The deal

*FLASHBACK*

“Honey, wait here, okay?” the woman with eyes that were exactly like Mia’s said to her, making her sit on the bench, with little Lily by her side. “Take care of your sister. We'll be back pretty soon.”

Mia nodded, although she had a very bad feeling inside her childish heart. They were supposed to travel somewhere else, she didn’t know exactly where, since her parents didn’t tell her. But it was okay. She was going to be a bigger girl and take care of her little sister—who was no more than a one year old baby. 

She waited and waited, and two trains had already departed. Mia was nervous, and everything got worse when little Lily started to cry, out of hunger, no doubt. 

“Shh, shh…” Mia tried to make the small kid be quiet, but that was not possible. Soon, someone approached them. 

“Little girl, where are your parents?” the guard asked, frowning. 

“I… I don’t know. Mommy said she would buy the tickets with daddy,” Mia answered, and the furrow in the man’s brows deepened. 

“I see. Wait here a bit, and I’ll find someone to help you and the little one,” he said with a gentle tone, and Mia nodded. And wait she did. 

Not too long afterwards, a woman appeared there. She was tall, with black, almost blue hair and dark eyes. So dark that Mia thought she was looking into darkness. 

“Hello, little girl. I heard your parents are nowhere to be found,” the woman said and her voice was harsh, even though she was trying to fake sweetness. “I’ll help you, then. Come with me.” 

“But… Mommy told me to wait here,” Mia answered, then she saw something flash in the woman’s eyes. 

“I can help you, but you need to come with me,” she said and Mia looked around, meeting the guard’s eyes, who nodded at her. She looked at the woman and did as she was told, following the woman to the carriage, and soon she and her sister would have a twist in their lives.

Five years later, Mia was coming back from the market. The scarf wrapped around her neck was so thin that it barely protected her.

Olivia approached her with eyes filled with apprehension.

"What's up, Olivia?" Mia asked the other young woman, who was rubbing her hands nervously.

"The headmistress wants to see you. Over at the office," she said. "A weird man came out of there, and she asked me to fetch you."

Mia felt a chill all over her body; but she couldn't let herself be shaken. Nodding, she walked past Olivia and headed for Violet Thomson's office.

Walking down the hall, as soon as she turned and saw the dark wooden door at the end of it, every step towards that door made her feel like a piece of her was being left behind. She had a terrible feeling, since girls were only called in there either when they did something very wrong and would be punished for it, or… Mia swallowed.

She knocked on the door and waited for the order to enter. As soon as Ms. Thomson answered, Mia walked into the room, head down.

"Ah, there you are. Finally! Come, sit here. I have something very important to inform you." Mia could hear the satisfaction in the woman's voice, which meant whatever was going to be said, Mia wasn't going to like it.

"Yes, Miss," she replied and did as she was told.

"Very well. You are already fifteen years old, a young woman. Well, I have received an excellent offer. Tomorrow you are going to a new place."

"Oh, where am I going, Miss?" Mia asked, apprehensive.

"To Mr. Fraser's House of Pleasures" The woman giggled in delight, as Mia felt as if the world around her was spinning.

"Excuse me... Where?"

Miss Thomson made a disgusted face and clicked her tongue.

"Are you deaf, by any chance?" she asked, but soon the smile returned to her face. "Go get your things ready."

Mia shook her head—no. What about Lily? She couldn't leave her sister. What if the little girl was adopted and Mia never saw her again? And once she got into the brothel…she wouldn't be leaving it anytime soon. She couldn't even get close to decent places, where her sister would most likely be.

"I…I can't." she spoke softly, very low.

"What did you say?" Miss Thomson asked, thinking she had misheard it. Mia took a deep breath and raised her eyes that had previously been looking at her hands on her lap.

"No. I can't and I won't go!"

Miss Thomson's face contorted in anger. She slowly got up and walked up to Mia, who continued to stare at the older woman, her chin high.

"How dare you talk to me like that, you cheeky brat?"

The woman reached out and took her bell, shaking it. Soon, two men entered the room. They worked for the woman.

"Bring me the towel!"

The towel. Yes, girls considered beautiful could not have their bodies marked. After all, Miss Thomson had an excellent eye for knowing when one of the girls would be beautiful. That meant she could profit a lot from them. Mia was one of the prettiest girls she'd ever seen, which was why the envy in Thomson's heart was huge.

In order to punish the rebellious, Violet Thomson soaked a towel and beat the girls with it, so as not to leave marks on their skins. Mia was going to the brothel, so she would need to be perfectly impeccable.

After the beating session, Violet ordered the men to put Mia in the punishment cell in the basement. She looked through the bars of the small window in the door and smiled, while Mia was on the floor, crying.

"Don't worry. Your little sister is going with you. I got a great price on both of you. If I'd known they paid so much for young ones like her, I would have started selling other girls much sooner!" The woman left laughing, and Mia was wide-eyed, trying to understand what Violet had said.

Lily had been sold along with Mia to the brothel? But... why would they want a six-year-old? And then, the realization of facts made Mia's eyes cloud over. Not Lily! No!

She couldn't cry anymore, and every part of her body hurt.

"Please, please... I need help," Mia kept repeating it, as if it were a prayer. Then, she heard a click, which made her go still. The basement door creaked open, and Mia thought it could be one of the girls— Olivia or Emma. She waited, and only the sound of footsteps could be heard. Footsteps so light Mia thought maybe it was just her imagination playing tricks.

Then she saw a shadow approaching.

"Hello, little girl." The voice was gravelly, deep, but not at all human.

"W-who are you?" Mia asked, distressed.

"That's not important." The laughter that followed made Mia's whole body tremble. Who, or rather, what was that? “I have an offer for you.”

“Offer?” Mia asked. 

"That's right. I can see you are in trouble. Trouble, trouble, trouble.” 

Mia was not interested in games. She took a deep breath. 

“What do you want?” 

“Wow, fierce!” the voice said with sarcasm and inhaled through teeth. “Here is the deal: I help you out of here, you and your little sister. In exchange for a favor.”

“What favor?” Mia asked, squinting her eyes.

“A favor. That 's it. I don’t have anything in mind, yet. But when I do, I’ll call for you, you’ll answer me. No matter what. Otherwise, the deal is broken and you’ll get back to this shithole.” 

Mia breathed heavily. A favor? Get out of there? 

“Are you the Devil?” she asked. She still remembered some of the things her mother had told her. Mia shook her head, avoiding thinking too deeply about her mother. 

“Who cares? Does it matter?” 

“It does! I don’t want no deal with the Devil!” 

“You’re too picky, for someone who is about to become a worker in a brothel. Not only you, but your little doll of a sister.” 

The air was struck out of Mia. She tried to inhale, but to no avail. Lily. Mia could endure anything, but not Lily. She couldn’t let her sister suffer because she was too proud to accept the Devil’s help. Or whoever that creature was. 

“You’ll take us out of this place? Give us a better life? One that will give Lily good opportunities? Honored opportunities?” 

The creature laughed. 

“I like how cautious you are. Impressive, for such a young age. And, yes, I’ll give you a better life. Is that… a deal?” 

*END OF FLASHBACK*