Page 49 of Tess, Property of Blaze

Tess

Isit back against the cold concrete wall and move Amy’s head so it’s lying in my lap. I don’t know this girl, but I feel an urge to protect her. She’s so young and tiny, and I’m worried about her. Who knows what drugs they’ve given her to shut her up, and who knows the last time she’s eaten anything.

“Do they want to sell you too?” Sam asks from next to me. She’s huddled in close to keep warm, and I place my arm around her.

“No. I’m here because of the man who hit you.”

“I think his name is Viper,” Sam whispers.

“Yeah, that’s him.”

Sam looks up at me. “So why are you here because of him?”

“It’s a long story.”

“We have time. I doubt we’re going anywhere.”

I sigh, then go with the truth. “I’m just not up to talking about it right now, I’m sorry. How about you tell me what led you here?”

I hear Sam’s intake of breath and rub her arm to soothe her. “I… I was out with friends. We managed to get into this club with fake IDs. My parents thought I was going over to my friend’s house, Nicky’s, to study.” She giggles then, obviously remembering something.

“What is it?”

“Nothing, just remembering what my mother said before I left.”

“What was that?”

I can hear the smile in Sam’s voice when she answers, “She said to make sure I cover my dress properly before I leave.”

I smile as well. “She knew you were going out.”

“Yeah. You see, my mom is cool, it’s my dad that’s strict. I guess having four girls does that to you.”

“You have three sisters?” I ask.

“Yeah, Natasha, Ivy, and Janine.”

“Wow, that’s a lot of girls under one roof.”

I feel her body shake as she laughs. “Yeah, that’s what my dad used to say. He was always going on and on about never being able to use the bathroom because us girls would always take our time doing our hair and makeup. He used to say, ‘why can’t I have just one boy.’”

I laugh along; I can kind of see where he’s coming from. “Your father sounds like he was just trying to protect you all.”

“Yeah, I know. Now I wish that I just stayed home that night and studied. God knows I need to.”

“So what happened next?” I ask, wanting to know how the Forseekers are getting away with pinching girls.

“It was horrible. Me and Nicky got asked for ID at the door, and when they saw our ID, they knew it was fake. They wouldn’t let us in, and we’d caught a cab there, so we decided to head down a few blocks to a diner to have a late dinner. We’d only walked a few feet when a black van pulled up alongside us and men with masks covered our mouths and dragged us into the back. I tried to scream, but it was no use. They’d covered my face with some kind of cloth soaked in something, and it put me to sleep right away. When I woke up, I was here.”

Sam begins to cry, and I hug her to me. “I’m so sorry you went through that, Sam. But where is your friend? Nicky?”

“I don’t know,” she says, panic entering her voice. “When I woke up, she wasn’t here, just Amy over there. I asked them where she was, but they wouldn’t answer me. What if she’s dead?”

Sam begins to cry hysterically, and I try to calm her down. “Shush, it will be okay, don’t worry.”

She looks up at me, I can just make out her eyes, tears glistening in them. “How can you say that? We’re locked up in here, and there are other men, too.”

“Very soon, they’ll be coming for me, and once I’m out, I will try and find a way out for you. That’s a promise,” I say, pushing her hair out of her face.

---