Just two days after her twentieth birthday, Haven woke up to find herself in a completely different world; an utterly different reality.
It was a Monday morning, the sun perched up high in the sky pouring its bright light on the earth. Haven stirred in her bed, a soft yawn escaping her small mouth.
She could subtly feel the aftermath of all the hard labor she had endured the previous day just to make ends meet.
Her long lashes slowly flickered open, her vision leaning back to focus. Her once hazy mind twinkled with new light and a small sense of realization dawned upon her and she blinked.
Unfamiliarity gushed through her throat as she sputtered, "Where am I?"
It was a very ridiculous question that sent a wave of alarm shooting right above her spine and she kicked her feet off the bed the next second. The soles of her feet touched the cool marble floor, a luxury she wasn't used to.
Her emerald green eyes surveyed the room, her pulse quickening at the growing unfamiliarity. This was not her room!
In an instant her mind replayed the previous night's events trying to put two and two together.
"Last night...Father and mother had..." Her voice trailed off all of a sudden, confusion pricking her conscience. The previous night had been one of a kind for Haven.
After all, her parents had been for once, nice.
'Haven my dear, I'm so sorry we forgot your birthday two days ago. I cooked this dinner as an apology for you my dear '
Her mother's words last night loomed over her head like a dark cloud. Yesterday , she had been so happy as she ate with them.
Now she thought about it, last night was strange. She couldn't remember what happened after.
"What happened after the dinner?"
The door to the room pushed open the next second and a short, plump and expensively dressed woman walked in, her heels clicking on the glossy floor.
Haven accessed her, her eyes guarded. Cat eyes, a sly smirk and purple painted lips that screamed a bit over the top, Haven drank in her saliva without thinking.
"Seems you're finally awake now" the woman jammed her fingers together in a classy manner, mildly approaching the young girl who looked terrified.
Despite her intense appearance due to the heavy makeup she had on, the woman in front of Haven had possibly the sweetest voice she'd ever heard.
"W-Where am I?" Haven inquired, her heart pumping in her chest. "How did I get here? T-This is not my home"
Her green eyes colored with desperation while the older woman gave a long, bored sigh.
"Oh no, you're wrong dear," The curve on the strange woman's lips were so sinister that Haven couldn't help shivering. Her voice boomed in the room with unmistakable smugness, "This is your home now. You belong to me."
Haven's eyes skipped a beat at the sudden declaration. A strong wave of protectiveness fueled her spirit and she glared, her defenses on high alert.
"I do not even know you, ma'am. Please refrain from making such bold claims about me" Her green eyes hardened with defiance, her shoulders squaring as she breathed before enunciating,"I am not some commodity."
A bird cawed outside pulling the entire room into silence. A growing minute passed, slowly ebbing away at Haven's defiance replacing it with more confusion and self doubt.
Why was she not saying anything?
The plump woman gaped at Haven, her eyes round in shock. All of a sudden and without the barest hint of warning, she burst into laughter.
Her laughter rose in volumes, her hand near her mouth while her shoulders shook vigorously. Haven felt a new sense of irritation prickling through her nerves. What in the world was amusing?
"Ha, ha" the woman gasped, the mockery in her voice unquestionable. "You're good, you're so good. Oh I'm so spent"
Again she continued laughing.
When Haven couldn't take it any longer, she broke through her laughter, her voice clipped and angry. "Why the hell are you laughing like that?!"
Sure, she had snapped. Haven wanted to get home as soon as possible. Her mother would be needing her assistance in doing the laundry heap of clothes they got from their customers every week. The sun was already up which was way past the time for her father to have his medicine.
She couldn't and shouldn't be here. Arguing with a strange woman regarding who owned her self and who did not. Ridiculous!
The woman grew quiet, annoyance flickering past her dark brown orbs for the first time. Haven, internally was glad. Seemed she finally had her attention.
The faster they talked all this out, the faster she could disappear from this place.
"First of all, you will call me madam,"
"Sorry?" Haven was confused.
"Secondly," the woman ignored her, continuing,"You are mine to keep because I bought you. Do you understand?"
There wasn't a spark of emotion as the woman uttered those words, her tone brutal and unforgiving.
Haven's heart trembled, a deep frown settling over her delicate features.
"Y-You bought me?" She couldn't believe her ears.
"Sure did, honey bun," the woman approached her slowly, reaching for Haven's cheek which made her flinch. "I bought you for a good sum of money you see. Your parents were glad to exchange you for it."
"No, no, no!" Haven shook her head, her heart racing in denial. There was no way her parents sold her for money. It just couldn't be possible.
"Do you doubt me, my love?" The plump woman smiled at the confused girl, before pulling out her phone to play a recording.
Haven's eyes widened when she recognized the voice coming from the phone. Her mother.
'Yes we've drugged her just like you wanted us to Madame Emmett. You can come for her right now.'
'And you swear by your life that this daughter of your is still clean?'
"Yes yes, you don't have to worry about that. She's still a virgin. She'll satisfy your customers quite nicely so if you could please send the rest of the money...'
The recording was suddenly cut halfway when Haven crumbled to the ground all of a sudden. "There's no way..." Her voice was softer than a feather, her tears slipping down her cheeks. It felt like someone had reached for her heart, squeezing the life out of it.
To think that her own parents could sell her off one day.
Yes we were poor but I worked hard. I toiled day and night. I cared for them!
"What didn't I do for them?" Her voice choked in her throat, her inner turmoil hitting her like a never ending tsunami.
"Exactly. You did everything for them but they still sold you. Your everything was worthless simply because you had no money honeybun. That is how the world works" Madame Emmett started, her voice without a pinch of sympathy.
Haven looked up despite her tears, a resolute kind of anger weaved in her voice. "How much. How much did they sell me for?