Page 2 of Ensnared

“Oh, um, I’m Penny,” I say nervously, noticing my father has now moved closer to the exit with Rex.

“How fittin',” he smiles. I frown at him. What does he mean by that? As if he could read my mind, he opens his mouth again. “A penny for a Penny.” He laughs, finally letting go of my hand, and I nervously laugh with him, not understanding his joke. He then walks over to his desk and takes out a black suitcase.

“150K, cash, just as promised,” he says, giving the case to my father. I frown and look back at my father’s face, unsure what the hell is happening. But then he just grabs the suitcase and doesn’t say a word, before leaving the tent. I go to walk with them, but the older man, Master, grabs my arm and tuts at me.

“Not you, you stay. I paid for you, my pretty penny.” I gape at him, uncaring how wide my mouth is open. What does he mean by that? My father wouldn’t just sell me like that. This is a joke. Right?

I pull my arm back, look at the exit, and try to run for it, but the men by the exit grab me quickly. Their huge hands begin groping my body. The act is making me feel nauseous and angry. If only I could–

“Oh yeah, we are going to get such a good penny for this one. Maybe we should try the goods before the show,” the tallest one of them says, his hand grabbing my left breast painfully hard. Master walks over to us, and watches his hands fondle me, then raises an eyebrow at him.

“Boss won’t like that, and you know it. Now, come on, someone help open her mouth, will ya.” The man whose hands were just on my breasts, lets go, to then start prying my mouth open, while the other tries to hold me still. I snap at his finger, trying to bite him, but he pulls away on time and grabs my chin, squeezing so hard it hurts. I yelp, trying to pull my face out of his grasp.

“Try to bite me again, and I’ll pull all your fucking teeth out, bitch.” He snarls in my face. A tear involuntarily slides down my cheek from the pain of his hold, along with the fear, and I slowly open my mouth, scared he’ll do much worse to me. Master takes something from his pocket and drops it on my tongue, then forces my mouth shut.

“Swallow.” He demands. I oblige, too scared to do anything else. Once he sees me swallow, he forces my mouth open again, looking inside to make sure I swallowed whatever he put in there. Satisfied, the men let go, and uncertainty fills me. Are they going to let me go now?

“You'd better sit down before you fall and hit your head against something. Damaged goods don’t sell that well,” he chuckles. I want to open my mouth to respond, but suddenly my mouth feels too heavy, and my vision starts to blur. What’s happening? The last thing I see is a candle flame dying out, while I feel like I’m falling, but I never hit the ground.

Chapter 2

Penny

Idon’t know where I am, or what happened, but I do know this wasn't the dress I was wearing, and I know I probably won’t like the answer to this mystery. I look around the small room I am in; the red walls are slowly peeling away, making the dark brown wood grain beneath stand out. There’s a small, dirty mattress on the floor, along with a bucket, I’m not sure I want to know what it’s supposed to be for, and a single door I can’t get to open.

My mind is still foggy from what I assume is drugs that Master gave me, making it hard for me to gather my thoughts, and a sob escapes me without realizing it. Wetness trails down my cheek, and I swipe my finger through it. Am I crying?

Slowly, one by one, the memories start to form in my head, and it’s making me feel more alone and vulnerable than I have ever been before. Did my father actually just sell me off like I didn’t matter to him? I think back to seeing him grab that stupid case of money and leave without another word. He did! HE SOLD ME! How could he do this to me? His daughter, his own flesh and blood. What am I going to do? I suddenly feel like I can’t breathe anymore, and start to gasp for air, while the feeling of electricity in my face begins to grow until I get dizzy and start to shake. Am I gonna die now?

I fall to the ground, my body feeling too heavy to function properly, and begin gasping for air again, only harder. Something loud, as if a door is slamming open fills the room, but I’m too far gone in my own panic to really register what the sound was or what it means. Big hands grab my shoulders; one of the two men who were guarding the tent exit before is standing in front of me shouting something. I can hear the word ‘fuck’, and then a sudden sharp pain hits my left cheek, bringing me out my panic which helps me focus now.

I put my hand against my aching skin and start rubbing it.

“Did you just hit me?” I ask the man in front of me in disbelief.

“It made you stop panicking, didn’t it?” He retorts quickly, before he stands up and wipes his hands on his pants.

“That was completely uncalled for. Also, I do not want you anywhere near me!” I raise my voice at him out of anger, while also trying to hold myself up with his arms. My body is clearly shaking, and he’s seeing me too vulnerable for my liking, but I try to keep the act up nonetheless. These men are pigs; they don’t deserve my fears.

The man scoffs at me, his dark brown eyes piercing mine. “What you want does not matter here, not even what I want does.” He mutters the last part, and I wonder if I heard him correctly. He turns around and walks out, slamming the door shut.

Well, great, what do I do now?

I take in a deep breath and let it out, before I think about my next steps. Being hysterical won’t save me from anything; I need to play it smart. I’ll play along. I’ll do what they say, until the right opportunity presents itself. I’ll make them think I’m just a weak and pliable little girl.

Then, I’ll make them pay for it. Even my father.

Chapter 3

Penny

“It’s time.” I stare at the floor, not caring about Master standing in front of me. He squats down, then holds my chin in his cold, long fingers. The need to pull back is strong, but I don’t want him to mistrust me, so I bite my tongue and let him tilt my head up. His evil eyes stare back at me; he’s got some kind of contacts in, with a bright red color, making him look like the devil. ‘Seems fitting’, I think to myself.

“Look at you, all alone, at my mercy. Behave, and I will make it easier for you.” He chuckles, letting go of my chin and stands back up, wiping his red and black striped pants with his hands. He straightens out the matching jacket, and holds his hand out to the side. A man I have never seen before walks up behind him and places a blood-red cane in his hand, with a sculpted black goat head at the top. The stranger winks at me and then turns around and leaves us again. Master puts his arm in a hook shape, waiting for me to get up and grab it. Slowly, I stand up, wobbling on my legs. Earlier, I felt so beautiful, but now I feel uglier than I ever have. I hate it. I hook my arm through his, making him hum with satisfaction.

“Good.” He says smiling, as he walks us out of my little prison. I try to look around to see where we are, taking in our surroundings and wondering where he might be taking me. Maybe I’ll find my way out.

“The bidding starts in a couple of hours. You, my dear, need to get ready and look your finest. I noticed you love pearls, so I’ll make sure my stylist adds them to your wardrobe.” I hum as a reply, making him believe I am listening to him, though I have only taken a few words from his conversation. I can’t stay here; there has got to be a way out.