(Le title 😏)
MY FIRST UPDATE OF 2019, EEK HAPPY NEW YEAR! WE HIT 100K ON NEW YEAR'S EVE WAH!

Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your 2018 and for being a part of mine, I'm happy I met you all. I hope 2019 will be a year closer to accomplishing our dreams
💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

ALSO REMEMBER TO VOTE TF

When I arrive to work the next afternoon I see William, Charles and Georgina in the diner, but Cassie is nowhere in sight.

"Cassie isn't in today?" I ask awkwardly. They all glare at me as if I've touched on a sensitive topic.

"No. She hasn't called in yet. Mr. Bang is in his office trying to get a hold of her as we speak."

Guilt starts to fill my features when I hear that. I can take a wild guess what had happened. Mr. Bang probably knew Cassie swapped our orders and told her off for it, so she got frustrated and skipped work today. It's my fault she isn't in.

Why is it that this sort of thing keeps happening now? Where I'm a burden to everyone around me? Things never used to be this way... Even without some problematic people in my life, even when I try to be thoughtful of others... This is still the energy I bring everywhere I go. And it hurts.

"Oh... Well I hope she phones in soon." I nod with a weak smile before walking away.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ 🌙

I finish wiping the final table clean once the workday is done. I still felt the pressure, but things weren't as disastrous as yesterday. My co-workers all put on their coats and walk to the door in single file. I keep my head low, wiping over the same spot of the table until they've passed.

It's disappointing to know there's such a great wall between my peers and I that I don't feel comfortable to even bid them goodbye. It makes me feel distant, despite only ever being nice to them.

"Lilo, come to my office when you're finished?" Mr. Bang passes by. I put down the rag and remove my gloves,
"Of course. Be right there."

After I've finished tidying up in the diner I knock on Mr. Bang's office door. He stands from his chair and smiles when I enter.

"You're here."

"Yes. Have you heard back from Cassie?"

"It took several calls, but yes. She said she was sick all day and wasn't in the state to phone up. No worries though, she'll be back in tomorrow."

"That's good to hear. I was worried for a moment. So you wanted to see me?"

"Ah yes, you may have seen a couple of boxes in the lounge room. Would you mind helping me carry them into this office? I'm afraid it's harder to manage than I thought at my old age." He chuckles with a hand on his spine.

"Of course."

We both go to the lounge and take a box, which is much heavier than I thought, but I manage to carry it without displaying too much struggle.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ 🌙

After placing the final box in Mr. Bang's office, I wipe the slight sweat from my forehead using the back of my hand.

"Thank you so much Lilo." He places down a box also, then stretches his back to create cracking sounds. "I bet the others wouldn't have helped me to do this. Those weaklings."

My posture straightens quickly, hiding my exhaustion and cramps. "It was no biggie."

"The next time I need to do some heavy lifting I'll definitely call your name first. You're just so healthy and strong..." He inches closer to me and places a hand on my shoulder before lightly stroking. The smile on his face suddenly falls.

"Just like Chloe."

"—Agh!"

A sharp, burning pinch stings the side of my neck. Mr. Bang pulls the syringe from my skin as I gawk at him with hazing vision. I gradually start to feel my knees give out and my spine numb until my whole lower region is collapsed to the floor. The room around me warps into the most bizarre of shapes and colors.

"I'm sorry about this Lilo..." Mr. Bang stands over me with rubber gloves on. "You were one of the good ones."

I want to scream, I want to kick him away, but those actions don't go further than my imagination. My eyes flutter heavily at different paces until I'm no longer able to hold them open.

And right there...

It's Lights out.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ 🌙

My body rocks along with the harsh speed bump, causing my head to hit something cold with a loud clang before I wince in pain. My eyes squint open with furrowed eyebrows when I raise my head enough to scan my surroundings. Pitch black darkness and humidity, with the sounds of rumbling metal.

"What the...?" My arms fidget, only to discover that my wrists have been painfully locked behind my back. With the brief movement of my limbs I feel warm, smooth skin both behind and in front of me, like I've been sandwiched, making it harder to move.

After about twenty minutes we come to a sharp stop. I hear a door slam and footsteps grow closer, making my chest heave drastically from panic.

"Agh!" I squint my lids almost entirely once the darkness is replaced with a harsh light and the doors to the back of the truck are opened, revealing a group of men. I quickly look around the room with blurred vision. I'm sandwiched between a pile of unconscious girls, all hot in wearing ripped clothes. My work shirt has also been ripped to slip down my shoulder and reveal my bra.

"Hey, this one's awake!"

"Take her out first."

Shadows enclose on me before my sight can adjust to the flash and the next thing I know I'm being dragged. I try to shift and kick away, but the movements of my body are under ocean. A hood of darkness then cloaks my eyes.

—LATER—

Every heated breath that paces from my mouth makes its way back in beneath the restricting cloth. Once again I'm deemed blind, only being able to hear footsteps on each of my sides as hands guide my upper arms. My bare feet stumble along the scratchy flooring.

"Where... where are you... taking m..."

They can't hear my faint breaths because of the sack over my head, but I can hear them. Speaking in a foreign language...

This is it. This is where I die, right? I'm going to end up like those girls on the news... I can't die this way...

We meet a small flight of steps where my feet tangle together like shoelaces and I fall to the ground.

"It's alright, leave her there." One of the men order in a foreign accent. I take a loud, overdue breath once the sack is finally removed from my head. Quiet whimpers follow next to me, and when I look to my side I see I'm in a line of half-clothed girls, all tied up by the wrists and huddled together like a tin of quivering sardines.

"150,"

"300,"

"750,"

"A million,"

"Going once... going twice..." The faceless voice echoes through speakers. In front of us is a tall, gated, black stage with huge spotlights pinned on it from every angle.

"Sold!"

I hear muffled screams as a group of silhouettes walk down the steps of the stage, pulling a girl with them. When she gets close enough I tilt forward for a better look. Her eyes bulge at me desperately, mascara smeared down her cheeks and duck tape plastered over her mouth. Her ripped white shirt, formal trousers and short orange hair rings several bells. My eyes crash open.

"Up." A man yanks me by my arm and tapes my mouth. I struggle and fight for distance, but more men hurry to secure me while pulling me up the stairs.

When they release me time seems to stop and my head rotates slowly. The huge, blinding lights focused on me makes it impossible to see anything beyond but darkness, though I can feel so many eyes watching. My skin feels heated just by the intensity of the bulbs alone, yet I'm still so cold from the isolated ring around me.

I breathe harshly, finally getting an idea of what's going on. I want to conceal my chest but my hands are tied. I want to scream but I'm muted. How did I end up here?

There's silence. Just a long silence, until—

"500."

"That's 500k, do I hear 6?"

"600k,"

"650,"

"950!"

"2 million."

My head whips in circles, every echo of every voice manipulating the direction.

"5 million,"

"10 million,"

Why are the numbers getting so high...? Where am I...? I want to go home...

"25 mil—"

"100 million."

"Sold!"

Right then is where I feel hands rip me back. My caged screams don't go beyond the sticky wall over my lips. Before I know it, another sack is thrown over me.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ ☁️

I awaken from my blackout in what feels like slow motion, allowing my head to sink back into the nest of pillows.

"Ugh..."

My body feels weak, arms so numb that I can't tell where they are. One of my bare legs ride up while the other elongates to absorb the silky textured sheets under me. It feels comfortable and relaxing, opposite to the environment I was last in.

A huge window takes up the wall on my left. The morning sunlight pretty much eliminates the rest of the room to misty whiteness. I groan softly and look up where sheer, pink bed curtains hang from the ceiling, it's the rosy lace and small rhinestones glistening like a tent above me.

And finally I turn on my side, pupils shrinking at the sight of the sleepy, effortlessly handsome man lying next to me.