He tilted his head and smiled at me, causing me to smile back a little. It was obvious that he knew I wasn’t as hard as I was attempting to portray.
“Hungry?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Not yet.”
“Well, when you are the food’s over there,” he said jutting his chin to the right. I glanced around him and saw at least ten tables filled with different kinds of mouthwatering goodness.
Instinct told me to walk over, grab as much as I could carry in my arms and run. Logic told me that it would be rude. So instead of following my instinct, I nodded and slid my hands into my shorts pockets and turned my attention back to the kids.
“You never answered me you know,” he said giving me a gentle nudge with his elbow.
“Hm?” I asked, turning my face toward him, but keeping my eyes on the children.
“I asked you how old you were.”
What does it matter?
I sighed and looked up at him. “Is there a purpose to that question or are you just being nosy?”
He shrugged with a smile on his face, and I could almost swear I saw a twinkle in his eye. I turned my eyes away from him so I could easily fight the smile that was trying to cross my lips. There was something so charming about Troy that I couldn’t seem to fend off no matter how hard I tried.
“I’m sixteen. I’ll be seventeen in two days,” I finally confessed.
He let out a low whistle and I felt my face turn red. “Sixteen, huh? You’re a young little lady.”
I rolled my eyes. That was exactly why I didn’t want to tell him how old I was; it always resulted in me being treated like a child.
“You know, it’s not like I wear diapers or anything,” I snapped.
Troy threw his head back and laughed as I stalked off toward the tables of food. I wasn’t particularly hungry, but I figured I could at least do some grocery shopping.
I glanced around the area when I got there before I found where the garbage bags were neatly piled, grabbed one, and whipped it open. I walked over the first table and grabbed a handful of rolls, when I felt a strong hand on my arm.
“Wait til the party is over, then you can have anything you want,” he said with a mischievous grin.
Grunting I dropped the bag and let the rolls go. I dropped down in one of the metal folding chairs that had been set up and crossed my arms over my chest.
“Mind if I sit?” he asked, pointing at the chair next to me.
“I’d say no, but something tells me you’d sit down anyway,” I replied examining my fingernails. Ugh. I need to hit a pharmacy store and grab a nail file soon.
“Not if you didn’t want me too,” he said politely.
“You can sit with me,” I said after a moment of silence.
Troy thanked me as he sat down. He pulled off his baseball cap, scratched his head, and secured it again. He didn’t look as tired as he did earlier in the day and he didn’t smell like sweat and dirt either. He actually smelled like hay and musk; it was really nice in a country boy sort of way.
He leaned back in the chair, stretching his long legs out beneath the table and crossing them at the ankles. I took in his brown bomber jacket, his faded blue t-shirt peeking out from underneath, dark blue denim jeans, and tan heavy boots.
“What exactly do you do for a living?” I asked him.
“I have my own farm,” he replied.
“What kind of farm?”
“Animals mostly. Cows, pigs, sheep, and a stable for when I’m feeling like a cowboy,” he said with a laugh.
“I like animals,” I replied thoughtfully.
“Yeah? You should come by and see it before you head off then.”
“Maybe.”
I glanced at him and smiled. He gave me a half grin in return and stretched his arms over his head.
“So tell me how old you are,” I prodded. It’s not that I really cared, but he knew how old I was now and how old I was going to be in two days, so I felt it was only fair to know his age too.
“Twenty two years young.”
I nodded and glanced toward the sudden uproar of laughter to the right of us. There was one of the obviously drunk people doing some kind of weird dance to the other obviously drunk people cheering him on. It looked like a hoe down, only he seemed to be trying his damndest to stay on his feet.
Troy laughed and I kind of just sat there. I felt so out of place in this little town and I really just wanted to leave, so I got to my feet and reached for the bag again.
“You know, if you’re in that much of a hurry to leave, can I at least swing you by my farm? I’d hate for you to leave without seeing some of my stock,” he said with a kind smile.
I pursed my lips. On one hand, I really wanted to see what a twenty two year old possibly considered an actual farm, but on the other hand, I really did just want to leave.
Make up your mind already.
“I think I’ll pass this time. Who knows? Maybe I’ll come back one day and see your animals then,” I said scuffing the grass with my foot.
“It’ll only take ‘bout fifteen minutes to drive there and maybe twenty more to show you around, Sassy Posy. Then I can drop you off anywhere you’d like, give those pretty little feet a break for once,” he said, glancing up at me.
I put my hands on my hips and thought some more, but when Troy got to his feet and held out his arm to me, I just couldn’t say no to him.
After all, what was the worst that could happen?
Three
“Wake up, Posy,” a voice said gently. I felt someone giving me soft nudges, trying to rouse me from my sleep and I tried to open my eyes.
“Come on little lady. It’s your birthday and we have to celebrate!” the voice said a little louder this time. The nudging persisted, but what got me to snap my eyes open was the feeling of something licking my face.
I brought my hands up and pushed it away. The voice laughed and I used both of my hands to rub my face. Yawning I finally managed to crack my eyes open and saw myself looking at a black and white dog of some sort. I was pretty sure it was a Border Collie, but until the grogginess went away, I couldn’t really tell.
“Get out of her face, Scout,” the voice commanded. Two seconds later the dog’s face was gone from sight.
I closed my eyes again and groaned. I wasn’t sure what the hell happened but I had one hell of a headache. I felt a pair of gloved hands grip my arms and easily lift me to a seated position. I was propped up against a wall that felt like it was made of wood. My chin fell against my chest for a moment as I tried to regain some kind of memory of where the last two days had gone. Even through my haze, I knew the voice told me it was my birthday, but that meant that I had lost time for some reason.
“It can’t be,” I mumbled.
“Yeah, sorry about that. I guess I got a little carried away once I got you back here. Forgive me?” he asked, as he sat down next to me.
Yes. It was definitely a he, I was sure of it now by the size of the hands hidden inside of the rugged gloves he was wearing.
“What did you want to do today?” he asked, giving me a gentle, yet familiar nudge.
I closed my eyes tightly, rubbing my face again with my hands, and tried to pull my legs up but for some reason they were stuck. Confused I pulled on my legs again only to be met by resistance once more.
“What the fuck?” I mumbled.
“Sorry about those too, Posy. I told you I get carried away sometimes, but those have to stay on for now,” he said with a chuckle.
“Troy?” I asked groggily.
“I’d like to think so.”
“Where are we?”
“Technically? In a stall, surrounded by hay bales. Don’t you remember, Sassy Posy? I brought you to my farm. You said you wanted to see my animals before you left.”
“Why can’t I move my legs?”
“You can, just not very far. I had some old chains and irons lying around. I have to keep you here until tonight. T
hat way I can give you your birthday present.”
“I don’t want it,” I said, forcing my eyes open. “I want to leave.”
Troy laughed and got to his feet. “You’re going to leave me, Posy. But not yet, not until tonight. Anyway, I’ve got some stuff to do around here. Want Scout to keep you company?”
Scout? The dog? You’ve got me chained up in a fucking horse stall and you’re offering your dog?!
I shook my head, slid back down onto the hay covered floor, and rolled onto my side. Troy stood over me for a few more seconds before he sighed and walked out of the stall, locking it securely behind him.
I knew this town was creepy. I should’ve just kept going. I sighed as tears sprung to my eyes, but then I wondered if maybe he was just into role play or kinky sex? Maybe that was why he had told me he would let me leave tonight? He maybe just wanted to give me some birthday sex then let me go?
It made the most sense so I decided to let myself fall into the false hope that he was just some kinky, birthday sex having country boy, and not a crazy, potential serial killer that wanted to keep me locked in his stall until he was ready to put me up on a hook and flay me.
That scenario is a sure fire sign that you watch too many horror movies, i thought as I felt my eyes starting to flutter.
I didn’t want to sleep. Not now, not ever, not until I knew for sure what it was that he was going to give me as a “birthday present”. I didn’t want to admit it but I was kind of scared. I mean, I was pretty sure it wasn’t anything I hadn’t already been through before, but I was still scared of the unknown.
Whatever happens can’t be worse that what I’ve already been through. I’ll be okay, I know I will.
Moments later, I had lost the fight. With Scout barking in the background excitedly, I fell fast asleep.
Four
I woke up to the sound of someone humming a cheerful tune. I could hear the damn dog barking too as I stirred in my hay pile. I sat up as quickly as I could and pushed my hair back out of my face. I opened and closed my mouth a few times to try to get the bad taste out, when I heard someone fiddling with the lock on the stall.
“You woke up just in time!” Troy remarked, with a smile. “Here, put this on darlin’. We’re going for a ride.”
A pretty white and blue sundress landed on my lap. I stared at it for about ten seconds before picking it up and throwing back at him.
“Not really my color.”
“I don’t know. I think it suits you, personally. But I can’t have a pissing contest with you about this. I need you to put this on so we can get going,” he said, tossing it back onto my lap.
I balled the dress up ready to throw it back at him, but the stern look on his face stopped me. He closed the door to the stall, crossed his arms over his chest, and watched me.
“Can I at least have some privacy?” I asked, starting to wiggle my denim shorts off.
Troy smiled and walked over to me when I got my shorts to my knees. He pulled out large iron sheers and cut them up the sides so he could pull them off without having to remove the chains. I rolled my eyes; apparently he had thought of almost everything in the few hours I had been asleep and the couple of days I had been unconscious.
“Get changed, little miss,” he said tossing the sheers onto a stack of hay. “We’ll be late if you don’t hurry.”
“Where exactly are we going?” I asked, puling my tank top over my head.
“To the old corral.”
“Why?”
Fuck. I wound up putting the sundress on inside out. With a sigh of frustration I pulled it off, turned it out, and pulled it over my head again. I tried to lift myself up to shimmy it down over my thighs, but Troy already had the end of the chains in his hands and was scooping me off of the stall floor.
“C’mon Scout,” he called out. The dog barked in reply and ran ahead of us, jumping into the backseat of Troy’s truck.
In anticipation for tonight, the door was open on the passenger side already. As he set me gently down, he quickly tied some rope around my wrists, linking them to the chain.
“In case you try to get out,” he explained with a sly smile.
“Is this really necessary?” I asked as he closed the door. “Honestly, what kind of birthday present involves me being chained and tied up by someone?”
“It’s more of a trade really,” he said once he got into the driver’s side and pulled his seatbelt on. That’s nice. At least he’s making sure, he’s safe.
“What are you trading?” I asked curiously.
He put the truck in reverse, one arm behind the seat I was in as he turned his body to look out the back window. Once he had sufficient room, to turn the truck to the right and started driving he smiled again.
“You.”
Five
An hour later, after driving around the corral area a few times, he pulled onto the grass and parked the truck.
“Here’s how this works,” he started, turning off the truck and sliding the keys into his pocket. “You’re going to be put on display in the old corral and I’ll get to choose who I want instead of you. I know how it sounds, but you’re such a pretty girl Posy. I know I can make a good trade for you. And I’ll see you again some day; you’re just too young for me right now.”
I stared at him. If I was hearing him correctly there were other people in this redneck town that were going to be bringing girls to trade with each other.
“Troy, why would you do this to me?” I asked, dangerously close to tears.
“Because I want you back eventually. And the only way for that to happen is to know where you are. Don’t worry. It’ll only be for a little while,” he promised hopping out of the truck and waiting for Scout to jump out.
He walked around to my side and leaned in the window, looking at me as a kind smile crossed his lips.
“If I don’t find anything I like, I can always keep you. I just can’t promise I’ll be able to not put you under my stables yet. So, if you think about it, this really is for the best. Now can you promise me that once I take all of that off, you won’t try to run? They shoot the runners around here,” he said moving out of the window and opening the door.
I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the headrest of the seat. I didn’t even try to stop the tears this time. They shoot the runners around here. My only chance of surviving this new hell was to be paraded around like a cattle and hope that someone else wanted me until Troy was ready to have me.
“I want you to go into this with some dignity,” he said, as he undid the chains and tossed them over his shoulder. “I won’t carry you because I trust now that you know what’ll happen if you run, that you’ll behave. Here, take my arm, keep your head up, and remember; I can always keep you if I don’t like what’s being offered.”
Yeah, under your fucking stables.
I swallowed hard and tried to blink back fresh tears. Troy looked at me questioningly as his arm was still hovering waiting for me to take it. I glanced at the group of men around the old corral and the girls that stood next to their owners. They hadn’t seen us yet; I could make a run for it and hope that I could get far enough before any of them tried to shoot me.
I glanced over my shoulder and back at Troy’s arm. I sighed and linked my arm in his. With as crazy as this town seemed to be, I wouldn’t be surprised if there weren’t some good ole boys hiding in the trees, ready to snipe the first thing that ran.
Troy led me to the group waiting at the old corral area. As the others saw us approaching the men looked me up and down hungrily, while the girls looked at me with anger and resentment in their eyes.
“Ignore them. Just focus on me and it’ll be okay,” he said out of the side of his mouth.
I tightened my hand around his arm as he began to greet the others. I found it comforting somehow to know that the man that wanted to trade me like some kind of livestock was letting me hold onto him for dear life. It was a kindness he really didn’t have to afford me
and even though I was stuck in a less than desirable situation, I appreciated it.
“Alright little lady. Go over there with the rest of the girls,” he said after ten minutes. “This should go fairly quickly.”
I nodded and walked over to the other “prizes” that were dressed identically to me. We were all wearing the same sundress in the same color.
I stayed to myself when I heard them whispering that this was all my fault that they were going to be traded again. I clasped my hands in front of me, as one of the men walked into the center of the corral and started giving some kind of twisted speech about a rotation.
I scanned the men for Troy who was leaning over the side of it, one boot up on a rung, making a face at me. I tried to smile but it came across as a grimace, especially since I realized that the man in the middle of it all was done talking.
I kept my eyes trained on Troy like he told me to do when I noticed a man walk up to him and shake his hand. They seemed to be in deep conversation about something, when the man nodded at me and Troy laughed.
Then he nodded and shook the man’s hand. As soon as that was done, the man walked around the corral toward me and introduced himself.
“Hi Posy. May name is Denton and I’m your new owner. Let’s go pretty girl.”
When It Happened
Six
I was so tired and angry. I was now at my seventh rotation in a new town. After Denton had traded me for one of his girls, he moved us from the town. The next time a rotation came up, we wound up at a new corral and again, I would be moved to a new town. It was always a small, country setting with rustic roots and hillbilly boys.
I had showered before I was brought to the new corral and I pinned my hair back, hoping that my new owner would at least be attractive. My last owner, Lucas was old, dirty, and abused me in more ways than I knew were humanly possible.
Taking a deep breath as the new batch of girls was walking toward me, I scanned the group of men to see which one I would prefer to belong too. Seven fucking years of doing this made me feel as if though I had some right to choose my next owner, even though I knew that wasn’t nor ever would be the case.
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