Dedicated to AnittaZekaj
     Thank you for all of your support

                          .............
                        ROSETTE

    I walked aimlessly, trying to find an exit or something that would get me out of this godforsaken place. My eyes darted from left to right all the while, peering through halls and corridors to see whether I was being pursued and thankfully, they were all empty.

    To say the place was huge was an understatement since every hallway seemed never-ending. I had to follow my gut to find my way across the maze I was in but ended up being thrown into yet another hallway. The path I was currently following seemed to have a dead end as there were no more doors along it.

       How could someone live in here?

               The devil Elijah, that's who.

    I prayed hard  to the Lord that no one would find me and I would get out of there unscathed and for once, I thought my prayers had been heard but little did I know what was awaiting me.

    A thousand turns and corners  later, I came face to face with large double doors. My joy knew no bounds for I thought I had finally found a way out of the hell hole. I raced towards the doors and opened them happily, ready to step into freedom but was shocked out of my wits for what I had found.

     A large wall was standing tall in front of me, too high to climb over and definitely too thick to blast through. Tears again welled up in my eyes as I thought of what to in regard to the situation I had landed myself into. My heart shattered into pieces because I knew I would never be able to leave the place and escape whatever plans Elijah had for me. My legs wobbled, weakened, and eventually became too weak to support the little weight I had. Eventually, I landed on the cold, hard cemented  floor, salty tears cascading freely down my face.

     I sat there, sobbing to myself, not sure of what to do next.

             Should I go back?

            Was this karma?

    As those questions made rounds in my mind, I curled into a ball, waiting for Elijah to find me and lock me up again. I wished my mother hadn't left me alone in this world; leaving me to go through something a 17 year old should never be put through.

                        Why me?

    As I was willowing away in sorrow and pity, a lady came up in front of me, burning holes into me with her harsh glare. I looked up at her and met her eyes, waiting for my fate to find me.

    She not so gently held up my arm, pulling me to stand in front of her. I glanced over her skimpy clothes and her caked up face, already knowing what her role here was. Her sixteen-inch heels matched her purple shimmering outfit and her makeup was the icing on the cake.

    "What are you doing here when you should be working? Don't you know how many customers have paid for our services? I don't even know why Master hired some of your incompetent asses."

    Her words threw me off as I stared at her confused. Sensing my lack of response, she dragged me by hand to some doors and pushed me to a chair. Hurriedly, she walked over to a bag and later came up with some clothes. Throwing them at me, she went towards a dressing table and brought with her something that seemed like a make-up bag. Without hesitation, she started doing my makeup and by the end of the session, I had a face that resembled that of a goddess.

    "I bet you are new here, so I'm just going to show you the ropes around here. You are so lucky to have a gorgeous face and body. Now hurry up and change into those clothes before master finds you unprepared."     

            Gorgeous body?

       Had she not seen my scars?

   Hesitantly, I took the clothes and walked into what seemed to be a changing room. I took my time studying the clothes before slowly throwing them over my body. I detested the tiny pieces of cloth for they exposed too much, but what else could I do?

     After taking my time dressing up, I headed out to the lady, who motioned me to follow her through some other doors. Obediently, I followed like a dog behind his master, not wanting to be punished for any mistake. The doors finally opened and the loud music hit my ears. My eyes widened at the sight of what was going on, pitying myself for my misfortune.

         
              I was at a brothel.

   Never had I been a believer in the whole Jesus thing but honestly, this was waaayyy out of the deal.

Shout out to my editor CoffeeAddiction