Chapter TWO

Eris looked out to the flurry of trees and buildings whizzing past. She could feel waves of nausea bubbling up inside her as her heart pounded incessantly. How had this happened? She closed her eyes, and the scene which had taken place only a few hours ago came rushing back.

Soundly asleep in her bed, Eris had been recuperating on much needed rest. Trapped inside her aunt's shoddy excuse for a 'charming and comfortable little cottage', she worked well over 9 hours a day to earn enough to pay the exorbitant rent. What little money she had left went into taxes and food. From a young age, she never had the luxury of relaxing; with both parents dead and a tyrannical aunt forever determined to crush her spirits, Eris was forced to fend for herself.

She had just fallen asleep when they burst in, a collection of booming steps and heavy set bodies decked in black, padded bullet proof vests. Dragged out of her small bed, she was unceremoniously dumped on a bus and has remained on this same cramped, foul smelling, nauseating bus ever since. About 15 other girls were with her…most looking miserable and just as she felt; confused, scared and worried. Though Eris could see that they varied in age, one thing was clear; they all came from modest means. Whoever set this up was probably involved with human trafficking, or looking to start their own brothel, or something just as sinister. Life had dealt her a cruel hand, and she was no stranger to sinister dealings. Sighing, she made no attempt to cover the look of annoyance on her face. The girl sitting next to her hadn't stopped sobbing for hours now, and the choking sounds echoed in her already pounding head. Unable to take much more, Eris rummaged in her bag for a tissue. Finding a rogue handkerchief instead, she gave it to the shaking mess beside her.

'Th-thank y-y-you…'

Blowing her nose much like a trumpet, she unsuccessfully attempted to swat the multiple strands of hair which had stuck to her face with a mixture of dried and wet tears, sweat and mucus. Waiting for her to compose herself, Eris sat in silence, trying to ignore the stench of stale sweat permeating her surroundings. Once the girl's racking sobs had died down to hiccups, she cleared her throat and forced a smile on her face.

'Hey…hope you're ok…'

A slow nod was all she got in response, and so she tried again.

'I'm Eris, nice to meet you. What's your name?'

Following a few sniffles and hiccups, the girl licked her dry, chapped lips and spoke.

'Amanda.'

'That's a lovely name!'

Eris shifted her position on the hard seat and turned more to the left, so as to face her. Hopefully her newfound acquaintance would shed some light as to what was going on.

'Amanda…Do you know what's going on here? Where we're going?'

Her neighbour's eyes widened and once again filled to the brim with tears.

'Oh…you don't know?'

'What? What don't I know?'

'Oh…no…'

And with that, Amanda once more dissolved into tears. After failing to retrieve any more information from her Eris finally gave up, realising that the hysterical girl was inconsolable. This very same distress caused a knot at the pit of her stomach. What fate could be so absolutely terrible that it would send a 16 year old girl into a spiral? Looking around, it quickly became clear that this sentiment was shared with everyone on the bus. The heavy, sickening feeling she felt only worsened with every bump on the road. What was going on? Who were these people? And were where they being taken?