Everybody freezes.
My captors are here.
Then my father walks towards the door, his shoulders are stooped and he looks old beyond his years.
The first man to enter is tall, gaunt and old. He has a typical Russian face, long and morose. It usually means they’re sober. It’s only when they drink that they come to life. Drunk, they are almost jovial. The man moves forward because he’s followed by a second man.
My blood runs cold. What the …?
The American!
Katya
I stare at him in shock. Am I asleep and dreaming? What is he doing here? He’s the last person I expected. The men who came for the girls were always Russian. Then our eyes meet and I know it isn’t a dream. It is a nightmare.
He’s surprised too. I can see that in his eyes. And there’s something else in his eyes too. Confusion. I can guess why. He’s here to pick up a virgin and he knows I’m no longer that. My heart jumps into my throat. If he says something, then this house of cards will collapse, and my parents will be punished. I can’t allow that to happen. I can’t let on that we have met. That would be disastrous.
I move past the tall man as he talks to my parents in Russian. “I’m Katya,” I say to the American in English.
He stares at me, not understanding. “I’m Hunter.”
“And your friend, does he speak English?”
“A little.”
I glance at the other man. He’s not paying any attention to us. “We have never met,” I whisper. “OK?”
He nods and I think he understands the game. We have to fool my parents and the older man. We have to make them think that this is our first meeting.
My mother tells me that she and father are going outside to talk to the older man. They will be back in a minute. No doubt, they are going to talk about money.
As soon as they disappear, he turns on me. “What the hell is going on?” he demands.
“That was what I was going to ask you?”
“Last night, you knew I was here for you, didn’t you?”
“I had no idea,” I say truthfully. “If I had known, I would have left with one of the other men.” That’s a lie and I think it hurts him a little. I suppose he considers himself well above the likes of the local. He is, but I don’t care to tell him that.
He shakes his head in wonder. “So you’re what this is all about?”
“What do you mean?”
“I was told I was going to pick up a package, not a person.”
I can’t believe him. How could he come all this way and not know he was gathering up a slave? “It has been happening for twenty years,” I tell him. “Once a year, a man named Anakin takes a girl from one of the five villages that have agreed to take part in the program. It is on a rotation basis. The girl is never heard from again. The parents get a stipend, but that is all.”
His eyes narrow and I get the feeling that he is dangerous. Far more than what I knew. “You’re kidding. What, you’re the twentieth?”
I nod. “The fourth virgin from the village and the twentieth in the program.”
He steps back. “You’re supposed to be a virgin?”
“Shhhh,” I hiss. “You know what I was yesterday, and you know what I am today. If your friend finds out, things will go badly.”
He stares at me, his eyes hard and a frown on his forehead, and I can see him trying to process this information. He’s not been involved before, so I like to think maybe if he’d known, he wouldn’t be here now. He would refuse to pick up a slave. Maybe he will help me escape.
“I have agreed to go,” I tell him. “I’m not going to tell anyone about last night. I trust you won’t mention it either. Please.”
“What the fuck, Katya?”
“Think about it,” I say. “I can deny it happened and that might work. Worse for you, I can say you forced me. What would Anakin think about that? What if he knew it was you who ruined me?”
“Don’t threaten me,” he says. “That won’t work.”
“Then, work with me,” I say. “For me and my parents. Work with me. I won’t tell anyone it was you.”
He doesn’t answer, but at that moment, my parents and the older man return. Apparently, the deal has been struck; the slave has been paid for. With my own smile, I go to my parents and hug them. My mother cries and whispers to me to be a good girl. My father holds me a moment longer than usual and I can hear his heart beating. I think I will miss him more than I thought I would.
When I turn from my parents, I see that the American has grabbed my bag. The older man assures my parents that they will hear from me soon. I could call him a liar, but that would do little good. The parents of the other girls have heard nothing. I don’t really believe that my fate will be so different.
Still, I’m thankful the American has chosen to play along with me. If he were to tell the truth … well, he hasn’t. That’s a good thing. That means I have a chance. Maybe I can convince him to help me escape. I grab my purse and I don’t look back. There are tears in my eyes and I would rather not have my parents see that. I don’t know why. My sister rushes to me and hugs me from behind. I close my eyes and clench my jaw to stop from crying. A few seconds later, my brother joins her.
I take a deep breath and turn around. I kneel. “Everything will be fine. Be good for Mama and Papa.”
My brother starts sobbing. “I don’t want any American toys. Just don’t go.”
I cannot stop the tears that fill my eyes and pour down my face.
My mother comes up to us. “Let your sister go—now.” Her voice breaks.
I stand and look into her eyes. I lean forward and hug her, while my lips are close to her ear, I say, “Whatever you do, don’t ever enroll Tatyana in the program.” Then I straighten.
She nods as tears run down her face.
Wordlessly, I turn around and walk away. I feel numb inside.
The two men walk on either side of me.
The American open
s the car door of a rust colored car for me and I slip inside. Our bodies brush. How strange that despite my terrible situation there’s still lust inside me for him. I remember how he looks naked. Even though his skin is full of rough tattoos and scars, they cannot mar the splendor of his hard body. Even now if I think of how strong or how powerful he is, I know I will get a little rush. We will be travelling together, but with the other man around, we will not be together at all.
The men get inside and the car starts to pull away. I turn to look at my family gathered outside. I wave and pray it isn’t the last time I will see them. The car drives away, but my sister starts running after us. She runs until she slips on a patch of ice and falls. I don’t say or do anything. I watch her get up and try to chase us, but her figure becomes smaller and smaller until I see her no more.
In the sky the sun shines a buttery yellow. It shouldn’t.
Hunter
I’m so fucking bewildered I can’t even think straight. Disjointed thoughts fly into my head until my mind is a whirling black tornado of confusion and shock. The dream girl from last night is the package! What the fuck? How the hell? No way. Just no.
She’s Anakin’s girl. I remember his fat, white fingers moving in and out of Mary Jane’s little pussy. No! Heck no!
Every cell, every atom in my body rejects the vile idea. She’s mine. Not his. I stare at the snowy road, unseeing, my hands clenched tight while my mind replays what Katya told me. Anakin has been getting virgins for the last twenty years. How could that be? How come I never saw any of them?
I lived in his cellar for ten years, but I was always allowed out for an hour. When he was away on business his old servant would take pity on me and let me roam the house on my own. I never saw any signs of anyone else living in the house. And once I was fifteen and he knew for sure he had broken me and turned me into his obedient dog, I was allowed to live in his annex, where I still live now. What the fuck has he done to all these girls? What is he going to do with Katya?