As she walked down the hallways, Amelia felt the weight of each step in the heels, trying to keep her balance and get used to the new way her body moved, without breaking an ankle. Each movement was a constant reminder of her transformation, a struggle to adapt to her new reality. The gazes of other girls in the same situation made her feel less alone, but not less terrified. Their faces reflected a mix of resignation and hopelessness, a mirror of what awaited her if she couldn't adapt.
"How did they end up here?" Amelia wondered, trying to imagine their stories. "Are they as lost as I am?"
When she reached the study room, she paused for a moment before entering, taking a deep breath to calm herself. The room was equipped with several workstations and computers, each with a specific study program. Some girls were already there, absorbed in their lessons. Amelia approached an empty workstation and sat down, trying to ignore the trembling in her hands as she turned on the computer.
"Sorry, that's my spot," corrected one of the young women she had passed in the hallway. "Not that I care much, but each computer is loaded with the most suitable courses for each of us. What's your room number?"
Amelia thought for a moment, trying to remember the number on her door. She was sure how to get there and which was her door, but she hadn't paid attention to the number.
"Would you believe me if I told you I don't remember? I woke up today turned into a woman and forced into prostitution, so I didn't think the door number mattered. My name is Ro… Sorry, my name is Amelia."
For a moment, the young woman's eyes reflected pity. She was a young woman with light brown skin, with straight black hair cascading down to her shoulders. Her large, dark eyes showed a mix of compassion and resignation.
"My name is Lucia. I've been here for two months and a bit. Let me show you," Lucia approached a board and looked at the distribution. "Your number is six. The one right next to mine, so your room must be across from it."
"Thank you, Lucia," Amelia said, including her companion's name in an effort to remember it. "Were you also a man?" She added, looking at her. She was attractive too. It seemed the worms didn't do a bad job.
Lucia nodded, her expression turning somber.
"We all were," she replied with resignation, and her gaze seemed lost. Lucia had a slender and well-proportioned figure, with soft and elegant curves. "And yes, eventually, you will like men," she added, seeing Amelia struggle to find the words to ask without sounding rude.
Amelia sighed at hearing that.
"I hadn't asked yet, though I intended to. It seems so complicated to imagine liking men, but I wouldn't have believed I'd become a woman either," she concluded as she pressed the button to turn on the computer.
The screen lit up and displayed the study plan. It included a mix of topics ranging from social etiquette and conversation to personal finance and seduction techniques. Amelia felt a mixture of revulsion and curiosity as she navigated through the program. If she had to learn all this to survive, she would. She had no other choice.
"This is surreal," she thought as she scrolled through the options on the screen. "From an economist to… this. What has happened to my life?"
She was about to choose the first lesson on seduction techniques when four guards appeared, pushing a cart. Amelia looked up, both curious and nervous. The guards began distributing food trays, placing them on the girls' desks.
"Meals are served at the scheduled times. Sit down and eat," one of the guards said with an authoritative voice, not looking at her directly.
Amelia took the tray they handed her and placed it in front of her. The food seemed nutritious and carefully prepared, but just knowing that everything was calculated to keep them in perfect physical condition made her uncomfortable. She started eating slowly, her mind still absorbed in the lessons she needed to learn.
As she ate, she observed her companions. Some ate in silence, others chatted in low voices. Lucia was sitting nearby, immersed in a lesson on social etiquette. Amelia thought about what Lucia had said: "And yes, eventually, you will like men." The idea remained overwhelming.
"Will I really get used to this?" she wondered, chewing slowly. "Will I ever be able to accept this reality and find a way to live with it?"
Her thoughts drifted towards her four friends. "Where are they now?" she wondered. She knew they would be sold to a trafficking ring. "Could they be part of this place? Or somewhere even worse? Have they already been moved?"
The meal ended quickly, and the guards began collecting the trays. Amelia looked at her computer screen once more, deciding to exit seduction techniques. The list of lessons appeared again, waiting to be selected. With a sigh, she chose the personal finance lesson. If she had to survive here, she at least wanted to hold onto something from her old life, something that reminded her of who she had been before all this madness.
"This won't defeat me," she told herself, starting the lesson. "No matter how long it takes, I will find a way to move forward."
As the meal ended, two of the young women got up from their desks. Amelia looked around the study room and, counting herself, there were four of them. With the two who left, that made six. She had seen ten rooms, so perhaps her four friends were confined in the remaining rooms.
Amelia noticed the other two young women. They were also beautiful and had sculpted bodies, like the two who had quickly left. She turned her gaze back to Lucia, who was focused on her lesson on "Dining Protocol in Hesperia."
"Do you do anything for fun?" Amelia asked, trying to gather more information from Lucia.
Lucia looked up from her screen, her dark eyes showing a mix of exhaustion and resignation.
"You see, you have six months. If in six months you don't secure a partner, lover, or husband, you'll be sold to a trafficking ring and then you'll only have a lifetime of working as a prostitute. If you try to escape and get caught, the same fate awaits you. Study, that's my best advice, and be compliant with the clients."
Amelia looked at her with a hint of pity. It felt like talking to someone who was already dead inside. She wasn't going to settle for being a sex toy for one, several, or many men. She hadn't studied so hard for so many years just to throw her life away now. Inmaculada's intention wasn't to create prostitutes but to expand her network of contacts. She just needed to choose the right client and give herself fully.
"This can't be all that awaits me," Amelia thought, feeling a mix of determination and desperation. "I have to find a way out of this."
In Amelia's mind, everything seemed simple, but it wasn't. Lucia had already been humiliated by ruthless businessmen. It was very difficult to find a good man as a prostitute; for Lucia, it all seemed like a trap to give her best performance for six months and then be discarded.
"How do you bear it?" Amelia asked quietly, trying not to sound too desperate.
Lucia sighed, her gaze drifting to a distant point.
"It's hard. In the seventy-two days I've been here, I've been with twelve different men. They all fucked me and sent me back. I've never had a second date with any of them." Lucia paused, her eyes welling with tears she held back. "You realize that, to them, we're just a product. Something they can use and discard whenever they want."
Amelia felt a lump in her throat. The reality of her situation was more terrifying than she had imagined. The determination she had felt earlier began to fade, replaced by a growing sense of helplessness.
"Have you ever thought about… giving up?" Amelia asked, not sure if she wanted to hear the answer.
Lucia shook her head slowly.
"No. Because giving up would mean accepting an even worse fate. I'd rather keep fighting, even if it's pointless." Her voice softened, almost inaudible. "I don't want to be sold to a trafficking ring. At least here I have a chance, no matter how small."
Amelia nodded, understanding Lucia's dilemma. Both were trapped in a cruel game, where the rules were designed to keep them in a constant state of submission and despair.
"Thank you for telling me, Lucia," Amelia said, trying to show some gratitude. "I'll do what I can to survive here. I won't give up."
Lucia gave her a sad smile, a gesture that didn't reach her eyes.
"I hope so, Amelia. I really hope so."
Amelia turned her attention back to the computer screen to continue the personal finance lesson. The studies weren't complicated, but to her surprise, the personal finance lesson was about managing a household with servants, how to best handle money to have the most impressive and well-presented home for visitors. The course offered a wealth of information, including types of contracts for household staff in various countries. She wondered why this strange combination of countries. Hesperia made sense, as it was where they were, but the other country seemed very strange: Suryavanti, if she remembered correctly, was an eastern country with a dictatorial regime.
"Why is there legislation and customs from Suryavanti?" Amelia asked Lucia, puzzled.
Lucia looked at Amelia's monitor and seemed to feel a bit of envy.
"It's usually just Hesperia. If another country shows up, it's because a client is very interested in you and is from that country or has business there. Don't get your hopes up too much, though. For me, it was a Russian client. I still remember his treatment; it was the worst. I had a week to prepare myself on his culture. He didn't even take me to a nice restaurant; he just took me to his house and tortured me for hours. After he was done, he sent me back," Lucia's eyes seemed terrified as she recalled the encounter. "When they took me to Inmaculada to tell her…"
"When was this? His name wouldn't happen to be Vladislav Popov, would it?" Amelia remembered a prominent Russian businessman who had gone missing just over a month ago.
"It must have been five or six weeks ago. Yes, that was his name. Why?" Lucia asked, surprised by Amelia's guess.
"Well, I'm afraid he's now one of us or has even been sold to a trafficking ring. That Russian disappeared shortly before I was abducted. Maybe about fifteen days before. It was a diplomatic incident, and I'm not sure if there have been any developments."
Both thought of Inmaculada's words: "I would love to be your friend." If someone messed with the friends of someone with this kind of power, couldn't it be possible that she would seek revenge in this way?
Amelia remained silent, processing the information. Inmaculada held power that went beyond what they could imagine. Transforming a businessman into a woman and possibly selling him as a prostitute was a brutal and ruthless form of revenge.
"This is worse than I imagined," Amelia murmured, more to herself than to Lucia.
Lucia nodded slowly, her eyes reflecting a mix of fear and understanding.
"Yes, it is. There are no rules here, Amelia. Only survival." Lucia leaned forward, whispering, "We have to find a way to get out of here."
Amelia nodded, her mind already working on possible plans. She knew it wouldn't be easy, but if Vladislav Popov had been captured and transformed, no one was safe. The only option was to find a way to escape and expose what was happening.
"We have to be careful," Amelia said, looking around to make sure no one else was listening. "We don't know who we can trust."
Lucia nodded again, her face serious.
"I know. But we can't do it alone. We'll need help."
The two girls looked at each other, a silent understanding passing between them. They weren't alone in this fight, and together they might have a chance to change their fate.
Amelia turned her gaze back to her computer screen. The lesson on personal finance was still waiting, but now she had a new purpose. She would learn everything she could, even about that country called Suryavanti, to become indispensable to that eastern client and find a way to escape from this nightmare. No matter how long it took, she wouldn't give up.
"This won't defeat me," she told herself, resuming the lesson. "No matter how long it takes, I will find a way to get through this. Hopefully, this man will help, and if I succeed, I'll try to get Lucia out too."
With renewed determination, Amelia immersed herself in her studies, knowing that each lesson brought her one step closer to freedom.