"A few days" She whispers under her breath repetitively but in an assuring manner as she walks the clean roads of the town, silently devising ways to get out of the tough spot.
She decided that calling her mother would yield no results, knowing that she couldn't possibly have this much money. If she did, would they really be stuck in that obsolete place with the bare minimum to survive? Many days went by with empty bellies because bottles were more important than a meal to her mother.
She had to find another way.
She takes out the phone that Nova had taken from their mother and opens up the search engine. It may seem childish but that is all that Nora could think of doing as the next step.
"How to make money" she types in innocently as she continues walking forward, not sparing a glance to the shops full of pretty clothes and food outlets that she had once been dying to see.
A few results came up filled with bank loans and associated numbers to contact for it. She chews on her lower lip as her gut twists in multiple knots and hits the call button.
As soon as the other line picks up, she asks about loans. Not knowing the caller's status, they agree and ask for the bank account details. Nora's eyebrows furrow in confusion.
She wonders what they could be talking about.
"I have 600 dollars?" She suggests.
The other party ends the call.
Heaving a sigh, she comes to the conclusion that there is nothing she could do with the money that she already had. Her last resort was one that she hated the most and it was also something that she never had to do because Nova would do it for her. That is, asking for money.
Many a times, their mother would not put food on their plate. During those difficult moments, Nova would take charge as the elder sister and would either snoop around the house for a couple bucks or ask neighbors for a little bit of money. If she didn't receive any she would resort to stealing, anything to keep her and Nora from starving. The shopkeepers too, though they were angry about the theft, wouldn't say anything to the authorities. Not that the authorities would have cared if they had.
After passing through various shops and markets, asking for help she came to a conclusion. There was no way that she could save up enough money for the initial deposit. At most, a couple shops gave her 20 dollar bills after looking at her exhausted state, thinking she hadn't had any money to eat food. Truthfully, Nora wasn't even hungry anymore even though the only thing in her belly was nervous knots.
"Have I come to the end of the area?" She whispers to herself as she looks around at her surroundings. She had been walking for 30 minutes now and the shops had slowly depleted until there were only interconnected roads leading to god knows where. Though further along the road, she could see a farm and a few huts.
With aching legs, she drags herself to the place. Nora hadn't walked this much in her entire life. In their previous little town, there weren't any places to go to. At most she could accompany her sister to the market for some food or to the neighbor for the blankets but usually she was on the lookout at home for Amanda. In case she woke up, Nora had to be there ready with a perfectly good excuse as to why her sister was missing.
As if it had just rained, she drags across the muddy grass and reaches the hut. It was completely plain. There wasn't a single thing inside. Not a chair or a bed, no signs of residence.
Her eyebrows lowered at the absence of doors and the lack of human life inside it. There were 2 more huts to look through since she had nothing to do she decided to be thorough.
As expected, the second one was also empty as a drum. Her hands ran across the straw material of which the house was made of, pulling a few out to fiddle with. With disappointment looming over her head, she walks to the third hut, turning around the straws in her hands.
She taps her muddy shoes against the elevation to the entrance and walks around the small conical hut.
'Why am I wasting my time here?' She thinks with a step backwards. A sudden clink sound presents itself, surprising her enough to remove her feet.
Her eyes glance down -away from the claustrophobic environment full of straws- and stop at the metal plate embedded as a square in the ground. It was quite big, making up at least one fourth of the whole hut. What she couldn't help but think of was that the metal was shiny.
How could it be so shiny if no one lives here? Shouldn't it at least rust a little bit?
She notices the almost invisible handle stuck to the corner of the metal square. With a curious eye, her hand reaches towards it fascinatingly. Her fingers curl into the rounded handle and she tugs.
Cursing her weak strength, she tugs a few more times until it budges significantly. It takes a lot of effort to pull it back and make visible whatever was underneath it.
Sucking in a breath, she admires the concept. It was evening but there was quite a bit of light shining through the spaces between the straws that enabled her to see what was below.
Stairs.
To her it seemed wild that a basement could be present in a hut, without a house in sight. In fact, most houses in her town didn't even have basements though hers did. However, due to a serious pest infection and other parasitic concerns, the basement was sealed shut and no one was allowed to go there.
In fact, Nora and Nova had wished that they lived together in the basement. They would be away from their mother and once she would be asleep, they could go outside for supplies. They were content with such a lifestyle.
They didn't need luxury or cars. They needed each other and a safe place to live where they could enjoy each other's company without fear looming over them every passing second.
Her tired shaky legs try to maintain their balance as she enters the unknown, step by step. It was getting progressively darker, the light couldn't reach all the way to the bottom and the stairs were going down for a while.
It was eerily quiet, at first.
Slowly some sound entered her ears. Touching the side walls, she makes sure to not miss a step which would result in her tumbling down an unknown number of stairs.
There were thuds, banging and chatter of people. The chatter gradually increased until it became clearer and clearer. She was nervous to encounter so many people.
Judging by the voices there were at least 10 people right in the vicinity of the stairs. She saw the blue light, helping her locate the bottom of the stairs. Nervousness filled her veins as she shakily steps down, hastily taking a step too wide in the darkness.
The stumble wasn't as painful as she had imagined since there weren't that many stairs left but she knew that the sharp edges of the stairs definitely cut her here and there, moreover the bruises would eventually form as well.
"Yeah she was an old hag, killed that piece of shit like a dog and-"
Her head bangs against the floor as words of an enthusiastic voice stop mid sentence.
"What the fuck" The voice called out as Nora blinks to adjust to the sudden light, there were black spots in her vision that slowly recovered as rough hands are placed on her arms, pulling her up with strength she's never felt.
"How the fuck did you get here little girl?" The voice seethes.
After some adjustment, Nora calms her pounding heart at the sight of a cold scarred face. There was a huge scar that trailed down from his forehead till his eyebrow and then continued below his eye till mid cheek. The man's features were rough and unpleasant.
Nora found herself wanting to back away but his grip was like iron.
"I was just passing by and I happened to find this basement." She says quietly, expecting to be hit for her disobedience.
"A basement, she said." His face widens with amusement as he withdraws one of his hand in laughter. The others – 9, to be exact – joined in on the chuckles as if it was the funniest joke they had heard in a while. One of them even started wheezing from the lack of air due to the intense contractions his laughter produced.
"Funny. Now tell me who you really are." He smiles but it wasn't a kind one. It wasn't like the soft uplifting curve of Dr. Miller nor was it similar to the comforting smile of her sister Nova.
In all honesty, Nora felt disgusted.
"I was just looking for help for my sister. She has to have surgery and it's expensive." She told them as it was, once again receiving amused responses from all of them.
'What was so funny?' She thought.
"They have a new excuse each time Brian, set her straight." A man from the small crowd spoke to the individual holding Nora's arm.
"I'm sorry for interrupting. I'll just go back." Nora stuttered nervously, her survival instincts kicking in. She had an extremely bad feeling about the situation and decided that it would be best to get out of here as soon as possible.
Something in her told me that these people were worse than her own mother.
"Sorry, we can't let you do that. Besides don't you want to help your sister?" He mocks, his free hand was placed on the round neck of the shirt Nora was wearing. He fiddles with the buttons a few times.
Pure electric fear interrupted Nora's thoughts. She knew whatever was going to happen was bad , even if she had no idea what it was.
Nora struggled against the tight grip against his hand but to no avail, he pushes her against the wall beside the stair case, ripping off the buttons in the process.
"Well would you look at that. Girl's got buns." He winks as the top half of the shirt exposes her worn out black bra which were full.
Though Nora was so slim that bones seemed to stick out in many places and were extremely prominent, one could not deny that she had the right curves and they could be more pronounced one she gained some weight.
Brian fondles Nora's full breasts with his hands, causing her to widen her eyes in discomfort. She brings her leg up instinctively and knees him below his waist in a place where no man wants to be hit.
But Brian has been trained better than that, he blocks her attempt by turning to the side and letting her knee his thigh instead.
"So feisty, beautiful. If only you had a little meat on you." He licks along her jaw, causing her to shiver uncontrollably in disgust.
"Mateo won't like this." A man, named Marcos, called out from the crowd as a few other members dissipated away, paying no attention to the situation. They behaved as if it was a natural occurrence, which it was, at least for Brian and perverts who shared the same mindset as him. Nora's suddenly felt the familiarity of the voice, it sounded like she had heard it somewhere before but she wasn't sure from where.
"I say, fuck him, so I can fuck her." He grins against her cheek, his hand tucked inside her shirt, roaming around her waist. Just as his hand slips inside her pants, a click clack noise is made on the shiny floor by expensive shoes.
It was a calm walk, but it extruded dominance.
It was full of aura and confidence, the slow but heavy clacks were screaming of presence.
Most of all, it radiated one thing.
Power.
Mateo Hernández.
The Mafia Prince.
Mateo Hernández.The Mafia Prince.Always rumored about, but never seen.A man so quick on his feet, no CCTV has managed to capture him even once since the beginning of his career.Normally people are covered with emotions and dreams. Mateo, on the other hand, had always been wrapped in stone, gloves and tattoos. At a closer distance, one could smell the constant lingering scent of cigarettes and spearmint from his pierced lips.With his skin tight black shirt almost ripping apart from his bulky muscles, black trousers, black shoes and jet black slicked back hair, one could easily tell his preferred color of choice.His most significant feature apart from his chiseled face was his hardened stern look perfectly suited for his dark grey eyes, with one glance, men and women would fall – though for different reasons.Without a single word, Mateo steps into their view. Leaning on the opposite wall, he folds his arm
Back in his seat, Mateo attempts to erase what he had just seen, not only what he saw above, but also below. The deathly slim waist outlined by prominent ribs was etched into his brain."Then you must be an undercover spy from the police, pretending to be a prostitute. I shall have you know that this is simply a religious cult." Mateo doesn't even bother sounding serious, he states it as if it was a fact and reaches for his drawer to pull out a box of cigarette and a lighter. He lights it up and places it between his lips."My apologies." He brings out the cigarette, between his leather fingers and offers Nora a drag, which she politely refuses. She was all too familiar with the smell of cigarettes. Though Amanda would only smoke in her room and not outside, everytime the door opened, they were able to get a whiff of the strong scented cigarettes. They never liked how it smelled, assuming it would taste just as bad as it smelled. According to them, why in t
Nora resumes her path, walking backward from the place, silently pleading not to run into a similar situation. She had barely gotten out from the last one.However, something about the way the tattooed man sat at his seat, full of confidence and power, irked her in some way. She could only dream of reaching such a point in her life, where she would feel the same .She admired him for that. A string of discomfort grew within her but she pushed it away.'I couldn't protect my sister. I couldn't protect myself." The thought alone laid heavy in her heart.She fiddled with her hands as she set on the path to the hospital. It would soon get dark outside and she decided it would be best to ask around in the town until early morning would arise, allowing her to explore further than the huts she had gotten to. Apart from that, there was one main reason why she wanted to return.Deep down, Nora knew that she wouldn't be able to get enough mon
It was cold outside during the middle of the night, the wind blew harshly against the trees, causing the leaves to rattle endlessly. A few of them break off and huddle together on the ground at the root of the tree; where Marcos sat waiting with a silent shiver.'What have I gotten myself into?' He wonders as he brings out his phone and starts playing a video game to fill in the time.Hours passed.He had meant to arrive in the morning itself but he knew Mateo would have his head if he didn't immediately start focusing on his work.And so he waited and waited; until he saw a petite brown haired female pop out from the hospital's front doors...."We will begin the treatment." The surgeon glances at Nora emotionlessly. He was used to this in his line of speciality, as a super specialist heart surgeon many a times patients could not afford the treatment. What else could he do about it? He hadn't the means to pay the government himself, t
"Let's talk somewhere else." He stated as he referred to the surroundings. Nora almost shivered, thinking of how she would be treated here if she had been brought in as the enemy instead. The wires . The knives. All of it seemed multiple steps upward from Amanda's preferred methods of torture. It took every ounce of her energy not to let the memories rush and flood back into her head.She was better at it now. She wouldn’t let it take over her mind.Noticing how she wasn’t handcuffed, she simply got up from her seat- the only chair that was present at the centre of the room. She almost held her breath until the door was opened and she could walk out into the familiar dark hallway. She let out the breath she had been holding with relief as the tightness in her chest retreated back to it’s home, unaware that Mateo’s eyes were observing her every movement with curiosity, never leaving her for even a second.Everyone had a story. Mateo wanted
Mateo had never hesitated, especially not after joining the Mafia.However in the current moment he felt something strange, something he could only name as hesitation. He knew that the first month of training is required for all members of the Mafia. There hasn't been a single member who didn't go through it, not even the cleaners.He also knew that once it was done, there was no going back. After becoming an official member of the Mafia, that would become your whole life. Was he really going to ruin Nora's entire life because he was bored and intrigued? - is what kept going through his head.At last, he finally came to a decision."You'll start training today. I'll take you to the training centre."Nora scurried behind him, looking up at his tall figure as he moves with strength and dignity, things she could only dream of - according to her.She admired the jet black hair that was slicked back with formulas and gel."
It was a dark windy night. Though she could not see outside because there were no windows, she could hear a light whistling sound that seemed to be radiating from above the facility. Her eyes painfully drifted to the clock at the wall; it was 8 pm.As her fingers slowly moved, she gripped the sheet of the bed into a fist, trying to gain enough strength to stand up. She felt that if she made any sudden movements, she would instantly throw up. The nausea was building up every second; an uncomfortable feeling in her epigastric region.After raising her head slightly, she noticed her surroundings. She was in a room. It was moderate sized with black white and grey toned walls. A study desk laid at the front corner to the right; the same wall bore a door and beside the bed were 2 side tables. A closet could be seen beside the free end of the side table. Gaining quite a bit of her senses, she raises into a sitting position, trying to recall the last thing she remembered
Nora paused for a second. It didn't seem like a big deal to her, after all she had changed in front of him before. She simply nodded in compliance. She was too naive for her own good.Mateo had half expected her to tell him to leave so her sudden acquiescence partly shocked him.He told himself he wouldn't look as he took off the oversized baggy shirt of his. Secretly he really liked how it looked on her and was a bit disappointed that she wouldn't wear it again.As he took it off, his gaze was focused on the interesting tile pattern of the bathroom wall until there was an obstruction in the shirt's path. The corner of his mouth fought hard to stay solemn as he looked down at her."I can't take it off like this." He tells her, seeing as her arms were at her side and not raised above her head. Mindlessly, Nora wasn't even paying attention. Despite sleeping for such a long time, she felt exhausted from the constant sharp pain shooting up her body with e