“Dress up… wear that one!” Eleanor’s mother shouted as she rudely threw the pair of expensive clothes that were still on a hanger towards her.
She efficiently caught them and saw that there was still a tag price attached to the back of the clothes. She held the soft fabric of the plaid high-waisted skater skirt and the light yellow sleeveless tie front blouse. She tried her best to hide her smile as her heart was rejoicing despite how her mother just shouted at her. Ever since she could remember, this was the first time that her mother bought new clothes for her, and expensive ones at that.
She was already used to those old clothes that her mother handed down to her which she always wore, very unlike her siblings who were five years younger than her and were well spoiled by their parents with everything they needed. She would always feel envy whenever their parents would buy her siblings clothes and gifts on every occasion, while they didn’t even take time to celebrate her birthdays. With her tightly holding the clothes in her hand, she started to wonder as to why her mother suddenly bought her new clothes.
"What are you doing? Why are you still sitting there, hurry up! We need to go in five minutes. The manager is waiting for us."
Her mother's scolding dragged her out of her deep thoughts. She immediately got up from her seat and went to the washroom to take a quick shower before she wore the new clothes which perfectly fit her.
She looked into the mirror and couldn't help but smile in satisfaction with her beauty. This might have been the first and last time she would be able to see herself dressed up. Despite her young age of seventeen, her body was already well-shaped; like a model. She had blue eyes like the ocean which were different from her parents which were green and brown. It might be one of the reasons why their neighbours always talked about the rumour that she may not be their real daughter.
The clothes she was wearing were so pretty and perfect for her that when strangers looked at her, they may think that she was already eighteen or even older.
"What is taking you so long there? Hurry up!" Her mother shouted again outside of the bathroom. Upon hearing her mother’s voice, she immediately dashed out of the room and stood right in front of her mother with a rigid stance.
"Come here." Her mother harshly held her wrist and led her to the stool next to her rusty metal bed.
"Sit down here, my dear and let me braid your hair," her mother said in an unusually sweet voice which made her frown.
She could not help but feel the fear and doubt that was radiating all over her body. She feared that her mother would do something to ruin her hair because of her unusual actions. This was the first time that her mother ever talked to her in a low voice; all her life her mother would always scold and shout at her. When she did something that her mother didn't find beneficial as well, she would get her soft black hair pulled hard.
She rigidly sat on the chair as she waited for her mother to be finished. After her mother was done, she gradually opened her eyes and her frown was replaced with a huge smile as she looked into the mirror.
"Look, you're so pretty." Her mother held her head after handing her the small mirror and complimented her.
"I'm sure the manager will like you and give me the price I want." Her mother said in a low voice, which didn't escape her ear.
Fear overwhelmed her thinking that her mother was going to sell her, to where and to whom, was something she could not comprehend though. Before she could react, her mother pulled her out of the bedroom and led her to the main door.
She was greeted by the sad expressions of her siblings, Maria and Mario. Their eyes were glistening with tears as they stared at her, it was obvious that they were aware of where their mother would bring her to.
A taxi was already waiting for them outside their house. As soon as they had entered and settled themselves inside, she could not resist anymore and asked her mother, “Mom… where are we going?”
"Your Dad is in the hospital, he got in an accident this morning. We need a big amount of money for his surgery," her mother replied nonchalantly.
Her heart throbbed in worry and curiosity as she could not comprehend why she would need to dress beautifully because of her father’s incident.
"Are we going to the hospital?" she inquired again.
"No... just shut up your mouth," her mother yelled at her which instantly caused her to follow her instructions as she feared making her mother angry again.
Instead, she averted her attention outside of the taxi window. The sky outside gradually turned from blue into dark as night fell. Her thoughts flew back to her two siblings; she was worried about how they were seeing as there was no one to look after them as she and her mother were not at home.
"Mom, my siblings are left alone in the house. How long will we stay outside? I fear that something may happen to them,” she asked innocently.
Before her mother could answer her questions, the taxi suddenly stopped in front of a high-end establishment that had a lit signage outside while the surroundings were dark. It was a nightclub, she was sure of it. She and her mother stepped out and her fear overwhelmed her while she watched her mother who was paying for the taxi, especially when her mother started to pull her inside.
She wanted to run away, however, her mother's grip on her wrist was tight. "I'm sorry my dear, I need to do this to save your father." Her mother stated as she dragged her further inside of the club.
They went straight to the second floor of the club. At the end of the hall was a door guarded by two bulky men. Upon their arrival, the men opened the door for them and Eleanor was greeted by the devilish grin of the man who was seated on the swivel chair behind the table in front of her.
