3. AURORA ROOSEVELT

3. AURORA ROOSEVELT

*THREE DAYS LATER*

'Doom day 1.' I said to myself while looking at the slightly recognisable face in the mirror.

My own cries from three days ago were still quite fresh in my mind. Not to talk about… him.

His memories managed to terrify me every single time, even in my dreams. Yet there was no escaping them.

I know that even now, just at the slightest mention of him or his actions, I am already covered in goosebumps, sweating all over. He just had this-

"Stop being nervous! I am patting your sweat for the third time already Aurora! Trust me, it would be thousands of times better than all your previous sufferings combined. Maybe you might even turn out lucky!" Christina, somehow the only female who felt me interesting did my makeup for my first night into prostitution i.e first night of my forever totally ruined life.

"Lucky." I whispered, the word a little to foreign to me after the past five horrendous days.

Selling your body every single day, being insulted physically, mentally and in every other possible way for those few pennies? Lucky? How?

"Let's keep it subtle or your freckles might fade away." Christina said, either not listening to my little whisper or maybe simply ignoring me on purpose.

I was sure that second option was more likely to happen.

"What say?" Thank god she finally put all those brushes and make up palette down, now looking at me like some cherished art of hers.

I didn't reply and Christina didn't mind. She had been performing a monologue for the past two days where she would ask questions and then answer them on my behalf.

She just nodded at my reflection approvingly, satisfied with her artistic skills.

I had barely survived the night before yesterday, that beast wrecking me till the end but making sure I didn't die.

And then he had called Christina to make sure that I understood that there was no escape, not even in the form of death. I was completely left at his mercy, his mood commanded every minor action of mine.

But she I guess felt sympathy for me. Maybe empathy as well.

"Good to go!" Christina said and I looked at myself in the mirror.

'At least I looked real, unlike all those plastic dolls heavily painted in thick makeup layers.' I thought while absentmindedly getting up, giving a small curt smile to Christina before turning.

I guess I couldn't do more than that. Standing in this shimmery silver dress that exposed more than covering, I couldn't feel anymore nauseous of myself.

*HALF HOUR LATER*

Guess I still had the ability to surprise myself through all this. Ask me how?

I had managed to not attract even a single man all this while and by my looks and posture, I was sure to avoid that for tonight at least.

That handler had already given me a murderous look twice and I knew what was coming for me tonight.

He was one of those beasts from day one. Punishment here only meant one thing - sex or worse - rape.

He would beat the hell out of me but won't kill me. This was one thing I was certain about. Money mattered more than life. And I was not giving him that for sure. Let him glare at me however he wants. I am definitely not giving him what he wants though.

I suddenly felt this power surging through me, an alien feeling after all these days. But to be honest, I liked it a little. In fact for a moment I even felt proud of myself for not giving up when…

'Seriously Aurora? Proud? After what you made mom-dad and Evan go through, are you still gonna be proud of yourself? Don't you feel ashamed? You fucking prostitute! How can you-' I was almost shaking from all those internal voices in my head when somebody pushed me - more appropriately my handler pushed me.

"Wait I-" and he pushed me through a door, hard enough that I was already on the floor the next minute but before I could protest anymore the door was shut loudly on my face.

I took in my surroundings and it didn't take even a dumb person to understand where I was.

'Proud?' The voice reverberated again in my mind.

It was too much, a bit too much and I.. I was.. almost about to cry.

'No. No. No. Swallow those tears. It will only excite those-' and before I could even compose myself, here he was - my first.. first CLIENT?

I just took a deep breath, which guess what - didn't help at all. I could barely see his expensive shoes and trousers through my cloudy vision.

I blinked twice, trying to push back my tears.

'No more tears for these horrible species called men. Buck up Aurora. You have called this upon yourself. Now bear with-'

'Wait. Wait. Wait.' I told myself, something like a ray of hope igniting for barely a microsecond in my heart.

'What if I ask for help from him?' The thought sounded too foreign to my own ears.

'At least give it a try Aurora. What would be the worst possible outcome? He would laugh? Mock you? Rape you? Nothing worse than what you have already gone through. This might be your only chance Aurora. Go for it.' And somehow this weakly mustered courage only lasted till I half lifted my head before I turned my gaze the other way, my heart beating erratically.

I had truly overestimated my bravery. Because it was at this moment that a heavy realisation dawned upon me.

I couldn't dare to even look at any male. The trauma was too deep, buried in every inch of my skin and mind.

'Breathe.' I told myself and before I could follow my own voice, the man finally uttered something, making me hyperventilate even at the thought of being in a room with a male and listening to a masculine voice that was here to traumatise me again.

Yet what came next was nowhere near my horrifying expectations - 'I am sorry.'

And the very next moment he was gone.