A mature version of our fav childhood story type :P I hope you enjoy :3
I stand there looking at the blue eyes relected in my bathroom mirror. They're not even a pretty blue eye that sparkles when the light hits it, they are dull in colour and void of emotion. Sighing, I take out my bun and get out of my work clothes before stepping into the tiny corner shower to rinse of the grease and coffee smell of the diner I just came from.
Finishing up, I put on a pair of clean pajamas and started hand washing my uniform. Money has always been tight since I was a child due to my parents addictions to alcohol and drugs, so learning how to hand wash my clothes and finding cheap tricks to look presentable was something I learned quick since most people's necessities became trade in money for my parent's vices.
My father comes and goes, leaving months in-between returns, making us worry if he was dead or alive. He wasn't a nice man to me and my older brother, but to our younger siblings he couldn't remember they actually existed since he was too high, while our mother kept her claws into all four of us. She stayed at home to 'take care of us', but all she did was drink away any money we had to keep up with any bills or for food. My brother and I had started working young, before the legal age to work, to support ourselves and then eventually to support our two youngest siblings, who we aren't a hundred percent sure are our full siblings.
My mother and father realized quickly with my brother and I working that there still wasn't enough money to afford their temptations so my mother began selling herself to anyone who would have her, a luxury my youngest siblings never had to see. My mother would always laugh in my brother and I's faces when we asked her to keep her business out of the home and would say that I was pretty enough to get a decent amount if started my own 'business'.
I left the bathroom, clothes hung up to dry for the next day of work and flipped on the small dens light where my brother and I slept in. He was doing overnights at a factory, one that paid well enough that we kept it a secret from our parents in order for us to save up what little money we had to start a new life. The room was dimly lit and cold, the heater had long been broken and never repaired. We lived in our grandparents home, that was given to our parents when they first got married. The twins lived upstairs in the smaller bedroom, my parents in the master suite, which was never used since they never seemed to make it up the stairs. The house was in need of repairs, the years of neglect catching up to it besides two rooms which was also in prestine condition to entertain my mother's clients- the living room and dining room that had turned into a makeshift bedroom.
Resting my head down on a pillow, the house was silent for first time in what seemed like ages, no clients laughing, no drunken rambles, no incoherent screams of fake ecstasy that came from my mother. The quiet put me on edge but was a sad reminder of the time my parents where normal as they tucked my brother and I into bed for the night. Now at twenty-one, my brother and I had to play parents to two small siblings and our own parents.
My eyes eventually closed and gave way to sleep that had been creeping up on me before I woke with a jolt at my body being ripped from the makeshift mattress on the floor. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I saw two men grabbing my body as they tried to lift me, a brief glimpse of my mother's face could be seen as I fought back against them. I went to scream but before I could, one of the men gagged me, the cloth dampening any sound that escaped.
"Oh shut it. You are such a damn nuisance. I should've done this a long time ago when you were in your prime, but you'll do now." The look of terror on my face as tears slid down my cheeks made her laugh before she continued, the stench of alcohol filling the small room. "You always looked down on me, always thinking you were better, well it's time to show you a lesson. They told me you'd fetch a high price if I sold you and I desperately need the money for my new boyfriend."
Confusion and fear hit me as my mother spoke, confusion on what was going on but fear that my two young siblings were also going to be in the same predicament as me. My mother smirked at my scared face before chuckling to herself. "She's all yours, boys."
My mother's laughing face was the last thing I saw before a wet cloth was pressed to my face and the world turned dark.
I don't know if it was days or weeks that went by, but they went by in an agonizing blur. Never conscious enough to truly know what was going on, but awake enough to listen to directions on what I had to do. I remember having my pictures taken and being kept in a small cell with a bed and toilet, it reminded me of an old jail cell, and being told to wash myself with a bucket of cold water before being forced to wear a thin white nightgown. They kept my hands zip tied when I would leave the cell, been given just enough food and water to not starve and enough light to see some of my surroundings.
When I awoke again, I found myself in a small white bedroom on a plush bed, hands free, but the wounds of where the zip ties laid still prominent on my skin. I looked around to what seemed like a simple bedroom, the sun shining through the window, a grassy backyard surrounded by large trees into view.
I got off the bed, and tried to walk to the door, my legs too unsteady from the amount of drugs that had given me made my legs give out under my weight and I crawled to the door, the door surprisingly unlocked as I tested the handle. Opening up the door, it led to a long hallway full of closed doors which opened up to a large living space.
The place was quiet as I crawled toward the living space, hoping my body would recover in time for me to find a door which could lead to my escape. As I neared the living room area, soft male voices could be heard which stopped me in my tracks.
"I felt so bad for her when I saw her up there that I didn't even think, I just shouted a price and they directed me to a small room for payment and I was handed her. I didn't know what else to do because they took any electronics before you even got near the sales floor. I thought it was high end antiques, not humans for sale."
"Dawon, you know you're gonna have to tell this to the police." Another voice said. "I recorded this so far along with the pictures we took of the girls condition. I'll get with the others at the firm and we will come up with a plan to keep you safe along with the rest of you. You shouldn't recieve repercussions for saving a girl's life but we want to be certain."
The sounds of bodies moving off of furniture could be heard then the sound of footsteps before the soft click of a door closing followed behind it. The shuffling of bodies and feet could be heard, I knew I was in no position to get off the floor in time to hide before two pairs of feet stopped in my line of sight. Shit.
"Oh my god, are you okay?" A tall shaggy brown haired man dropped to his knees in front of me, worrying reflected in his eyes as he stared me at, his hands hovering as he tried to reach out but quickly shrank back as my whole body flinched in fear.
Before I could react, several other pairs of feet emerged and all slowly sank down, I eyed their faces quickly, all male, as they stared at me with concern.
A gentlemen with glasses cleared his throat before speaking, "My name is Youngbin, you're safe now. My friend Dawon found you and brought you here. I don't want to fighten you but you were being sold."
"I didn't know what else to do but buy you. I never knew people could do such things." Another man, who I assumed was Dawon chimed in. "You're free to go, we don't want you to think you're in danger."
"I'm Zuho," another gentleman said, "can you walk?"
I went to reply, but my voice didn't come out of my dry throat, so instead I shook my head. I couldn't trust them but they didn't seem like they were going to hurt me at this time.
The rest of the men introduced themselves, there was nine of them, and they said they were a K-Pop group called SF9. Dawon had been brought by a friend to a selling of what he thought was high end antiques only to find people and endangered animals for sale. He quickly 'bought' me and brought me here to their shared home.
"I hope you don't mind but we had a doctor examine you and the drugs they gave you should be out of your system soon. Is it okay if we help you to the couch?" A man who introduced himself as Rowoon asked.
I hesitated, I didn't want to be touched by strangers more than I was, but my legs didn't seem like they wanted to move so I reluctantly nodded and two of them, who I believed was named Chani and Hwiyoung, helped me up sit up before Chani took me into his arms, bridal carrying me to the plush white sofa.
A thin man handed me a glass of water and gave me a soft smile. "Drink this, it'll help with your throat. Its just water, if you'd like I can get an unopened bottle of water for you." I shakely took the cup from his hands, my throat too dry to care if it was drugged, before downing the entire glass, my body aching for my hydration.
"Taeyang, grab the pitcher of water in the fridge for her." The man who gave me the glass, slowly got up in front of me, nervous that a fast movement may scare me before running to the fridge and coming back with a cold pitcher. He kept refilling my glass until the pitcher was gone and my throat felt slightly normal.
"The paperwork they gave us only gave us your name and age." Jaeyoon spoke, "Did you want us to bring you back to your home? There wasn't an address provided."
I tested my throat by trying to clear it before speaking, my voice quiet and raspy, the sound scratching my throat. "I only want to go home to make sure my siblings are okay and not being sold." I managed before taking another sip of the cool water in my cup.
"Oh god, your parents did this?" Dawon asked, looking terrified.
I nodded before continuing again. "I need to get my younger siblings out."
The room fell silent as the boys stared at anywhere but me, the tension in the room growing before Youngbin broke it by speaking. "Lets get the doctor here again to check you over and once you're able to walk we will take you back home to grab your siblings."
The boys nodded in agreement, Inseong chiming in behind Youngbin. "You're siblings and you are welcomed to stay here until you guys can find a safer home. We want to ensure your safety and we are already going forward to the police with what has happened."
I nodded slowly, a small amount of hope growing that I'd hopefully soon be reunited with my siblings.
A few hours went by and I was seen by a doctor, my check up coming up clean, just the need to rest as much as possible. The movement in my legs came back slowly, I was able to walk with assistance, which I had come to find out the boys were all too happy to give. They were sweet, and obviously close enough to act like siblings, bickering as they fought who could help when I needed it. It was sweet but I wasn't fully convinced I could trust them.
I was fed and given some new clothes to wear since it was winter and the thin nightgown did nothing to protect me from the cold wind outside. Soon we were in a large van and on our way to my home, fear piling up inside me as we neared closer to the location. What would I do if my siblings were gone? Would I be taken away again after the boys dropped me off? I could barely walk without support, there was no way I could run away if needed, especially if I had to grab my siblings.
My fearful thoughts must have been written on my face, because Chani nudged me slightly with his shoulder. "We aren't going to let you go in there alone. We'll help you, we don't want you to get hurt again." His face nevered showed much emotion in the few hours I had known him but a small glimmer of concern showed on his face which helped dissolve a bit of the concerns I had.
"We're here," Zuho said as he stopped the van by the curb.
The door swung opened, the pale winter sun setting casting a small amount of light into the van. I stepped out, Taeyang and Inseong helping me out as the other boys gathered around me in a protective circle, Zuho still at the wheel of the van in case of a quick get away.
I slowly opened the front door, the house quiet. I made my way upstairs as quickly as I could, the door to my siblings' room left open and looked untouched. They weren't in there, all three of them weren't to be found as we checked every room.
They weren't here, no note or sign from my brother that he took them and ran away. Nothing. Tears welled up in my eyes as my mind began to race with horrid thoughts. Youngbin started guiding me toward the front door when a sound above us stopped us in our tracks. It sounded like small fists banging.
I flew up the stairs as fast as I could, before trying to grab the small string that hung down the from the ceiling. Rowoon easily grabbed it, pulling it until a lever came down that led to the attics drop down ladder. I flung up the steps and popped open the attics door. Insoeng was behind me, his hand reaching up with his phone's flashlight on to help us see.
In the corner, sat huddled together was my two youngest siblings, covered in dirt and blood, my brother unconscious besides them, his head bleeding. The came running into my arms, all of us crying as I held them tight to me. I let go after a minute and crawled to check on my brother, he was breathing but unconscious and he was loosing blood.
I directed my siblings to go down the steps and wait with the boys as two of them came up to help my brother.
I grabbed necessities for all of us, clothes, soap, toys and keepsakes and headed for the van before a shriek behind me stopped me. I turned around to find my mother stroming up to us, the two men you had grabbed me at her side.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" The boys instantly stood in front of me, shielding my siblings and I from them. "Who are you? Give me my children back!"
"No!" I shouted, pushing my way through to face her. "I'm taking them to be cared for! You sold me and I won't let them suffer the same fate!"
My mother stared at me in horror, "I am your mother, you will not talk to me that way!"
I smirk formed at my lips as I shook my head in disbelief. "No, you sold me to SF9 and I'm there property now. Goodbye, Mother."
