Chapter 2 New Girl Challenge

• JUNIPER point of view
• "Move!" The guy screams and I try my best to move as fast as I can. I don't know where I'm going, but he keeps pushing me forward.
• We get to a large door, and he opens it and pushes me in and closes it back. I stumble in and realize it's a kitchen. The girls are all busy, pounding, frying and cooking. I stand at the door lost, I want to disappear.
• "Well, isn't it the new girl! Making trouble for the rest of us, aren't we?!" I hear a loud voice from a large woman walking towards me. Everyone has stopped working and is staring at us. The big woman keeps marching forward, and I try not to show my fear. She finally stands facing me.
• "I didn't cause trouble", I try to explain, but she slaps me instead.
• "Oh shut up! You're designated to work in the kitchen with me, so better keep that ugly mouth of yours closed. We don't ask questions here, we only do as we're told, do you understand?" She asks.
• Scared she would hit me again, I nodded my head. "Yes ma"
• "Good, now join that group of girls washing the dirty dishes and make yourself useful!" She orders and points to the far end of the kitchen and I quickly run to them. Everyone laughs at me but quickly gets on with their work.
• The girls at the sink quickly show me what to do, since I'm new, they direct me to begin washing while they clean and rinse. I don't complain, I'm scared of being hit again. The dishes are endless, and my dress is already wet with soap water, but it keeps coming. How many people are in this house?! Tears begin to roll down my eyes and refuse to stop no matter how hard I try.
• "You're going to get soap in your eyes" someone says to me, handing me a towel.
• I took it and quickly cleaned my tears. "Thank you". I told her she was blonde and darker than I am.
• "I'm Aviva" she introduces herself. I wonder if that's truly her name or the name Mr. Dakari told her," I wonder how long she has been here? Is she happy? She doesn't look fazed.
• "Don't be so worried about Sarah, I also got beat up and cried for three days straight when I first got here. She's just a to us, so we all stay scared of her and don't try to seduce her husband."
• "Is Sarah the one?" I ask
• "Yes, the big lady who wouldn't shut up and slapped you earlier" she explains, and I wince at the memory.
• "Is Aviva your real name?" I asked her.
• "Yes or no, I don't really care. Where I came from I did not have a name and so it was a nice change." She replies.
• "You remember where you're from?" I asked her.
• "Yes, we all do. You're the only one who doesn't. Mr. Dakari almost told the doctor to kill you instead but decided it'd be better if you didn't remember anything anyway."
• "He should've just left me on the road" I replied dryly and she smiled.
• "I think so too", she says.
• "Juniper, my name's Juniper", I told her.
• "Nice to meet you Juni, I've been here a year, it's exactly as bad as it sounds, but if you're lucky you get to the auction and someone kind buys you" Aviva tells me and someone beside her scoffs, we both turn to look at her, she's the one cleaning the plates after rinsing.
• "Stop selling yourself a fairytale Viv. People who buy girls cannot be kind. I've been telling you this for over a year." She rolls her eyes.
• "Auction?" I asked Aviva. "What does she mean by buying girls?"
• Aviva sighs "You've gone and scared her, Fayette."
• "I'm just telling her the truth, this is basic human trafficking, Aviva, not some cute fairytale with a romantic partner"
• I continue looking at Aviva. What does this auction mean?
• "Tell her Viv", Fayette laughs.
• "So, basically, when girls come here, they stay a while and then the auction begins. If Mr. Dakari feels you're good enough to sell, he sends you to the auction, the customers bid and the highest bidder takes the girl " Aviva explains.
• I looked at her shocked. "What do they do with the girls?" I asked, "I mean the customers."
• "Well, whatever they want, basically, the main thing is sex, but they could ask you to do anything and, since they owe you, you'd have to obey or -"
• "Die" Fayette does, and the air is knocked out of me. I don't think I can breathe.
• "Some girls are lucky, it's only sex they ask for. Once, a Dakar lady got married to a big business person because she won his heart. We might be lucky", Aviva argues.
• "You're so delusional, Aviva" Fayette whispered.
• "Are you working or talking nonsense over there?!!" Sarah shouted from across the room. "Don't make me smack you again, new girl!!"
• We quickly get back to washing the never ending plates.
• The day is longer than I expected and by the time we're done washing the dishes, it's already nighttime, my stomach grumbles loudly and Fayette and Aviva laugh.
• "We told you to take a break earlier and eat", Aviva says.
• "The plates kept increasing! I thought if I took a break it'd be too much for me!" I whined.
• "Well dishes for you!" Fayette says, you've passed your new girl ritual. You're the first girl to ever finish washing all her dishes in a day. Aviva was the one with the highest score before. She only had thirty more plates remaining before she fainted, and you've passed her high score!"
• I looked at them bewildered. "This was a test?"
• Aviva smiled. "Sorry, I couldn't tell you, Sarah would send me to the toilets."
• "So what does this mean for me?" I asked.
• "You get to-" Aviva tried saying, but Mr. Dakari walks in.
• "EVERY GIRL TO THE NEWS HALL IN FIVE MINUTES!!!!" He walks out and everyone starts running after him.
• Aviva drags my wrist and we both run out.