For Sale By Owner

Growing up has been rough, I’ve been sick most of my life, when I was two years old, I was diagnosed with brain cancer, after three years, four surgeries, and a ton of chemotherapy I was told I was finally cancer free. Six months later, they found more cancer in my lungs. That went on for another couple of years before it went into remission. Because of years of chemotherapy and radiation my immune system was shot. I had trouble fending off the most innocent of infections. Needless to say, I ended up being homeschooled, my only real friends where my parents. I made several online friends, but it just wasn’t the same. I was stuck in my house almost all the time because my parents were in constant fear that I would get sick again and not come out of it.

Having parents like mine was a blessing. My dad in particular, he did everything he could to make sure I was happy. I never told him how lonely I was, he was too busy making my favorite food, homeschooling me or spending hours playing card games with me. I think he knew I was lonely and tried his best to make sure that I wasn’t. Mom worked all the time, but I loved her for it. One of them had to stay home with me and one needed to work, it just happened that mom had the better job, so dad decided to stay home. As time went on, my parents began to fight more and more, mostly over money. Usually, it was medical bills, my medical bills. The last I heard they were about $500,000 dollars in debt and they didn’t know how they were going to pay it off. This is one reason why dad stayed home with me, they literally couldn’t afford for me to get sick again. Mom thought of him as my watch dog, guarding me from myself. He thought of himself as my guardian angel. At least, that’s what he told me.

When I turned thirteen, I started getting antsy. I needed to get out into the world and meet people. My dad and I started bumping heads, not fighting, we never fought I was just frustrated because I hadn’t been sick in four years and I wanted to see the world. I understood why they were scared, but I wasn’t scared I was determined. After a long talk with dad, and an even longer talk between my mom and dad in private, they finally agreed to take me out to dinner and a movie. The very idea, that I could see a movie in the theater or have dinner in a real restaurant was pure heaven, especially considering I hadn’t ever been to either my entire life. Unfortunately, because of moms work schedule, I hate to wait a week.

After a long, stressful week of waiting I finally had my chance to get out of the house. My dinner date went perfect, the food was great, the waitress was super sweet (even though I probably talked her ear off) and the movie was even better. I just wish I could’ve talked to people while the movie was playing. The whole point in leaving the house was to meet people. After the movie, mom and dad had to stop by the store to pick up ice cream. When we pulled into the parking lot, they parked pretty far away from the other cars. They said they didn’t want anyone hitting the car with their doors. I figured one of my parents would stay in the car with me, instead they left me in the car alone. It was dark they parked beyond the parking lot lights, I wasn’t used to being by myself. Ten minutes pass and I was starting to get a little worried, I thought they would be back by now. Another ten minutes pass and I was debating on going in the store to find them. Right at that moment my door opened, it was a very large man wearing a mask. He grabbed me and I screamed, then he put a cloth over my mouth and everything went dark.

When I woke up, I was laying on a dirty old mattress chained to a pipe in a dark room. It was cold and I was completely naked. I started screaming and a man came bursting in the room and duct taped my mouth shut and then left the room. That guy brought me food twice a day for what I think was three days. He never spook to me, other than the occasional threat. I couldn’t figure out what was going on. All I could think about was my parents and finding a way to get back to them as soon as possible. If I hadn’t demanded to leave the house and be around real people, this would have never happened. Even though I wasn’t the one that did the kidnapping, it still felt like it was my fault.

On the fourth day, after I ate, the man came bursting through the door again, he brought me a dress and demanded that I put it on. I complied hoping that whatever was happening would give me my way out. Several minutes later, the man came back in and too the chain off of my wrist. I tried to run but he knocked me to the ground. Then he forcefully grabbed my hand and pulled me upstairs into a living room. There was six men waiting, they all wore very nice suits and I was convinced that maybe they were cops or something. I begged them to help me, instead they all smirked and demand I twirl around for them. Then the bidding began. Each man offering just a little more money than the other one. Like a hammer to the face, I came to the realization that I was being sold, probably for sex, those men were probably pimps or something.

This very large man in a very nice suit made the final bid, then demanded a “test drive” before purchase. They grabbed my arm and pulled me into a bedroom and threw me down on the bed. That man in the nice suit ripped my dress off, and pulled his pants down. He started grinding himself on me and grabbed my throat demanding that I stop fighting him. He shoved me to my knees and forced himself into my mouth. I thought about biting down as hard as I could, then I saw the gun he had hidden under his sport coat, I had to play along, the one thing he couldn’t force me to do was stop crying. Then he grabbed me by my neck a tossed me back onto the bed, climbing on top of me. I squirmed a little, but he scared me too much to fight back. The pain was unimaginable when he forced himself inside me. I closed my eyes and let him do his thing while I put myself at home with my parents playing board games and watching movies. When he finished, he pulled his pants up, grabbed my arm and told the man who had kidnapped me that they had a deal, he pulled out his phone and sent a text, then another man walked in with a duffel bag full of cash. They chained me to a chair, I was still sobbing, while they counted the money. Then the door opened again and to my surprise my father walked in. I immediately started to screaming “Daddy help,” he just ignored me, walked over to the men took the duffel bag and started for the door. My father, the man I admired so much, turned and looked at me and said, “sorry pumpkin, your mom and I needed the cash,” and then walked out the door without even a second thought. Everything was a lie, the dinner and a movie, needing to pick up ice cream at the store, parking so far away from the other cars in the dark part of lot, it was all a lie. My parents just sold me to get out of debt, I started hyperventilating and passed out.

When I woke up, I was laying on a really nice big bed. I wasn’t chained to anything, I jumped off the bed and ran out of the bedroom, I thought maybe I was somewhere safe. Then an older women stopped me, she explained that I lived there now, and that I would be well taken care, I would just need to service these men whenever they asked me too. She said there was only two rules, don’t ever argue or question anything about servicing the men and don’t ever try to leave the house.

Days turned to months, months turned to years. One day I started to feel sick, sicker than usual anyway, the house mother had the doctor come by the house to check on me. He noticed these purple spots that had appeared on my skin a few months ago and my weight loss. He took some blood and came back a few days later to inform me, the house mother and my boss (the man in the nice suit) that I had contracted HIV. That’s when I realized, this whole thing started with my frustration for not being allowed to leave the house and I’m probably going to die being just as trapped. Late that night, the man came into my room, I assumed he wanted sex, instead, he gently stroked my cheek and told me this whole thing was a shame, I was one of his best girls and that he had really taken a liking to me. Then he leaned in and gently kissed me on the forehead. I smiled with a bit of confusion, then he very solemnly pick up a pillow placed it over my head. I began to struggle, then in a split second I heard a bang and it was over. The pain and betrayal was finally over.

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