Tina pov : It breaks my heart.
At first, everything was dark. Not the peaceful kind of dark, like sleep. Heavier. Like something is wrapped around me—not cloth, but distance. Like I'm not where I was before. My eyes feel strained—I'm trying to open them, but they're tired and achy.
But then I feel it—the subtle sway. The vibration under my back. A hiccup in the floor beneath me, like wheels hitting cracks or seams.
I'm moving. Somehow, I'm being taken somewhere.
My hands are strapped—gently, but firmly. My fingers twitch against something smooth and cold. Metal?
I try to remember. What happened before this? Who put me here?
Then it all comes flooding back, like a sudden gust of wind. The dark night, the girls, those men in black.
They kidnapped all of us, and now they're taking us somewhere—to use us or sell us. Sell us. That's what they're going to do.
I try to move and look around. I see them—dried tears, tattered clothes, bruises on their bodies. We're all here, in this moving container. Almost fifty of us are here, ages maybe ranging from twenty to thirty-five.
No, this was not supposed to happen. This was not the f*cking plan.
I try to rest my eyes—they're still sore—and attempt to formulate some kind of plan to get out of here.
But then I hear it.
Someone is crying. I looked around and saw her.
No. No no no no no. Please.
How could they? These a**holes kidnapped a little girl. She can't be more than five or six years old.
She's crying, but no one goes to console her. How could they, when everyone is facing their own trauma and just waiting for the worst to happen?
I am still looking at her when her eyes shift and meet mine. She is beautiful, but there's a deep sadness in them—the kind of pain I know I'll never forget. I can't leave her alone.
I signal for her to come closer with a small nod. She watches me with her little grey eyes, hesitant but curious. Slowly, she begins to crawl toward me.
Now face to face, I can truly see her. And trust me—beautiful is an understatement.
She is absolutely breathtaking.
I give her a small smile and ask, "Hey baby, what's your name?"
She looks at me but doesn't answer. Maybe she's afraid—maybe she thinks I'll hurt her.
"My name is Tina," I say gently.
"You don't have to be afraid of me. I was taken too. See?" I lift my bound hands so she can see the ropes. "I won't hurt you. I promise."
She takes a deep breath and wipes her face with her tiny hands. I glance at the others—they've already given up. That's why they don't try to comfort her. They don't want to give her false hope.
But I'm not like them. I can't give up. Not after everything I've fought for. And this little girl… she doesn't deserve to see this kind of violence. Not at her age.
She looks at me again. "Sky" she says in a very small voice, almost a whisper. No one else can hear her, so I try to keep my voice low as well.
"Hello, Sky. Don't worry, okay? we'll get out of here. And if we can't, then I'll always be with you—I'll protect you. You can trust me." I whispered. She looks around us, then nods her head in approval and gives me a sad smile.
At least that's a start, right? I asked her, "Sky, baby, how did you get here? What happened? Can you tell me? And also... your parents—who are they?"
And there it is. She goes blank. Eyes wide open.
A look of pain floods her face—so deep, so raw, it could drown even the strongest adult.
"Don't worry," I whispered, leaning in close. "I just need to know… so that when the bad men come, I can help you. We can't always tell them the whole truth, you know. I need to know what happened so I can protect you."
My voice is low—barely above a breath.
We can't tell them everything. If they don't see a use for her, they'll kill her. Or worse... sell her. I won't let that happen. I swear it.
She takes a deep breath and says, "I don't have parents. The people at the oarphwage said I was left outside the door one night." She paused, trying to catch her breath through the tears. She looks so fragile right now—it breaks my heart.
"I ran away from them because they were going to put me in fustar care again, and I... I didn't..." she hiccup, "I didn't want to go there, so I ran away and hid in a box. But those bad men in black clothes found me and put me here." She started crying again.
Her pronunciations are a bit off—like orphanage—but that's not the issue. She's an orphan, and that means no one is going to look for her. I guess, in a way, that's a good thing.
Don't take me wrong—I feel for her—but in this situation, it's for the best. She's not a threat. No one will come looking. That gives us some room to work. We can build a plan around that.
Slowly, I take her hands into mine and tug her gently toward me. It hurts—my arms are still strained—but she needs comfort more than I need rest.
Without a word, she steps forward and gingerly climbs into my lap. I pull her close. Her small body presses against my chest, her head tucked under my chin. My hands rest on her back while her tiny arms wrap around me, and she cries.
I won't stop her. She needs this. She needs to let it out.
And once she does, we'll figure this out together. We'll make a plan. She's stronger than she looks—stronger than most.
Even in her short life, she's faced more than some ever will. Growing up without parents… it hardens you. But maybe, just maybe, she doesn't have to face the next part alone. I will be there for her.
I gently turn my face to look at her, and she meets my gaze, raising her head. She's stopped crying and has cleaned her face again—this time using my shirt. I laugh lightly, and she smiles back.
"Baby, if they ask anything, you'll tell them the truth—just like you told me, okay?" I ask. She nods her head.
"Good. Don't be scared, don't cry, don't say anything unless they ask first, and don't look them in the eyes..." I explained all the rules to her. She listened quietly, but I could tell there was something she wanted to ask.
I gave her a nod, hoping she'd understand that I wanted her to speak—that I wanted her to learn to communicate with me without words and pick up on my signals.
"I want to ask you something... umm, why are you helping me? No one has spoken to me here. Also, who are you, and why are those bad men... kid.... kidnap....kidnapping us?" she asked. I smiled, proud that she understood what my nod meant. Good, she's a fast learner.
But it's her questions that scare me the most. What should I say? Should I lie? No—that won't help when she finally sees what's waiting for us out there.
We're not in some truck or container on a road—this is a ship. They're trafficking us to a whole other country. Shit.
I have to tell her the truth, so we can fight this together. Not a physical fight—the real battle is emotional, mental. She needs to be ready for the worst.
"I'm helping you because you need it. You know, we should help when someone is in need. We should protect those who are weak and can't protect themselves. And we should love those who are broken and stuck in a dark place. This is my life's motto, Sky. Do you understand?"
I said gently, trying to bring her into the right space—so she could feel and understand what was in my heart before I spoke more.
"Yes, Tina," she says with a determined face. I continue, "Baby, the people took everyone because they want to use them and make money off them." She makes a disgusted face.
I can tell she understands — she's strong and intelligent. I go on, "Those men are bad men working for someone else. They earn money and power by hurting others."
"... So... so they'll hurt me or sell me like the orphan did?" she asks, her wide eyes filled with fear.
"No. I won't let them," I say firmly. "But you have to be brave now and listen to what I'm going to tell you. Are you ready? Will you be strong for me?" She nods. "Yes, I will."
I press a gentle kiss to her forehead. She's so small, yet so strong. It's not even been an hour since I met her, but somehow... She already feels special to me.
She gives me a bright smile. "No one has kissed me like that before, Tina. Thank you." Damn. I feel like crying—and I'm not someone who shows weakness. Sh*t. But I can't break down now. We have to survive this.
"I'll always try to make you feel safe and comfortable, okay? But right now, you need to focus and listen closely." She nods again, her expression serious.
"Those men work for someone... and that someone is part of a group of even worse men.....they are known as MAFIA."