4. Get Dolled up

Destiny

Aria's struggles only seemed to amuse the burly man further as he held her firmly, her attempts to break free proving futile. I clenched my fists, my heart pounding as I witnessed her distress.

"Let go of me!" she screamed.

The man in charge, his demeanor icy and authoritative, drew closer to Aria. His eyes bore into her, a predatory glint reflecting his intentions. I could feel the weight of his gaze, a stark reminder of our vulnerability.

"Listen well, little rebel," he hissed, his voice dripping with disdain. "You have two choices: you can make this easy for yourself, or you can suffer the consequences."

Aria's breathing was ragged as she stared defiantly back at him, her determination seemingly unshaken. "I won't make anything easy for scum like you," she spat.

The man's patience appeared to be wearing thin. With a swift motion, he motioned to the others, and they produced thick ropes. As much as I wanted to intervene, I knew it was pointless.

The burly man wrestled Aria's arms behind her back, binding her wrists tightly. She winced in pain, but her spirit remained unbroken. The ropes dug into her skin, a cruel testament to the dire situation we were in.

Once Aria was secured, the man turned his attention to me. "And you," he said, his voice dripping with a mix of malice and calculation. "You're going to be wise, aren't you?"

I nodded, my throat tight with fear. "Yes, I'll cooperate."

"Smart choice," he sneered. "Tie her up as well."

Reluctantly, I held out my hands as one of the rogues approached me with a length of rope. As he began to bind my wrists, I kept my gaze lowered, my mind racing for any opportunity to turn the tables. But for now, submission seemed to be our only option.

With both of us securely bound, the man in charge gave a satisfied nod. "Let's move out. The auction isn't waiting for us."

Aria shot me a fleeting glance, her eyes filled with a mix of anger and frustration. We were captives once again, at the mercy of these ruthless individuals. But beneath the fear, beneath the helplessness, there was a spark of determination that refused to be extinguished.

I wish I was as strong as her.

They made us walk through the forest in silence. All I could hear was our footsteps and the occasional mutterings of the rogue wolves. The man in charge led the way with a smug expression on his face.

Aria's voice cut through the silence in a whisper, her words meant for my ears alone. "We have to stay strong, Destiny. No matter what they do to us, we can't lose ourselves."

I nodded as best I could, my voice barely a breath. "I know, Aria. We'll get through this together."

Eventually, we were led into a dimly lit chamber, its cold stone walls and rough-hewn features a stark contrast to the comfort of our former life. 

Chains hung from the walls, reminding us that we were nothing but caged animals to them. A raised platform dominated the center of the room, adorned with eerie symbols that seemed to speak of dark rituals and unsettling ceremonies.

 I saw other girls there: four or five of them huddled on the floor, sobbing incessantly. They all looked about my age, maybe younger. All of them are beautiful. Some of them lay there with a dazed look on their face as if they were on drugs.

"This a nightmare," I mumbled.

The door suddenly opened, and a man with blond hair came in. He looked around the room as if to assess the situation.

His demeanor was detached, as if he were inspecting property rather than living beings. I felt a shiver run down my spine, his presence exuding a sense of authority and power.

He approached each girl in turn, his eyes assessing and analyzing. As he drew closer to Aria and me, I felt a surge of both fear and defiance. Our situation was dire, but we wouldn't allow ourselves to be broken by these circumstances.

When he reached us, his gaze lingered for a moment, his lips curling into a faint, unsettling smile. "Well, well, what do we have here?" he mused, his voice oozing with arrogance.

Aria's eyes locked onto his, her defiance unwavering. "We're not here by choice if that's what you're wondering."

The man's smile widened as if he found her boldness amusing. "Ah, a feisty one. Those are always a challenge, aren't they?"

I clenched my fists, my heart pounding with a mixture of anger and fear. We were trapped at the mercy of these people who saw us as nothing more than commodities to be bought and sold.

The man turned away from us, his attention shifting to the other girls in the room. He spoke to them in a chillingly casual tone, as if he were discussing the weather. "Welcome, my dears, to your new reality. You are all very special, very valuable. And soon, you'll have the chance to prove just how valuable you can be."

His words were met with a chorus of fearful sobs and choked cries. The atmosphere in the room was suffocating.

I exchanged a desperate look with Aria. We needed to find a way out, to escape this nightmare and put an end to their control over us. But it wouldn't be easy. We were just two young girls trapped in a world that seemed determined to strip us of our humanity.

The man's gaze returned to us, his smile never faltering. "You two, in particular, have caught my attention. You'll fetch quite the price at the auction."

Aria's jaw clenched, her resolve burning even brighter. "You won't break us," she said, her voice steady despite the fear that lingered beneath the surface.

The man's smile faded for a moment, replaced by a cold, calculating expression. "We shall see," he murmured before turning and exiting the chamber, leaving us in the dimly lit room with our fellow captives.

As the door closed behind him, a heavy silence settled over the chamber once more. 

We didn't have to wait long as an older woman walked in. She silently opened one of her bags and took some makeup and dresses out. She scanned the room, eyeing all of us.

"Hmm...looks like you are all similar sizes," she said.

She moved with a kind of efficiency, her hands deftly arranging the items before her. Despite the circumstances, a glimmer of curiosity flickered within me. What was her role in all of this? Was she another captor, or was there something more to her?

She approached us with a soft smile, her eyes carrying a mix of empathy and resignation. "I know this doesn't make up for what's happening, but you'll need to look your best for the auction."

Aria's gaze was icy, her voice laced with bitterness. "You expect us to doll up for your sick display?"

The woman's smile wavered. "I know it's difficult to understand, but sometimes survival requires us to steer through the darkness."

I exchanged a cautious look with Aria, uncertainty gnawing at the edges of my thoughts. Could this woman truly be offering an act of help, or was she just another pawn in this twisted game?

The woman continued her work, selecting a dress and makeup for each of us. It was surreal. As she handed me the dress, her eyes met mine, a glimmer of something unspoken passing between us.

"Put these on. It's the only way you'll have a chance to stand out," she said softly.

Aria remained skeptical, her guard firmly in place. "And then what? We're supposed to just play along?"

The woman's gaze softened, her voice barely above a whisper. "Sometimes, defiance takes unexpected forms. Play along, but when the time is right, seize whatever opportunity comes your way."

When we were dressed and ready, the woman stepped back, her eyes lingering on us for a moment. "Remember, sometimes the strongest rebellion is the one that bides its time."

With those cryptic words, she gathered her belongings and left the chamber, leaving us to our thoughts and the weight of our uncertain future.

The dresses we wore felt like costumes, disguises that hid the rage within us. But beneath those disguises, the fires of resistance still burned, and we clung to the hope that the time for rebellion would come sooner than later.