"I promise I will do better.." a voice so lightly above a whisper called out from the shadows. Cowering in fear Nyla Robert's stood in a dark corner contemplating what her father was going to do. She had spilled a bowl of soup all over the floor infront of her, infront of where her father stood with his belt in his hand. His knuckles turning a pale shade of white due to how tightly he was holding the belt. "Clean it, now." Her fathers voice cracked the fragile silence between them causing Nyla to tense. She nodded, "Y-Yes sir.", and went to get a rag from the kitchen. Bending down onto her knees to clean up the spill while her father watched. His grip on the belt softening as she finished up her cleaning. He let her get up before he swatted her out of his sight. The second he told her to leave she fled back into her room. She knew that wasn't the end of it, her father never let anything go, it was his way of control. Her family and community was like no other, forcing women into submission and marrying them right when they turned 15, with or without consent. It was to 'please the Gods..' but all the women knew it was a sick way to keep misogyny present in todays society. Nyla's fifteenth birthday was in upcoming weeks, her father already preparing who she will get married off too. The following days came and went until it was the week of her birthday, a Monday. She had came downstairs in the early morning glow to find her father and mother in the kitchen with an older looking man. Her mother looked defeated, her father pleased as they talked about Nyla as though she was livestock. As she crept up to the door of the kitchen the floorboards creaked under her, every step making more noise, hoping the chattering in the next room would drown it out, then silence. They knew, they knew she had heard and the door swung open and her dad grabbed her by the arm dragging her inside. "This is Orion Kolt, your future husband, he is 37 and the perfect match." Her father beamed, proud to have found such a wonderful man for his daughter. Nyla's stomach churned as the man eyed her greedily. "I-.. I don't want to marry him."
Nyla said, her voice barely audible, this caused her father to snap his neck to look at her, his perfect grin faltering for just a second. "You will marry him. Wether you want to or not." Stated her father sharply, Orion chiming in, "Sweetheart I'm not that awful, just get to know me a little" he said in a fake sweet tone, licking his lips. Nyla glanced a horrified expression to her mother who just smiled softly, she was in on it too. The small girl made a break for it and ran to her room, scared and feeling alone. The next day while her father was at work she had corner her mother. "Please mom.. don't make me marry him, I can't.." Her mom had looked at her with a pitied expression before calling somebody on her phone. Nyla got a pang of relief, maybe she was calling the cops? Or somebody. But that wasn't the case, Nylas mom was calling her father. "Yes.. Nyla is troubled now.. she is expressing some doubt that will have to go away by the wedding." Nyla couldn't believe it, the one person she trusted to help her during this time had left her completely vulnerable and scared. During the follow up to her wedding, she attempted to go to all of her family members asking for help but they all just reported her back to her father. Then, she escaped. She crept out her window in the middle of the night and ran, barefoot with her pajamas still on. She didnt care, she was free. Stopping at a homeless shelter for the next few days. She was relieved, she escaped, she was happy. But not for long. Her father had found her, stalking her location on his phone. She tried to convince the shelter not to let him take her but the father had forged papers detailing that she was a troubled teen. The shelter gave her up that very day.. someplace where she felt safe for a little period of time eventually turned on her too. She was alone.. everyone in the neighborhood knew her as 'the troubled one.' That's what her family wanted.. to alienate her from the community, to keep her quiet. Every single person she tried to ask for help.. turned a blind eye. Just for a pretty penny. Now she was given up on by the community and given up to Orion.