I sat in one corner of the cold, filthy and stuffy room feeling scared, depressed and sick. The nauseating stench that circulated around the room didn’t help my current situation. One would think that being in the same room with fifty other people going through the same problem could be of little help, but I felt nothing but loneliness. The door trapping us in the room was opened slowly and orders were barked at us to move out of the room in a line. No one dared to go against the huge looking men that guarded us because they knew very well the consequences of going against their will.

A guard stood at the door counting and jabbing each one of us as we stepped out into the light of another hopeless day. It was amazing how we lasted this long with nothing to live for but that little flicker of hope that we could escape this life one day. As we were kept over the years people had taken their own lives in grief knowing that they couldn’t escape their fate but I was hopeful I would be able to see the sun every once in a while, and I guess that kept me going. Having a little hope didn’t hurt me did it?

As usual, I was the last person to step out of the prison that held captives like myself. My caramel colored hair stuck to my back as I walked out into the glorious atmosphere known as day. My skin felt sticky with all the grime and dirt from the cell stuck on me and the stench of my body was nothing pleasant even to me. My golden-brown eyes moved in all directions taking in the scene before me. The last time I had seen day as clearly as any man could see it I was just seven years old then and after ten years and now seventeen, I just longed to be free to enjoy the world around me but alas fate was one cruel piece of crap. My thoughts were interrupted when a giant man spoke sharply.

“Get a move on it. We don’t have time to waste rats” his whip dangling from his hands. My heart beat wildly against my chest as we walked by. I looked around, trying to absorb as much as I could, taking in the appearance, I felt a wave of disgust and hatred run down my spine. Everyone around me looked so unreal. Dirt caked bodies, blood caked faces, red droopy eyes that gave their illnesses away. “stand in line” the same gruff authoritative man with the whip yelled glaring at everyone. One after the other we were examined, the men looked through us for the sick, old and weak. They were separated from us and carelessly pushed towards one corner. I looked at them with pity, not knowing what else to feel for them since I was aware of what will happen to them.

Once the selection was done, the rest of us were led to a basin to clean up a little before they lined up for our new owners to get their picks from a number of slaves. From where I stood with the others, I could see a fleet of sleek black cars parked a few feet away. Fear took over my mental state as I stood there contemplating between faking sickness or just let myself get bought by a master who could turn out to be retarded and cruel. Would I rather die or live through the pain of being some strangers’ possession? I didn't, which was butter besides I didn’t even have a choice. All I had to do was accept that this was my fate and I couldn’t fight it.

I held my breath as I heard the heels of the shoe hit the ground rhythmically making my heart pound against my chest violently at a double pace of which he took his step. My palms felt clammy and my throat extremely dry. The time had come for me to have an owner.

Choice was a luxury people like me could not afford. We were trained to obey without questioning and that was what I was being bought to do now. I was trapped in a life I didn’t ask for and held against my will. A decade of not being my own person was enough o make me understand where I stood as a person and fate was having a laugh in my face. Did I mind? Yes, I did … at least I think I did. For all this while not having a choice seemed to be my style and now if given a choice what would I choose to begin with.

I was out of it for a while or, so it seemed since I was brought out of my reverie with a painful jab to my ribs. The barrel of the gun was shoved into my back forcing me to move forward. The moment people like me had been dreading has finally come knocking and we had not alternatives but death, but I loved my pathetic life too much for it to be taken by someone.

“Now behave yeh’self, yeh’ear? I don’t want no foolishness, heh lil’gurl?” the brute jabbing me with the barrel growled out as we drew close to the fleet. My eyes welled up with tears as I realized my fate was coming closer and closer faster than I expected. I don’t know why I was even scared at this point because it had been years since I accepted this fate of mine so why the remorse at this very moment?

“Sir, this yeh slave” the brute said nudging me forward roughly. The sound of gravels crushing under feet met my ears as my nostrils were filled with an expensive smell. I couldn’t help but take a lung full of air at that moment. The crushing of gravels came to a halt once a pair of feet was in my line of sight. My breath hitched in my throat.

“Look up!” his tone domineering and captivating at the same time.my breath hitched. His voice sent a shiver of fear down my spine. his utterance to me did nothing but fuel all the fears that had my heart in its grasp. With my hands clasped behind me raised my head and kept my eyes on his crimson tie unable to let my eyes meet his. I was not worthy to hold eye contact with my master- no slave was.

I heard a grunt from him before his attention moved to the brute exhibiting me. I could taste the bile in my throat rising from anticipation. This was it and I could not stop reality from slapping me in the face. “How much!” he demanded roughly and I felt the brute behind me tense making me scoff inwardly at his cowardice.

“A fine piece two hundred euros” the brute answered making me feel like I amounted to nothing as he mentioned the price of my life as casually as he would mention the weather. I felt the barrel of the gun again but not with the usual force it was backed with as if he was afraid to damage me with a few more jabs which would lead to money not ending up in his pocket. I was glad for a little bit that the force of the jabs had reduced because I was suddenly merchandise.

The mystery of a man raised his right hand slightly, and the man standing behind him moved towards him with a briefcase in hand. My life was not mine anymore, was it ever before this even I couldn’t tell and I could do nothing but swallow my fear of what was to become of my pathetic self.

The privilege to sit in the same vehicle as my buyer was not mine to have. I sat with his guards in another car as we made our way from the slave market. The guards I sat with kept glancing at me probably in disgust, but I couldn’t read expression well. I kept my hands in my laps trying so har not to move out of my space. I heart thudding against my chest. The thought of what’s to come making my blood run cold in my veins, I closed my eyes and willed for the best out of my service to this man.

After a while, playing with my fingers could not keep me distracted. I had the strong urge to turn my head just to see a bit more of the world around me. My eyes still unused to so much light burned in their sockets as I tactically turned my head to look out the window of the moving car. We were moving so fast I figured since my eyes could never settle on anything as we whizzed passed the trees. My eyes were not used to hoe much passed me in such little time. My head felt light as I kept my eyes locked on the world beyond the enclosed space I was currently trapped in. my mind wondering to the number of time I’ll be caged all my life as I lived.

My eyes started to play with me but my body would not relieve enough tension for my mind to rest and put me out of my miserable wait. I stayed up by force, urging my eyes to look at the wonders that surrounded us even as we zipped through the woods.

I was woken up by the view before me not long after my struggle. The large and heavy barred iron gate stood between great walls that rose off the ground for about eight feet. The brick walls looked like they aged gracefully as they rose from the ground up, vines creeping majestically up the walls with a certain rhythm even with the fear enveloping me I couldn’t help but acknowledge the beauty of the vines along the walls. Moss grew at the bottom of the walls where the vines did not manage to hide.

I was pushed ahead roughly by a jab to my sides from the guards. my stomach dropped further when I thought of the new life ahead of me. It was scary how I could be locked up for so many years then just sold to a random man to be my new master. Deep within I knew I had to learn to be a slave better than the others if I wanted to live a peaceful life even as a slave and there was nothing, I would yearn for more at this point. I followed the direction in which my new master was going with the guards behind me making sure I didn’t try to make a run for it not that I even thought about it. My head spun thinking of all the possibilities of what would happen if I even tried to escape my fate.

My heart raced as we walked closer to the gigantic iron and oak doors that separated the outside from the inside. My legs started to shake as I took the steps behind my master. The door was opened to him before he was ten feet to it and a line of maid decorated both sides of the walkway with the uniforms immaculately in place as they bowed in respect to welcome their owner. I stopped in the middle if a stride thinking of how I would have to learn to bow to my new master and please him like these maids were trying so hard to do. My master stopped in the middle of the hallway and snapped his fingers one of the maids came running and stopped a few feet away from him and dropped to her knees waiting for her master’s order.

His fingers snapped once more and I was pushed forward a bit until I was standing behind him. “take her under your wing. I want no mistakes”

“Yes Master” the maid said eyes on her feet as she spoke to him head bowed. He said nothing but just continued his stride into the mansion. He walked through a set of glass doors leading to what looked like the living room and took a seat in.

I stood still not knowing exactly what to do until the maid my master just spoke to turned to me and pulled me by my arm, not gently either and told me to come with her. I took a moment to decide if I should and she could tell the apprehension but didn’t have time for me or anything she dragged me along with her despite the fact that I let her know her claws were digging into my skin. I took a last glance at the direction my buyer went before we disappeared behind an old large oak door.