C1 Chapter 1

SHEILA

My eyes scanned the words on the screen, over and over again until my vision blurred. On the laptop screen, I was witnessing a dream come true. “Congratulations Ms. Sheila McQuin, you’ve been admitted to our Law Academy.”

It couldn’t be true. Girls like me don’t get into schools like that, and I had only applied out of mere hope.

“Out of over 50,000 applicants, you emerged as the second best student and we are more than delighted to have you in our academy.”

“Aaargh!” I yelled, jumping from my bed. Now the joy kicked in, this was all real.

I, Sheila McQuin from Bergon Village was going to the city to be a lawyer.

“Momma!”

Rushing out of my room, I ran barefoot down the wooden stairs, making it quake and squeak with every step I made.

“Momma!”

No one was in the living room, but the TV set was turned on and the national team soccer match was playing. Three bottles of empty beer laid on the table, along with an open pack of cigars.

Where was she?

I heard voices from the yard behind our cottage and they didn’t sound friendly at all.

Tiptoeing to the rear exit door, I stepped out quietly.

Mum and Mr. Steve, her husband, were standing side by side, hands intertwined and leaning towards each other.

Walking away from them were six huge men in black leather jackets and ripped jeans. A truck was packed on our corn field and a man dressed in similar outfit sat by the driver’s seat. His gaze was fixed on me, and an unsettling smile was cemented on his face.

“Mum, what’s going on?” I asked the moment they drove off. “Aren’t those men gangsters?”

Mum looked at me with swollen eyes, and she nodded.

“What do they want?”

Steve flung momma’s hand away, digging into his jeans for a cigar. “Calm your dog, else I’ll lock her up.”

I gritted my teeth at him as I didn’t understand what momma found attractive in Steve McQuin, Bergon’s famous drunkard and debtor.

"I haven't been paid in the farm yet," I muttered, looking daggers at him. "And you haven't paid the ones I lent you last month. “

Cursing under his breath, he reached low to pick up his slippers and flung both of them at me. Luckily, I dodged the first but the other one struck at my collarbone, the wooden sole bruising me. "Liar!" He cursed. "I paid you every single dime."

My mouth fell open. "No sir, I..."

“Don’t be rude to your father.” Mum was quick to cut in.

“He’s not my father!” I wanted to say but I held my words back in. The last time I had said that in front of Steve, Mum had wept bitterly for days without speaking a word to me. Steve had forced me to sleep in the pig sty for a week as well.

Taking a puff from his cigar, Steve walked to his sedan and leaned on the old carcass. “I heard you shouting for my wife in the house, what was the fuss about?”

My bruises burned under the harsh sun, but the thrill of the good news I had to share forced a smile through my sun-burnt face. “I got admission to school in the city.”

“The city?”

“Yes momma.” I said excitedly, ignoring the grim look on Steve’s face. “I’m going to be a lawyer ma.”

“And who’s going to pay for your fees?” Momma asked, her face turning red.

“Uh.” I stuttered, thinking fast. “I-I…I’ll do as many jobs as I can.”

Steve broke into hysterical laughter which gradually led to him coughing out smoke clouds. “The city is filled with blood sucking monsters, and corrupted souls…a little roach like you can’t survive there.”

“He’s right.” Momma added. “Vampires are on loose in the city and…”

“...That’s just a tale. Things like that don’t exist.”

“They do.” Steve said. “And they like short brunettes with puffy cheeks like you.”

Scowling, I muffled under my breath. “Talking like you’ve ever left this town.”

Mum heard and she looked so disappointed. “Follow me.”

She walked to the other end of the yard, near her growing tomato plants, a safe distance from Steve.

Grabbing me by the arm, she sat me down on a swing bench. “You’re not going anywhere.”

“But…”

“Listen to me.” She began with a stern tone. “Steve is owing a lot of money this time around…”

I rolled my eyes. “He’s always owing.”

“This time is different.” She said, her eyes darting across the yard and stopping at the sorry sight of Steve McQuin whistling and smoking his life away. “Steve owes some bad people a lot of money.”

“And how’s that got to do with me?”

She reached for my hand and held them tightly, her eyes glistening with tears.

“Momma, what’s wrong?”

“Steve needed to pay off the debt and he had no money, so…” She paused, glanced at him with sorrowful eyes and then turned her gaze back to me. “He made a deal to trade you off as repayment.”

“What!” I flared up, rising from the bench.

“It’s just for a year.” Mum said defensively.

The noise caught his attention, and the tall dangly man came rushing at us. “You tell her ‘bout the trade?” He asked momma.

Momma looked at me and then nodded. “Yes, and she agreed to it.”

I couldn’t believe my ears. Momma has been married to Steve since I was eight and I had grown to realize her love for her husband surpassed her love for me. Now that I was almost twenty one, her love for me declined with every fight I had with her husband.

I couldn’t blame her though, by the way, I was a child born out of wedlock, but never did I believe a day would come when momma would trade me off to a gang to pay off Steve’s debts.

Steve patted the top of my head with his greasy hands. “That’s a good dog now.”

My heart was set ablaze, and I couldn’t stop the tears from flooding my eyes. “Please momma,” I begged, crashing to my knees. “Don’t let them take me away.”

Steve couldn’t stop laughing at me. “The stupid girl think she’s going to have a life other than serving in the kitchen and making babies for any of Bergon’s farmers I finally sell her to.”

Clutching onto my mum’s garment, I wailed. “I want to be successful one day, momma.”

She leaned forward and pulled me up to my feet. Her face was as gentle and peaceful as always, and with the hem of her garment, she wiped my face.

“I also had dreams of my own, Sheila.” She said, her eyes buried in sadness. “but some dreams should always remain dreams.”

“But mum, I… “

“Don’t be selfish!” She snapped. “Your father has made the decision for you.”

Steve sneered at me. “If you say one more word about going to the city, I’ll chop off your tongue!”

That night, I went to bed early. Mum came to tuck me in bed, praying for my safety before going to bed.

My life was officially over. All those dreams of going to the city and becoming a big shot lawyer had withered along with the end of Steve’s cigar as he had said : “Pack your bags, tomorrow you’ll be taken by the gang.”

Both momma and Steve knew that I wasn’t going to be treated nicely there. Men like that see girls like me as sex toys, and from the smile that gang man had sent my way, I knew they already had plans for me.

Tears rushed down my face that night, and I questioned every belief I had in anything and everything.

Or was there someone out there that could save me? A hero? Maybe a man from my dreams would come in to rescue me?

The door of my room creaked open, and I twisted in my sheets to see what had caused the movement. By the door was Steve, leaning on the doorway with a beer can in his hand.

“Hello princess,” He muttered, biting his lower lip.