The Fear of a Daughter

"Do you think your tears are important to me?" I knelt in front of my father, shaking, the cold cement floor soaking into my knees as I attempted to swallow the sob that had stuck in my throat. As usual, his remarks pierced me deeply. His words filled the little, darkened room, brimming with disdain. For as long as I could remember, I had been forced to live this existence, and every beat of my heart served as a reminder of it.

I didn’t look up at him. I couldn’t. His cruel eyes were too much to bear. Too much to endure. “Answer me!” His hand shot out, grabbing a fistful of my hair and jerking my head up. The pain stung, but it wasn’t new. Nothing he did was new anymore. He’d punished me in ways I couldn’t count, but today was different. Today, it wasn’t just my body he was angry with; it was my existence.

“Why won’t you ever listen?” His breath reeked of whiskey, and his fingers tightened, pulling me painfully closer. “You’re worthless, just like your mother. A disappointment. A burden.”

My chest constricted. I always felt sick to my stomach when my mother was mentioned. Unable to handle the hell my father had created, she left when I was five years old. It didn't matter that I had lost track of her location. She wasn't present. Yes, I was. I staggered forward as his hand shoved my hair out of it. I just managed to catch myself as the bitter taste of blood in my mouth blended with the sting in my scalp. He spit out, pacing like a stymied beast, "I've done everything for you." "How about you? You are nothing. Even you cannot save yourself.

My body trembled, but I didn’t say anything. He didn’t care if I begged. I learned that a long time ago. Begging only made him angrier, so I stayed silent, taking whatever he dished out. It was all I could do.

His voice dropped to a low, dangerous growl. “You’ll fix this, Dysis. Do you hear me?”

I flinched at the use of my name. When he used it like that, I knew something worse was coming. He wasn’t angry anymore; he was plotting, calculating.

"Are you aware of the amount of debt you have caused me to incur?" Even though his eyes were wild now, there was a gleam in them that made me shiver. “You’re going to make it right. You’ll pay back what you owe.”

Nothing came out of my mouth when I opened it to speak. I was at a loss for words. He had them all. "Don't give me that look." His voice trembled with anger, but suddenly it had a chilly undertone. "I have plans in place. There is nothing you can do about it. You didn't.

My gut churned. I felt like I was being choked by the heavy fog of his words that hung in the air.

"What arrangements?" Then he grinned. It was a disgusting experience. A smile that chilled my blood, twisted and hollow.

"They're going to sell you." My heart stopped. The room seemed to whirl around me, with the walls enclosing me. Every time I attempted to breathe, it felt shallow, as though the air was abruptly too thick

He screamed, "Oh, I can, and I will." A man such as me is not amenable to debt. How about you? You are my escape route. Dysis, you're going to put things right. And either you'll do it voluntarily or I'll force you to.

My world began to fall apart beneath me. Though I knew better than to attempt, I wanted to scream and escape. I was aware that things would only grow worse if I attempted to flee. My father was going to control my destiny, just as he had always used fear to control me. I felt sick to my stomach at the idea of being sold, of being nothing more than a possession to be claimed by someone else. I responded, without raising my voice above a whisper,

"I won't do it." "I refuse to go.”

His laugh reverberated around the room, lifeless and devoid of humour. "You have no say in it, sweetheart. You don't have any control here. You weren't. My heartbeat quickened as he moved closer, his cold eyes narrowing.

"I've consented to it already. Time to make the payment. And you, my darling, are the price. The weight of his words fell over me like a heavy blanket, making it impossible for me to endure. My only response was a shaky breath, but I wanted to yell and sob. What might I do? He had already made up his mind. Besides, I was just a pawn in his evil plan.

With a chilly, emotionless touch, he reached down and used one finger to lift my chin. "Dysis, you will shortly meet him. The one who will remove you from my grasp. He added with a cunning smile, "And don't worry, I'm sure he'll take very good care of you." I shuddered at the words, but it didn't change anything. I stumbled as his hand shoved me back. With a low, menacing voice, he commanded, "Get up." "You need to keep your date." A date.

I felt like screaming. Was this some sort of cruel joke? However, protests were out of the question. No time to plead. I headed to the door that would lead to my demise, hardly able to keep myself together.

I could feel it, like a black cloud hovering just above, trying to swallow me whole, even though I had no idea what was ahead. I heard a voice as my fingers went to the door handle. "Dysis." With my heart hammering in my chest, I jumped. Only my father's voice had ever been important. However, this voice... It wasn't his. The temperature dropped. darker. My breath stuck in my throat as I turned around. A man I had never seen before stood towering and powerful in the doorway. He had icy, frigid eyes, and there was something about the way he gazed at me that made me feel inconsequential and little. I could tell everything about him by his black suit and his demeanour I needed to know. He was dangerous.

He stepped forward, his eyes never leaving mine, and my heart pounded in my chest. With a deep voice and an authoritative tone that chilled my blood, he said, "Are you Dysis Salmon?" I was unable to respond. I was having trouble breathing. Then, as fast as that, he moved in closer, and I saw what was happening.

I was more than a daughter now. I was a possession.