na

s the pounding in my skull - dull, rhythmic, lik

l hit me. Sal

ing above me was curved - white, streaked with rust.

o sit up

sideways. What th

hing - the edge of a cot bolted t

d like dust. Everything inside me

or. No furniture except the narrow cot and a silver door with

. I stumbled toward it, palms pressed a

dl

ep - no land, no city skyline, no harbor in sight.

ed. My breath f

ted ba

ted. "Hey, is a

my fists against the met

ME

my spine like ice. Where wa

t ,

I been ki

- footsteps. Heavy

s wide, backing into the co

wo men stepped in. Broad-shouldered. Uni

the first

ldn't. My mouth wa

What do you want from me

"You'll figure it

lit by flickering overhead lights. E

sweat. My bare feet slipped against the floor, my b

, and that's when

ercy. Bruises covered their skin like maps of pain, and som

oldly, his hand gripping a

at

e. My body trembled as I shook my hea

rt," he snapped. "You need

ious. He actually expected me to und

ried, trying to

cracked across my face, sending dizziness cra

And trust me, you won't survive a s

ed me-hard-i

, the pain shooting through me like fire. T

id, s

n. I didn't want to die. I didn't want to

fell to the cold floor, leaving me exposed and shaking. I

ete strangers-monsters. Strippe

other girls. Their sobs pierced the ai

I gotten m

over me, scrubbing the blood and dirt away as if it could also erase the sh

time I would have access to water for who knew how long.

one way out, and it didn't come

one-wrenc

s of bland, cold food were placed before us. No utensils. We weren't allowed t

ould barely swallow pas

They were traffickers. Men w

g. This was organized. Cal

bein

The ship still

footstep in the hallway kept me on edge. I was trapped

s. The women were too brok

o illus

kely to a man who would tr

door to the bu

e to strip. His expression was flat, disint

?" he asked, ste

tively st

him my real age. "I'm th

hen, without warning, h

ll skin you alive," he growled.

ispered, biting

I threw my hands up, crying

en nodded slowly, his fac

ighteen. Girls that age go for

made me wa

on. P

us like livestock. Li

ie again, I dare you. I'll show you

ed, too afraid to

huh? Well, you're lucky. You'r

ct

into my chest lik