be very unfamiliar and a bit disturbing.
"Welcome to the big city Sophia," Alex said, a smirk on his face.
Sophia's eyes widened in surprise as she stared out the window. The whole city was crawling with people, and although it was night, the place was very lively.
Sophia felt like she was in a new world, and everything seemed strange to her as the car drove around. The buildings were lit up with different lights she had never seen before, and there was a sweet smell flowing into her nostrils.
"What's that smell?" She asked, her voice low, and weak.
Alex raised an eyebrow, trying to pick up the scent she was speaking of. Lots of scents filled his nose, and he couldn't tell which one caught her attention.
"Which one? There are lots of scents in the air." Alex said, his voice polite.
"I... I'm sorry don't know what it is," Sophia stuttered.
"You know you don't have to apologize for everything thing. I want you to feel free around me." Alex said.
"Okay," Sophia said, a smile spreading across her face.
Sophia couldn't believe she was smiling. It had been a very long time since she smiled, and as she saw her reflection in the mirror, she admired how beautiful she looked with a smile, and hoped to always have one on her face.
Suddenly, as they passed by a hotdog stand, the scent filled her nose again, and she pointed quickly at it. "That... That thing there." Sophia said.
Alex's eyes narrowed, and they quickly picked up the hotdog cart. "Oh, that... It's called a whinny, but many people also call it a hotdog." Alex said. "You want one?"
Sophia raised an eyebrow, oblivious to what he meant by hotdog. "Dog?" She asked.
"You don't know what a dog is?" Alex asked surprise etched all over his face.
Although the word sounded familiar to Sophia, she still couldn't remember what it meant. "I'm sorry, I don't understand what you mean by dog." She said her voice barely above a whisper.
Alex chuckled. "It's fine," Alex said, quickly pulling out his phone and showing Sophia a video of him and his dog.
Sophia was intrigued by Alex's phone. She had seen the guards and the old lady at the farm use similar devices, but Alex's own looked more advanced.
"Wow... What is that creature? It's so cute." She said, very fascinated by the video.
"That's Troy, my dog," Alex said, his smile widening. "Don't be fooled by his good looks, he could be a handful sometimes.".
However, now that Sophia knew what a dog was, an even bigger question popped up in her mind. How can a hot dog smell so good?
It wasn't long before Alex noticed her silence, and realized what was happening.
"You know what... Just forget that I ever called it a hotdog." He said. "Just called it a whinny from now on."
Sophia nodded. "So what do you do with it?" She asked politely.
Alex couldn't believe it; Sophia seemed to be oblivious to many things in the big city; how was he supposed to show someone like this to his family?
"You eat it," Alex said a warm smile on his face.
As they approached another hotdog cart, Alex signaled for the car to stop. Alex got out of the car and came back with two hot whinnies in his hands.
"Here you go," Alex said, giving one of the whinnies to Sophia.
Sophia's mouth started watering instantly, and her stomach rumbled. She had forgotten how hungry she was. With a little bit of the hotdog, Sophia's eyes widened in surprise.
"It's... Good." She said.
Suddenly, Alex's phone rang, interrupting the moment. "Hello," Alex said, his voice etching with frustration.
"Where are you?" Her voice came to him from the device.
"I'm on my way, and I have the girl with me," Alex said, glancing at Sophia.
Sophia's eyes widened, lots of thoughts running through her mind. Who was he talking to? Is he planning on selling me again? What's going on? Why is his countenance suddenly this dark? Am I in danger?