Chapter One
A/N: You can skip it but just a few things:
My first story on this site! Read it, comment and 'like' please :D And btw 'Baba' is just a name she calls him- it kind of means uncle to her, so don't ask me where the word is from, I just thought to use it, haha xD Also, no sex scenes will be described although the story is about prositution.The picture shows the actress who'd play the main character.
Anyway, hope you enjoy it!
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Her peculiarly small, fragile frame was obstructed by the towering shadow of her step-father. She knew not of what was going on, she was too young to conceive the events that were occurring around her- the events that would shape the rest of her life.
The room was still with the inaudible whispering escaping the lips of the cruel men that surrounded her. The framed photos stood lopsided on the peeling walls. The stains on the carpet were covered up by a furry rug in an attempt to hide any signs of poverty. However, this attempt was in vain. It was obvious to anybody who entered the apartment that the Molotovs lived in a state far from luxury.
"Baba, I want to go back to sleep," she announced much to the surprise of everyone. It was the first words she had spoken since she had been awakened and guided downstairs. Many of the men had been led to believe the young girl wouldn't utter a word unless vitally necessary- this trait, they thought, would prove to be useful in the future.
Arina's step-father, Isaak, placed a forced delicate arm on his step-daughter's shoulder and crouched down to her level.
"Darling, you can go to sleep soon. We've just got sort something out here first, okay?" He said whilst getting back up.
"But Baba, why do I have to be here?"
Her words echoed around the almost empty sitting room. The tension could be cut with a butter knife. Isaak became more aggressive now. He bent down instantaneously and placed his arms on the young girl's shoulders once again.
"Be quiet. Your father has some important business to proceed with, just keep your mouth shut and stand here." His words were bitter. Arina still hadn't grown accustomed to the fact he referred to himself as her 'father' when she clearly knew that wasn't the case. Her real father was gone.
"You're not my father," she muttered but luckily for her, none of the men heard her. They had ignored the girl and continued with their ''business''.
Arina stood awkwardly in the centre of the room while the men pointed and discussed her. She failed to understand the foreign language spoken by everybody in the room- her, herself, had only learnt English. She had only ever lived in England.
Eventually, heads were nodded, hands were shaken and decisions were made. Some men stood up and left the room with their heads held low until the room was once again empty, except for the presence of a man and her step-father.
The man was rather large; his shirt clung to his chunks of flab. He had a moustache which almost mimicked that of Hitler's, and his hair was parted through the middle with an askew hair line. As he approached Arina, more of his specific facial features became apparent to her.
His skin was masked with blotches of miscoloured skin. Diminutive pieces of dark hair stood all over his tanned skin protectively. Arina was scared of him the second she threw a glance at him.
"Arina, darling!" He exclaimed. "I'm Mustafa; you'll be coming with me." He added whilst reaching out an arm to get a hold of her.
Arina's heart stopped. She didn't want to go with this man. He looked far too grotesque for her. She ran behind her step-father and clung onto his trousers.
"Come on, Arina. You're thirteen years old, you're grown up now. You can go with the man. Don't be scared." Isaak shot deceiving words of encouragement at her. Arina wasn't fooled.
"I don't want to go with him. I want to stay here."
"Arina, you must go with him." Her father now became more serious, he had raised his voice. He had a look on his face that said 'don't argue with me' but Arina didn't care, she would stand her ground.
"No, Baba! I won't." Her voice also grew with anger.
As soon as she said those words she feared for herself. Never had she answered back to her step-father. She was far too scared of the consequences that she was sure would soon follow. As he stepped closer to her, she began screaming frantically.
"I'm not going with him!" Her voice echoed her thoughts. As her step-father attempted to release her grasp from off his clothes, she grew louder; her high-pitched screams filled the room.
"No, you can't make me!" For the first time in her life, hostility could be heard in her voice.
Surprisingly, Isaak didn't raise a hand to her. He just let out a sigh.
"Please Arina; don't make this more difficult than it already is for me. I'm doing the best thing for you- it's what your mother would want."
"Uh-uh." She folded her arms across her shoulder.
"Look, you either go with him at your own accord, or he's going to drag you out. You don't have a choice in the matter."
"You know what?" The man suddenly jumped up. "I don't have time for this. I've many things I could be doing right now instead of this. I'll come by tomorrow with the full cash and I want this girl ready. You understand?!"
Isaak wiped a sweat from his forehead, relieved he wouldn't have to proceed with arguing with Arina- he knew she could be very stubborn when she wanted to be.
"Yes, yes. Of course, Mustafa. Anything you want."
Mustafa got up and stormed out of the room. Isaak shadowed him, whispering his apologies all the way up to the door until Mustafa slammed the door shut.
The moment the sound of the door resounded around the apartment, Arina attempted to run up the stairs into the safety of her room, but failed. Isaak was at the foot of the stairs before she could escape.
"What the fuck was that about?!" He yelled. "What is wrong with you, you stupid child?!"
"Baba, I'm sorry!" Arina's large eyes pleaded for Isaak to forgive her.
"I don't want your stupid apology!" He barked. Suddenly, his large palm met with Arina's cheek in a painful moment. She didn't scream; she had grown used to the pain. She simply placed her hands over her face to stop any more slaps touching her; she had acquired this technique to stop Isaak from hitting her. It had worked. He sunk down to the ground with his face in his palms.
"Do you understand what you nearly caused, Arina? This man is important for us both! It will be up to him whether we can survive or not. We won't be together any more, but does that really matter? You'll have a new life and you'll forget all about me. Go with the man tomorrow, please, Arina. I beg you. Don't ruin this. It's the best chance we've got."
Arina didn't listen to the words coming out of Isaak's mouth. She simply saw the tears falling from his eyes and immediately felt the need to comply with his wishes.
"Okay, Baba."
And that was all it took. Arina had agreed to her life being flip sided... for the worse.
******
"Mamma! Mamma!" Arina yelled from her bed.
This had become a night time ritual for Isaak- one that he'd be glad of its riddance once Arina left the house. He threw his covers off, rubbed his eyes and ambled out of his bed for the last time. It was convenient for them both that they shared a room; it made it easier for Isaak to comfort her at night.
He sat on the side of her bed.
"Arina, wake up."
When she didn't, he shook her shoulders.
"Arina, wake up. You're having a bad dream."
He continued shaking her shoulders until her eyes slowly flickered open. She let out a silent yawn.
"You were having a bad dream," Isaak announced as if she hadn't already gathered that.
"I'm sorry, Baba."
"For what? It's not your fault you still dream about your mother. Sometimes, I do too." And that was true.
"No, Baba. Not for that. For everything: Making you wake up in the middle of the night because of my foolish dreams, for you having to look after me just because you married Mamma, and for today, when I was rude to you in front of the man." She sat up in her bed and looked down at her fingers as she said this.
"Arina, it's okay." Isaak was stunned; he didn't know what to say. He never knew Arina had ever thought about things so deeply. He wasn't good with conveying his emotions so instead, he waddled back to his bed. "Get some sleep for tomorrow."
"Baba?"
"Yes?"
"Am I going to live with that man?"
"Yes, Arina."
"Am I going to have to leave my friends at school?"
"Yes, Arina."
"What about you, Baba? Are you going to visit me?"
"I don't know, Arina."
"I hope you do, Baba."
Chapter Two
Sitting on the hard chair waiting for Mustafa felt like a lifetime. Both Arina and Isaak silently anticipated his arrival. For some strange reason, Arina had a small feeling of excitement rushing around her body; surely because she didn't have a clue what was in store for her.
Isaak rocked back and forth in his chair glaring at the door, hoping for some kind of life to knock on it. It wasn't that he couldn't wait to get rid of Arina, it was merely the fact that he wanted to get this "business deal" over and done with. He couldn't bear to see Arina go; he had always had a soft spot for her, though it was one that he didn't often show.
"Baba, what will I be doing when I go with Mustafa?" Arina shattered the growing silence.
"I don't know, Arina." When he saw this answer was insufficient for Arina's wondering mind, he moved beside her. "All that matters is that you're going to have a better life. Okay?" He began stroking her hair subconsciously. Arina looked up at his disconsolate facial expression.
"What's wrong, Baba?" Her expression now matched his and the room's atmosphere was now almost unbearable.
"Nothing, nothing at all." He took a moment to compose himself. "Remember what I say next always. Don't ever let anybody do anything to you that you don't agree with. Do you understand, Arina?"
Arina had a bewildered look on her face now. She scrunched up her eyebrows and drew her finger to her temple in confusion.
"Why would anybody do anything to me that I don't agree with?"
Isaak sighed, unsure of what to say.
"Just as a precaution remember what I said. Always."
"Baba, I'm going to miss you. Please visit me everyday," Arina's words of affection were left unanswered due to the fact the doorbell was heard. Isaak was grateful of the timing; he wouldn't have to reply with the emotional response that he, so badly, wanted to state. The duo looked at each other in a split second, before Isaak got up and rushed off to open the door.
Arina sat alone in the living room pondering what her new life would consist off. Would she have a new, paradisiacal room? Would her friends be better than the friends she had here? Or would they bully her like the girls from the older years?
Her thoughts came to an abrupt end when she saw Mustafa standing opposite her. She looked to see where Isaak was, and saw him shuffling around in the doorway, looking down.
"Come on. It's time to go and no funny business this time." Mustafa grabbed her by her sleeve wrist and steered her out of the room.
"Bye, Baba," she managed to conjugate.
Isaak couldn't lift his gaze from off the ground; he looked far too grief-stricken.
"Remember what I said, Arina," he reminded her with tears in his eyes.
Before she could respond, Mustafa had shut the door; creating the barrier, that would forever grow, between Arina and her step-father. Mustafa continued to grasp onto her sleeve down the stairs of the small flat, until they had reached the bottom.
"You're going to be a good girl, aren't you Arina?" He said, his stale breath filling her nostrils with the most abominable odour. She coughed in a reflex action and nodded.
“Good. So I can let you go and you won’t run away?” Again, the smell was overtaking.
“Yes, Sir.” A part of her only obliged to this man because she wanted to impress her step-father. She wanted Mustafa to go back and report great news to Isaak about her wonderful behaviour. The other part of her only obliged to this man because she was scared of him.
“You don’t have to call me “sir”. That’s too formal for you and I. We’ll be getting to know each other far too well for you to be referring to me as “sir”.” He let out a calculated laugh that told Arina he smoked too much.
“Okay.”
“Call me Mustafa. But everybody else, call them whatever they please. Do you understand?”
Arina was confused. She didn’t know what other people she’d have to talk to. She then figured Mustafa meant her new friends.
“Of course, Mustafa.”
Mustafa arrogantly nodded to himself in accomplishment. He was proud he’d got such a great deal.
The car they were headed to sat parked illegally partly on the pavement. Arina stared at it. She was astonished by its sheer appearance.
Its shiny, metallic frame created a circular shape for the roof of the car. The six doors plastered around the car conveyed luxury in every way, and the tinted windows added that little touch. It clearly did not match its current surroundings; a luxurious car in a broke down estate.
Never had Arina seen such an expensive car. She got excited at the thought that this car was just a glimpse of her new life. What other great things would Mustafa have in store for her?
“Get in the car,” he said but Arina was already running towards the car, amazed. At first she placed her hands over the exterior and began feeling it.
“Wow!” She exclaimed.
Mustafa stood and watched the young girl. He let out a chuckle.
“Yes, I know. It’s great. Now get in.” He said after quickly getting bored of watching Arina stare at the car; he did not have enough patience to wait for her.
She backed away from the car and took the image in for one last time, in awe. Then only did she merrily hop into the car. He shut the door behind her and got in the front, seatbelts undone.
“How much did the car cost, Mustafa?”
“Money you'll soon be earning for me.”
Mustafa’s cryptic response only confused her further. She wished he’d give her direct answers; she hated when adults didn’t answer the questions understandably.
As he began to drive off, Arina enthusiastically watched the landscapes pass her by until her incitement wore off and slowly, she drifted off to sleep.
*****
She woke up with a start. She had banged her head on something. When she forced her eyes open, she saw nothing but black. Rubbing her eyes in haste, she realised it wasn’t black she was seeing; it was the back of a man’s jacket- upside down. She was lying over some new man’s shoulder and he was walking them both up the path. Arina wriggled around to escape this strange man’s clasp.
“Will you stop it?” He suddenly said.
“I’m sorry but can you put me down?” She asked innocently.
“No can do- boss’s orders.”
“But I’m feeling a bit dizzy…” Arina lied.
“Whoa! I don’t want any of your vomit on my leather jacket,” he quickly said before rushing her down off his shoulder. It took a moment for Arina’s vision to not look so hazy.
“Where’s Mustafa?” She asked livid.
“He’s in there,” the man pointed at the building in front of him. "He had me bring you out because you were asleep.”
Arina looked at the building and its surroundings. The streets were full of unoccupied buildings, all grey and lifeless. Nobody could be seen for ages. The polluted air created a horrific stench.
Arina wondered where her school would be.
She then saw the building that Mustafa was in. It was walled with large, red gates that were bigger than the building itself. The building looked like an unused apartment block that had been converted for somebody’s own personal use. It was, however, the only building that looked like a human being could inhabit.
“Hurry up.” The man ordered when he saw Arina had stopped in her tracks to observe the building. When he saw his words had completely swept over her head, he went over and led her up the crooked path by grabbing her hand.
As they entered the building, Arina was stunned. But not in a good way. She could barely make out Mustafa sitting in the corner smoking; the room was incredibly dark. She stumped her toe on a table she hadn’t seen, and cursed herself.
“What took you so long?!” Mustafa asked, putting out his cigarette.
“The girl was being difficult,” the man said.
Mustafa stepped closer to Arina.
“Didn’t you say you were going to be a good girl?”
“Yes. I’m sorry, Mustafa.”
“Take her to her room,” Mustafa ordered the man.
Arina followed the man up the stairs. She didn’t feel comfortable walking up the stairs; it felt like they were going to collapse beneath her feet. Once they had reached the top, the man pointed to a room.
“You’re in there.”
He turned around and went back down the stairs.
Arina dawdled down the corridor until she stopped in front of the door that the man had pointed out. She could hear loud banging from inside the room so she froze; unsure of what to do. Then she heard a woman calling out. It didn’t sound like screams of a woman looking for help, but yet to Arina, it still sounded like the woman was in desperate need of something. Arina braced herself, put on a brave façade and charged into the room with a large bang.
The sight Arina saw when she barged in made her physically sick. She wanted to pour out her guts. She was absolutely morbid. For a thirteen year old, seeing such a thing could’ve scarred them for life.
There was a large, hairy man lying on top of a younger woman and both were completely naked. She saw every body part of theirs and saw them close together in a forced embrace.
“I’m sorry!” Arina cried and rushed out of the room, sick with herself. She wanted to remove the image of the two naked beings on the bed but it kept replaying in her mind. The man with a shocked look on his face. The woman who looked indifferent.
Maybe the man had given her the wrong room? Arina thought. She surely couldn’t be sharing a room with such people.
Suddenly, the man, who had only a couple of minutes ago been on top of the woman, stormed past Arina. He had a towel wrapped around him below his waist.
“What kind of service is this?!” He yelled, storming down the stairs.
The door to the room was now left open. Arina decided to go in; she couldn’t stand in the corridor all day especially now that she had just angered that man.
She walked into the room, careful to keep her gaze down on the ground.
“Hey, what was that for?! Now I’m going to get in trouble with Mustafa! Why couldn’t you just stay outside?” The woman looked enraged.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to. I thought you were in trouble so I wanted to help you. I’m really sorry. Please forgive me-” Arina’s pleading was interrupted by the woman letting out a laugh.
“Ha-ha, you’ve never been to a place like this ‘un, have yous?” The woman had a strong accent that Arina wasn’t able to decipher easily.
“No.”
“Well, I’m Natalie. You can call me Nats.” Out of the blue, the woman got up out of her bed and started getting dressed. Arina stared, confused. Why was this woman walking around the room completely naked as if Arina wasn’t standing there?
“Umm, okay. I’m Arina.” Arina introduced herself. Once again, Natalie let out a laugh.
“Arina? Ha! What kind of a name is that?!”
Arina looked offended. She actually liked her name.
“My mum gave me that name.”
“So what? It doesn’t mean that it’s any good. For all I know, your mum could’ve been a crack whore!” Arina didn’t understand Natalie’s obscene language. All she understood what that this strange woman in front of her was talking rudely about her mum.
“My mum’s dead,” Arina managed to say through clenched teeth.
“Oh. Sorry darls. I di’nt know. Anyway, how old are yous?”
Before Arina could respond, Mustafa’s booming voice filled the entire building.
“Natalie! Natalie! Come down here right now!”
Natalie froze.
“See what you done?! This is your fault, it is.” Natalie said before zooming out of the room.
Arina still didn’t understand what had just happened. Who was that man and what were they doing? And why was it such a big deal that she had walked in?
Arina took this moment to check her room out. There were two bed; both were more luxurious than she had expected. Beside each bed, there was a small cupboard. That was all. There was nothing more but a window. The walls were bleak, and the room smelt of sewage but already Arina had gotten used to the smell.
The room slammed open and Natalie walked back into the room.
“You bitch! You did this to me. It was your fault!” Natalie came in screaming, pointing to a bruise on her shoulder.
Arina felt scared.
“I’m sorry-”
“Enough of your darn apologising! If you ever do anything to get on my bad side again, I am going to make your life hell.”
Natalie’s eyes looked full of venom.
Impressum
Texte: Photos don't belong to me, but everything else does.
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 04.06.2011
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