Once Upon A Prostitute

CHAPTER 50 - BACK TO THE BEGINING

Trigger warning! The next two chapters have mentions of assault, rape or suicide.

Flashbacks are in italics
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Journal entry

Even graves are beautiful on the outside

Mina's POV

I stood on the street and stared at the beautiful white house with well-kept lawns and perfectly trimmed flowers. It looked so peaceful and beautiful on the outside, so promising. The first time I was here, I was bursting with excitement. The sun was just beginning to set when we arrived and it cast a golden hue upon the entire atmosphere.

"wow, it's so beautiful" I exclaimed as I took in the beauty of the house in front of me.

"I know right" Victoria said with a smile. "Wait till you see inside"

I followed her in with smiles I couldn't hide even if I tried. I was here! I made it. And even though I still felt a little sad because of my conversation with papa on the plane, I was beginning to think that maybe I made the right choice after all. In the end he'd see that, and he would be proud of me.

We were greeted at the door by two beautiful bubbly girls. They introduced themselves as Lily and Blossom. I thought at the time what beautiful names they had. It never struck me that their names weren't real. Not even their smiles and happiness was real. They led me to the sofa, all the while chatting away about how I was going to love it here.

"We're like family" Victoria had said, and I smiled at that. I was beginning to feel at home already.

Some family, I thought as I turned the knob of the brown wooden door that led into the house. Should I have knocked? There was a knock pattern - five taps in a distinct pattern. Any knock other than that screamed danger and had the hunters drawing their weapons closer. It was dangerous to walk up to the door uninvited. It was even more dangerous to walk in through that door if it was unanswered. I should have knocked, but then I was not thinking straight. I shouldn't even be here at all. But here I am.

I pushed the door even further and it swung wide open. The place was cleaned out, but I remember exactly how everything was. The forest green sofa, the cream walls, the brown rug carpet with a glass coffee table in the middle. That was where I signed my registration forms that first day. At the time I thought it was documentation for being housed in a dorm.  Not that they needed the forms anyway. It was just bait. I had signed my fate the moment I walked through that wooden door, and I didn't even know it.

I took two steps through the door and was now inside the house. I looked at the fireplace that was built into the wall. It had drawn my attention that first night. I was mesmerized by it, a fire burning in a room in such a controlled way. It reminded me of the burning bush in the bible. It was like, the wall was on fire but it was not burning. I thought it was beautiful and I welcomed the gentle warmth that seeped into my bones.

The whole house was cold now, very cold. And it wasn't even winter.

I shivered a little as I suddenly felt a gust of wind like there was a presence in here. I felt the hairs on my skin rise and goosebumps on my arms stick out. I shouldn't be here. I should probably get out before they find me. Where was everybody though?