A Delicate Flower

by Chelsea Girard

  I felt sorry for my baby, trapped into a cold room with next to nothing to show for her life and what she’s been through. Her beautiful soul and harsh tears scratched at my heart strings and made me sob most of the night while I was away from her. I couldn’t tell her who I was, she would hate me even more. If she knew who I was and where I came from, shewould never trust me. I know she wouldn’t believe any word I say, anyone could be her mom, I had no proof.

  I awoke to the sound of the washroom sink being turned on as Davis dropped my soap into the sink and let out a harsh phrase. He was always so angry and stressed, how could he not be? He was running an illegal business and stealing children, he had to have some stress built up of course. You could easily look at him and see that his life was a mess and there was no easy way out of his situation.

  I sat up in bed and dropped my feet onto the cold wooden floor. My body was sent into shivers as Davis walked out of the bathroom in just a towel around his waist. He gave me a shy look as if I had never seen him naked. He grabbed a long dress shirt from a drawer and a pair of nice shoes from the closet.

  “What’s all that for?” I said, pointing to the clothes in his arms.

  “I have a big meeting today, duty calls.” he announced as if he were an icon. A smiled as he danced around the room as he got dressed. His demeanor was happy yet I could tell today was a big deal for not only him but for the company.

  “Can I tag along?” I asked. He stopped in his tracks and gasped.

  “Tag along? I need you to be my right hand woman!” he winked at me and threw some clothes at me.

  “Go shower and put these on. I picked them up especially for you.” he said with a smile.

  I walked over to the bathroom and shut the door behind me. I stood with my back against the door and sighed. He was sweeter and more charming, why was he so different then from what I remember?

  I stepped into the shower and let the hot water run down my body as the soap cleansed my skin of any nightmares from the night before. My hair had never felt so refreshed and clean as I used a full hand full of shampoo on my matted hair that was congested with knots and loose hairs. Just then, I heard a loud man’s yelp from the other side of the door. I quickly jumped out of the shower, addressed my towel and swung open the door with my full thrust.

  “What’s going on?” I yelled at Davis as I emerged from the bathroom, soaking the floor beneath me.

  “It’s embarrassing just go finish getting ready!” he jokingly yelled back. I gave him a confused look.

  “One of my guards walked in and saw my junk hanging out..” he said covering his blushing face.

  I let out a loud laugh as I held up my towel.

  “Such a manly statement, eh?” I said winking at him as I slowly made my way into the bathroom. He threw a pair of socks at the door as I walked in laughing. I placed my hands on the sink and shook my head. I haven’t laughed in years. Davis was different.

  I finished getting ready in the bathroom and put on the light blue dress and flip flops that Davis bought for me. I loved the way it fit my figure as I danced around the bathroom with the bottom of the dress flowing.

  “How do I look?” I said walking out of the bathroom to see Davis buttoning up his dress shirt in the mirror. He looked stunned. He didn’t look me up and down but stared at my wavy hair and my bright complexion.

  “Well?” I asked convincingly.

  “You look amazing, I-I can’t believe how much you’ve grown.” he said shockingly with his hand over his mouth. He stood staring at me as I made the bed and fluffed the pillows.

  “What?’ I said with a smile, looking over my shoulder at him.

  “Nothing-you’re just so beautiful.” he smiled again. “We should get going.” he reached for my hand.

  We trailed down to the Hylander building side-by-side without any words exchanged, only smitten glares and a couple giggles. We walked into a room full of men talking in groups amongst each other. I was the only woman in a room with over 75 men. Comfortability definitely wasn’t in my realm.

  “Welcome, friends.” Davis said standing on an upper step. “I welcome you to my home and the Hylander building. This is where we will do our exchanges and sign the forms for your products.” I stood beside him as all eyes were not on Davis but only on me.

  “What about her?” one man raised his voice, motioning to me.

  “She is off limits.” he said, putting his arm around my waist as if I was already claimed.

  The meeting went on hour almost an hour of Davis explaining the process of buying girls and how to keep them safe.

  “We are running a safe and secret facility, just as you should be doing as well. We will be changing our process up a bit as we are expanding our our grounds in order to accommodate more products and more room to host meetings.”

  I hate that he called the girls products as if they weren’t living and breathing humans.

  “I believe, with your help, we can make this an huge international organization under our secret corporation. We can make this huge.” All the men in the room began to chant as Davis finished his speech. All the men split back into their groups as Davis made his way to each group with a file for each. Each file contained photos of the the girls for sale, their ages and races. As each group picked apart the underage girls as if they were critiques.

  “Make your ways to the tables men when you’re ready to discuss your choices. We can’t make any promises for your girls but we can promise that you will love their services.” he smiled and made his way to the large table where the guards sat behind with request sheets. Davis waved over to the table and asked me to join him.

  “What do I do?” I asked him.

  “Stand behind me and watch how the process happens, your job will be to do this meeting next time.” he said smiling and turned back to the man he was talking too.

  The process took all day as the men wanted multiple girls at once, they wanted them right then and there and most of them didn’t get the girls they wanted so it started an uproar of arguments. The facility was full of loud voices throughout the day that angered Davis as you could tell he felt as if he was losing control throughout the process. I tried to rub his shoulders and seem as if he was my master to make him happier but nothing worked as his stress levels kept increasing as the day went on.

  “That was a nightmare!” Davis screamed as the last man left the room. “I can’t believe so many wanted the same girl like what are we to do, cut her in into parts and give each a section? He began pacing back and forth. “We need more girls in less time, there is no way that is possible!” he yelled with his hands gripping the back of the chair. He looked around the room as if the answer what just going to pop up in front of his face.

  “Well, how do you find your girls?” I asked.

  “We go out into the village and just grab them but unfortunately the villagers have hid their children pretty carefully now and we certainly can’t just go barging into houses.”

  “Can’t you just send someone into somewhere more populated? Like the city?

  “Are you out of your god damn mind? We can’t be taking people from the city, we will be caught in no time!” he yelled at my suggestion.

  I looked around, thinking of an idea that wasn’t so naive.

  “What if you send someone more approachable? Like one of the girls?”

  “Yeah right and then they run away? Great plan.” he smirked at the idea sarcastically.

  “What about...Raven?” I said in a motherly tone. I can’t believe her name came out of my mouth. Davis studied the idea passionately as he stared up at her sitting at the table on the balcony.

  “I’m so glad you’re back.” he sighed as he rubbed my shoulder. “Raven! Come down here sweetheart.” he yelled to her. “I’ve got a new job for you.” She promptly ran down the steps and stood in front of Davis and I.

  “I can trust you, can’t I, Raven?” he asked her.

  “Of-of course.” she let out a nervo
us giggle.

  “I have a big job for you and I trust you and only you to do it.” he held her hands in his and stood close to her. “Do you trust me?” he asked her.

  “Of course, what am I to do?” she asked, looking to me confusingly.

  “You and Joy will be going on a mission together.” he looked to me for support.

  “Me?” I questioned him.

  “Yes, you and Raven will be taking a journey together.” he nodded at me. “Raven, you and Joyce will be going to the city.”

  “The city?” Raven’s face immediately brighten up.

  “As you can tell by the amount of request papers, you obviously know we can’t fill all these orders for girls..that’s where you come in.” he grabbed a request paper from the table. “You will fill orders.” he handed her a paper.

  “How?” she asked.

  “Well, I need you to gain the trust of girls who fit the criteria and well, bring them back here.” he said assertively. Raven let out a deep breath as her eyes filled with tears.

  “Davis, I can’t do that.” she said as a tear rolled down her cheek.

  “You can and you will.” he tightened his grip on her hand. She was in shock. She walked back to the balcony chair and sat there staring at the wall, gathering her thoughts as she sat with her head in her hands.

  “We start tomorrow.” he announced as he walked towards the exit.

  “Davis, I said Raven, not me.” I grabbed him arm and swung him around to face me.”

  “I can’t trust either of you alone so if I send you out together and don’t come back, it will be easier to find you. After all, I don’t plan on losing either of you.” he said with a wink.

  He left the room and the door slammed behind him. I looked up to Raven as she sat, staring at me with an angry look on her face. She darted down the stairs as her dress flowed among her thighs with her every movement.

  “What the hell did you do?” she yelled at me. “You come back and just throw me under the bus and try to get me to do all his dirty work?” she was now sobbing.

  “Raven this is our way out.” I explained.

  “You don’t understand, do you? He’s not letting us go out alone, he will have eyes on us at all times. He’s not as stupid as you think.” she anxiously paced back and forth.

  “We can do this, Raven. Trust me.” she stopped pacing and looked at me angrily.

  “Trust you? You left me here! You were all I had and I grew up alone and was that bastard’s sex toy for years after you left.” she yelled at me while the tears poured. “Rose is lucky that she doesn’t know about that side of you, back then.” she said sharply.

  “She will never find out, it’s in the past.”

  “Is it really? Because from what I‘ve seen these past couple days is that Davis has you wrapped around his finger just like before and from what I can tell, you’re enjoying every second of it.” she said in a snarky tone.

  “Don’t you dare act like you know me!” I snapped back.

  “Oh don’t worry, I don’t have to ru in your relationship with Rose for you. You clearly already did a fantastic job on your own.” Raven made her way back up to the balcony and started doing her paperwork again. She seemed as if she needed to get her thoughts off her chest before settling down.

  “How dare you say anything about my relationship with my daughter!” I yelled. “Does she know you’re here, Joyce? Because from what she told me about this random lady who came into her room last night that you’re a piece of work yourself.” I stopped in my tracks.

  “She knows who I am?” I asked her questioningly. My mind began to race as my palms began to sweat.

  “Of course she does, she’s not stupid! And guess what, she wants nothing to do with her sex slave of a mother who couldn’t bother to even tell her own daughter who she really is.” She yelled angrily as she threw the papers into the air.

  “You told her who I am?” I realized.

  “I thought you had already told her but when I brought up who she was, no doubt she was interested in the woman who abandoned her.” she said as she picked up the papers she threw around the room.

  “What does she know?” I asked her sympathetically.

  “What she needs too.” she said.

  “Which is?”

  “That you’re her mom. That you obviously came here to save her but even I’m starting to think that’s not the reason anymore.”

  “What are you even saying, Raven?” I yelled in confusion.

  “You know damn well what I’m saying, Joyce. Enjoy yourself as you ruin the lives of young women while you live the glorious life of being with that disgrace of a man.” she snapped.

  As Raven left the room in a rush and angrily slammed the door behind her, I couldn’t help but think that none of this was my fault. I couldn’t tell Rose I was here, not yet. She would never forgive me. I mean, not after what Raven probably told her. All I know is, Rose can’t find out who I was.

  CHAPTER 19

  ROSE

  After meeting with Raven and her telling me some weird stuff about this woman, Joyce. Who just happened to be my mom but of course she acted as if she didn’t know. I was so confused to the point where my brain hurt.

  Raven told me that Joyce was my mom but ran away with me so I wouldn’t grow up here. My question is, why did she come back? It’s obviously not for me as she can’t even tell her own daughter who she is!

  I had to find out more. Not only about my mother but also about the situation that she put herself in. I waited patiently for a guard to come to my door-nothing. It was the usual time but I didn’t receive any breakfast nor was there a knock on my door yet to wake me up.

  I decided to test my luck. I remembered the tiny hole in the wall where I could see the girl in the room next to me. I needed to see her again. I pushed through the hole with my index finger as I tried to move the dried up dirt that was placed in the hole to cover it up before.

  “Hello?” I whispered through the hole. I placed my ear against the wall, nothing. I knocked on the wall to see if someone would respond back, nothing. I looked through the hole and saw her. Her mattress was no longer against my wall but was entirely across the room. She was laying in her bed, playing with what was left of her fingernails.

  “Hey!” I yelled through the hole. She looked up at me and smiled. She pressed her finger against her lip, signaling meto be quiet. She wasn’t alone.

  There was a guard in the room with her. He was sitting in a chair by the door, only seeing his crossed legs. I wondered why she had a guard in her room. She didn’t seem like a hazard or in danger but she also didn’t seem li ke she was in her right mind.

  I heard footsteps walking down the hallway, as I covered the hole back up with the dry dirt I previously took out of it.

  “Sorry Rose, we didn’t forget about you.” a guard said as he walked in.

  I threw on my large shirt and followed him down the hall to the Hylander building. The hallway seemed longer than usual but I assumed it was just because I hadn’t eaten since yesterday morning. I entered the room where Davis and Joyce sat, eating a three course meal for breakfast. The smell of bacon and eggs benedict filled the room as the two continued to eat as I walked in.

  “Rose, join us.” Davis welcomed me over.

  I stood still as the door closed before me. I was starving yet I didn’t want to eat with them, not after being told about Joy.

  “Well don’t just stand here, come here.” Davis said.

  I slowly walked over to the table where they were devouring their meal. They were eating like they hadn’t seen food in months yet from the stain on Davis shirt in the colour of orange, I gathered that this wasn’t his first meal today.

  “What would you like to eat, sweetheart?” Joyce asked me.

  “Nothing, I’m fine.” I responded, looking down at my bare feet.

  “You must eat!” Davis yelled. “I mean, shouldn’t you? You must be hungry.”

  “I lost my app
etite.” I lied. They continued to eat in silence, as if I interrupted their meal.

  “Can I borrow Rose?” said Raven’s voice from above on the balcony. “I could really use the help with all the requests.” she yelled.

  “No!” Joyce yelled awkwardly. “I mean, she’s eating with us.”

  “Nonsense, she can go help!” Davis announced.

  I awaited Joyce’s rebuttal but she said nothing. I made my way up the stairs, pulled a chair next to Raven and grabbed a file of request sheets.

  “How are you holding?” she asked me sincerely.

  “Horribly, I hate this place. I hate these clothes. I hate her.” I looked over my shoulder at Joyce as she pushed around her bacon with her fork.

  “I have so much to tell you.” she said quieter.

  “I’m listening.” I whispered in back.

  “Your asshole mother decided it would be a grand idea to send me out and play cat and mouse.” She said sarcastically.

  “What do you mean?” I questioned her.

  “Since we need more girls to fill the request quota, she volunteered me to go out into the city and do Davis’ dirty work for him.” she hissed as she said his name.

  “But you get to go outside? Like out there?” I pointed to the window. “Yes but not in a free way, they will have all eyes on us because they can’t afford to lose more of us.”

  “But why you?” I asked.

  “Because she’s scared of me.”

  “Of you?” I said confusingly.

  “She’s ridiculous. I have so much dirt on her that she’s worried that I am going to ruin your thought of her. As if she hasn’t already done that herself.” she said in a snarky tone.

  “I’m so confused. What do you have to do out there?”

  “Lure girls back to her I guess, I haven’t gotten all the details yet but she dug herself a deeper hole because now she has to go with me because Davis thinks I’m going to run off.”