Unease suffused my body. Was I dead? Or in heaven? Opening my eyes was a hard task to do, but even harder was being able to raise the weight of my head. It was too hard.

Every little task seemed difficult.

How long was I here for. It must have been more than five days now, seeing as I'd been drugged again and woke up somewhere unfamiliar. Now that I think about it, the temperature wasn't so cold anymore, which was a telltale sign that I was no longer in that small dungeon.

My heartbeat skyrocketed upon the realisation that I wasn't alone. As my senses slowly returned back to me, a murmur of voices resonated around.

I looked down at myself, only to regret it. My hands were tied to a wooden chair this time, but that was the least of my concerns. I was adorned in a skin fitting dress, which left little to the imagination. It was made of expensive looking beads and started from my neck all the way down to my ankles. I felt as if I'd been hurried alive. Never had I worn such tight clothes before only adding to my claustrophobic state.

And my hair?!

Was my hair also uncovered? Ya Allah. It was! My hair was displayed openly, bringing more humiliation onto my shoulders. Tears escaped from my eyes, no longer hiding behind the shield of hardness.

My eyes wondered ahead in alarm, only to stare back into nothingness. Where was I!

"Anastasia Borisyuk sold for twenty-five thousand US dollars" came the deep voice of a cruel man. With a tremor in my movements, I looked to the right of me, and everything made sense.

This girl was being sold! She was literally being sold right infront of my eyes. I took in her melancholic state with remorseful eyes, as a light descended down upon her. Her head was held down throughout the entire process of being dragged, to exiting the stage and disappearing behind a door.

She did not respond, and neither did she cry. Her eyes were nothing short of gloomy. It was like she accepted her fate, or perhaps she did not know what else to do but silently hope and pray.

Before she was dragged off the stage, her gaze lingered on me, portraying some sort of message. I sat there immobilised, feeling as if she was digging through my mind, looking for anything to help her then.

Why are you looking at me like that? I am of no help to you.

A slow headache was erupting, leaving a throbbing sensation in it's wake. I shut my eyes in vain, hoping I disappeared from here or that the ground could swallow me up, and regurgitate me next to my parents.

A lone tear escaped my eye upon the realisation that I'd never be able to see them ever again. Are they worried? Are they aware that their daughter is missing? So many unanswered questions!

The moment that I'd been dreading had arrived. The light shined upon my frame, causing me to cringe away. Despite the bright light, I still couldn't see ahead of me. It was too dark to distinguish what was there. Or rather, who was there.

"This is Laila Bakhash, a twenty year old Pakistani beauty. Starting at five thousand dollars!"

My eyes widened and sweat began dribbling down my forehead. Surely this was a big nightmare and that I'd wake up to the sound of birds. No matter how much I tried to move, or voice my opinion, nothing happened.

My desperate pleas were hidden behind the rope, which I'd come to now realise was fastened tightly around my mouth. Tears escaped my eyes upon hearing the money soaring up. Was this what I deserved for not listening to the demons words?

Was this his plan all along?!

"Thirty thousand!" A lone voice screamed from the darkness.

"Thirty thousand, any higher than thirty thousand!"

"Fourty!" Someone else screamed from the crowd which I couldn't see. Oh to go back and not know that such hideous organisations still existed!

" Sixty thousand!"

"That's more like it. Anybody what to go higher than sixty thousand!"

"One hundred thousand!" I sat there stunned. Was this all real money? Was my life going to be sold away like this? What about my degree, my aspirations! I had a life too, you cruel men!

"Ha ha ha" came the sick voice of the bidder, as he laughed maniacally. "One hundred thousand to the man with the umbrella. Going once, going twice, so-"

"One million dollars!"

I felt like I could die then and there. That's it. No one would be able to save me now. I screamed and cried, moved about but it was all futile.

A series of gasps were heard among the unseen crowd. Another light fell upon the swarm of people, showing me just how many people there were. There must've been about a hundred here, all with surprise filled eyes, staring back at me.

Eventually the light descended upon one person, but before I could see who it was, a tall, bulky man untied the rope, grabbed my arm roughly, dragging me off stage. Meanwhile, the host of this trafficking ring continued with the bidding.

A loud deafening shrill was ringing in my ears. I didn't know whether it was silent screams in my head or perhaps that I was going insane. I didn't have any energy to walk around, not even when the bulky man pulled and grabbed at my arm.

He growled loudly, and I guess if it were up to him, he'd have punched me by now, or worse. But I guess when you're worth a million dollars, you're somewhat precious. Perhaps I really was going insane.

Worth a million dollars? No, Laila, it's all in your dreams. Pinch yourself. This cannot be real. Just a couple of hours ago you were at the hospital, then what happened? Did you fall and cause a severe concussion? Perhaps.

"Ivan. Let go of the girl. I will handle her" came the smooth voice of a man. I was too scared to look up, afraid they'd put a bullet through my head over the slightest inconvenience. These guys just bargained with my life, of course they wouldn't flinch if they had to kill someone.

Ivan walled away without a look in my direction, leaving me in the mercy of a dangerous looking man. Judging by his attire and attitude towards the guy names Ivan he seemed important. Someone not to mess with.

I gulped upon sight, not liking the tremble in my body nor the shivers running down my back.

"Look up, girl" commanded the presence before me. Too scared of the consequences, I instantly lifted my head, but not meeting his gaze. His face morphed into seriousness, as he eyed me up and down whilst circling around me like how a predator would do to it's prey.

"You're my most prized possession for the night, so I ought to favour you. What is it about you that my dear friend urged to purchase, someone who himself is against this organisation of mine" came his sneer. His gaze lingered down at me, a foul look playing across his face.

I didn't say anything, simply because I didn't know what to reply with. This wasn't the time to feel self conscious, Laila.

"Whatever it is, I'll hand you over to the Mafia Lord. He'll get you speaking" he smirked and I wanted nothing more than the ground to bury me deep within. The world of the Mafia scared me more than anything. I'd known about Rafael's position, so could it be that this was exactly why I'd been bought. In order for a rivalry Mafia to gain information from me.

Before I could think too much on this, the man turned on his heel, commanding in a low voice to follow him. I did so with my heart sunk. Dread filled me.

We walked for about three minutes before we came to a stop behind a red door. I looked up to read V.I.P engraved into metal.

Surely this was the exact room which catered to the most dangerous men. Just thinking about this set my nerves on fire. But to my surprise, none of the sort was true, as the man before me opened the door to reveal an almost empty room.

There was a man with his back facing us, and a cigarette in his hand. He sat down perched upon a loveseat, with a woman by his side, who seemed to be wearing less than me. Upon stepping in, I inhaled a lot of smoke, in return causing me to cough quite loudly.

The stranger sat upon the sofa made no knowledge to acknowledge the presence behind him, as he sat there unbothered, smoking away.

"My friend, kak tvoi dela?" Smiled the repulsive man.

Too scared to look up, my head was held low, as the stranger got up and walked to where we were. I gulped out of fear.

"Ostav' nas" Came the deep and formidable voice of the stranger. The women which was supposedly entertaining him got up and left without a fight. With the door shut behind us, only then did my heart sore to the skies.

I shut my eyes in fear, not wanting to know in whose hands I belonged to now. I could practically cut the tension with a knife, that's how much on edge I was.

After a couple minutes of silence, my captor exclaimed out loud. "I'll leave you two to it then, have fun getting to know each other" if I wasn't so scared of these men, I would have already collapsed onto the ground. I presuming they just had some sort of telepathic communication.

Despite the captor selling me off, I was practically trembling to be left alone with another stranger. Who knows what he'd do to me now that we were alone. Now to think I felt naked under his scrutinous gaze with the skin tight dress and my hair out in the open.

Tears escaped from my eyes, as the man got closer. I could smell the powerful cologne, as it wafted into my nose. It was expensive, I could tell.

"Look up" came his command, leaving me unable to refuse. The mere authority in his voice set my body in a trembling mess. But when I did look up, our gaze clashed, and in that moment, I felt the happiest I had this entire week.

___