C2 HER TRUE IDENTITY

Asking around he was informed that she was not a customer but one of the female workers of the club. Arthur was stupefied; how can it be, she was just a little kid.

His co worker sighed, slowly narrating the whole thing. 'The girl', the name through which she was addressed in the starting days, was sold to the club a week ago by an anonymous man with a Spanish accent. It was when he learnt that Little Bee was not even a native American but from Spain.

Arthur felt bad for the little girl, at such a tender age she was pushed down to such a place from where she cannot escape till she inhales her last breath. Little Bee always stayed mum, maybe because she had no knowledge of English or maybe because she was not familiar with the faces she was seeing and will see for the rest of her life. She was just a kid, the smell of wine and the red lights will surely be alien for her.

Little Bee, at that time, had no idea about how things work. She was just an innocent soul; the higher ups tried to train her for the bed so that she can start her service but maybe her poor little face cracked their hearts that they allowed her to stay and get familiar with the atmosphere in here.

It was said that she was sold for mere 100 dollars to the club, the higher ups didn't spend a fortune on her and thus were not in a hurry to get back the interest of the spent sum. Also, if she is sent to someone with raw knowledge and she provides a bad service she could ruin the whole business and contacts. Thus, Little Bee was allowed to stay in the club as a cleaner and it was decided that she will be professionally trained once she turns 16, when her body will be ample and mature to please the customers.

Within a month, the girl managed to get familiar with everyone. Sh e was assigned the cleaning works which she did with utmost sincerity. It was her small frail figure but abundance of working capability that earned her the title of Little Bee, no one cared about her real name or identity and neither did she care to introduce herself as that.

It was one night when Arthur had to stay back to clean up his personal mess when he saw the small girl clean the whole club alone, the broom was slightly taller than her yet she was stubbornly cleaning the room to shine. That night was when the two spoke for the first time, became friends instantly and even shared portion of their work. During the clubbing hours Little Bee would help him arrange the glasses and after party they both with the help of others would clean the club room.

This happened for four long years, they became best of friends and partners for life.

After cleaning the whole room the two sat down at the corner, admiring the empty room they had just cleaned. Little Bee was sipping on her apple juice when she suddenly asked, "Arthur, my birthday is up in two months. Do you remember?"

Arthur laughed to himself, it was not her birthday to be precise. No one knew when she was born, it was the date when the club bought her for 100s of dollar. He nodded silently, "I remember, how can I forget your birthday."

"Great, what have you prepared for me?" She asked enthusiastically, giving him a clear view of her 32 teeth complied in a smile. Arthur fell silent, she was going to be 16 this year, the age in which her training was decided to be started from. The age in which her freedom, her happiness, her free spirit and will will be taken away from her for life. He looked at her smiling little face in silence.

'Bee, will you be still be smiling like this if I tell you what the higher ups have arranged for you on your 16th birthday.'

'Will you still be smiling like this if I tell you on your forthcoming birthday we are gonna give you a dress and will be pushing you into a bedroom with a man whom you don't even know.'

'Will you still be smiling like this if I tell you this year my present for you is a goodbye as we may never meet like this again.'

Arthur held back his thoughts to himself, he had already applied for leave at the time of her birthday as he may never be able to see her like that. Bee was his friend and more than that he respected her as his own sister, she was just six years younger than him.

He did once think about buying her freedom but the club ceased his demand asking for a sum which he may never pay even if he work for seven lives. Arthur felt like he was betraying her but he was hand tied... He can never make himself say her the truth or steal her from the truth.

All he could do was smile and change the topic, "I have an examination day after tomorrow, I need to prepare for it." Little Bee sat up straight, totally forgetting about her birthday and started to solemnly wish him luck. She urged, "Arthur must study well and get placed in the college of his dream, all the best!"

The two smiled, shared last few words before the boy packed up his stuffs and walked out of his working place. Little Bee finished off her drink and looked at the two garbage disposal bags kept at the corner. Lifting them up she pushed the door open and walked to the dustbin station which was two buildings away from the club, at the streets end.

She lifted the lid and dumped the two bags in; clapping the dust off her hands she heaved a sigh of relief, "It's done for today, now it's time to.... Aaaahhh!" Before she could even finish her sentence she felt a heavy weight falling on her back. Bee couldn't turn to see what it was but given to it's heavy weight she stumbled on her feet and fell down with the thing on top of her.

For a second Little Bee was scared, who it was who was trying to kill her by attacking her from the back. "Who is it trying to kill me, who is it... It is so heavy, lift it up or I will bite you to death!" Whatever it was it was just too heavy for her to bear, her frail body was imposed by the overbearing weight as she struggled off the clutch.

Immediately standing up Bee turned around to find who it was who was trying to kill her by squashing her to death. But her anger turned into immediate panic when she saw the thing which hit her from the back.

Her mind went into a swirl of confusion and fear when she found a heavily injured man lying on the ground, likely unconscious.