“Where are we going?”
“A place I stayed when I was young.” A place I still come to regularly.
“You mean so no one took you?” Myla asked.
“Yes.” It was sad so many girls understood their fate and had no choice but to accept it. Most of them were used for a night or two then sent back to their families. It was only James Henderson who flew the women out of Tabiq and returned months later. No one knew what or where they’d been taken. Everyone was too scared to ask, and the girls knew better than to say. Ziva had to make Myla understand how lucky she was. If she hadn’t been there to stop Alexander, Myla could be on her way to God knows where by now.
When they came to the cabin, everything looked quiet and abandoned. She stopped at the edge of the clearing and listened. She could hear the wind blowing through the surrounding trees but nothing else. Just the way it should be.
Myla ran up from behind Ziva and took hold of her hand. She gave it a light supportive squeeze. “You’re going to like it here. It’s very... peaceful.”
When she was here it was also lonely, as no one came by except her father to bring supplies. That wasn’t the case now. The cabin appeared to be vacant, but it was far from the truth. There were five young girls hidden away inside. They were all younger than Myla so they hadn’t yet experienced what she had. Yet, they all shared similar fears.
Stopping outside the cabin, she turned to Myla and said, “You’ll find girls here who also are away from their families. They have not suffered... at the hands of a man like Mr. Henderson, but they also can’t leave this hiding place, or they will. You must not ever leave or tell another living soul about it. If you do, your fate will also become theirs. Do you understand?”
Myla looked at the cabin then back to Ziva. “You mean they are all still...”
“Innocent?” Myla nodded. “Yes, they are. Help me so we can keep them that way.”
“How old are they?” Myla asked.
“The youngest is fourteen and the oldest sixteen. In a few years, they’ll be of age to... to be taken.”
Myla looked at Ziva questioningly. “You do this? Help protect girls from being sold?”
Ziva nodded. “I try. There are only a few here, and so many more girls I couldn’t help.”
“But you’re helping some. That is the beginning, Ziva. You know what they’ll do to you if you get caught?”
Ziva knew all too well. It was a risk worth taking as far as she was concerned. “I do.”
Myla pulled herself up tall and said confidently, “I want to be part of that. I want to help too. Just like you.”
“Thank you, Myla. You can help. These girls need someone to look after them. To look up to. You can be that for them.”
“I would like that. But what about Mr. Henderson?”
“He won’t find you here. No one will.”
“He’ll worry what happened to me. I promised him I wouldn’t leave, and I broke my word.”
Ziva didn’t understand why Myla was so concerned about Alexander. He seemed to have her so scared; she had misplaced loyalty to him. After a few days of seeing he couldn’t hurt her any longer, she’d settle down and change that worry into anger or hate. Emotions she really should be displaying. She wasn’t a psychologist so she could only go on how she’d feel if Alexander had taken her by force. There’s no way in hell I would be defending him. Stringing him up by his balls, yes, defending, no. All Ziva could do was be there for Myla when she did break.
It hadn’t been easy gaining the trust of even the girls she had. Convincing them to trust her and leave their parents was no small feat, but she had. Ziva had to believe she’d be able to reach Myla too. She came with me here. That’s a start.
“Can you please do me a favor?” Myla asked.
“Of course. What do you need?” Ziva would do anything she could to help Myla through this difficult time.
“I need you to go back to the hotel and tell Mr. Henderson I’m sorry.”
Ziva almost jumped out of her skin. Myla was in worse shape than she thought. “You do not owe him anything, Myla. What he’s done is wrong. Whatever he told you to make you think you deserved to be treated in such a manner is a lie. He had absolutely no right to take advantage of you as he did.”
Ziva hadn’t meant for her voice to rise as it had, but she was angry for Myla. She had every intention of going back to the hotel, but it sure wasn’t going to be to apologize to that bastard.
The cabin door opened and the other girls came out to see what the shouting was about. Ziva turned to see some of them about to burst into tears. All this time, she’d come and held things together. Things seemed out of control.
Taking a deep breath, she said in a calmer tone, “It’s okay. I’m not angry at Myla. I’m just angry at someone else who... disappointed me. Don’t worry. You’re okay here. He won’t come.”
Only then did they begin to settle down. Slowly, one by one, the girls came over to stand by her. “This is Myla. She’s going to be staying with you now. When I’m not here, she’s in charge, so you need to listen to what she says.”
“Myla, my name is Cali. Do you know how to read?”
Myla smiled. “Yes, I do. My father taught me. Do you know how?”
Cali shook her head. “No. I had no father, and my mother didn’t know how. Can you teach me?”
Myla reached out, took Cali by the hand, and headed into the cabin. “Why don’t we go inside and start right away?”
The other girls grabbed the supplies Ziva had brought and helped carry them inside. Ziva stood there, looking at the cabin. What was once a place she hated, now was one of hope, and at times like this, even joy. Thank you, Papa. Thanks for giving me a chance to carry on what you started.